Charles T. Tart

Self-report scales of hypnotic depth

Abstract Hypnotic “depthyy is a complex theoretical concept, for which no direct measures exist at present, but which is reflected in various experiential and behavioral responses to hypnosis. Thirty-five Ss were asked to scale their depth of hypnosis on a 10-point scale after each suggestibility test item on the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C (Weitzenhoffer & Hilgard, 1962). These self-reports were highly correlated with measures of hypnotic behavior and experience. Instructions to report depth immediately and without thinking produced reports which correlated somewhat better with the other measures than instructions to consciously make a best estimate. This self-report scale promises to be highly useful in studies of hypnosis.

A further attempt to modify hypnotic susceptibility through repeated individualized experience

Abstract The study seeks to determine whether hypnotic susceptibility as measured on objective scales can be changed with practice and training. 3 low-, 2 medium-, and 1 high-scoring Ss were seen in individualized training sessions. Combining these Ss with the results of an earlier study (total N = 16) a comparison of gains among high and low Ss showed the higher Ss gaining significantly more (p < .05).

Six Studies of Out-of-Body Experiences

Because of confusion between science and scientism, many people react negatively to the idea of scientific investigation of near-death experiences (NDEs), but genuine science can contribute a great deal to understanding NDEs and helping experiencers integrate their experiences with everyday life. After noting how scientific investigation of certain parapsychological phenomena has established a wider world view that must take NDEs seriously, I review six studies of a basic component of the NDE, the out-of-body experience (OBE). Three of these studies found distinctive physiological correlates of OBEs in the two talented persons investigated, and one found strong evidence for veridical, paranormal perception of the OBE location. The studies using hypnosis to try to produce OBEs demonstrated the complexity of a simple model that a persons mind is actually at an out-of-body location versus merely hallucinating being out, and require us to look at how even our perception of being in our bodies is actually a complex simulation, a biopsychological virtual reality.

Extending Mindfulness to Everyday Life

The great spiritual traditions agree that the cultivation of mindfulness is central. Without mindfulness we live in a state of distorted perceptions and fantasies, acting inappropriately with reference to our own true nature and the reality of the immediate situation, and consequently creating stupid and useless suffering. This article is oriented toward those readers already convinced of the value of cultivating increased mindfulness, so I shall not attempt to prove its value here: I have discussed this elsewhere (Tart, 1986), as well as the way modern psychological knowledge supports it. Although the traditions advocate developing mindfulness in all situations of life, advocacy, skillful training, and emphasis are not the same thing. Much traditional Buddhist practice, in particular, effectively puts its emphasis on formal sitting without engaging in extensive and specific training for mindfulness in everyday life. Because traditional Buddhist practice is a major influence on people interested in meditation, the apparent lack of means for generalizing mindfulness to everyday life can be a serious problem for many Westerners, especially because most of us want to enliven all of life through our growth practices, not retire to a life of solitary meditation. This article discusses ways in which elements of a less well-known mindfulness cultivation tradition, the Gurdjieff training, may be used to increase mindfulness in everyday life situations and to facilitate the generalization of mindfulness from intensive meditation sessions to everyday life. Some specific training exercises are presented, as well as the principles of devising such exercises.

From Spontaneous Event to Lucidity

Within Western culture, dreams have been and are still generally regarded as events that just happen to people, bizarre nocturnal events that seldom bear any discernible relation to the waking life of the dreamer. If dreams are given any positive value, they are seen as unsolicited gifts. When not particularly valued, the more usual situation in our culture, they are seen as mostly meaningless, chance events. The occasional relationships between life events and dreams tend to be fitted into what Hadfield (1954) charmingly called the “pickled walnut theories” of dreaming: If you ate something that disagreed with you, it might result in the bizarre mental activity of dreaming.

HYPNOTIC SUGGESTION AS A TECHNIQUE FOR THE CONTROL OF DREAMING

Dream research is almost exclusively a matter of correlational research. We have, of course, learned a great deal about the nature of nocturnal dreaming as a result of correlational studies, and I have no doubt that we will continue to learn a great deal from them. If we could supplement correlational studies with functional studies, however, we could probably progress a good deal faster in our understanding of dreaming. What I would like to discuss are some attempts of mine to develop hypnotic suggestion or, more precisely, posthypnotic suggestion as a powerful and precise technique which would allow functional studies of dreaming and some speculations about the usefulness of such a technique and where it might lead us.