Ronald J. Pekala

The Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory

The Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI) (Pekala, 1982, 1991b)1 is a retrospective self-report questionnaire completed in reference to a preceding stimulus condition. As with the Phenomenology of Consciousness Questionnaire (PCQ) and the (Abbreviated) Dimensions of Consciousness Questionnaire, (A)DCQ, the PCI permits subjective experience to be phenomenologically quantified in terms of pattern parameters, as Tart (1975) indicates, and intensity parameters, as Singer (cited in Zinberg, 1977), suggests, thus allowing for the phenomenological values associated with a given stimulus condition to be empirically assessed.

Hypnotizability, Absorption, and Individual Differences in Phenomenological Experience

Abstract The phenomenological effects associated with a baseline condition of eyes-closed and a hypnotic induction condition were compared across individuals of differing absorption capacity and hypnotizability. The results indicated that individuals of differing absorption capacity and hypnotizability reported different intensities of phenomenological experience during the baseline eyes-closed condition. The induction further augmented intensity differences for low, medium, and high absorption and hypnotizable Ss, but more so for high (and medium) than low hypnotizable Ss. The results support both a trait and state interpretation of hypnotizability, and highlight the importance of the interaction between these factors on the resulting hypnotic experience of S.

Individual differences in phenomenological experience: states of consciousness as a function of absorption.

State manifestations of the trait of absorption--a trait associated with differential responsivity to hypnosis, meditation, marijuana intoxification, and electromyograph (EMG) biofeedback--were assessed to determine (a) if absorption correlates with various (sub)dimensions of phenomenological experience, and (b) if individuals of differing absorption ability experience different states of consciousness. In two experiments 249 and 304 participants completed Tellegens absorption scale and experienced several stimulus conditions. Each conditions phenomenological state was assessed by means of a retrospective self-report questionnaire and quantified in terms of intensity and pattern parameters. The results indicated that absorption correlated with increased and more vivid imagery, inward and absorbed attention, and positive affect; decreased self-awareness; and increased alterations in state of consciousness and various aspects of subjective experience. In addition, individuals of high absorption ability, relative to lows, experienced a different state of consciousness during ordinary, waking consciousness that became an altered state with eye closure and an hypnoticlike induction. The usefulness of the results for understanding altered-state induced procedures such as hypnosis is discussed.

Operationalizing "Trance" I: Rationale and Research Using a Psychophenomenological Approach

Abstract Despite the popularity of the term “trance” among clinicians to describe the subjective effects associated with being hypnotized, heretofore there has been no means to operationalize that definition. The authors present a rationale and psychophenomenological method to operationalize the term “trance” in terms of (a) hypnotic depth, a quantitative measure of subjective trance assessed via a pHGS (predicted Harvard Group Scale) score, derived from regression analysis, and (b) “trance typology profiles,” a qualitative differentiation of empirically derived (via cluster and discriminant analyses) categories of subjective trance experiences. The authors then discuss theoretical and clinical implications of this psychophenomenological approach for developing an operational definition of the concept of trance.

Trait factors, state effects, and hypnotizability.

This study examined the relationship of 15 trait (e.g., absorption, ego-permissiveness) and 21 phenomenological variables (assessed by the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory) with performance on the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A. Factor analyses suggested three trait factors (absorption-permissiveness, general sensation seeking, and social desirability) and five state factors (dissociated control state, positive affect, negative affect, attention to internal processes, and visual imagery). The factors correlated to hypnotizability were absorption-permissiveness, dissociated control, positive affect, and attention to internal processes. In predicting hypnotizability, the amount of variance accounted for by the trait factors was approximately 9%; an additional 22% was accounted for by state factors. The interactions did not account for any additional variance in predicting hypnotizability.

Mapping Consciousness: Development of an Empirical-Phenomenological Approach

A methodology for mapping the structure and organization of subjective experience via the retrospective completion of a self-report inventory, the Phenomenology of Consciousness Questionnaire (PCQ), is presented. The development of the questionnaire is discussed along with its refinement by cluster and factor analyses. The usefulness of this approach for mapping subjective experience associated with various stimulus conditions is offered as an unobtrusive and reliable means to quantify states of consciousness phenomenologically.

Suggestibility, Expectancy, Trance State Effects, and Hypnotic Depth: I. Implications for Understanding Hypnotism

Abstract This paper reviews the relationships between trance or altered state effects, suggestibility, and expectancy as these concepts are defined in the theorizing of Weitzenhoffer (2002), Holroyd (2003), Kirsch (1991), and others, for the purpose of demonstrating how these concepts can be assessed with the PCI-HAP (Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory: Hypnotic Assessment Procedure; Pekala, 1995a, b). In addition, how the aforementioned variables may relate to the nature of hypnosis/hypnotism as a function of self-reported hypnotic depth are discussed, along with how the PCI-HAP may be used as a means to measure hypnotic responsivity from a more phenomenological state perspective, in contrast to more traditional behavioral trait assessment instruments like the Harvard, the Stanford C, or the HIP. A follow-up paper (Pekala, Kumar, Maurer, Elliott-Carter, Moon, & Mullen, 2010) will present research data on the PCI-HAP model and how this model can be useful for better understanding hypnotism.

Quantifying States of Consciousness via an Empirical-Phenomenological Approach

Two hundred and forty-nine subjects, averaging thirty-five to a group, participated in two sessions consisting of two different four minute stimulus conditions. The subjects completed an inventory, the Phenomenology of Consciousness Questionnaire, immediately afterwards in reference to each of these conditions. The questionnaire assessed the phenomenological state associated with each condition in terms of nine different dimensions of consciousness. The results indicated that the phenomenological parameters that define a state of consciousness are stable under several different conditions. Baseline, identity, and altered states of consciousness that are associated with specific stimulus conditions can be defined and differentiated in terms of intensity variations within, and pattern effects among, the dimensions of conscious experience.

Assessing the Phenomenological Effects of Several Stress Management Strategies

The present study compared the reported phenomenological effects associated with several stress management techniques (hypnosis, progressive relaxation, deep abdominal breathing) and a baseline condition (eyes-closed) as a function of hypnotic susceptibility. Three hundred nursing students experienced the aforementioned conditions and retrospectively completed a self-report questionnaire, the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI), in reference to each condition. The PCI allows for reliable and valid quantification of various (sub)dimensions of phenomenological experience. The results indicated that stress management techniques like hypnosis or progressive relaxation are not phenomenologically equivalent, and their effects are further moderated by a subjects hypnotic susceptibility.

Dissociation as a Function of Child Abuse and Fantasy Proneness in a Substance Abuse Population

To our knowledge, no research has empirically assessed the relationships among dissociation, child abuse, and fantasy proneness in a single study. The present study assessed 1229 male substance abuse patients at a VA Medical Center on dissociation (measured by the Dissociative Experiences Scale, DES), child abuse (measured by the Child Abuse and Trauma scale, CAT), and fantasy proneness (assessed by the Inventory of Childhood Memories and Imaginings, ICMI). A regression analysis was used to predict dissociation with the five CAT subscales and fantasy proneness. The five CAT subscales accounted for 12 percent of the variance when predicting the DES from only the five CAT subscales. However, 22 percent of the variance was accounted for when using both the ICMI and the CAT subscales. Cross-validation regression analysis yielded very similar results. Regression analyses suggested that fantasy proneness is as important as sexual abuse in predicting dissociation. These results may shed light on the recent controversy concerning “repressed memories,” as well as understanding the development of dissociative disorders and differences between borderline personality disorder and the dissociative disorders.