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Effect of hypnotic suggestion on the delayed-type hypersensitivity response
S E Locke1, B J Ransil, R Zachariae
1Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA 02215.
JAMA
|July 6, 1994
Summary
Hypnotic suggestion did not influence delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses to varicella-zoster (VZ) antigen in healthy, highly hypnotizable individuals. The study found no significant changes in DTH reactions under hypnotic suggestion for enhancement or suppression.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Psychoneuroimmunology
- Hypnosis Research
Background:
- Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) is a critical immune response.
- The influence of psychological states, such as hypnosis, on immune function is an area of ongoing research.
- Previous studies suggest potential links between hypnosis and immune modulation, but evidence remains inconclusive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether hypnotic suggestion can modulate the DTH response to varicella-zoster (VZ) antigen.
- To determine if individuals with high hypnotizability and specific physiological traits can alter their immune response under hypnosis.
- To assess the impact of hypnotic suggestions for enhancement or suppression on VZ-specific DTH reactions.
Main Methods:
- A blinded, repeated-measures clinical trial was conducted with 24 healthy, highly hypnotizable college students.
- Subjects underwent four weekly conditions: hypnosis with enhancement suggestions, hypnosis with suppression suggestions, hypnosis with relaxation suggestions, and a no-hypnosis control.
- Varicella-zoster (VZ) antigen skin testing was performed, and DTH responses (induration and erythema) were measured at 24 and 48 hours.
Main Results:
- Hypnotic suggestions to enhance or suppress the DTH response to VZ antigen had no significant effect.
- Neither the area of induration nor the area of erythema showed any statistically significant alteration across the experimental conditions.
- The control condition (skin testing without hypnosis) also did not differ from the hypnosis conditions in terms of DTH response magnitude.
Conclusions:
- Highly hypnotizable individuals were unable to alter their VZ-specific DTH responses through hypnotic suggestion.
- The findings suggest that, in this specific context, hypnosis may not be a potent tool for modulating cell-mediated immune responses like DTH.
- Further research is needed to explore the complex interactions between hypnosis, psychological states, and immune system regulation.