New directions in hypnosis research: strategies for advancing the cognitive and clinical neuroscience of hypnosis

Abstract

This article summarizes key advances in hypnosis research during the past two decades, including (i) clinical research supporting the efficacy of hypnosis for managing a number of clinical symptoms and conditions, (ii) research supporting the role of various divisions in the anterior cingulate and prefrontal cortices in hypnotic responding, and (iii) an emerging finding that high hypnotic suggestibility is associated with atypical brain connectivity profiles. Key recommendations for a research agenda for the next decade include the recommendations that (i) laboratory hypnosis researchers should strongly consider how they assess hypnotic suggestibility in their studies, (ii) inclusion of study participants who score in the middle range of hypnotic suggestibility, and (iii) use of expanding research designs that more clearly delineate the roles of inductions and specific suggestions. Finally, we make two specific suggestions for helping to move the field forward including (i) the use of data sharing and (ii) redirecting resources away from contrasting state and nonstate positions toward studying (a) the efficacy of hypnotic treatments for clinical conditions influenced by central nervous system processes and (b) the neurophysiological underpinnings of hypnotic phenomena. As we learn more about the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying hypnosis and suggestion, we will strengthen our knowledge of both basic brain functions and a host of different psychological functions.

Hypnosis for cingulate-mediated analgesia and disease treatment

“…The use of hypnosis by the medical community has increased exponentially in the past years. This increase can be attributed to a growing awareness of hypnosis as a valuable clinical tool as well as to more intense research experimental work highlighting its measurable effects (Jensen et al, 2017). Hypnosis can be defined as "a state of consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness characterized by an enhanced capacity for response to suggestions" (Elkins et al, 2015).…”

“…According to some authors, hypnosis may result from inhibitory influences on the secondary somatosensory cortex/insula regions from the right lateral prefrontal cortex and a breakdown of coherent large-scale cortical oscillations organized and controlled by regions in the frontal cortex (Jensen et al, 2017). Regional decreases in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) activity have been described by means of functional neuroimaging studies (Maquet et al, 1999;Rainville et al, 2002).…”

Can hypnosis and virtual reality reduce anxiety, pain and fatigue among patients who undergo cardiac surgery: a randomised controlled trial

“…Techniques such as hypnosis and virtual reality (VR) have been investigated in numerous studies in the medical field (e.g. algology, oncology, anaesthesia) to reduce pain and anxiety and increase patients' comfort [20][21][22]. Hypnosis is defined as a "state of modified consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness, characterized by an enhanced capacity for response to suggestions" [23].…”

Hypnosis for Clinical Pain Management: A Scoping Review of Systematic Reviews

“…In addition, some research suggests that trait hypnotizability -that is, the tendency of an individual to respond to hypnotic suggestions -might potentially moderate the efficacy of hypnosis for pain management [41,42,43]. These moderation effects appear to be more pronounced in laboratory-based settings than studies of patients with clinical pain [44]. However, this issue was rarely addressed in the reviews we summarized in the current study, perhaps in part because researchers tend to not evaluate these effects in clinical trials.…”