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Related Experiment Video

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Design and Implementation of an fMRI Study Examining Thought Suppression in Young Women with, and At-risk, for Depression

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Hypnosis and thought suppression - more data: a brief communication.

Richard A Bryant¹, Natasha Sindicich

¹University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. r.bryant@unsw.edu.au

The International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis

|December 7, 2007

Summary

Hypnosis may improve thought suppression, especially for highly hypnotizable individuals. This study found that hypnosis reduced the rebound effect of unwanted thoughts under cognitive load.

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Cognitive Science

Background:

Thought suppression is a complex cognitive process.
Cognitive load can impair the effectiveness of thought suppression.
Hypnosis is a state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether hypnosis enhances thought suppression.
To examine the role of cognitive load in hypnosis-induced thought suppression.
To compare thought suppression abilities between high and low hypnotizable individuals.

Main Methods:

Participants were categorized as high or low hypnotizable.
A cognitive load task (learning a 6-digit number) was administered.
Participants received either a thought suppression instruction or no instruction.
Thought suppression was measured using self-report, sentence unscrambling, and facial electromyography (fEMG).

Main Results:

Low hypnotizable participants showed a post-suppression rebound effect on the sentence unscrambling task when given suppression instructions.
High hypnotizable participants did not exhibit rebound effects, indicating successful thought suppression.
Facial electromyography (fEMG) data corroborated self-report and behavioral findings.

Conclusions:

Hypnosis appears to facilitate thought suppression, particularly in highly hypnotizable individuals.
The findings suggest that hypnosis can mitigate the negative impact of cognitive load on thought suppression.
This research supports the utility of hypnosis as an intervention for managing intrusive thoughts.