The neurophenomenology of neutral hypnosis.
Etzel Cardeña, Peter Jönsson, Devin B. Terhune, David Marcusson-Clavertz
Cortex February 1, 2013 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2012.04.001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 37 |
| Population | Individuals of high, medium, and low hypnotizability |
| Intervention | neutral hypnotic induction |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Citations | 151 |
| Key findings | Hypnotic depth and spontaneous phenomena after neutral hypnosis vary by hypnotizability level and are related to global functional connectivity and EEG frequency band activity. |
Abstract
After a hypnotic induction, medium and highly hypnotizable individuals often report spontaneous alterations in various dimensions of consciousness. Few studies investigating these experiences have controlled for the inherent demands of specific hypnotic suggestions and fewer still have considered their dynamic properties and neural correlates. We adopted a neurophenomenological approach to investigate neutral hypnosis, which involves no specific suggestion other than to go into hypnosis, with 37 individuals of high, medium, and low hypnotizability (Highs, Mediums, and Lows). Their reports of depth and spontaneous experience at baseline, following a hypnotic induction, and then after multiple rest periods were analyzed and related to EEG frequency band power and global functional connectivity. Hypnotizability was marginally associated with lower global functional connectivity during hypnosis. Perceived hypnotic depth increased substantially after the induction especially among Highs and then Mediums, but remained almost unchanged among Lows. In the sample as a whole, depth correlated moderately to strongly with power and/or power heterogeneity for the fast EEG frequencies of beta2, beta3, and gamma, but independently only among Highs. The spontaneous phenomenology of Lows referred primarily to the ongoing experiment and everyday concerns, those of Mediums to vestibular and other bodily experiences, and those of Highs to imagery and positive affect/exceptional experiences. The latter two phenomena were associated with lower global functional connectivity during hypnosis. Imagery correlated positively with gamma power heterogeneity and negatively with alpha1 power heterogeneity. Generally, the pattern of correlations for the Highs was the opposite of that for the Lows. Experienced hypnotic depth and spontaneous phenomena following a neutral hypnotic induction vary as a function of hypnotizability and are related to global functional connectivity and EEG band wave activity.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The phenomenology of near-death experiences Subjects who reported near-death experiences | 1980 | Retrospective study | n = 78 |
| Visual Phenomenology of the LSD Flashback Persons with a history of LSD use | 1983 | Observational cohort | n = 123 |
| The Phenomenology of Acute Organic Psychosis Patients with acute organic psychosis and acute schizophrenics | 1987 | Observational cohort | n = 148 |
| EEG oscillatory states as neuro-phenomenology of consciousness as revealed from patients in vegetative and minimally conscious states. Brain-damaged patients with disorders of consciousness and healthy-conscious subjects | 2012 | Observational cohort | |
| Trips and neurotransmitters: Discovering principled patterns across 6850 hallucinogenic experiences. Individuals who provided free-form testimonials about 27 drugs | 2022 | Observational study | n = 6,850 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 46
- Peak experiences and the afterglow phenomenon: When and how do therapeutic effects of hallucinogens depend on psychedelic experiences? Journal of Psychopharmacology February 9, 2015
- A neurophenomenological approach to non-ordinary states of consciousness: hypnosis, meditation, and psychedelics Trends in Cognitive Sciences December 22, 2022
- Decreased mental time travel to the past correlates with default-mode network disintegration under lysergic acid diethylamide Journal of Psychopharmacology 2016
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to Neurophenomenology - The Case of Studying Self Boundaries With Meditators. Frontiers in Psychology 2020
- 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
and 41 more in the library
Cites 6
- Guiding the study of brain dynamics by using first-person data: Synchrony patterns correlate with ongoing conscious states during a simple visual task Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 22, 2002
- Varieties of anomalous experience: Examining the scientific evidence. American Psychological Association eBooks 2000
- Differential frontal‐parietal phase synchrony during hypnosis as a function of hypnotic suggestibility Psychophysiology April 15, 2011
- An Empirical–Phenomenological Approach To Quantifying Consciousness And States Of Consciousness: With Particular Reference To Understanding The Nature Of Hypnosis Hypnosis and Conscious States: The Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective January 18, 2007
- Hypnosis phenomenology and the neurobiology of consciousness. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis April 2003
and 1 more in the library