Hypnosis and top-down regulation of consciousness.
D. Terhune, Axel Cleeremans, Amir Raz, S. Lynn
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews February 4, 2017 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.02.002 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractHypnosis is a top-down regulatory process in which verbal suggestions produce pronounced changes in psychological phenomena. It serves both as a technique for studying consciousness and as a therapeutic method for symptoms. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the characteristics and neurocognitive mechanisms of hypnosis, drawing on evidence from cognitive neuroscience, experimental psychopathology, and clinical psychology. It discusses hypnosis as an experimental method for modulating consciousness, a model for studying healthy and pathological cognition, and a therapeutic tool. The review also relates hypnosis to broader suggestion and suggestibility, identifies challenges in the cognitive neuroscience of hypnosis, and outlines future research directions.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology |
| Key finding | Hypnosis is a unique form of top-down regulation with pronounced effects on psychological phenomena, useful for studying consciousness and as a therapeutic method. |
Abstract
Hypnosis is a unique form of top-down regulation in which verbal suggestions are capable of eliciting pronounced changes in a multitude of psychological phenomena. Hypnotic suggestion has been widely used both as a technique for studying basic science questions regarding human consciousness but also as a method for targeting a range of symptoms within a therapeutic context. Here we provide a synthesis of current knowledge regarding the characteristics and neurocognitive mechanisms of hypnosis. We review evidence from cognitive neuroscience, experimental psychopathology, and clinical psychology regarding the utility of hypnosis as an experimental method for modulating consciousness, as a model for studying healthy and pathological cognition, and as a therapeutic vehicle. We also highlight the relations between hypnosis and other psychological phenomena, including the broader domain of suggestion and suggestibility, and conclude by identifying the most salient challenges confronting the nascent cognitive neuroscience of hypnosis and outlining future directions for research on hypnosis and suggestion.