Hypnosis &amp; Consciousness - An Examination of the Relationship Between Hypnosis and the Concept of Consciousness

The focus of this essay lies on analysing the relationship of hypnosis and consciousness. It is my claim that modernly held theories of hypnosis do not manage to fully account for all facets of this seeming psychological anomaly because they may be based on a faulty notion of consciousness. I will attempt to show what this notion of consciousness is and how the phenomenon of hypnosis challenges this notion. I will then propose the use of a radically different notion of consciousness by Julian Jaynes and show what a more successful theory of hypnosis based on this notion of consciousness might look like. I will briefly lay out the origins of hypnosis and why this phenomenon seems to carry with it a less than favourable image. I will isolate recurring classes of hypnotic phenomena and discuss what makes these phenomena so seemingly inexplicable (chapter 2). I will then move on to a discussion of our commonly held notion of consciousness and how it relates to hypnosis (chapter 3). The...Show moreThe focus of this essay lies on analysing the relationship of hypnosis and consciousness. It is my claim that modernly held theories of hypnosis do not manage to fully account for all facets of this seeming psychological anomaly because they may be based on a faulty notion of consciousness. I will attempt to show what this notion of consciousness is and how the phenomenon of hypnosis challenges this notion. I will then propose the use of a radically different notion of consciousness by Julian Jaynes and show what a more successful theory of hypnosis based on this notion of consciousness might look like. I will briefly lay out the origins of hypnosis and why this phenomenon seems to carry with it a less than favourable image. I will isolate recurring classes of hypnotic phenomena and discuss what makes these phenomena so seemingly inexplicable (chapter 2). I will then move on to a discussion of our commonly held notion of consciousness and how it relates to hypnosis (chapter 3). The next step will be a discussion of different attempts at explaining hypnosis (chapter 4). Here I will point out the advantages as well as challenges of each of the theories presented, concluding that they all face difficulties based on their underlying notion of consciousness. Following this will be a discussion of Jaynes’s concept of consciousness, shedding light on the differences between his notion and the formerly discussed commonly held understanding of consciousness, as well as presenting potential criticisms of Jaynes’ idea (chapter 5). I will then present Jaynes’ theory of hypnosis, hoping to further flesh out, clarify and develop the different parts of his theory. This theory will then be shown to integrate the advantages of modern models of hypnosis while doing away with their formerly discussed challenges (chapter 6). Lastly, a brief conclusion with suggestions for further research is presented (chapter 7), followed by this essay’s bibliography (chapter 8).Show less

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Hypnosis & Consciousness - An Examination of the Relationship Between Hypnosis and the Concept of Consciousness