Hypnotic phenomena and altered states of consciousness: a multilevel framework of description and explanation
Contemporary Hypnosis September 1, 2003 DOI: 10.1002/ch.273 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Altered states of consciousness |
| Citations | 133 |
| Key points | Proposes that a multilevel explanatory framework can resolve the disagreement between state and nonstate theories of hypnosis and generate testable hypotheses. |
Abstract
Abstract There is currently agreement that, in addition to the changes in external behaviour, suggestions presented in a hypnotic context may give rise to changes in subjective experience. Yet, there is no general agreement about the theoretical framework within which these changes in experience should be explained. Though different theories about hypnosis overlap in many respects, there is still disagreement on whether reference to a specific internal state of the individual is necessary in order to explain these changes. We place the explanatory task in the context of a multilevel framework of explanation, which reveals that the disagreement between the ‘state’ and ‘nonstate’ view is about the level of description at which the phenomenon ‘hypnosis’ should be conceptualized. We propose a novel approach using the multilevel explanation which helps to formulate empirically testable hypotheses about the nature of hypnosis. We will outline the basic elements of such an approach and hope that our proposition will help hypnosis research to integrate with the multidisciplinary research on other phenomena of consciousness. Copyright © 2003 British Society of Experimental and Clinical Hypnosis
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on altered states of consciousness, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altered States of Consciousness | 1966 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Functional neuroanatomy of altered states of consciousness: The transient hypofrontality hypothesis | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Psychedelic Mystical Experience in the Human Encounter with Death | 1969 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| A neurophenomenological approach to non-ordinary states of consciousness: hypnosis, meditation, and psychedelics | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The epistemic innocence of psychedelic states. | 2016 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 22
- Hypnotic induction is followed by state-like changes in the organization of EEG functional connectivity in the theta and beta frequency bands in high-hypnotically susceptible individuals Frontiers in Human Neuroscience July 24, 2014
- Altered states of consciousness and hypnosis in the twenty-first century Contemporary Hypnosis March 1, 2005
- The Role of the Brain in Conscious Processes: A New Way of Looking at the Neural Correlates of Consciousness Frontiers in Psychology August 3, 2018
- Consciousness in hypnosis Cambridge University Press eBooks May 14, 2007
- Dissociative identity as a continuum from healthy mind to psychiatric disorders: Epistemological and neurophenomenological implications approached through hypnosis. Medical Hypotheses September 1, 2019
and 17 more in the library
Cites 5
- On a confusion about a function of consciousness Behavioral and Brain Sciences June 1, 1995
- Altered state of hypnosis: Changes in the theoretical landscape. American Psychologist 1995
- Hypnosis modulates activity in brain structures involved in the regulation of consciousness. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience August 15, 2002
- Toward a unified theory of narcosis: brain imaging evidence for a thalamocortical switch as the neurophysiologic basis of anesthetic-induced unconsciousness. Consciousness and Cognition September 2000
- Cerebral mechanisms of hypnotic induction and suggestion. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience January 1999