The Use of Fractionation in Self-Hypnosis

Abstract

It is widely believed that fractionation is the most effective technique for “deepening” hypnotic involvement. This study was done to document its effectiveness when used in tape-assisted self-hypnosis. Forty-two volunteers and 11 clinical patients participated in the experiment. Two deepening conditions of silence and fractionated awakening were given to all subjects in counterbalanced order on self-hypnosis tapes that were otherwise identical. Almost no differences were found between the conditions on experiential qualities of the trances, depth of trance, or in response to behavioral suggestions. Response seemed individual and normally distributed, with fractionation preferred and beneficial for some, and not helpful for others. The results cast some doubt on the widespread belief in the unusual effectiveness of fractionation, although using only one fractionated awakening may not have adequately evaluated the technique.