Hypnotic conflict: a brief report

Two studies investigated management of conflict in hypnosis by subtly increasing the brightness of a visual stimulus during a suggestion for hypnotic blindness to the stimulus. In Study 1, 23 high hypnotizable participants were administered a hypnotic suggestion for blindness to a projected light. For half the participants, the brightness of the light was intensified during the suggestion. Behavioral ratings and online analog-dial measurement indicated that participants reported decreased hypnotic blindness during the increased conflict condition. In Study 2, 20 participants were administered the nonexperimental procedure to investigate the impact of demand characteristics in this paradigm. Parallel findings in Studies 1 and 2 indicated that demand characteristics may explain the response to hypnotic conflict. Limitations in applying the nonexperimental procedure to this paradigm and the need for further investigation are discussed.

University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. r.bryant@unsw.edu.au