An interventional study of Hypnosis and Control in Healthy, sponsored by University of Liege. Status unknown at 1 site in Belgium. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 60 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2023-12-06.
Sponsored by University of Liege · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
Mystical experience is described as an experience that is unique to everyone, potentially transformative and leaving a mark for many years or even a lifetime. It is characterized by: a loss of self/ego, being with the whole/nature/universe, transcendence, a loss of spatio-temporal reference points, ineffability, peace and joy, a sacred character, and a noetic quality. The mystical experience is one that occurs in the context of non-ordinary states of consciousness such as meditation and the consumption of so-called psychedelic drugs, for example. It would seem, in fact, to correspond to the transformative mechanism of the psychedelic experience. The goal ofthis study is to investigate the possibility of a mystical experience through hypnosis.
Anyone interested in taking part in the study will be contacted by telephone or e-mail and offered a face-to-face appointment to carry out the screening (T0). During the appointment, screening (cf. inclusion criteria) will be carried out, socio-demographic data (age, sex, education, nationality, history of hypnosis practice, etc.) and randomization will also take place at this time. At this time, the investigators will assess psychological flexibility and psychologigal well-being, and participants will do a cognitive flexibility task (T1). If people meet the inclusion criteria, the investigators will schedule an appointment for a session to take place roughly a week later.
During this session, the investigators will start by reviewing beliefs about hypnosis, assessing participants' expectations of the study, their absorption and dissociation trait, their positive and negative affects and their anxiety. Next, the investigators will perform a 15-minute resting electroencephalographic (EEG) recording. We will then administer the Elkins Hypnotizability Scale. A 30-minute break will be taken. Next, the investigators willperform a hypnotic induction followed by a mystical experience suggestion for the experimental group. The control group will simply receive a reading of the mystical experience suggestion without hypnosis. The rest of the procedure is the same for both groups. EEG activity will be recorded during the mystical experience suggestion (± 15 minutes) in hypnosis and outside hypnosis (ordinary state of consciousness). Directly afterwards, participants will be asked to orally explain their subjective experience during the suggestion of mystical experience. Then the investigators will assess the positive and negative affect in addition to these outcomes: the mystical experience, the ego dissolution, the psychological flexibility, the cognitive flexibility, the altered state of consciousness, the near-death experience, alterness, absorption state, dissociation state, time perception (T2).
Three months after receiving the experimental session, participants will be seen again for a follow-up session (T3). During this session, we will ask: "Since the experimental session, have you observed any changes in your behaviors, emotions and beliefs? If so, can you tell us about them?". The investigators will assess the positive and negative affects and psychological well-being.
University of Liege is the lead sponsor of 250 studies on the registry; 49 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
The control group will simply receive a reading of the mystical experience suggestion without hypnosis.
Behavioral: Control
The experiemental group will receive a suggestion of the mystical experience in hypnosis.
Behavioral: Hypnosis
We will propose a hypnotic induction followed by a suggestion of mystical experience (based on Lynn \& Evans, 2017).
We will propose the neutral reading of a mystical expetience suggestion (based on Lynn \& Evans, 2017).
Mystical experience
The 30-item revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire will assess the occurrence and intensity of mystical-type experiences. It is comprised of four factors: mysticality, positivity of mood, transcendence of time and space, and ineffability. A mystical experience is defined as having a score equal or above 60% on all factors.
Time frame: During the procedure
Hypnotizability
The susceptibility one has concerning hypnosis. Will be assessed with the Elkins Hypnotizability Scale. A score : 0-3 : low hypnotizability 4-7: medium hypnotizability 8-11 : high hypnotizability 12 : very high hypnotizability.
Time frame: During the procedure
Ego Dissolution
The Ego Dissolution Inventory will assess the occurrence of ego dissolution.
Time frame: During the procedure
Alteration of consciousness
The Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory will allow to empirically quantify the subjective experience in terms of pattern and intensity parameters. It is composed of 53 items consisting of 12 major dimensions (e.g., positive affect), and 14 minor dimensions (e.g., absorption) (annex). Graphs will be constructed to represent the intensity and pattern of relationships between pairs of dimensions.
Time frame: During the procedure
Psychological flexibility
Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory.
Time frame: Before the procedure and direclty after the procedure
Cognitive flexibility
Cognitive flexility will be assessed with the Test of Attentional Performance which is an informatized cognitive task.
Time frame: Before the procedure and direclty after the procedure
Psychological well-being
Psychological well-being will be assessed with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale
Time frame: Before the intervention and after 3 months
Modification of mood, cognition, emotion and behavior
We will ask an open-ended question "Since the experimental session, have you observed any changes in your behaviors, emotions and beliefs? If so, can you tell us about them?".
Time frame: After 3 months
Phenomenal experience
Phenomenal experience will be assessed by the recording of the narrative experience.
Time frame: During the procedure
Socio-demographics
age, sex, éducation, nationality, prior practice of hypnosis or other non-ordinary states of consciousness, prior mystical experience.
Time frame: At screening
Psychiatric screening
Psychiatric screening will be assessed with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview
Time frame: At screening
Beliefs about hypnosis
Beliefs about hypnosis will be assessed with an open-ended question "What are your beliefs about hypnosis?"
Time frame: Before the procedure
Expectancies about the study
Expectancies about the study will be assessed with an open-ended question "What are your expectancies about the study?"
Time frame: Before the procedure
Phenomenal control
The phenomenal control will be assessed with the Phenomenological Control Scale.
Time frame: During the procedure
Positive and negative affects
Positive and negative affects will be assessed with the Positive Affect and Negative Affect.
Time frame: Beforethe procedure, During the procedure, direcly after the procedure, and after 3 months
Absorption trait
The absorption trait will be assessed with the Tellegen Absorption Scale which consists of 34 true/false items, aiming to measure the absorption of a person, meaning the disposition for having episodes of a deep involvement that engage all the subject's resources (perceptual, imaginative, and cognitive). The total score range is from 0 to 34. The higher the score, the more one has a high propensity for absorption.
Time frame: Before the procedure
Dissociation trait
The dissociation trait will be assessed with the Dissociative Experience Scale. It is a self-reported questionnaire used to evaluate the presence, quantity, and type of dissociative experiences one might live in daily life. It consists of 28 items arranged on an analog scale (from 0 to 100% measuring the frequency of dissociative experiences), and the total score ranges from 0 to 100. There is a cutoff of 45 as a mean score to suggest a dissociative disorder. This questionnaire is not a diagnostic instrument; it is designed only for screening, but it can suggest that a specific clinical assessment is needed.
Time frame: Before the procedure
Anxiety state
Anxiety will be assessed with a numerical rating scale.
Time frame: Before the procedure and during the procedure
Absorption state
Absorption will be assessed with a numerical rating scale.
Time frame: During the procedure
Dissociation state
Dissociation will be assessed with a numerical rating scale.
Time frame: During the procedure
Alertness
Alertness will be assessed with a numerical rating scale.
Time frame: During the procedure
Time perception
We will ask the participants how long they thought the intervention lasted.
Time frame: During the procedure
Near Death Experience
The near death experience will be assessed with the The Near-Death Experience Content (NDE-C) Scale.
Time frame: During the procedure
This study is status unknown, as verified in Dec 2023. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.