![]() Basically, what happens is that people give up judging what’s happening to them or caring what’s happening, and they just become very open to suggestion. So the rear of the frontal cortex disengages, and then the ACC, which is a part of our brain that motivates us, engages us at the same time. But then what happens is, it looks like the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex shuts down. That’s just a way to capture people’s attention. ![]() You initially see activity in the left frontal lobe as people attend to whatever suggestions are, and this is where the swinging watch comes in. I asked him once, “Is there a different brain state with hypnosis?”Īnd he goes, “You’re asking the wrong question because there’s a series of brain changes that happen.” Patterson: One of the best people I’ve ever heard talk about this is named Pierre Rainville, and he’s up in Montreal. Mills: What is happening in people’s brains and bodies when they’re hypnotized? If you put somebody in an fMRI when they’re hypnotized, how will their brains behave in a different way? And the final thing I’ll mention, and I think is very important, is that hypnosis is known to increase the effect size of psychotherapy by a large amount. But the way we do it is, we’re very often looking at what’s happened in the brain while we’re studying people, and we’re also using outcome measures. What we’ve found as psychologists is, first of all, that it’s far more than a placebo and that it can be a very powerful treatment to, you mentioned pain and anxiety. Basically, what they emphasized is, their people want to be part of the act, so the hypnotists are not sure whether they’re hypnotized or not, but it becomes all part of the show. And we had some stage hypnotists from Las Vegas talk to us. One thing is that they select for hypnotizability, and the other is, we are at the international meeting for the Society for Clinical Experimental Hypnosis. ![]() So they send the rest of the people back to their seats, and they work with those highly hypnotizable people and make them do ridiculous things. Interesting little trick about stage hypnosis, if you watch a lot of them work, what they will do is get 20 volunteers up on stage, they’ll give them a suggestion, and they’ll see that maybe five of them will really follow the suggestion deeply, like falling asleep on their neighbor’s shoulder. ![]() Patterson: I’ll start with stage hypnosis and that most people have a concept of hypnosis based on what they’ve seen on TV. What is the difference between the hypnosis that you and other psychologists practice and the stage tricks that may come to mind when some people think about hypnosis? Let’s start with that image problem I alluded to in the introduction. And I think we’re going to do that today because we will demystify hypnosis, I hope, and explain it scientifically. And it’s a wonderful way to take popular topics and really provide a scientific basis that psychology could provide, so my compliments and appreciation to you. It’s my understanding that you’ve started this podcast, and I’ve listened to several of them. It’s an honor to be here, and I wanted to thank you. Patterson, thank you for joining me today.ĭavid Patterson, PhD: Thank you, Kim. Over the past several decades, he has led many national institutes of health-funded studies on hypnosis for pain management, has published more than 100 articles on hypnosis in peer reviewed journals, and has written a book for APA on hypnosis for pain control.ĭr. He is also internationally known for his work in clinical hypnosis. Patterson specializes in pain control and recovery from physical trauma, burn injuries, and other forms of disabilities. David Patterson, a professor of medicine and psychology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life. So what exactly is happening in people’s bodies and brains when they’re hypnotized? What’s the difference between stage tricks and hypnotherapy used in pain management? Can anyone be hypnotized? What kinds of physical and mental health issues can hypnosis address? And if you want to see whether hypnosis can help you, how can you find a qualified practitioner whom you can trust? Over the past several decades, psychologists and other researchers have learned more about how hypnosis actually works and found evidence that it can be useful in treating pain, anxiety, and a range of other physical and mental health problems. But this image of hypnosis is outdated and misleading. Kim Mills: What comes to mind when you think of hypnosis? A swinging pocket watch? A hapless volunteer on a stage clucking like a chicken? Hypnosis, in many people’s minds, is the province of charlatans and showmen.
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