MAY 2006, VOLUME 34, NUMBER 1, Abstract 9
Looking for the Fundamental Effects of Hypnosis
Amanda J. Barnier, University of New South Wales, Sydney
In hypnosis, simple words have a dramatic impact. For hypnotisable individuals, hypnotic suggestions lead to behaviours that are carried out with involuntariness bordering on compulsion and experiences that are believed in with conviction bordering on delusion. But are hypnotic behaviours and experiences created differently from other, non-hypnotic behaviours and experiences? To answer this question, I review research on classic hypnotic phenomena including post-hypnotic suggestion, post-hypnotic amnesia 104 hallucinations, and delusions. Based on this research I offer a new account of hypnosis that explains the source of its fundamental effects —surprising ease and surprising reality.