Hypnosis and Placebo effects

Question 1

What are they both forms of?

Answer 1

Suggestion: a form of communicable ideation or belief, that once accepted has the ability to create profound changes on a person’s mood, thoughts, perceptions, and behaviors (Halligan and Oakley, 2014)

Question 2

What is hypnosis?

Answer 2

“Hypnosis is a social interaction in which a ppt responds to suggestions offered by another person designated as the hypnotist, for experiences involving alterations in sensation, perception, and voluntary action (Accardi et al., 2013; adapted fromKihlstrom 1985; see also Montgomery 2010)”

Question 3

What is hypnosis pt2?

Answer 3

• Often starts with induction (relax the muscles of your legs)
• Followed by a count ‘into hypnosis’ (10,9,8, deeper and deeper into hypnosis, 7,6,5,4…)
• Then given a series of suggestions (‘your arm is feeling lighter or you hear a mosquito buzzing’)

Question 4

What did Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815) look at?

Answer 4

Animal Magnetism – Interpersonal magnetic force was transduced through fluid and proved by convulsions and cures.

Mozart and Mesmer – Cosi fan tutti (Use of magnets to revive poisened Ferrando and Gugliel

Question 5

The commission 1784 - King Louise XVI - what did they conclude?

Answer 5

•Members of the Royal Academy of Sciences: Benjamin Franklin, Lavoisier, Bailly, and four prominent physicians including Dr. Guillotin
.•Concluded no evidence of magnetic influence or fluid.
•All benefits attributable to imagination but panel noted importance of social influence which could be of clinical use.
•Mesmer responded that imagination alone was not sufficient

Question 6

What was the hypnotism act (1952)?

Answer 6

• Regulates demonstrations of hypnotic phenomena for entertainment.
• “Nothing in this Act shall prevent…. for scientific or research purposes or for the treatment of mental or physical disease

Question 7

What did Derbyshire et al (2004) suggest?

Answer 7

• used hypnotically suggested pain to create an analogue of functional pain.

•Hypnotic pain was associated with activation in neural regions strongly associated to pain

Question 8

history of medicine also the history of placebo?

Answer 8

• It is the savior of quacks.
• The benefit of the sugar pill, bloodletting and Perkins tractors (very expensive metal pointers that were used to draw out disease).
• Plays an important role in medicine even today.

Question 9

What is the theory underpinning shamanism?

Answer 9

The Shaman communicates with the spirit world to treat sickness caused by malevolent spirits by contacting benevolent spirits

• Employ trances and go on vision quests.

•Still in use e.g. Hmong people of China, Shinto religion in Japan, Mudangs in Korea, Bomoh in Malaysia, Chukchis people of Siberia (and available in the west!).

Question 10

What are they both a form of?

What part of the brain plays a role in suggestion?

Answer 10

• Suggestion

- Prefrontal cortex

Question 11

Studies looking at if hypnosis and placebo are the same thing?

Answer 11

• Hypnosis is mega-placebo and placebo without deception (Wickless and Kirsch, 1989; Kirsch, 1999; Raz, 2007; Kirsch et al., 2008).
• Raz (2007) - studying hypnosis as a correlate of placebo one can avoid the ethical considerations associated with deception in placebo.
• They are both influenced by expectancy (Kirsch, 1999).•

However, very few studies have directly compared their effects (Kupers et al., 2005).

•Need to look across studies using similar designs to evaluate their relationship.

Question 12

Oxytocin: placebo vs hypnosis - What does inhalation of oxytocin do to hypnotic suggestibility and placebo analgesia?

Answer 12

Increases hypnotic suggestibility (Bryant et al., 2013) and increases responses to placebo analgesia (Kessner et al., 2013).

Question 13

What is oxytocin?

Answer 13

Neuropeptide – neuronal signaling molecules that influence the activity of the brain.

• Oxytocin is associated with maternal bonding (IsHak et al., 2010).
• Inhalation of oxytocin has been shown to increase trust, empathy and social affiliation (IsHak et al., 2010)

look at slides for studies

Question 14

TMS: Hypnosis vs placebo - what does it do?

Answer 14

TMS to left dlpfc INCREASES hypnotic suggestibility (Dienes and Hutton 2013)
TMS to left DLPFC decreases [lacebo response (Krummenacher et al 2010)

Question 15

Suggested analgesia and Naloxone (opioid antagonist)?

Answer 15

•The effects of hypnotic suggestions on pain is not modified by naloxone (Goldstein & Hilgard, 1975; Moret et al., 199

Question 16

Benedetti - placebo and naloxene?

Answer 16

• Placebo analgesia is reduced by naloxone (Benedetti, 1996; Eippert et al., 2009; Grevert et al., 1983) = Placebo effect operates via opioids