The effect of hypnotic suggestion on visual evoked potentials

Abstract

Three groups of four females and one male chosen according to different levels of hypnotic susceptibility viewed a flashing light stimulus following an hypnotic induction. All Ss viewed the stimuli passively or following hypnotic suggestion of increased or decreased stimulus intensity. Ss of High and Medium susceptibility showed significantly larger VEP amplitudes during passive observation of the stimuli than the Low susceptibility Ss. The High and Medium Ss differed in the direction of VEP amplitude change following hypnotic suggestions of stimulus intensity change. The implications of the present findings on past research and on the nature of hypnosis are discussed.