Hypnotic Attenuation of the ‘Boundaries’ between Emotional, Visual, and Auditory Sensations

Abstract

On two tasks measuring cognitive “boundaries,” the performance of seventy-two hypnotized subjects was compared to the performance of seventy-two wakened subjects. On a task measuring the “boundary” between visual sensations and auditory sensations, all subjects counted the visible pulses of a metronome on some trials, counted the audible pulses of a metronome on other trials, and then decided whether they had seen or heard each number of counted pulses. Hypnotized subjects confused the visible pulses and audible pulses, whereas wakened subjects maintained the “boundary” between visible sensations and audible sensations. On a task measuring the “boundary” between visual sensations and emotional sensations, all subjects imaged specific emotions while viewing pictures of surprised faces, and then decided whether they had seen a surprised or emotional or assimilated (surprised-emotional) expression on each face. Hypnotized subjects assimilated the visual expressions and emotional images, whereas wakened subjects maintained the “boundary” between emotional sensations and visual sensations.