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Conditioning during hypnosis
International Journal of Clinical & Experimental Hypnosis
We write to highlight an emerging non-invasive therapeutic option that can be potentially used for various medical ailments. RTT is Rapid Transformational Therapy, a hybrid therapy developed by Marisa Peer in England, UK.1 It combines the best principles of hypnotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), Neuro- Linguistic Programming that offers fast effective results for a range of psychological, psychiatric and physical conditions. As opposed to traditional therapies, RTT is a solution-focussed treatment offering rapid, effective and long-lasting change usually within one (or within three maximum) session. RTT embraces the positive aspects of all the above techniques that are known to produce a transformative effect on the clients. Hypnotherapy uses trance, regression and hypnotic conditioning. RTT goes beyond this process, Marisa identified that regardless of their issue, in sessions clients benefitted from her applying a particular set of techniques over and over again. These insights provided the foundations for RTT to emerge as a distinctive approach.
A theory of hypnosis based mainly on principles of conditioning and inhibition is proposed, covering the hypnotic induction process, hypnotic phenomena and post-hypnotic phenomena. The overall explanation presented is delineated in a set of three initial postulates and seven subsequent hypotheses. Hypnotic induction is defined as the giving of a series of suggestions so that a positive response to a previous suggestion conditions the subject to respond more strongly to the next suggestion. This induction process is placed in a conditioning paradigm, with the condition stimulus (CS), unconditioned stimulus (UCS), conditioned response (CR) and unconditioned response (UCR), trials and reinforcement clearly delineated. Summarized in brief, hypnotic induction is explained as the conditioning of an inhibitory set, a set which increases responsiveness to suggestion by inhibiting stimuli and thoughts which would contradict the suggested response. The various hypnotic and post-hypnotic phenomena are explained in terms of this set. Post-hypnotic behaviour changes are further explained as produced through a process of higher-order conditioning; hypnosis facilitates such conditioning thanks to the inhibitory set which suppresses any interfering stimuli. The theory may be broad enough to cover not only hypnosis but also related areas such as persuasion, the placebo effect and faith. Copyright © 2001 British Society of Experimental and Clinical Hypnosis
Résumé On a fait cette exptérience dans le but d'étudier le phénomène de l'amnésie post-hypnotique en essayant d'établir un réflexe conditionnel de défense du doigt à une sonnette électrique (avec un choc électrique comme le stimulus non conditionnel) pendant que le sujet a été dans la catalepsie hypnotique et en employant des tests pour trouver la réaction conditionnelle dans l'état de réveil quinze minutes aprés l'établissement. Les résultats ont montré que les réactions conditionnelles sont établies dans l'état de catalepsie plus facilement que dans l'état de réveil (ce qui est contraire aux implications de la theéorie de l'hypnose de Pavlov). De telles réactions ont été évoquées dan l'état suivant de réveil (ce qui est contraire aux implications de la théorie de l'hypnose de Pavlov). De telles réactions ont été évoquées dans l'état suivant de réveil malgré le fait que les sujets n'ont pu rien se rappeler des événements de la catalepsie. En accord avec les résultats d'autres études, les réactions conditionnelles s sont montrées de moins de grandeur et d'intensité que les réactions nonconditionnelles. Le princie de l'extinction expérimentale aussi a été opératif. L'apparence d'un sentiment d'un stimulus non conditionnel quand celui-ci a été absent suggàre que la base de l'expérience sensitoire soit l'action. Psychologiquement le stimulus non conditionnel ou primaire semble entrer en fonction même bine qu'il ne soit pas objectivement présent. Referat Das Hauptziel dieses Expreiments war die Untersuchung der nachhypnotischen Amnesie, und zwar durch die Erstellung eines bedingten Finger-reflexes auf den Reiz eines Summers (mit elektrischem Schlag als unbedingtem Reiz) im hypnotischen Transzustand und durch die Prüfung der bedingten Reaktion fünfzehn Minuten nach der Erstellung im wachen Zustand. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass bedingte Rektionen im Transzustand leichter hergestellt werden als im wachen Reaktionen im Transzustand leichter hergestellt werden als im wachen Zustand (eine Tatsache, die mit Folgerungen der Pavlovschen Theoire über Hypnose im Widerspruch steht). Solche Reaktionen wurden in nach einander folgenden Wachezuständen hervorgerufen, trotzdem sich die Versuchspersonen der der Bagebenheiten des Transzustandes nicht erinnern konnten. Man fand in Übereinstimmung gross und intensiv sind als die unbedingten. Das Prinzip der experimentalen Auslöschung hat sich ebenfalls bestätigt. Die Tatsache, dass das Gefühl des unbedingten Reizes auftrifft, auch wenn er nicht vorhanden war, wesit darauf hin, dass die Unterlage der sensorischen Erfahrung wirksam ist. Psychologisch scheint also der unbedingte oder primäre Reiz wirksam zu sein, wenn er objektiv nicht vorhanden ist.
"(1) Under hypnosis it is possible to bring about a concentration of attention on the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli such that conditioning to simple stimuli may occur very readily in human adults. (2) Conditioning will be obscured if a conditioned stimulus is associated with many different experiences. (3) At least some images are conditioned sensations occurring under conditions similar in principle to those under which conditioned responses in general appear. The principle of conditioning is shown to apply to the development of the life of experience as well as that of behavior." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Two stimuli, such as the ringing of a bell and a pin prick on the hand, were applied simultaneously to subjects while they were under deep hypnosis. Before being awakened the subjects were told that they would remember nothing that had happened during the hypnosis. A few minutes after being awakened they were subjected to a succession of stimuli, among which was one of the two stimuli originally applied (the bell); they were instructed to report at once if they experienced anything besides the usual direct effects of the stimuli. Almost without exception images (conditioned sensations) were immediately reported upon presentation of the conditioned stimulus. After ringing of the bell, for instance, the subjects reported itching and pain on the hand, although there was no recollection of being pricked there previously or of having ever heard the bell. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)