Re:Dissociation During Induction

Good questions. Let's see if I can answer them.

Q1:
The field of awareness is narrowed even when directing attention to a focal location in that a reduction in stimulation from variation occurs, sensation begins to satiate on the focal object, and some stabilization done by a customary shifting of interest is inhibited.

Q2:
I don't quite understand what you are asking...but if you wonder why pain may exits in trance despite deep trance and dissociation there are lots or reasons. One is the meaning the pain has for the individual, and another has to do with the location of the pain and learned thresholds. Failure to directing dissociation can be about the therapist's skill, the client's level of learned "skill" with dissociation at that point, or even the inappropriateness of using dissociation (as a 'defense', let's say)for that particular pain.

Q3:
The narrowing of attention may, for some individuals, be enough in that it triggers other associated events. But the presence other events is necessary. By our definition of clinical trance we need to have a heightened state of internal concentration and, generally, a heighten state of suggestibility. However the early phenomena associated with clinical hypnosis (decreased movement, slowed reflexes, pupil dilation, lowered breathing, etc.) may all happen with simply the fixation of attention. The bottom line is how we define trance. If you take a liberal approach to the definition of trance, then you end up saying that jogging is a trance state, love-making is a trance state, etc. In that view, yes, fixation is pretty much the main event. But if you take a more narrow view and say clinical trance requires the above experiences...then the answer is fixation alone is not enough.

Replies:

Suggestibility!, by C. Das, 05/22/04

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