Hypnosis and Hypnotic ability between old beliefs and new evidences: An epistemological reflection

ABSTRACT

The history of hypnosis has been marked by its effectiveness paralleled by prejudicial refusal, due to its ostensible incompatibility with the ruling Weltbild (picture of the world). Its interpretation has been mainly based on concepts like suggestibility, dissociation, hallucination, impairment of sense of agency, and free will. Nevertheless, little evidence and agreement has been reached so far on the nature of hypnosis and hypnotic ability, an uncertainty enhanced by the wide range of meanings and ambiguities of the used terms. This article analyzes the main epistemological implications involved in the topic.

KEYWORDS:

• Dissociation
• epistemology
• free will
• hallucination
• hypnosis
• hypnotic ability
• rapport
• suggestibility

Notes

¹ The term Weltbild has been introduced by Max Weber in sociology and used by Martin Heidegger as well. The concept of Weltbild defines the complex cognitive-interpretative framework and filter in the understanding of the outer world. According to Heidegger, the Weltbild mainly regards Science (e.g., the mechanistic Weltbild) while the term Weltanschauung (view of the world) is wider, including both scientific and nonscientific views. The former is the result of a theoretical view of the outer world, while the latter is a more general view of life-defining our position in the world and how we should act (Inwood, 2011; Vassalle, 2012).