What does it add to the state versus nonstate debate in hypnosis?
Affiliation: (1) Department of Psychology, University of Wales, Swansea, UK. (2) Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA Introduction: Although much evidence suggests that participants who are highly susceptible to hypnotic induction show measurable frequency-specific differences in EEG power between the hypnotic and waking states, the idea that hypnosis represents a distinct state of consciousness remains controversial. For many years it has been known that the bispectral analysis of the EEG (a measure of dependency between EEG frequencies) is one component of an index of ‘level of consciousness’ that is used in a patented and clinically reliable measure of depth of anaesthesia. Despite this, however, bispectral analysis of the EEG has not previously been used in hypnosis research. The aim of this study was to apply bispectral analysis of the EEG in an attempt to resolve the state-non-state debate in hypnosis. Methods: Participants were young
