Hypnotizability: Emerging Perspectives and Research

Abstract

Hypnotizability refers to "An individual's ability to experience suggested alterations in physiology, sensations, emotions, thoughts, or behavior during hypnosis" (Elkins, Barabasz, Council, & Spiegel, 2015). Research has demonstrated that most people are hypnotizable and that individual differences in hypnotizability exist. In recent years, there have been important advances on perspectives and new, well-validated scales for measurement that seek to improve on older measurement instruments. Emerging research has sought to address questions such as: Is hypnotizability a natural human ability independent from formal hypnotic inductions?; Are multi-component theories most accurate to account for differences in hypnotizability?; What can we learn from a critical review of older measures of hypnotic susceptibility?; Can hypnotizability assessment be accomplished by phone?; What is being found from current study of the Hypnotic Induction Profile?; Can assessment of hypnotizability have therapeutic benefits?; Does comparison of older and newer measures of hypnotizability such as the Elkins Hypnotizability Scale point to a new "gold standard" based on contemporary research? This special issue of the IJCEH provides insights into these important questions.

Update on hypnotherapy for psychiatrists

“…People who are more hypnotisable understandably experience a greater effect or have a quicker response to hypnotherapy, whereas those lower in hypnotisability may need more sessions to achieve a similar response or the clinician may need to experiment with a wider range of hypnosis techniques (Elkins 2015). Elkins (2021) challenges the validity of the HIP as an assessment of hypnotisability and concludes that an improved formal assessment of hypnotisability will lead to better clinical research outcomes and integration into hypnosis intervention protocols.…”

The influence of experience and modality of presentation (online vs. offline) on hypnotizability

“…In sum, explicit training of hypnotizability appears to be possible. For individuals of low hypnotizability, it might even merely require more experience (e.g., more hypnotic sessions) to improve their ability to respond to hypnotic suggestions ( Elkins, 2021 ). For example, Kaczmarska et al (2020) reported improvements in hypnotizability after a minimum of three sessions of hypnotherapy.…”

Teaching a computer to assess hypnotic depth: A pilot study

“…There are mentions of a high correlation between the scores for the self-rating scales of the hypnosis depth and the scores for the scales of hypnotizability (Szabó, 1993;Tart, 1978), as well as the degree of the particular components that the hypnotic state includes (such as absorption or dissociation) and hypnotizability (Facco et al, 2017;Frischolz et al, 2015). The last one many studies indicate to be a stable characteristic of an individual (Elkins, 2021;Oakley & Halligan, 2013). This also leads to the methods of a subjects' hypnotizability assessment with scales, where the more complex suggestion they can perform (in other words, the deeper they can go into trance), the more hypnotizable they are.…”

“…One of the differences between the procedures by which hypnosis is researched, compared with when it is applied in therapeutic settings, is whether or not hypnotizability is assessed. When researching the nature of hypnosis, it is common practice to include the use of a hypnotizability scale (Elkins, 2021). In contrast, it is very much the exception to find scales being used in clinical practice.…”

“…When researching the nature of hypnosis, it is common practice to include the use of a hypnotizability scale (Elkins, 2021). In contrast, it is very much the exception to find scales being used in clinical practice.…”