Altered States of Consciousness during Exercise, Active-Alert Hypnosis, and Everyday Waking State.

This retrospective study was a nonrandomized comparison of exercisers' (runners and participants of a spinning class) states of consciousness with subjects of active-alert hypnosis (AAH) and students in a class (control). Three hundred and seventy-five participants completed the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI). Runners, spinners, and participants of AAH scored higher on the altered experience and altered state of awareness dimensions of the PCI than the control group. Runners scored higher than participants of AAH and the control condition on the rationality dimension, and spinners scored higher than participants in the AAH condition. The AAH group scored lowest on the self-awareness dimension. On the volitional control dimension, the spinning and control groups scored significantly higher than the runner and AAH groups. The results suggest that exercise may lead to states of consciousness similar to AAH and thus increase responsiveness to a coach's training suggestions.

Phenomenological Experiences during Active-Alert Hypnosis: Comparison of Hypnotist and Subject.

There has been increasing clinical interest in active-alert hypnosis (AAH). However, relatively few studies have been devoted to studying its properties systematically. The present study compared the subjective experiences of subjects (31) and hypnotists (5) during AAH, using Pekala's Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI), the Dyadic Interactional Harmony (DIH) scale and the Archaic Involvement Measure (AIM). Results demonstrated similarities between the experiences of subjects and hypnotists. The only significant difference between the subjects' and the hypnotists' experiences was shown by the PCI, which highlighted the differences stemming from the different roles of hypnotist and subject during the AAH. The study suggests it may be important to examine subjective descriptors in the exploration of personal experiences in studies of AAH.

RECALLED PARENTAL REARING STYLE AND DIMENSIONS OF HYPNOTIC RESPONSE.

So far, only a few studies have investigated how memories of parental rearing style are associated with hypnotic response, and these were either qualitative or confined to the behavioral aspect of hypnotizability. The present study aims to employ standardized, quantitative measures to investigate the associations between recalled parental rearing style and the behavioral, phenomenological, and emotional dimensions of hypnotic response. Two samples of healthy adult subjects (N = 438) completed a questionnaire on their parents' behavior and participated in a standard group hypnosis session in which their hypnotizability score, hypnotic experiences, and archaic involvement were assessed. Memories of cold and punishing parental behavior were associated with negative experiences related to the hypnotic state and negative emotions toward the hypnotist. The authors conclude that assessing parental behavior may be important in planning hypnotherapeutic interventions.

Changes in the sense of agency during hypnosis: The Hungarian version of the Sense of Agency Rating Scale (SOARS-HU) and its relationship with phenomenological aspects of consciousness.

Changes in the sense of agency are defining feature of hypnosis. The Sense of Agency Rating Scale (SOARS) is a 10-item questionnaire, administered after a hypnosis session to assess alteration in the sense of agency. In the present study, a Hungarian version of the measure (SOARS-HU) is presented. The SOARS-HU and the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI) were administered to 197 subjects following hypnotizability screening with the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form A (HGSHS:A). Confirmatory factor analysis and correlations with hypnotizability demonstrate the reliability and validity of the SOARS-HU. Changes in the Involuntariness and Effortlessness subscales of the SOARS-HU were associated with alterations in subjective conscious experience, as measured by the PCI. These changes in subjective experience remained significant after controlling for HGSHS:A scores. These results indicate that changes in the sense of agency during hypnosis are associated with alterations of consciousness that are independent of hypnotizability.

Hungarian norms for the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A.

Hungarian norms for the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A (HGSHS:A) are presented. The Hungarian translation of the HGSHS:A was administered under standard conditions to 434 participants (190 males, 244 females) of several professions. In addition to the traditional self-scoring, hypnotic behavior was also recorded by trained observers. Female participants proved to be more hypnotizable than males and so were psychology students and professionals as compared to nonpsychologists. Hypnotizability varied across different group sizes. The normative data-including means, standard deviations, and indicators of reliability-are comparable with previously published results. The authors conclude that measuring observer-scores increases the ecological validity of the scale. The Hungarian version of the HGSHS:A seems to be a reliable and valid measure of hypnotizability.

The influence of time and gender on hungarian hypnotizability scores.

In a between-lab study, a constant and steady shift was found in hypnotizability scores measured with standard scales. To investigate a time effect in a Hungarian (within-lab) sample, 613 subjects' scores on Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Forms A and B, 1898 subjects' self-scores, and 1713 subjects' observer-scores on the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility were analyzed. From the 1970s to 2010, a significant increase was observed in the SHSS:A and B scores of female subjects and the HGSHS:A scores of both genders. Females proved to be significantly more hypnotizable than males in a group setting but not in an individual context. Time and gender did not interact. The possible reasons for these effects on hypnotizability and the role of the testing context are discussed.