The Nature of Hypnosis

Hypnotic amnesia revisited

“…1061. "The present authors felt that the finding that "types of suggestion" affect performance should be further investigated, since it seems to be in conflict with the findings of other investigators in the field (Ambrose, 1961 ;Hartland, 1966;Schilder, 1956;Ulett & Peterson, 1965).Independently, Thorne (1969) explored the effects of ( a ) high, medium, and low measured hypnotic susceptibility and ( b ) hypnotic and waking task-motivation and waking nonmotivation relative to measures of amnesia for a previously-learned task. Thorne found: ( a ) measured sususceptibility was related to amnesia performance, but only for waking motivated Ss ; ( b ) Ss given hypermnesia suggestions appeared to "outremember" Ss given amnesia suggestions ; and ( c ) "hypnotized" Ss given amnesic motivation appeared to "remember" more than either waking Ss given amnesic motivation or waking Ss given no amnesic motivation.…”

“…The present authors felt that the finding that "types of suggestion" affect performance should be further investigated, since it seems to be in conflict with the findings of other investigators in the field (Ambrose, 1961 ;Hartland, 1966;Schilder, 1956;Ulett & Peterson, 1965).…”

“…1061. " The present authors felt that the finding that "types of suggestion" affect performance should be further investigated, since it seems to be in conflict with the findings of other investigators in the field (Ambrose, 1961 ;Hartland, 1966; Schilder, 1956;Ulett & Peterson, 1965). Independently, Thorne (1969) explored the effects of ( a ) high, medium, and low measured hypnotic susceptibility and ( b ) hypnotic and waking task-motivation and waking nonmotivation relative to measures of amnesia for a previously-learned task.…”

Hypnotic susceptibility and MMPI profiles.

“…The recent revival of interest in formal research on hypnosis and hypnotic susceptibility has been accompanied by renewed interest in the personality characteristics and adjustive states of the hypnotically susceptible individual. The notion was popular among nineteenth century psychiatrists, such as Janet, that susceptibility to hypnosis was a trait found primarily in hysterical neurotics, and to this day psychoanalytic theorists have tended to describe the ability to enter hypnotic states in terms of temporarily regressive (Schilder, 1956), if not permanently pathological behavior (Fenichel, 1945).…”

An appraisal of hypnosis

“…Bernheim, despite his attack on Charcot, thought that hypnosis was a normal physiological variant of sleep. The belief in a special trance state persisted in the view of many astute workers who considered that hypnosis resembled sleep (Schilder, 1956) and it is still held at least in the form that there is some altered state of consciousness(e.g. Gill&Brenman, 1959;Shor, 1959;Delay & Pichot, 1962;Abse, 1966;Tart, 1969).…”