Hypnotically induced emotional numbing: a real-simulating analysis

This study compared 20 real, hypnotized and 20 simulating, unhypnotized participants who were administered a hypnotic induction and then presented with emotionally distressing and neutral visual images. Half were administered a hypnotic suggestion for emotional numbing. Reals and simulators who received the emotional numbing suggestion reported comparably less responsivity to distressing stimuli than others. Whereas emotionally numb reals displayed little change in electromyographic (EMG) activity during the distressing stimuli, simulators displayed marked reduction in EMG activity. Reals (not simulators) displayed a dissociation between their affective response and awareness of the negative content of the stimuli following the numbing suggestion.