Hypnosis as a “State of Consciousness”: How Quantifying the Mind Can Help Us Better Understand Hypnosis

CAN SUBJECTIVE RATINGS OF ABSORPTION, DISSOCIATION, AND TIME PERCEPTION DURING “NEUTRAL HYPNOSIS” PREDICT HYPNOTIZABILITY?: An exploratory study

“…The natural capacity to perceive an inner-oriented mental imagery, as well as to be disengaged from environmental perception, is often described by people during hypnosis. In addition, behavioral responses to suggestion are not sufficient to characterize the phenomenology of hypnosis (e.g., first-person reports of the qualia of consciousness; see Pekala, 2015). Behavioral responses are thus not sensitive enough to testify to these very subjective sensations, and the feelings of individuals during hypnosis are essential to correctly estimate the intensity of the hypnotic experience.…”

Alteration of hypnotic experience following transcranial electrical stimulation of the left prefrontal cortex

“…The HSS is a measure of hypnotic depth that correlates about .60 ( Forbes & Pekala, 1993 ; Pekala & Kumar, 1984 ) with scores on the Harvard Group Scale of hypnotic susceptibility ( Shor & Orne, 1962 ). The HHS generates an estimate of Weitzenhoffer's conceptualization of “trance,” and it is based on a regression equation consisting for 10 of the PCI (sub)dimensions (see Table 1 ): the HSS may be the only quantifiable, phenomenological or “noetic” measure of “trance” available to date ( Pekala, 2015 ; Pekala et al, 2017 ).…”

Exceptional Experiences Following Exposure to a Sham “God Helmet”: Evidence for Placebo, Individual Difference, and Time of Day Influences

“…The major dimensions include reflect: AE), positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), attention (ATT), and imagery (IM). The measure has previously been employed to explore a variety of altered states of consciousness including states associated with anomalous experiences, religious experiences, and states of hypnosis (see Pekala, 2015). The current project compares scoring on the five major dimensions for the main analyses concerning belief.…”