The American journal of clinical hypnosis
October 1, 2016
Devin B. Terhune, Etzel Cardeña
53 citations
Inductions are widely considered the starting point of hypnosis, yet their actual role is poorly understood and often oversimplified. Drawing on research into suggestibility, spontaneous experience, brain activity, and cognition, this article argues that the value of inductions is more nuanced and uncertain than commonly assumed. Some components of standard inductions clearly boost suggestibility, while others show no clear benefit. The effect of inductions on suggestibility varies depending on the type of suggestion and how it is measured, and the reasons for this variability remain unknown. Examining these effects through the lens of individual differences in high hypnotic suggestibility and componential models may open new research directions. The article advocates for practical, theory-driven optimization of inductions.
The American journal of clinical hypnosis
October 1, 1997
R L Maurer, V K Kumar, L Woodside et al.
46 citations
Listening to 15 minutes of monotonous drumming before hypnosis produced a higher subjective trance level than drumming after hypnosis, though the order did not affect objective trance scores. The average trance level during drumming alone fell in the medium range of susceptibility. Participants with higher trance scores were more likely to report relaxed feelings and shamanic-type experiences in their narrative accounts.
The American journal of clinical hypnosis
July 1, 2010
Graham F. Wagstaff
21 citations
A commentary discusses two papers by Pekala and colleagues that examine relationships among trance or altered state effects, suggestibility, expectancy, hypnosis, and hypnotism. The first paper reviews these concepts and introduces the PCI-HAP assessment instrument. The second empirically tests whether these concepts predict hypnotic depth scores, concluding that multiple processes are involved in hypnotism, while hypnosis itself consists only of altered state or trance effects. The commentary raises methodological, semantic, and conceptual issues, arguing that many problems in defining hypnosis-related terms could be clarified by historical context. It suggests difficulties in identifying origins of hypnotic experiences may stem from insufficient attention to suggestion and expectancies and over-reliance on induction procedures.
The American journal of clinical hypnosis
January 1, 2016
Ronald J Pekala
7 citations
A review article demonstrates that empathy is deeply involved in the psychology and neurophysiology of hypnosis and the self. Hypnosis is a subjective experience for both client and research participant. To better assess the mind during hypnosis, more precise phenomenological descriptors are needed. Noetics, defined as a method to comprehensively quantify the mind, can help understand hypnosis, empathic involvement theory, and the brain/mind/behavior interface, similar to how fMRI and qEEG quantify the brain.
The American journal of clinical hypnosis
February 5, 2025
Kaloyan S. Tanev, Carolyn Daitch
1 citation
Hypnosis, an early mind-body therapy, is well-suited for PTSD because the disorder itself is a mind-body problem. Hypnosis can calm patients, reduce emotional reactivity, and help change maladaptive beliefs. When combined with cognitive behavioral therapy approaches, hypnosis may amplify their effects. The article describes hypnotic techniques for each PTSD symptom cluster and compares hypnosis with mindfulness, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Adding hypnosis to established PTSD treatments like Prolonged Exposure Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy can boost their impact, expanding the therapeutic options for clinicians.
The American journal of clinical hypnosis
November 1, 2025
Martaria Rizky Rinaldi, Gilles Van Luijtelaar, Nida Ul Hasanat et al.
Hypnosis is increasingly studied as a quantifiable neurophysiological process using electroencephalography (EEG). A bibliometric analysis of 135 publications retrieved from Scopus on January 24, 2025, reveals a publication upwelling from 2013 to 2015, followed by stable growth through 2024. The United States, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom lead the field, with Harvard Medical School and the University of Washington as the most prominent institutions. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identified four primary research clusters: neurophysiological mechanisms of hypnosis, clinical applications in pain management and anesthesia, EEG-based markers of hypnotizability, and intersections with sleep and consciousness. Emerging themes include integration of artificial intelligence, neurofeedback, and virtual reality. Methodological inconsistencies in EEG protocols and hypnotic induction techniques limit cross-study comparability.
The American journal of clinical hypnosis
October 1, 2021
Kathryn Lane Rossi
The author recounts her experience of grief following the death of her husband and professional partner, Ernest Rossi, describing a six-day period of rapid decline. She reports that her consciousness shifted into fluctuating quantum trance states characteristic of hypnosis, which she conceptualizes as dancing on the spacetime continuum. By applying established Rossi principles for therapeutic hypnosis, she transformed grief into peace. The paper is presented as an experiential and revelational account emerging from the interplay between being both the subjective experiencer (operator) and the objective observer of her own process.
The American journal of clinical hypnosis
October 1, 2020
Akira Otani
A hypnosis-informed approach to treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using mindfulness is described: Mindfulness-Based Phase-Oriented Trauma Therapy (MB-POTT). The therapy follows a phase-oriented tradition originally proposed by Pierre Janet and later expanded by Daniel Brown and Erika Fromm using clinical hypnosis. MB-POTT consists of four recursive stages: building therapeutic alliance and stabilizing symptoms, forming a narrative about the trauma, recreating meaning in life after trauma, and managing future symptoms. The paper explains similarities and differences between mindfulness and hypnosis, emphasizing techniques that resemble hypnotic approaches such as ego state therapy and ego-strengthening. A case study illustrates MB-POTT implemented with a client who developed PTSD after a near-fatal industrial accident.
The American journal of clinical hypnosis
July 1, 2018
Jon K Amundson, Marc W Ross, Debra Campbell
Advaita Hindu philosophy offers a useful framework for clinical hypnosis, paralleling and predating Buddhist mindfulness practices. The article links traditional Advaita wisdom, psychological investigations of the self, and contemporary hypnosis, illustrating the application with a clinical case example.
The American journal of clinical hypnosis
January 1, 2016
Janna A Henning
Empathy in hypnotic trance involves a shared, bidirectional state of consciousness between therapist and client, not merely one person's response to another. The intersubjective view of trance includes mutual exchange of verbal, nonverbal, conscious, and unconscious material, and may involve shared role-taking, especially when both parties are highly hypnotizable. The author reviews research on mutual hypnosis or co-trance, describes barriers to scholarly discussion of intersubjectivity in therapy, and draws on quantum physics, transpersonal psychology, contemplative Christianity, and shamanistic practices to clarify these processes. Perspectives from the author's clinical work as a trauma therapist are offered, along with suggestions for future research.
The American journal of clinical hypnosis
October 1, 2003
Akira Otani
Ancient Buddhist meditation techniques—samatha, vipassana, Zen, and ton-len—are described in relation to contemporary clinical hypnosis, comparing the Eastern healing framework with its Western counterpart. A growing body of empirical literature shows that meditation and hypnosis share many resemblances despite distinct differences in underlying philosophy and technical methodologies. Although not all meditation techniques fit Western culture, each offers value to clinicians familiar with hypnosis.