Consciousness, Attention, and Hypnoidal Effects during Firewalking

Abstract

Subjective experiences of individuals who walked on hot coals during a firewalking ceremony were investigated. This study extended and partially supported an investigation reported by Pekala and Ersek in this Journal [1]. Twenty-three participants completed retrospective questionnaire assessments concerning their subjective experiences while walking on hot coals. Results from twelve participants were compared with the participants' own experiences during a baseline condition. The data suggested that attention during firewalking is significantly more “one-pointed” than during a baseline condition, and that consciousness may be characterized as more “hypnoidal” than during a baseline condition. Walking on hot coals was further characterized by trends toward reporting increased altered awareness, altered experience, and absorbed attention. Participants who developed a greater degree of blistering reported significantly greater hypnoidal effects during the firewalk than those who developed a lesser degree of blistering.