Disparate theoretical viewpoints construe hypnotic suggestibility either as a stable trait, largely determined by underlying cognitive aptitude, or as a flexible skill amenable to attitudinal factors including beliefs and expectations. Circumscribed findings support both views. The present study attempted to consolidate these orthogonal perspectives through the lens of expectancy modification. ...

This study assessed response times and accuracy of motor imagery in waking and hypnotic states and to related responses to hypnotic experiences. The Vividness of Motor Imagery Questionnaire (VMIQ) was administered to 47 participants. A mental walking task was then performed in the waking state. In hypnosis, the same task was included within an imaginary journey after a hypnotic induction. An in...

The present study investigated the effectiveness of an operant conditioning approach for increasing hypnotic susceptibility. Results revealed significant increases in hypnotic susceptibility, significant generalization to a new set of more difficult items, and no substantial decrease in the stability of improvement. Attitudinal, motivational, and learning factors were considered in relation to ...

Four important investigations were reported during the latter part of 2001. All address the biological impact of hypnotic interventions. Three of these studies focus specifically on if and how hypnotic interventions affect immune functions. A range of immune assays is employed, from allergic response to blood-based assays of immune functioning during nonlaboratory periods of stress. In all 3 ca...

In the present work sedative and hypnotic effects of aqueous extract of Aloe vera in rats have been investigated. In order to evaluate the overall hypnotic effects of the Aloe vera extract, open field and loss of righting reflex tests were primarily used. The sedative and hypnotic effects of the extract were then confirmed by detection of remarkable raise in the total sleeping time through anal...

High hypnotic suggestibility is a heterogeneous condition and there is accumulating evidence that highly suggestible individuals may be comprised of discrete subtypes with dissimilar cognitive and phenomenological profiles. This study applied latent profile analysis to response patterns on a diverse battery of difficult hypnotic suggestions in a sample of individuals in the upper range of hypno...

The present study investigated how the magnitude the word blindness suggestion effect on Stroop interference depended on hypnotic suggestibility when given as an imaginative suggestion (i.e. not post-hypnotic suggestion) and under conditions in which hypnosis was not mentioned. Hypnotic suggestibility is shown to be a significant predictor of the magnitude of the imaginative word blindness sugg...

This paper was designed to examine the relationship between hypnotic susceptibility and cardiovascular measures, especially parasympathetic activity, in 3 separate studies. In these studies, neither heart rate nor heart rate variability differed between the high and low hypnotically susceptible individuals at the initial baseline. Furthermore, in the first study, experimental tasks designed to ...

The scant literature on the sequelae of hypnotizability-measurement instruments indicates that different scales produce different reactions. The Waterloo-Stanford Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form C (WSGC) was developed as a group version of the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C (SHSS:C). Parallel to the literature showing that the SHSS:C can produce more negative aftere...

The empirical support for hypnosis for chronic pain management has flourished over the past two decades. Clinical trials show that hypnosis is effective for reducing chronic pain, although outcomes vary between individuals. The findings from these clinical trials also show that hypnotic treatments have a number of positive effects beyond pain control. Neurophysiological studies reveal that hypn...