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While one can be hypnotized with a snap of his fingers, the other appears to be immune to it. Previously: researchers from the Stanford University have figured out how to make patients more receptive to the technology.
People under hypnosis are in a kind of trance. You are then particularly concentrated and focused, which is why the technology is used regularly in medical circles. For example, to help people deal with their pain, stress or fears. But not everyone is equally easy to hypnotize, as researcher David Spiegel knows from experience. It doesn’t work for about a quarter of the patients who come to him. However, a connection between “hypnotizability” and personality could not be found, which is why he came to the following conclusion twelve years ago: “There must be something going on in the brain.” But what?”
That’s when he decided to compare the brains of people who are easy and difficult to hypnotize. It turns out that people who are easily hypnotized have two important areas of the brain active at the same time: the part of the brain that helps us make decisions and the part of the brain that helps us focus our attention . The connection ensures that these people can concentrate better and can therefore immerse themselves in hypnosis more easily. Twelve years later, Spiegel and colleagues have succeeded not only in observing people’s ability to be hypnotized, but also in increasing them.
Chronic pain
The researchers recruited eighty participants who they knew were unresponsive to hypnosis and also suffered from fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder that can be treated with hypnotherapy. Half of the participants received brief electrical stimulation using “transcranial magnetic stimulation,” a non-invasive form of brain stimulation in which a changing magnetic field creates an electrical current in a specific area of the brain. This stimulation lasted about 92 seconds and targeted the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an area involved in information processing and decision-making. The other half received a sham treatment. The researchers then re-examined how well the person could be hypnotized using ten points.
Stable brain property
What happened? The participants who received the real stimulation scored on average one point higher on the scale than before the treatment. While the participants who received the fake treatment showed no change. That is remarkable, says Spiegel. A study among students was begun in the 1950s Stanford University, which were tested again 25 years later. This showed that a person’s sensitivity to hypnosis remained relatively constant over the entire period. Just as constant as the IQ over this period. “This is the first time we show that we can change this stable brain feature with a simple intervention,” said Nolan William, one of the authors.
Hypnotherapy
However, the effect didn’t last long. After about an hour the points were even again. Still, it’s hopeful news, the researchers believe. They believe this method could help more people benefit from hypnotherapy, especially those who suffer from chronic pain. “We know that hypnosis is an effective treatment for many different symptoms and disorders, particularly pain,” said Afik Faerman, one of the authors. “But we also know that not everyone benefits equally from hypnosis.” By increasing hypnotizability, more people can ultimately choose hypnosis as an alternative to other therapies. For example, long-term use of opiates, which can be addictive and harmful as a side effect.
Before doing so, the researchers will first carry out tests with different doses of neurostimulation to investigate whether these can further increase hypnotizability. They also want to know whether the method can also ensure that patients react more sensitively to other forms of psychotherapy. Faerman hopes so: “As a clinical psychologist, my personal dream is that in the future patients will come to us, undergo a quick, non-invasive brain stimulation session and then go to their psychologist.” This way, patients could benefit much more from their treatment .”
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