The Consciousness and Cognition Laboratory Studies of Hypnosis and Posthypnotic Suggestion

Record summary

Stanford research led by David Spiegel and colleagues investigated hypnotic susceptibility, focused attention, dissociation, pain, and posthypnotic suggestion using behavioral and neuroimaging methods. These experiments are useful for comparison with psi and exceptional-experience reports because they show how vivid changes in agency, perception, and conviction can arise under socially mediated instructions. They do not establish paranormal influence. The lead should be tied to a specific Stanford publication, since different studies address hypnotizability, clinical outcomes, and neural correlates with distinct designs.