Yoga, “Yogic Feats,” and Hypnosis in the Light of Empirical Research

Abstract

Both yoga and hypnosis have been commonly thought to involve altered states of consciousness and to give rise to unusual phenomena. However, empirical studies reviewed in this paper indicate the following: (a) Since the hypothesized altered states (yogic samadhi and hypnotic trance) have not as yet been adequately denoted, they cannot, at present, be viewed as scientific concepts, (b) The observable phenomena that are popularly associated with the term yoga (e.g., fire-walking, burial-alive, lying-on-nails, and voluntary control over autonomic functions) and with the term hypnosis (e.g., hallucinations, age-regression, amnesia, and the human-plank feat) are quite different from what they seem to be superficially; are not mysterious at all; and are readily explainable. A methodological critique of studies in these areas is presented and suggestions are made for further research.