Changes in Respiration Associated with Hypnotically Induced Emotion, Pain, and Exercise.

The effect of hypnotic suggestion of naturally occurring and experimentally induced psychologic stress on the respiratory system was studied in 11 young male subjects. It was found that hypnotic suggestion of deep relaxation and depression formed one end of the spectrum, while suggestion of exercise, anger, and anxiety formed the other end. Patterns of response in the first group were called non-action oriented, and those in the second group were called action oriented. With suggestion of the non-action oriented pattern, decreased alveolar ventilation and oxygen consumption and elevated alveolar carbon dioxide concentration resulted. With suggestion of the action-oriented pattern, elevated alveolar ventilation and oxygen consumption and decreased alveolar carbon dioxide concentration resulted. The effectiveness of hypnosis in reproducing a stressful situation was tested by measuring the subject's response to actual and suggested head pain.