A comparison of active-alert hypnotic induction with traditional relaxation induction.

Describes the testing of an active-alert induction procedure which sufficiently controlled conditions to permit a comparison between the alterations produced by that procedure and those produced by the traditional relaxation induction technique. Ss were 50 university students. In the active-alert induction the S rode a bicycle ergometer under load, keeping eyes open while exercising and receiving suggestions of alertness. The alternate form, used in random alternation with the same Ss, consisted of the standard eye-fixation and relaxation induction of the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form B (SHSS-B). Within each session on 2 days during which each S served, the induction procedure was followed by 8 tests of responses to suggestion, from the SHSS-A and SHSS-B. The mean measured hypnotic responsiveness was independent of the type of induction. The active-alert condition was characterized by an acceleration of the rate of pedaling for the more responsive Ss. Although the subjective alterations differed between the 2 kinds of induction, the highly susceptible reported that in both cases altered states were achieved. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)