The Association Between Mindfulness and Hypnotizability: Clinical and Theoretical Implications

Abstract

Mindfulness-based interventions and hypnosis are efficacious treatments for addressing a large number of psychological and physical conditions, including chronic pain. However, there continues to be debate surrounding the relative uniqueness of the theorized mechanisms of these treatments – reflected by measures of mindfulness facets and hypnotizability – with some concern that there may be so much overlap as to make the mechanism constructs (and therefore the respective interventions) redundant. Given these considerations, the primary aim of the current study was to examine the degree of unique versus shared variance between two common measures of mindfulness facets and hypnotizability: the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the Stanford Hypnotic Clinical Scale (SHCS). A cross-sectional survey was conducted with a sample of N=154 Veterans with heterogeneous chronic pain conditions. Bivariate Pearson correlations were used to examine the associations between the target scales. Results showed that the correlations between the FFMQ scales and SHCS total score were uniformly weak, although significant negative correlations were found between mindfulness facets of observe and non-react with hypnotizability (ps < .05). Thus, not only are the mindfulness and hypnotizability constructs unique, but when significantly associated, hypnotic suggestibility corresponds with a tendency to be less mindful. These findings have important implications for future research aimed towards matching patients to the treatment most likely to be of benefit, and suggest that matching patients on the basis of these theoretically derived “unique” moderators may hold potential.

Myths and misconceptions about hypnosis and suggestion: Separating fact and fiction

“…Thus, mindfulness practitioners display superior metacognition (Lush et al, 2016), whereas the opposite is generally true for highly suggestible individuals (Dienes et al, 2016). Consistent with these findings, Grover, Jensen, Patterson, Gertz, and Day (2018) reported a negative correlation between hypnotic suggestibility and facets of mindfulness. Mindfulness and hypnotic suggestibility are thus discriminable, although they can be combined in multifaceted clinical interventions (see Green & Lynn, 2019; Lynn, Surya Das, Hallquist, & Williams, 2006).…”

The Use of Self-Help Strategies in Obesity Treatment. A Narrative Review Focused on Hypnosis and Mindfulness

“…Other authors have instead underlined that mindfulness and hypnosis could not be considered as overlapping constructs [ 111 , 112 , 118 ]. As specified by Grover et al [ 118 ], the purpose of hypnosis is to experience changes in consciousness and behavior as a result of suggestive induction.…”

“…Other authors have instead underlined that mindfulness and hypnosis could not be considered as overlapping constructs [ 111 , 112 , 118 ]. As specified by Grover et al [ 118 ], the purpose of hypnosis is to experience changes in consciousness and behavior as a result of suggestive induction. In contrast, the purpose of mindfulness is to notice what is happening in the unfolding experience of sensations, emotions, and thoughts, moment by moment, without the intention to promote an imminent change.…”

“…In contrast, the purpose of mindfulness is to notice what is happening in the unfolding experience of sensations, emotions, and thoughts, moment by moment, without the intention to promote an imminent change. Suggestion could be considered as a common mechanism of both strategies, but with different targets: mindfulness promotes a change in the relationship with the experience, while hypnosis fosters a change in the experience itself [ 118 ]. Recently, Grover et al [ 118 ] have shown that higher levels of hypnotizability are associated with a reduction of mindfulness facets, in particular the ability to observe, non-react, and non-judge, suggesting that the two strategies have distinct effects and could therefore be offered according to the predominant characteristics of the subjects.…”

Mindful Hypnotherapy to Reduce Stress and Increase Mindfulness: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

“…), whereas hypnosis is defined as "a state of consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness characterized by an enhanced capacity for response to suggestion" (Elkins, Barabasz, Council, & Spiegel, 2015, p. 6). Grover, Jensen, Patterson, Gertz, and Day (2018) state that the targeted therapeutic process may be a fundamental difference between mindfulness-based interventions and hypnosis. More specifically, mindfulness targets a shift in the relationship toward experience, whereas the target of hypnosis is a shift in the experience itself.…”