Hypnosis and Neuroscience

Abstract

Despite its long use in clinical settings, the checkered reputation of hypnosis has dimmed its promise as a research instrument. Whereas cognitive neuroscience has scantily fostered hypnosis as a manipulation, neuroimaging techniques offer new opportunities to use hypnosis and posthypnotic suggestion as probes into brain mechanisms and, reciprocally, provide a means of studying hypnosis itself. We outline how the hypnotic state can serve as a way to tap neurocognitive questions and how cognitive assays can in turn shed new light on the neural bases of hypnosis. This cross talk should enhance research and clinical applications.

Hypnotic suggestion reduces conflict in the human brain

“…A recent fMRI study extended these findings to illuminate the role of placebo in the context of pain (33). These collective accounts underline the influence that attention and suggestion can impart to conf lict situations, top-down cognitive organization, selfregulation, and effortful control (16,34,35).…”

“…Whereas earlier case reports (17,18) and at least one esoteric study (19) reported promising preliminary findings by using hypnotic suggestions, we used an experimental design using a posthypnotic suggestion, a condition wherein a subject complies with a suggestion made during the hypnotic episode after termination of the hypnotic experience (16). Although subjects may not remember being told to adhere to a specific instruction, the posthypnotic suggestion is usually summoned on a prearranged signal and can be effective in highly hypnotizable individuals (16,(20)(21)(22)(23). Posthypnotic suggestions, therefore, unlike hypnotic suggestions, take effect in a conventionally behaving person during common wakefulness (16).…”

“…Recently, we used hypnotic suggestion as an attentional tool to manipulate conflict (16). Whereas earlier case reports (17,18) and at least one esoteric study (19) reported promising preliminary findings by using hypnotic suggestions, we used an experimental design using a posthypnotic suggestion, a condition wherein a subject complies with a suggestion made during the hypnotic episode after termination of the hypnotic experience (16).…”

“…Although subjects may not remember being told to adhere to a specific instruction, the posthypnotic suggestion is usually summoned on a prearranged signal and can be effective in highly hypnotizable individuals (16,(20)(21)(22)(23). Posthypnotic suggestions, therefore, unlike hypnotic suggestions, take effect in a conventionally behaving person during common wakefulness (16). Earlier, we used this system in a laboratory setting and presented behavioral findings showing elimination of Stroop interference (20).…”

Pain Response in Depersonalization: A Functional Imaging Study Using Hypnosis in Healthy Subjects

“…For the investigation with functional imaging, however, we ideally use a manipulation that allows controlling the onset and duration of DP. Hypnosis fulfils these criteria because it entails a powerful attentional manipulation [14], leading to changes in perception of external stimuli and one’s own body. Previous neuroimaging studies investigated hypnotic compared to dissociative paralysis [15], delusions of alien control [16], hypnotic analgesia [17,18,19,20], and hypnotic pain induction [21].…”