A Short, Unobtrusive Hypnotic-Assessment Procedure for Assessing Hypnotizability Level: I. Development and Research

Abstract

In the present study we assessed a short-form hypnotic-induction procedure for determining hypnotic susceptibility. Eighty-four subjects completed a short hypnotic-induction procedure and afterwards completed two self-report phenomenological state instruments (the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory, PCI, Pekala, 1982, 1991c and the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory: Short Form, PCI:SF, Pekala, 1988) in reference to a sitting-quietly period embedded within the hypnotic-induction procedure. A week later the same subjects completed the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility (Shor & Orne, 1962) and the PCI in reference to a short, sitting-quietly interval embedded in the Harvard. Using a regression equation obtained from prior research (Pekala & Kumar, 1987), a Pearson r correlation of .51 was obtained between a predicted Harvard Group Scale (pHGS) score from subjects' subjective experiences of the first hypnotic-induction procedure and subjects' actual performances on the Harvard Scale. These results suggest the usefulness of using a 20-minute hypnotic-assessment procedure with a self-report instrument like the PCI to measure a client's hypnotic susceptibility.