Family process and hypnotic susceptibility. A preliminary investigation

Prior research has found an association between severe punishment during childhood and adult hypnotic susceptibility. The present study investigated family process variables that potentially underlie this association. Two hundred and five college students completed a self-report family process measure and participated in a group hypnotic induction procedure. A subsample of 128 students rated severity and consistency of the punishment they received as children. Subjects with high hypnotic ability reported significantly higher family cohesion than did subjects of low hypnotic ability. A significant linear relation between family cohesion and hypnotizability was also found. Unexpectedly, punishment severity and consistency did not relate to hypnotic susceptibility. Potential causal mechanisms between family process variables and hypnotizability are discussed.