The Effects of Short-Term Meditation Practice on Hypnotic Responsivity
Nicholas P. Spaños, Jack Gottlieb, Stephen M. Rivers
The Psychological Record July 1, 1980 DOI: 10.1007/bf03394683 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Male students |
| Intervention | Meditation |
| Duration | 8 sessions |
| Measures | absorption, hypnotic responsiveness |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Neither eight sessions of meditation nor eight sessions of analytical lectures about hypnosis enhanced hypnotic responsivity or absorption relative to a no-treatment control. Meditators were much more likely than lecture listeners to report intrusions into their attending, and meditation depth remained stable across sessions. |
Abstract
Male students were pretested on absorption and three measures of hypnotic responsiveness, and were then randomly assigned to three treatments. One group meditated for eight sessions, while a second listened analytically to lectures about hypnosis for eight sessions. The third group was a no treatment control. Finally all students were posttested on absorption and hypnotic responsivity measures. Degree of meditating remained stable across sessions and meditating subjects were much more likely than those who listened to lectures to report intrusions into their attending. Neither the meditation nor the listening treatments enhanced hypnotic responsivity or absorption.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |