Hypnotizability and posttraumatic stress disorder: a prospective study

Although there is converging evidence that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with higher levels of hypnotizability, there are no studies concerning the stability of hypnotizability levels following trauma. Acutely traumatized participants with acute stress disorder (N = 45) were administered the Stanford Hypnotic Clinical Scale (SHCS) within 4 weeks of their trauma. Participants were subsequently administered a brief cognitive-behavior therapy program. Six months after treatment, participants were re-assessed with the SHCS. Although SHCS scores were generally stable (r = .47), two thirds of participants responded differently across the 2 assessments. Increased SHCS scores at the second assessment were correlated with elevated PTSD avoidance scores. This finding suggests that elevated hypnotizability in PTSD populations may not be entirely stable and may be associated with specific PTSD responses.