Related Concept Videos
The Placebo Effect
Blind Procedures
Altered States of Awareness
The ingestion of substances like stimulants or hallucinogens leads to chemical alterations in the brain that...
Sedatives and Hypnotics: Overview
Sedative-hypnotics are categorized into barbiturates, benzodiazepines (BZDs), and non-benzodiazepines or Z-drugs. These drugs work by suppressing central nervous system activity, and this suppression is dose-dependent. Older sedative medications, like barbiturates, follow a linear curve in...
Blinding
Sedatives and Hypnotics Drugs: Barbiturates
You might also read
Related Articles
Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.
Construct Validity of the Dissociative Experiences Scale: II. Its Relationship to Hypnotizability.
Suggested posthypnotic amnesia in psychiatric patients and normals.
The hypnotic induction profile and absorption.
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Method for Simultaneous fMRI/EEG Data Collection during a Focused Attention Suggestion for Differential Thermal Sensation
Published on: January 5, 2014
Hypnosis, hynotizability, and placebo.
1Loyola University and Rush North Shore Medical Center, USA. amjch@sbcglobal.net
Hypnotizability and placebo responsivity are distinct concepts, with limited evidence for a strong correlation. While hypnotizability is measurable, placebo responsivity lacks a standard assessment, questioning the existence of "good placebo responders."
More Related Videos
08:50How to Study Placebo Responses in Motion Sickness with a Rotation Chair Paradigm in Healthy Participants
Published on: December 14, 2014
05:48The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients
Published on: June 12, 2020
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Medical Research
Background:
- Critically examines Dr. Raz's speculations on the link between placebo responsivity and hypnotizability.
- Highlights the consensus on reliable hypnotizability measurement versus the lack of a standard measure for placebo responsivity.
- Defines placebo (effect, response, nocebo) while noting the absence of a widely accepted measure for individual differences.
Discussion:
- Identifies methodological considerations for studying the relationship between placebo responsivity and hypnotizability.
- Reviews studies showing treatments with adjunctive hypnosis outperform placebo treatments.
- Discusses a single study suggesting only a slight correlation between placebo responsivity and hypnotizability.
Key Insights:
- Questions the concept of a
- good placebo responder
- .
- Reaffirms the clinical utility of assessing hypnotizability.
- Suggests placebo responsivity and hypnotizability are, at best, only slightly related.
Outlook:
- Proposes future empirical research directions to investigate the nuanced relationship between placebo responsivity and hypnotizability.
- Emphasizes the need for developing reliable measures of placebo responsivity.
- Calls for further investigation into the distinct mechanisms underlying hypnotic and placebo responses.