I'd Rather Not: Hypnosis and the I-Function

The English verb "mesmerize" is derived from the name of Dr. Franz Mesmer (1), an Austrian physician who practiced in the late 1700s. Dr. Mesmer employed a controversial method of treatment, manipulating a patient's "magnetic forces" and inducing "crises," a kind of trance-like state, to “cure” his ailments. Although Mesmer's contemporaries were skeptical of his unorthodox practices, interest in his work continued long after his death in 1815. In the mid-1800s, Scottish neurosurgeon James Braid developed the procedure that we commonly think of when the word "hypnosis" is mentioned. By instructing someone to gaze steadily at a small, bright object, Braid discovered that he could induce a trance-like state in the volunteer. With more practice, Braid discovered that he could induce a trance using suggestion alone. In 1843, he published the first book on hypnosis, Neurypnology; Braid is largely credited as the founder of modern hypnotism (2). Since the era of Braid and his colleagues, hypnosis and its applications have been studied extensively, rigorously, and critically within the realms of psychology, psychoanalysis, and medicine as both a panacea and a placebo. Hypnosis may be more easily understood with recent advancements in neuroimaging; an understanding of hypnosis could allow researchers to use it as a tool in psychological research.

It's difficult to say precisely what happens neurologically during hypnosis. "Though experts quibble over the exact definition of hypnosis, they agree that it involves intense concentration, increased relaxation, and heightened suggestibility," says Emily Anthes in her article "Science Finally Tackles Hypnosis" for Seed Magazine (3). Hypnosis is commonly described as an altered state of consciousness and an intense state of concentration. There are different degrees of hypnosis: under light hypnosis, the subject will feel sleepy and respond to simple commands; under deep hypnosis, the subject experiences a dulling of sensory perception, much like anesthesia. Approximately seventy percent of people are capable of being hypnotized to varying degrees of suggestibility (4). Hypnosis is currently used by psychologists to treat phobias, post-traumatic stress syndrome, dissociative disorders, and depression; by doctors as a method of pain management; by expectant mothers preparing for delivery, and by hypnotherapists to treat maladies ranging from stress, low self-confidence, smoking, weight control, and even symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and diabetes (5).

Neural imaging is lending credit to the power of hypnosis. Functional MRI brain imaging has revealed that during hypnosis, activation patterns change in areas in the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain responsible for executive functions, such as integrating work throughout the brain, governing decision making, and regulating attention. David Spiegel, a psychiatrist at Stanford University, explains that subjects undergoing hypnosis experience measurable changes in their brain activity that mirror the altered perception they are experiencing. If a researcher were to compare brain activity of an individual who was experiencing a hypnotic phenomenon with someone who was experiencing the same phenomenon without being hypnotized, they would have the same levels of brain activity in the same areas. "When people say they are feeling less pain, they really are feeling less pain," Spiegel clarifies (3). In "Hypnosis as a tool in research: experimental psychopathology," David Oakley of University College London reaches a similar conclusion: he describes hypnosis as a "powerful cognitive tool" to be used to explore psychological phenomena far from the realm of current hypnosis studies. As momentum builds within hypnosis research, Oakley expects to see its use in studies increase, "lead[ing] to concerted research into the nature of hypnosis itself by individuals who have previously seen it as little more than a historical curiosity" (6).

While I was conducting my initial research on hypnosis, I found many mentions of "self-hypnosis" and "everyday hypnosis." A common example of everyday hypnosis is "highway hypnosis," the phenomenon of reaching your intended destination without concentrating on operating the car. If you've ever mowed your lawn on autopilot, gotten lost in a good book, become glued to the television set, or cried during a film, then you've experienced everyday hypnosis (7). In class, we talked about highway hypnosis (though we didn't call it such) and asked, "Who's (not) doing the driving?" We all responded that the I-function was not driving the car, so it must have been some other part of the nervous system. When you're mowing the lawn, reading an engrossing book, or sitting through the entire Project Runway marathon, the I-function has left the building. Hypnosis temporarily cuts off the cable between the I-function and the rest of the nervous system, allowing the nervous system to run on autopilot while the I-function's attention is focused elsewhere.

If everyday hypnosis is a way of turning off the I-function, it is possible to take this line of reasoning one step further to give a more complete summary of the observations made about hypnosis. During hypnosis, the hypnotist is able to coax the patient into temporarily cutting their I-function off from the rest of their nervous system. Though I have not personally experienced "deep hypnosis," it would follow that a state of deep hypnosis could mean that a cable is temporarily cut that prevents not simply the I-function but also some other part of the conscious from communicating with the rest of the nervous system. If the I-function and some of the conscious are not working with the lower nervous system, then I believe that would lead to the "dulling of sensory perception" associated with deep hypnosis.

I think that all of the applications of hypnosis can be related to purposefully severing the cable between the I-function and the rest of the nervous system for a short period of time. It makes perfect sense that by separating the I-function from the rest of the nervous system, pain would be reduced. Likewise, by disconnecting the I-function, hypnosis could allow people to overcome phobias, quit a bad habit, and even lose some weight, if these problems are caused by an overactive, micromanaging I-function . I certainly see value in learning to control this part of my nervous system-- "I" would rather not delivery that baby, and if my nervous system can take care of the spider in the shower, then I'll certainly let it!

1) Milite, George A. "Mesmer, Franz Anton | Encyclopedia of Psychology." BNet. 24 Feb. 2008 <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2699/is_0005/ai_2699000549>.

2) "James Braid Biography." James Braid Society - a Social Club for Hynotherapists. 23 Feb. 2008 <http://www.jamesbraidsociety.com/jamesbraid.htm>

3) Anthes, Emily. "Science Finally Tackles Hypnosis." Seed 20 Oct. 2006. 24 Feb. 2008 <http://seedmagazine.com/news/2006/10/science_finally_tackles_hypnos.php?page=1>.

4) "Hypnosis | Encyclopedia of Psychology." BNet. 24 Feb. 2008 <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2699/is_0005/ai_2699000505>.

5) Woolley, Dave. "Uses of Hypnosis." Hypnofocus: Hypnotherapy and NLP in Staffordshire & Birmingham. 24 Feb. 2008 <http://www.hypnofocus.webhealer.net/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/1263?opendocument?=3>.

6) Oakley, D. A. (2006). Hypnosis as a tool in research: experimental psychopathology. Contemporary Hypnosis, 23(1): 3-14.
<http://www.hypnosisunituk.com/articles/Oakley2006.pdf>.

7) Samberg, Victoria. "Hypnosis." Victoria Samberg - Hypnotherapist. 27 Feb. 2008 <http://www.victoriasamberg.com/hypnosis.html>.