Abstract

Experiments are reported in which highly hypnotizable Ss while imagining themselves, during hypnosis, to be cosmonauts with “jammed legs” in a space capsule did not feel an unannounced needle prick that pierced the skin. Control experiments with nonhypnotizable, professional actors showed that imagination alone was unsuccessful in producing this result. Additional experiments using autogenic training showed that the autogenic training alone, without analgesia training, did not alleviate the pain but may have reduced the anxiety connected with the pain; further training involving analgesia reduced the felt-pain as well. Theoretical discussion stresses the importance of attention, imagination, and orientation for experiencing analgesia as well as the added and decisive role played by the modifications of consciousness brought about in deep hypnosis.