Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Nov:96:103221.
doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2021.103221. Epub 2021 Oct 22.

Hypnotic predictors of agency: Responsiveness to specific suggestions in hypnosis is associated with involuntariness in fibromyalgia

Afik Faerman  1 , Katy H Stimpson  2 , James H Bishop  3 , Eric Neri  3 , Angela Phillips  3 , Merve Gülser  3 , Heer Amin  4 , Romina Nejad  3 , Aryandokht Fotros  5 , Nolan R Williams  3 , David Spiegel  3
Affiliations

Hypnotic predictors of agency: Responsiveness to specific suggestions in hypnosis is associated with involuntariness in fibromyalgia

Afik Faerman et al. Conscious Cogn. 2021 Nov.

Abstract

Hypnosis is associated with alterations in the sense of agency which can play a role in its utilization as a nonpharmacological option for pain management. The goal of the current study was to examine the relationships between responsiveness to suggestions in hypnosis and alterations of the sense of agency among patients with fibromyalgia. Ninety-eight participants with fibromyalgia underwent two hypnotizability assessments followed by the Sense of Agency Rating Scale. Clinical pain measures were also collected. Involuntariness was predicted by responsiveness to control, ideomotor, and dissociation suggestions. Effortlessness was predicted by responsiveness to control and ideomotor suggestions, and age. Hypnotizability was associated with main clinical pain outcomes, but agency alterations were not. Results suggest a shared mechanism between responsiveness to specific suggestions and the sense of agency in hypnosis. We discuss theoretical and clinical implications for pain management and the need for further research.

Keywords: Agency; Chronic pain; Dissociation; Fibromyalgia; Hypnosis; Hypnotic induction profile; Hypnotizability.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Ağargün MY, Tekeoğlu I, Kara H, Adak B, & Ercan M (1998). Hypnotizability, pain threshold, and dissociative experiences. Biological Psychiatry, 44(1), 69–71. 10.1016/S0006-3223(97)00511-8 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Appel PR, & Bleiberg J (2005). Pain Reduction is Related to Hypnotizability but Not to Relaxation or to Reduction in Suffering: A Preliminary Investigation. American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 48(2–3), 153–161. 10.1080/00029157.2005.10401512 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barnier AJ, Dienes Z, & Mitchell CJ (2008). How hypnosis happens: New cognitive theories of hypnotic responding. Oxford University Press. 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198570097.013.0006 - DOI
    1. Barnier AJ, Terhune DB, Polito V, & Woody EZ (2020). A componential approach to individual differences in hypnotizability. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice. https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/29296/1/Barnier%202020%20PSYCON.pdf
    1. Bayne T (2007). Hypnosis and the unity of consciousness. In Jamieson GA (Ed.), Hypnosis and conscious states: The cognitive neuroscience perspective (pp. 93–109). Oxford University Press.

Publication types

Substances