It is a controversial question whether hypnosis can be regarded as a specific state of consciousness with neuropsychological and neurophysiological correlates. Previously responses to suggestions in hypnosis were explained by invoking an altered state of consciousness, typically referred to as a trance, but because of the consistent failure to identify typical markers of this altered state many researchers turned to social-cognitive approaches. It has been stated that there are two basic issues that divide the research field: The first is "trance versus nontrance" and the second is "persistent individual differences versus experimental manipulation". After 25 years of continuous research similar issues still divide the scientific field. However during this period hypnosis has matured as a relevant topic in psychological research as well as a technique for clinical application.

The aim of this project is to stress the importance of bringing hypnosis research into neuroscience. Hypnosis as a method for enhancing the scope of subjective experiences is a valuable tool when studying how human feeling, thought and experience arise from brain activity.
 
See also: The Consciousness Research Group
 

 

 

Publications

Kallio S., Revonsuo A., Lauerma H., Hämäläinen H. & Lang H. (1999) The MMN amplitude increases in hypnosis - a case study. NeuroReport, 10(17), 3579-3582.

Kallio S., Revonsuo A., Hämäläinen H., Markela J. & Gruzelier J. (2001) Anterior Brain functions and hypnosis: A test of the Frontal Hypothesis. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis 49, 95-108.

Bergman M., Trenter E. & Kallio S. (in press). Swedish Norms For The Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic
Susceptibility, Form A. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis

Articles in Finnish

 

Closely related articles

Lipsanen T., Lauerma H., Peltola P., Kallio S. (1999) Visual Distortions and Dissociation. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 187(2) 109 -111.

Lipsanen T., Lauerma H., Peltola P., Kallio S. (2000) Association of Dissociative Experiences and
Handedness in a Non-clinical Population. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 188(7) 422-427.
 

Links to online articles about hypnosis
 

Sakari Kallio
 Tel: +358 2 333 6975, Fax: +358 2 333 5060

Department of Humanities
University of Skövde, Sweden
 sakari@ihu.his.se

Department of Psychology/Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience
University of Turku
FIN 20014 Turku, Finland
shakal@utu.fi