Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Biological angle to hypnosis. Is it really possible or is this all on your head?




https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hypnosis-memory-brain/




Image result for hypnosis

Hypnosis has been around for centuries and it has been accessible to reducing stress, anxiety and pain. This is not brainwashing or magic, hypnosis is a trance-like state of heightened concentration and it’s more common than you might think. According to a recent study conducted by Dr. David Spiegel, of Stanford University School of Medicine, discloses interesting facts about how the brain changes during hypnosis. For the hypnosis study, Spiegel and his colleagues chose 57 people to participate and over 50% of the participants were hypnotized, the remaining subjects did not appear to be successfully hypnotized. The study reveals that for those who were clearly hypnotized, they showed distinct changes in the brain that were not present prior to being hypnotized. Those who did not appear to be hypnotized did not show the distinct brain changes. Some of the changes that occur during hypnosis are the insula and the dorsal anterior cingulate. According to the study, the connection between the two increased; the insula is the part of the brain that connects the mind and the body and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex helps a person carry out tasks. The other portion of the brain that changes during hypnosis is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This cortex becomes disconnected from the brain’s default mode, which is believed to be related to a disconnection between a person’s actions and the awareness of those actions.

I personally think hypnosis is achievable only to a certain point. It's just another state of mind however it is up to the individual how susceptible they allow themselves to become. I tried being hypnotized once and it didn't work, I'd be willing to try again to see if it will have any effect on me. 


1 comment:

  1. I learned a little about using hypnosis as a technique used psychology, however I didn't think it was all that common. Deep meditation seems the most similar, and is widely used today. The study you provided clearly shows there is a difference is brain activity for those that are truly and fully hypnotized. I would like to research further some personal accounts from people who went through the experience!

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