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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

Method for Simultaneous fMRI/EEG Data Collection during a Focused Attention Suggestion for Differential Thermal Sensation

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Published on: January 5, 2014

Hypnosis in the right hemisphere.

John F Kihlstrom¹, Martha L Glisky, Susan McGovern

¹University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. jfkihlstrom@berkeley.edu

Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior

|June 19, 2012

Summary

Hypnosis may not solely rely on the left hemisphere. Even with significant left-hemisphere damage, individuals can still exhibit hypnotic responsiveness, suggesting the right hemisphere can mediate hypnosis.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychology

Background:

Previous theories suggested the right hemisphere (RH) is crucial for hypnosis.
This implied that left-hemisphere (LH) damage would significantly impair hypnotic responsiveness.

Observation:

A patient with extensive LH damage showed moderate hypnotizability.
Specific hypnotic suggestions, like arm rigidity and age regression, were effective.
A subsequent study of 16 patients with unilateral strokes found no significant hypnotizability differences between LH and RH damage groups.

Findings:

Hypnotic responsiveness is not exclusively dependent on the left hemisphere.
The right hemisphere can mediate hypnosis, especially if language functions remain intact.
Unilateral stroke location (LH vs. RH) does not substantially alter hypnotizability.

Implications:

These findings challenge existing models of hypnosis's neural basis.
Future research should investigate other brain dichotomies, such as dorsal/ventral or anterior/posterior regions.
The role of the prefrontal cortex in hypnosis warrants further investigation.