Changes in State of Consciousness and Psi in Ganzfeld and Hypnosis Conditions

Abstract

In a previous experiment with participants high (Highs) and low (Lows) in hypnotizability,psi z scores had moderate to strong correlations with percipients’ belief of their success and theirprevious ostensible psi experiences, experiencing an Altered State of Consciousness and other alterationsof consciousness during a non-psi ganzfeld session, but only among the Highs. The currentpre-registered study had a larger N of only Highs, evaluated in hypnosis and hypnosis + ganzfeldprocedures. Participants (N = 35) served as “receivers” in two 20 min sessions of ganzfeld or hypnosisin counterbalanced order. Both sessions used hypnosis verbalizations, but only one of them hadsensory homogenization. The authors served as “sender” and “experimenter” in different buildings.As an index of experienced alterations of consciousness, participants filled out the Phenomenologyof Consciousness Inventory (PCI) at the beginning and end of the sessions, and gave a rating of0-100 to 4 film clips (one of them the target), from which psi z scores were derived. Overall, participantsdid not score better than chance and there was no difference between the conditions. However,for the ganzfeld sessions psi scores correlated moderately (r = .40, p = .02) with the PCI AlteredState shift scores (ganzfeld - baseline scores). Although the overall psi rate was not significant, wefound a relation between psi scoring and experiencing an Altered State in ganzfeld psi sessions. (Less)