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AM Lapenta - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Increase of isometric performance via Hypnotic Suggestion: Experimental study over 10 young healthy volunteers
    2013
    Co-Authors: Tikhonoff, Augusto M Rossi, Margherita Giacomello, D Azzi, Giovanni Boschetti, Nunzia Giordano, P. Rempelou, Maria T. Tosello, Enrico Facco, AM Lapenta
    Abstract:

    The efficacy of Hypnotic Suggestion of high performance was evaluated in 10 young healthy volunteers undergoing isometric exercise (hand grip) in basal conditions of usual normal consciousness and in profound hypnosis. To this aim, they were asked to perform dynamometric hand grip at maximal muscular strength and for the longest time compatible with individual tolerance. As a specific Suggestion, a hallucination of drinking an 'energizing potion' capable of increasing muscular performance and abolishing the sense of fatigue and pain associated with isometric exercise was induced. Haemodynamic parameters were continuously measured. In comparison to basal conditions of usual consciousness, the exercise performer under Hypnotic Suggestion was associated with a 12% increase in maximal muscular strength and a 60% increase in exercise length. A greater increase of heart rate, arterial blood pressure, and double product-accompanied by a lower increase of stroke volume and consequently of cardiac index-was recorded. Nevertheless, exercise-induced vasodilation was comparable in the two conditions, so that the increase in cardiac index observed during Hypnotic Suggestion was entirely sustained by heart rate increase. Such a condition can only be tolerated for a short time and at the expense of a reduced myocardial (particularly subendocardic) perfusion. It seems therefore that the Hypnotic command 'perform over your natural limits' is followed by an increase in strength but particularly in exercise length. In such conditions, physical performance is actually greater than that achieved in normal conditions, as if the subject was able to draw on energies not usually employed in everyday life. This higher performance is unnatural and is sustained by muscular mechanisms activating unfavourable, and potentially dangerous, haemodynamic reflexes. Although hypnosis is a formidable tool in the study of human physiology, its use in the physical world (particularly sporting activities) should be limited to specific controlled conditions. In fact, by increasing muscular power and decreasing the sense of fatigue, hypnosis seems to be able to deprive subjects of the natural feedback mechanisms well-synthesized in the sentences 'It's too much for me' or 'I can't take it any more'. © 2012 British Society of Clinical and Academic Hypnosis.

  • local and systemic vasodilation following Hypnotic Suggestion of warm tub bathing
    International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2006
    Co-Authors: Edoardo Casiglia, Augusto M Rossi, Valerie Tikhonoff, R Scarpa, Giorgio Tibaldeschi, Margherita Giacomello, Paola Canna, Laura Schiavon, Alessandra Rizzato, AM Lapenta
    Abstract:

    During hypnosis it is easy to induce hallucinations having, for the hypnotized subject, the characteristics and the concreteness of reality. This study was performed to put in evidence the physical effects of Hypnotic Suggestion of warm tub bathing. 18 volunteers screened for high hypnotizability were studied. They underwent Suggestion of forearm in warm water (30 min), Suggestion of body in warm water (30 min), and hypnosis without any thermal Suggestion (30 min), while blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, forearm flow and resistance, stroke volume, cardiac index and total peripheral resistance were monitored. During Suggestion of forearm in warm water, local vasodilation was recorded, with decrease of forearm resistance (-18%, P<0.01) and increase of forearm blood flow (+43%, P<0.01) like in real local passive warming. During Suggestion of whole-body in a warm water tub, there was a systemic vasodilation with decrease of total peripheral resistance (-29%, P<0.01) and increase of cardiac index (+54%, P<0.01), like in real total-body passive warming. Body temperature, arterial blood pressure and heart rate were unchanged. During simple hypnosis (sham procedure) no haemodynamic variations were observed. These results are in keeping with the possibility to induce through Hypnotic Suggestion of heat a physical pattern that is typical of hyperthermia, even without increase in body temperature.

  • Local and systemic vasodilation following Hypnotic Suggestion of warm tub bathing.
    Int J Psychophysiol, 2006
    Co-Authors: AM Lapenta
    Abstract:

    During hypnosis it is easy to induce hallucinations having, for the hypnotized subject, the characteristics and the concreteness of reality. This study was performed to put in evidence the physical effects of Hypnotic Suggestion of warm tub bathing. 18 volunteers screened for high hypnotizability were studied. They underwent Suggestion of forearm in warm water (30 min), Suggestion of body in warm water (30 min), and hypnosis without any thermal Suggestion (30 min), while blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, forearm flow and resistance, stroke volume, cardiac index and total peripheral resistance were monitored. During Suggestion of forearm in warm water, local vasodilation was recorded, with decrease of forearm resistance (-18%, P

Edoardo Casiglia - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Hypnosis meets neuropsychology: simulating visuospatial neglect in healthy participants.
    Neuropsychologia, 2011
    Co-Authors: Konstantinos Priftis, Valerie Tikhonoff, Nunzia Giordano, Sami Schiff, Piero Amodio, Carlo Umiltà, Edoardo Casiglia
    Abstract:

    Neglect patients are not aware of stimuli in the contralesional space. We aimed to simulate neglect-like behaviour in healthy participants, by asking them to orient their visuospatial attention in two conditions: non-Hypnotic Suggestion and post-Hypnotic Suggestion. Results showed that directing visuospatial attention to one side of space caused neglect of stimuli in the opposite side of space, but only when participants were under post-Hypnotic Suggestion. Furthermore, directing visuospatial attention to the right side of space caused more neglect of left-sided stimuli than directing visuospatial attention to the left side of space did for right-sided stimuli. We propose that post-Hypnotic Suggestion can be a useful tool for (de)activating neurocognitive mechanisms underlying visuospatial awareness, a function that is fundamental for our survival. The use of post-Hypnotic Suggestion could be applied to the study of many domains of cognitive neurosciences (e.g., neurocognitive rehabilitation).

  • local and systemic vasodilation following Hypnotic Suggestion of warm tub bathing
    International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2006
    Co-Authors: Edoardo Casiglia, Augusto M Rossi, Valerie Tikhonoff, R Scarpa, Giorgio Tibaldeschi, Margherita Giacomello, Paola Canna, Laura Schiavon, Alessandra Rizzato, AM Lapenta
    Abstract:

    During hypnosis it is easy to induce hallucinations having, for the hypnotized subject, the characteristics and the concreteness of reality. This study was performed to put in evidence the physical effects of Hypnotic Suggestion of warm tub bathing. 18 volunteers screened for high hypnotizability were studied. They underwent Suggestion of forearm in warm water (30 min), Suggestion of body in warm water (30 min), and hypnosis without any thermal Suggestion (30 min), while blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, forearm flow and resistance, stroke volume, cardiac index and total peripheral resistance were monitored. During Suggestion of forearm in warm water, local vasodilation was recorded, with decrease of forearm resistance (-18%, P<0.01) and increase of forearm blood flow (+43%, P<0.01) like in real local passive warming. During Suggestion of whole-body in a warm water tub, there was a systemic vasodilation with decrease of total peripheral resistance (-29%, P<0.01) and increase of cardiac index (+54%, P<0.01), like in real total-body passive warming. Body temperature, arterial blood pressure and heart rate were unchanged. During simple hypnosis (sham procedure) no haemodynamic variations were observed. These results are in keeping with the possibility to induce through Hypnotic Suggestion of heat a physical pattern that is typical of hyperthermia, even without increase in body temperature.

Valerie Tikhonoff - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Hypnosis meets neuropsychology: simulating visuospatial neglect in healthy participants.
    Neuropsychologia, 2011
    Co-Authors: Konstantinos Priftis, Valerie Tikhonoff, Nunzia Giordano, Sami Schiff, Piero Amodio, Carlo Umiltà, Edoardo Casiglia
    Abstract:

    Neglect patients are not aware of stimuli in the contralesional space. We aimed to simulate neglect-like behaviour in healthy participants, by asking them to orient their visuospatial attention in two conditions: non-Hypnotic Suggestion and post-Hypnotic Suggestion. Results showed that directing visuospatial attention to one side of space caused neglect of stimuli in the opposite side of space, but only when participants were under post-Hypnotic Suggestion. Furthermore, directing visuospatial attention to the right side of space caused more neglect of left-sided stimuli than directing visuospatial attention to the left side of space did for right-sided stimuli. We propose that post-Hypnotic Suggestion can be a useful tool for (de)activating neurocognitive mechanisms underlying visuospatial awareness, a function that is fundamental for our survival. The use of post-Hypnotic Suggestion could be applied to the study of many domains of cognitive neurosciences (e.g., neurocognitive rehabilitation).

  • local and systemic vasodilation following Hypnotic Suggestion of warm tub bathing
    International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2006
    Co-Authors: Edoardo Casiglia, Augusto M Rossi, Valerie Tikhonoff, R Scarpa, Giorgio Tibaldeschi, Margherita Giacomello, Paola Canna, Laura Schiavon, Alessandra Rizzato, AM Lapenta
    Abstract:

    During hypnosis it is easy to induce hallucinations having, for the hypnotized subject, the characteristics and the concreteness of reality. This study was performed to put in evidence the physical effects of Hypnotic Suggestion of warm tub bathing. 18 volunteers screened for high hypnotizability were studied. They underwent Suggestion of forearm in warm water (30 min), Suggestion of body in warm water (30 min), and hypnosis without any thermal Suggestion (30 min), while blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, forearm flow and resistance, stroke volume, cardiac index and total peripheral resistance were monitored. During Suggestion of forearm in warm water, local vasodilation was recorded, with decrease of forearm resistance (-18%, P<0.01) and increase of forearm blood flow (+43%, P<0.01) like in real local passive warming. During Suggestion of whole-body in a warm water tub, there was a systemic vasodilation with decrease of total peripheral resistance (-29%, P<0.01) and increase of cardiac index (+54%, P<0.01), like in real total-body passive warming. Body temperature, arterial blood pressure and heart rate were unchanged. During simple hypnosis (sham procedure) no haemodynamic variations were observed. These results are in keeping with the possibility to induce through Hypnotic Suggestion of heat a physical pattern that is typical of hyperthermia, even without increase in body temperature.

Michael I Posner - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Hypnotic Suggestion reduces conflict in the human brain
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2005
    Co-Authors: Amir Raz, Jin Fan, Michael I Posner
    Abstract:

    Many studies have suggested that conflict monitoring involves the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). We previously showed that a specific Hypnotic Suggestion reduces involuntary conflict and alters information processing in highly hypnotizable individuals. Hypothesizing that such conflict reduction would be associated with decreased ACC activation, we combined neuroimaging methods to provide high temporal and spatial resolution and studied highly and less-hypnotizable participants both with and without a Suggestion to interpret visual words as nonsense strings. Functional MRI data revealed that under postHypnotic Suggestion, both ACC and visual areas presented reduced activity in highly hypnotizable persons compared with either no-Suggestion or less-hypnotizable controls. Scalp electrode recordings in highly hypnotizable subjects also showed reductions in posterior activation under Suggestion, indicating visual system alterations. Our findings illuminate how Suggestion affects cognitive control by modulating activity in specific brain areas, including early visual modules, and provide a more scientific account relating the neural effects of Suggestion to placebo.

  • Hypnotic Suggestion and the modulation of stroop interference
    Archives of General Psychiatry, 2002
    Co-Authors: Amir Raz, Theodore Shapiro, Jin Fan, Michael I Posner
    Abstract:

    Background: Hypnosis has been used clinically for hundreds of years and is primarily a phenomenon involving attentive receptive concentration. Cognitive science has not fully exploited hypnosis and Hypnotic Suggestion as experimental tools. This study was designed to determine whether a Hypnotic Suggestion to hinder lexical processing could modulate the Stroop effect. Methods: Behavioral Stroop data were collected from 16 highly suggestible and 16 less suggestible subjects; both naturally vigilant and under postHypnotic Suggestion. Subjects were urged to only attend to the ink color and to impede reading the stimuli under postHypnotic Suggestion. Results: Whereas postHypnotic Suggestion eliminated Stroop interference for highly suggestible subjects, less suggestible control subjects showed no significant reduction in the interference effect. Conclusions: This outcome challenges the dominant view that word recognition is obligatory for proficient readers, and may provide insight into top-down influences of Suggestion on cognition.

Johanna K. Kaakinen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.

  • Synaesthesia-type associations and perceptual changes induced by Hypnotic Suggestion
    Scientific reports, 2017
    Co-Authors: Sakari Kallio, Mika Koivisto, Johanna K. Kaakinen
    Abstract:

    Are synaesthetic experiences congenital and so hard-wired, or can a functional analogue be created? We induced an equivalent of form-colour synaesthesia using Hypnotic Suggestions in which symbols ...

  • Synaesthesia-type associations and perceptual changes induced by Hypnotic Suggestion
    Nature Publishing Group, 2017
    Co-Authors: Sakari Kallio, Mika Koivisto, Johanna K. Kaakinen
    Abstract:

    Abstract Are synaesthetic experiences congenital and so hard-wired, or can a functional analogue be created? We induced an equivalent of form-colour synaesthesia using Hypnotic Suggestions in which symbols in an array (circles, crosses, squares) were suggested always to have a certain colour. In a Stroop type-naming task, three of the four highly hypnotizable participants showed a strong synaesthesia-type association between symbol and colour. This was verified both by their subjective reports and objective eye-movement behaviour. Two resembled a projector- and one an associator-type synaesthete. Participant interviews revealed that subjective experiences differed somewhat from typical (congenital) synaesthesia. Control participants who mimicked the task using cognitive strategies showed a very different response pattern. Overall, the results show that the targeted, preconsciously triggered associations and perceptual changes seen in association with congenital synaesthesia can rapidly be induced by hypnosis. They suggest that each participant’s subjective experience of the task should be carefully evaluated, especially when studying Hypnotic hallucinations. Studying such experiences can increase understanding of perception, automaticity, and awareness and open unique opportunities in cognitive neuroscience and consciousness research