Indexing the experience of sex change in hypnosis and imagination

Abstract

The authors suggested a change of sex to high hypnotizable participants in hypnosis and imagination conditions and indexed the subjects' experiences with a continuous, concurrent behavioral measure that involved them turning a dial to indicate changes in the strength of the suggested effect. In addition, the researchers indexed the participants' experiences through retrospective ratings of realness, involuntariness, and active thinking. The dial rating showed that the onset of the experience was more rapid for hypnotic than for imagination participants. Moreover, there were differences in the relationship between dial ratings and retrospective ratings across the conditions as well as across the suggestion, test, and cancellation phases of the item. The findings are discussed in terms of how the dial method provides a better understanding of suggested sex change as well as a better understanding of the private experience of hypnosis and imagination.