title: The altered state issue: dead or alive?
abstract: Theoretical positions on the altered-state issue are viewed on a continuum rather than a dichotomy. While differences between some pairs of positions have little or no substantive interest, others are important to understanding the nature of hypnotic phenomena. Recent brain imaging data from the University of Hull are reviewed with respect to their implications concerning the existence and functional significance of the hypothesized hypnotic state.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, United Kingdom. i.kirsch@hull.ac.uk
authors.forename: Irving
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kirsch
mesh_terms: D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003244:Consciousness Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D006990:Hypnosis; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011582:Psychological Theory; D013404:Suggestion; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology