The interactive nature of hypnosis: research evidence for a social‐psychobiological model

Abstract

On the basis of 14 years of empirical research conducted in a mulidimensional interactional framework, the main characteristics of different hypnosis styles are described. It is suggested that typical hypnosis styles resemble the patterns of basic intimate relationships that have mutual regulatory function. This interpretation may help to understand the healing effects of hypnosis, well known for ages, since more and more data indicate that the quality of intimate relationships plays an important role in the development and maintenance of mental and physical health. The research summarized here support the social psychobiological model of hypnosis, conceptualizing hypnosis as an altered state of consciousness that may have a socially and biologically adaptive value. Copyright © 1998 British Society of Experimental and Clinical Hypnosis

Oxytocin and Cortisol in the Hypnotic Interaction1

“…All of these interactional results can well be interpreted in accordance with the predictions of the social psychobiological model of hypnosis (Bányai, 1998(Bányai, , 2002a(Bányai, , 2002b. According to this model, a hypnosis situation can provide the opportunity for the activation (bringing to the surface) of early relationship patterns, which in turn may create corrective experience.…”

Hypnosis, Attachment, and Oxytocin:An Integrative Perspective1

“…The relationship that stems from the use of hypnotic suggestions has already been documented by several authors (for a review, see Diamond, 1987; also, Banyai, 1998;Bioy & Keller, 2009), and the nature Downloaded by [Bibliotheque Univ De Namur] at 00:15 24 January 2014 of its different characteristics has been examined from the standpoint of various psychotherapeutic schools (for a review, see Bioy & Michaux, 2007;Nash & Barnier, 2008). Over time, that issue has been theorized in terms of transference and object relations (Brown & Fromm, 1986;Smith, 1981), working alliance and empathy (Palaci, 1993;Petot, 2006); motivation and social influence (Kihlstrom, 1985;Orne, 1966;Spanos, 1982), regression and symbiosis (Frauman, Lynn, Hardaway, & Molteni, 1984;Lutz & Fix, 2007) to name just a few.…”

“…That sense of connectedness and intimacy seems similar to the one resulting from the relational attunement experienced with the primary caregiver during infancy and may contribute to the mental incorporation of the caregiver's symbolic representation (Baker, 1982;Banyai, 1998;Diamond, 1987). That process is called symbiotic or fusional alliance and has been proposed to explain several effects observed during the hypnotic experience, such as coregulation of emotions, external regulation of internal process, and coconstruction of meaning (Balken, 2004;Banyai, 1998;Diamond, 1987Diamond, , 1988Fogel, 1993;Lutz & Fix, 2007).…”

“…Indeed, several authors have proposed that the quality of communication may influence relationship intimacy (Florsheim & McArthur, 2009;Halfon, 2007;Teyber, 2006) and may confer security to the therapeutic interaction (Balken, 2004;Wallin, 2007). According to Banyai (1998), for example, "characteristic hypnosis styles resemble the styles of the most important relationships in life that have regulatory functions" (pp. 58-59).…”

Interactional phenomenology of maternal and paternal hypnosis styles

“…Looking at the results from another point of view, these results serve as validation indicators for the subjective experience tests applied in this study, since hypnosis styles can be described and confi rmed with several other parameters beyond the direct judgment of style (see Bányai, 1998Bányai, , 2002.…”