Hypnotic alteration of somatosensory perception

Effects of hypnotic alterations of perception on amplitude of somatosensory event-related potentials were studied in 10 highly hypnotizable subjects and 10 subjects with low hypnotizability. The highly hypnotizable individuals showed significant decreases in amplitude of the P100 and P300 waveform components during a hypnotic hallucination that blocked perception of the stimulus. When hypnosis was used to intensify attention to the stimulus, there was an increase in P100 amplitude. These findings are consistent with observations that highly hypnotizable individuals can reduce or eliminate pain by using purely cognitive methods such as hypnosis. Together with data from the visual system, these results suggest a neurophysiological basis for hypnotic sensory alteration.