Getting Hypnotized with David Spiegel
StarTalk Radio
Deep Dive
What is hypnosis according to Dr. David Spiegel?
Hypnosis is a state of highly focused attention, often compared to looking through a telephoto lens, where you dissociate from your surroundings and turn down the salience network. It involves three key components: intense focus, dissociation, and the ability to try out being different.
How does the salience network function in hypnosis?
The salience network warns you of important stimuli, like a loud noise. During hypnosis, this network is turned down, allowing you to focus intensely on a specific experience and dissociate from external distractions.
What is the default mode network and how does it relate to hypnosis?
The default mode network is active when you reflect on your identity and past experiences. In hypnosis, activity in this network is suppressed, allowing you to suspend usual assumptions about yourself and think differently, which has therapeutic potential.
How does hypnosis affect pain perception?
Hypnosis reduces activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, part of the pain network, and controls the insula, a mind-body conduit. This allows the brain to regulate pain perception more effectively, often reducing pain in real time.
What are the therapeutic benefits of hypnosis?
Hypnosis can help with stress reduction, pain management, insomnia, smoking cessation, and addiction. It allows individuals to focus on solutions, change their mental state, and suspend negative self-assumptions, often leading to long-term behavioral changes.
How does the hypnotic induction profile test work?
The test involves guiding someone to relax, close their eyes, and focus on a specific instruction, like having one hand float up like a balloon. The response is scored on a zero to 10 scale, measuring their ability to alter their body's sensations and reactions.
Can hypnosis be used to recover memories, and is it reliable?
Hypnosis can help recall memories, but it is not always reliable. Memories recalled under hypnosis can be influenced by suggestion, and there are legal restrictions in places like California, where hypnotically recovered memories are only admissible under strict conditions.
How does hypnosis compare to meditation?
Hypnosis is problem-focused, aiming to change how you react to specific issues like stress or pain. Meditation, on the other hand, is about open presence, letting thoughts flow without trying to control or change them. Hypnosis is likened to an antibiotic, while meditation is more like a vitamin.
What role do genetics play in hypnotizability?
Genetic differences, such as variants in the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene, which metabolizes dopamine, can influence hypnotizability. People with a moderate speed of dopamine metabolism tend to be more hypnotizable than those with faster or slower metabolism.
Can hypnosis enhance athletic performance?
Yes, hypnosis can improve athletic performance by helping athletes focus on their body’s movements and reduce excess tension. For example, the Stanford women’s swimming team and Tiger Woods have used hypnosis to enhance their performance by focusing on their technique and calming their bodies.
- Hypnosis is a state of highly focused attention and dissociation.
- The salience network is downregulated during hypnosis.
- Hypnosis allows for trying out being different.
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