The objective of the present experiment was to determine whether hypnosis without explicit suggestion of analgesia would diminish physiological responses to an operationally defined painful shock stimulus. Muscle tension (EMG) was significantly lower during hypnosis than pre- or posthypnosis. Pulse rate remained stable throughout all conditions. Also, the question of whether a tone paired with shock might acquire some unique property because of that association was investigated. It was found that EMG response to the tone alone was significantly greater than to the tone-shock combination, in prehypnosis and posthypnosis, but not during hypnosis.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BarberT. X.“Hypnotic” phenomena: A critique of experimental methods. In GordonJ. (Ed.), Handbook of clinical and experimental hypnosis. New York: Macmillan, 1967. Pp. 3–24.
2.
BarberT. X.CalverleyD. S.Effects of hypnotic induction suggestions of anesthesia, and distraction on subjective and physiological response to pain. Paper presented at Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting, Philadelphia, April, 1969.
3.
BarberT. X.HahnK. W.Physiological and subjective responses to pain producing stimulation under hypnotically suggested and waking-imagined “analgesia.”Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1962, 65, 411–418.
4.
BarberT. X.HahnK. W.Experimental studies in “hypnotic” behavior: Physiological and subjective effects of imagined pain. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 1964, 139, 416–425.
5.
CrastlneckH. B.HallJ. A.Clinical hypnosis in problems of pain. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 1973, 15, 153–161.
6.
EvansM. B.PaulG.Effects of hypnotically suggested analgesia on physiological and subjective responses to cold stress. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1970, 35, 362–371.
7.
HilgardE. R.Pain as a puzzle for psychology and physiology. American Psychologist, 1969, 24, 103–113.
8.
HilgardE. R.Weapon against pain: Hypnosis is no mirage. Psychology Today, 1974, 8(6), 120–128.
9.
KorotkinI. I.SuslovaM. M.Fiziologicheskoe isledovanie neosoznanykh proiavleniivysshi nervnoi deiatel'notti cheloveka. [Physiological study of unconscious motivations of higher nervous activity in man.] Zhurnal Vysshei Nervoi Deiatel'nosti, 1963, 13(1), 3–10.
10.
KrasnerL.UllmannL. P.Behavior influence and personality. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1973.
11.
LenoxJ. R.Effect of hypnotic analgesia on verbal report and cardiovascular responses to ischemic pain. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1970, 75, 207–209.
12.
ProkaskyW. F.Classical conditioning. New York: Appleton-Century Crofts, 1965.
13.
ShorR. E.Physiological effects of painful stimulation during hypnotic analgesia. In GordonJ. E. (Ed.), Handbook of clinical and experimental hypnosis. New York: Macmillan, 1967. Pp. 511–549.
14.
SpanosN. P.BarberT. X.LangG.Cognition and self-control: Cognitive control of painful sensory input. In LondonH.NisbettR. E. (Eds.), Thought and feeling. Chicago: Aldine Publ., 1974. Pp. 141–158.
15.
ZeamanD.SmithR. W.Review of some recent findings in human cardiac conditioning. In ProkasyW. F. (Ed.), Classical conditioning. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1965. Pp. 378–418.
