MAY 2008, VOLUME 36, NUMBER 2, Abstract 11
A Hypnotic Analogue of Mirrored-Self Misidentification
Rochelle E. Cox, Amanda J. Barnier, and Robyn A. Langdon, Macquarie University, Sydney
Mirrored-self misidentification is the delusional belief that “the person I see when I look in the mirror is a stranger, not me.” The complexities associated with delusions have made them quite difficult to examine in the laboratory. However, in this study I used hypnosis to create temporary, reversible delusions of mirrored-self misidentification. I gave 12 high hypnotisable participants a suggestion to see either: (a) a stranger in the mirror, (b) the mirror as a window, or (c) the mirror as a window with a view of a stranger on the other side. Not only did participants report seeing a stranger when they looked in the mirror, they described physical differences between the stranger and themselves, looked around the room to find the stranger, and maintained their delusion when challenged. I discuss these findings in terms of a current theory of delusional belief, and the value of hypnosis as a model of delusions.