Critique of Claims of Improved Visual Acuity after Hypnotic Suggestion

Raz, Amir; Zephrani, Zohar R.; Schweizer, Heather R.; Marinoff, Gerald P.

doi:10.1097/01.opx.0000145032.79975.58

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…The findings show that suggestion and expectation can have beneficial effects in a number of clinical conditions , including in common dermatological conditions such as warts and chronic musculoskeletal pain syndromes . Such therapeutic suggestions can help control harmful habits, improve symptoms and provide both immediate and long‐term relief .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Psychosocial factors and chronic spontaneous urticaria: a systematic review

Ben‐Shoshan

Blinderman

Raz

2012

Allergy

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Background: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is one of the most costly allergic conditions challenging physicians as well as patients and their families. Despite evident lacunae in the understanding of the pathogenesis, at least some findings suggest that psychosocial factors likely contribute to the development and exacerbation of CSU. We aim to assess the contribution of psychological factors to CSU. Methods: Systematic search of PubMed and OVID/Medline databases was conducted from 1 January 1935 to 1 January 2012. Studies selected include original research in English, Spanish and French exploring the association between CSU and psychosocial factors. Two investigators independently reviewed all titles and abstracts to identify potentially relevant articles and resolved discrepancies by repeated review and discussion and arbitration of a third reviewer. Quality of systematic reviews and meta-analyses was assessed using a measure based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and psychological conditions of CSU patients. Results: We identified 114 eligible studies spanning 77 years and featuring 17 reviews, 67 studies related to neither CSU nor psychosocial factors, and eight studies that provided either no prevalence estimates or insufficient sample size. Pooling effect sizes using random effects, analyses revealed that, despite large heterogeneity (I 2 of 97.60%), psychosocial factors had a prevalence of 46.09% (95%

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Psychosocial factors and chronic spontaneous urticaria: a systematic review

Ben‐Shoshan

Blinderman

Raz

2012

Allergy

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“…Other studies reported no improvement in vision or auditory thresholds after hypnotic suggestion (18). A 2004 review article summarizes the results of suggestion and hypnosis studies as failing to demonstrate significant improvements in vision or hearing (12). The average visual acuity improvement measured here was over ten-fold, significantly higher than in suggestion or hypnosis studies (Figure 3).…”

Section: Of 14mentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Our study follows Matthews in focusing on PIP, but diverges by isolating two conditions, auditory and visual impairments, that are relatively less sensitive to, although not unaffected by, psychosomatic factors (11)(12). Indeed, researchers have investigated effects of suggestion and hypnosis on vision and hearing and claimed significant effects (13)(14)(15).…”

Section: Of 14mentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Proximal Intercessory Prayer (STEPP) on Auditory and Visual Impairments in Rural Mozambique

Brown¹,

Mory²,

Williams³

et al. 2010

Southern Medical Journal

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Background. Proximal intercessory prayer (PIP) is a common complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy, but clinical effects are poorly understood partly because studies have focused on distant intercessory prayer (DIP).Methods. This prospective study used an audiometer (Earscan 3) and vision charts (40 cm, 6 m "Illiterate E") to evaluate 24 consecutive Mozambican subjects (19 males/5 females) reporting impaired hearing (14) and/or vision (11) who subsequently received PIP interventions.Results. We measured significant improvements in auditory (p < 0.003) and visual (p < 0.02) function across both tested populations. Conclusions.Rural Mozambican subjects exhibited improved audition and/or visual acuity subsequent to PIP. The magnitude of measured effects exceeds that reported in previous suggestion and hypnosis studies. Future study seems warranted to assess whether PIP may be a useful adjunct to standard medical care for certain patients with auditory and/or visual impairments, especially in contexts where access to conventional treatment is limited.

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“…Studies have demonstrated that color perception in the brain can be altered by imagery and suggestion in highly hypnotizable subjects [ 5 ]. Other visual changes reported to be inducible by hypnotic suggestion include development of color blindness, tunnel vision, and visual hallucinations [ 6 - 10 ]. Further, it is thought that hypnosis can improve a subject's subjective feeling of visual acuity by improving other cognitive functions such as memory, attention and perceptual learning [ 10 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other visual changes reported to be inducible by hypnotic suggestion include development of color blindness, tunnel vision, and visual hallucinations [ 6 - 10 ]. Further, it is thought that hypnosis can improve a subject's subjective feeling of visual acuity by improving other cognitive functions such as memory, attention and perceptual learning [ 10 ]. Thus, the blue-tinted vision experienced by the individuals in this report may be the result of an hypnosis-induced primary change in cognitive processing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hypnosis-associated blue-tinted vision: a case report

Anbar

Savedoff

2005

BMC Ophthalmol

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BackgroundSelf-hypnosis has been taught routinely at the SUNY Upstate Medical University for treatment of pulmonary symptoms thought to be amenable to psychological therapy. While using hypnosis for relaxation, four individuals, including a patient with cystic fibrosis, reported development of blue-tinted vision. Based on a search of the literature, we believe this is the first published report of hypnosis-associated blue-tinted vision.Case presentationThe patient reported blue-tinted vision when he used hypnosis on an almost daily basis for seven years. The visual change typically occurred when he was relaxed. Moreover, a concurrent erection in the absence of sexual thoughts usually was present. The other three individuals reported blue-tinted vision after learning how to use hypnosis for relaxation as part of a group hypnosis instruction.ConclusionThe blue-tinted vision experienced by the individuals in this report may be the result of an hypnosis-induced primary change in cognitive processing. Additionally, as the relaxing effect of hypnosis can be associated with a reduction in blood pressure and increased blood flow, hypnosis-associated blue-tinted vision also may be related to retinal vasodilation.

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Critique of Claims of Improved Visual Acuity after Hypnotic Suggestion

Cited by 7 publications

References 58 publications

Psychosocial factors and chronic spontaneous urticaria: a systematic review

Psychosocial factors and chronic spontaneous urticaria: a systematic review

Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Proximal Intercessory Prayer (STEPP) on Auditory and Visual Impairments in Rural Mozambique

Hypnosis-associated blue-tinted vision: a case report

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