Hypnosis and cognition.

Abstract

This article summarizes the contributions of hypnosis to our understanding of cognition. These contributions have been especially salient in the study of memory, and include source amnesia and the distinction between episodic and semantic memory; the occurrence of semantic priming in implicit (unconscious) memory; and paramnesia (false memory). Posthypnotic amnesia shows that explicit and implicit memory can be dissociated even under optimal encoding conditions. The hypnotic alterations of perception may expand the scope of central executive control over "low-level" sensory and perceptual processes, and offer a new perspective on perceptual couplings. Implicit (unconscious) perception in hypnosis is not subject to the same analytic limitations encountered in masked priming. In the study of "high-level" thought processes, hypnosis has played an important role in understanding the formation of delusional beliefs, and of intuitions in problem-solving. Studies of hypnosis suggest that automatic processes can be "de-automatized," as in the reversal of Stroop interference by suggestions for hypnotic agnosia. In social cognition, Orne's analysis of demand characteristics laid the foundations for the cognitive revolution in social psychology, by underscoring the status of subjects-and people outside the laboratory-as active, sentient, problem-solving agents. The search for correlates of hypnotizability led to the incorporation of openness to experience as a major cognitive dimension in the structure of personality. One topic for future research is the relationship between hypnotizability in children and their development of a theory of mind. Studies of hypnosis in children may shed new light on the development of the imagination.

Can hypnosis displace the threshold for visual consciousness?

“…Finally, it should be mentioned that our results could arguably limit the possibilities of implementing hypnosis as a classic subliminal masking tool, as purported by some theoretical reviews in the field ( Kihlstrom 2014 ; Landry et al . 2014 ).…”

“…Much has been written about the promising venues of hypnosis as a tool for cognitive research ( Oakley and Halligan 2009 , 2013 ; Raz 2011 ). In particular, recent reviews have proposed that hypnotic negative and positive hallucinations would be a valuable asset for the study of consciousness ( Kihlstrom 2014 ; Landry et al . 2014 ).…”

Can Hypnotic Susceptibility be Explained by Bifactor Models? Structural Equation Modeling of the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility - Form A

“…This type of experimental research, designated intrinsic (Cox & Bryant, 2008; Wagstaff, 1996), asks, for example, whether hypnotic-suggestibility is related to the capability of concentration, fantasy, or daydreaming (for review, see Lynn et al, 2019). (2) Do (posy)hypnotic suggestions affect perception or performance in specific tasks, such as those measuring cognitive functions (for review, see Kihlstrom, 2013; Kihlstrom, 2014)? Such studies, sometimes referred to as instrumental (Cox & Bryant, 2008; Wagstaff, 1996), ask, for instance, whether (post)hypnotic suggestions can subdue pain perception (e.g., Perri et al, 2019) or facilitate inhibition of irrelevant but intrusive information (e.g., Zahedi et al, 2019).…”

Clinical Hypnosis & VR, Subconscious Restructuring- Brain Rewiring & the Entanglement with the 8 Pillars of Metacognition X 8 Layers of Consciousness X 8 Intelligences

“…Clinical hypnosis can evoke profound changes in a series of cognitive and metacognitive mechanisms both during and after hypnosis. Hypnosis research has also shed light on cognitive phenomena that might otherwise go unnoticed [12,15].…”

“…Lindeløv et al [17], using a randomized controlled trial found that hypnotic suggestions can actively restore working memory performance in patients with acquired brain injury. Kihlstrom's et al [15] pointed out that hypnosis can dissociate different forms of memory such as those of episodic and semantic memory allowing them to operate independently and accordingly with the therapeutic purposes. In addition, it facilitates memory accessibility and recall.…”