title: Hypnotic susceptibility, mood state, and cardiovascular reactivity.
abstract: In this study we explored the relationship between hypnotic susceptibility measured with the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility (HGSHS) and cardiovascular parameters. After assessing their degree of hypnotic susceptibility, we induced 21 female students into happy mood states and into sad mood states. During the mood state induction we monitored blood pressure, heart rate, and cardiac vagal tone continuously. The study demonstrated a strong relationship between hypnotic susceptibility and both cardiac vagal tone and heart rate reactivity. Subjects with lower heart rate and greater vagal tone during baseline and greater heart rate increases during mood induction were more susceptible to hypnosis. Multiple regression analyses indicated that approximately 40% of the individual difference variance of hypnotic susceptibility was accounted for by baseline cardiac vagal tone and heart rate reactivity during mood state. The data demonstrate that autonomic tone, assessed by cardiac vagal tone and heart rate reactivity, are related to hypnotic susceptibility as measured by the HGSHS.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, School of Nursing, Baltimore 21201-1545.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Porges
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Carpenter
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Vincenz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D006990:Hypnosis; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory