ratofspades

[ratofspades]

Hypnosis, Hypnotic Trance, and the Default Mode Network.

This is social media, so there will be limitations in what is being presented for brevity.

Do your own reading before coming to any serious conclusions. This post is meant to share things I thought interesting.

I've been doing some reading lately and it seems that hypnosis seems to be related to something called the Default Mode network (DMN), which is responsible for suppressing activity during cognitively demanding tasks.

Even when outside of hypnosis, those who are highly suggestible (highs) have greater connection between right Inferior frontal gyrus (responsible for attention) and the default mode network which suggests a greater ability to dissociate and a higher flexibility in attention. Low suggestibles (lows) typically have greater activity in the parietal lobe (sensory perception and management) and anterior cingulate cortex (responsible for cost-benefit calcuation and conscious decision making and motivation) compared to highs.

This suggests that even outside of a hypnotic state, there are neurological differences in how highs vs lows interpret and process information. It may be easier for those who are naturally suggestible to dissociate from their situation and turn inward to calculate information.

Circling back to the DMN, having a generally increased DMN activity means that the person is currently involved in internally-focused tasks (which may include things like recalling memories, visualizing future events, making social inferences, or other human cognitive tasks). This network consists of multiple specializations and areas including the medial prefrontal cortex (decision making), posterior cingulate cortex (episodic memory and future predictive memory), the precuneus (cue reactivity, gestalt of information, affective response to pain, and eposodic memory), and the lateral parietal cortex (attention, working memory, and spatial and social cognition).

The default mode network is still something that isn't well studied, but is confirmed to be related to things like ADHD, depression, and Alzheimer's. Things like meditation or hypnosis and alcohol consumption can also modulate the Default mode network by changing how related systems interact using external or internal modifiers (alcohol as a depressant, for example).

Sources:

https://youtu.be/YV3QuF-2wdw?si=HgvbwNTSAuTRpvuN

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1053811915004668?via%3Dihub

A lot of hypnotic responses aren't conscious. Things like feeling warm, tingly, heavy or light, or relaxed are all byproducts of trance but aren't indicative of trance by themself. However, the relationship between autonomic responses and trance is something that is observed by many tists and subjects alike. Someone who is hypnotized may not show the byproducts above, but if they are, they are- more likely than not- hypnotized. Many people suggest that these feelings (byproducts of trance) happen because even though trance, at least the first time, requires conscious effort.

What I mean is that the person must allow themselves to grow focused and invested in what they are reading or who they are listening to in order to find themself in a trance. Once there it can become a much quicker process. However, most inductions that involve focusing also involve relaxing in some way (see progressive muscle relaxation inductions for the largest example). Relaxation as a byproduct is still fairly common even outside of relaxation inductions. Many subjects will report feeling relaxed after being put into trance.

An argument could be made that the relaxation byproduct is part of the reason that the default mode is activated and may affect someone who is hypnotized to experience other similarly clumped responses- like those mentioned above. Much like how conscious breathing can physically relax and calm someone, going through a hypnotic induction may also be ritualistic, causing autonomic responses to occur, thus giving the typically expected (but not always present) stereotypical responses to being hypnotized.

Part of what makes hypnosis work, according to this thought process, is the active involvement of someone participating in a ritual (a hypnotic induction) without going against what is being asked. The participant does not have to be aware that they are involved in a hypnotic induction, they merely have to be a participant who is able to go along with the directions of what is being asked. As a metaphor, someone could engage in slowing their breathing by no longer involving themself in a stressful situation, naturally calming themself down.

They don’t have to consciously breathe to reset their autonomic nervous system because it automatically takes effect the moment they don't feel stressed anymore. Similarly, in a hypnotic induction, someone doesn’t have to explicitly know that they are engaging in a hypnotic induction. By simply following along with the words being said and being actively engaged in whatever media they are focusing on, they are able to enter at least a light trance since their focus becomes entirely trained on one thing. Once in a light trance, a hypnotist could utilize the naturally greater suggestibility to create a hypnotic trance with far more plasticity and robustness.

Regardless, the point is that by simply following along and becoming focused, a participant can engage their default mode network, dissociate from external stimuli, and focus on a single task, allowing for a trance to emerge. Much like consciously breathing slower to calm the nervous system, simply following along, focusing, and being engaged with something is enough to create a light trance (with greater than usual suggestibility) that can potentially be utilized by someone else.

Informing people you are working with beforehand, discussing limits and expectations before hypnosis occurs, is always the best practice and most ethical form of communication. Fluctual suggestibility could mean that someone is more likely to say yes when they normally wouldn’t. Hypnosis, and suggestibility, can potentially be used to manipulate others, just like any other tool. Use your tools wisely, and always choose what is best for you and those you care about.

[ratofspades]

《歴史AU — 鬼神 Fierce Deity》