Are highly hypnotizable people naturally aware of their hypnotic talents? Implications for human potentialities

This article investigated the degree to which high hypnotizables are aware of their capability and assessed their ability to produce it without guidance from a hypnotist. Qualitative data suggest that most participants reported being surprised by their hypnotic responsiveness and the realness of the suggestions. Quantitative data tended to support this trend, in which participants had higher overall responsiveness scores, both objectively and subjectively, when the suggestions were given by a hypnotist compared to self-hypnosis. Though some were able to self-produce some hypnotic phenomena, all participants reported that it was easier to experience the suggested effects when given by the hypnotist. An explanation accounting for this finding, implications for future research, and limitations of the study are also provided.