Biomedical subjects

Ronald J Pekala

Publications and source records attributed to Ronald J Pekala.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

"How deeply hypnotized did i get?" Predicting self-reported hypnotic depth from a phenomenological assessment instrument.

Procedures for estimating hypnotic depth have been used for more than 70 years. This study predicted self-reported hypnotic depth from the phenomenological and behavioral variables of the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory-Hypnotic Assessment Procedure (PCI-HAP). Participants were divided into 2 groups; 1 was used to generate regression equations, and the other group was used for cross-validation. Both imagery vividness during hypnosis (imagoic suggestibility) and the PCI pHGS measure of hypnotic depth (hypnoidal state) accounted for most of the variance in self-reported hypnotic depth. The above results, further supported by correlational and 3-D visual analyses, are consistent with other researchers' observations that ratings of hypnotic depth are a function of: (a) alterations in subjective experience, and (b) the perception of responsiveness to suggestions. The findings are also congruent with J. Holroyd's hypothesis that suggestibility and altered-state effects interact to produce hypnotic effects.

Consciousness Disorders↗

PubMed2005

Direct and indirect scales of hypnotic susceptibility: resistance to therapy and psychometric comparability.

Groups of participants were randomly assigned to receive either direct hypnotic procedure using the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility: Form A (HGSHS:A) or its indirect counterpart, the Alman-Wexler Indirect Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale (AWIHSS). Prior to hypnosis, participants completed the Inventory of Childhood Memories and Imaginings (a measure of fantasy proneness) and the Therapeutic Reactance Scale (TRS, a measure of resistance to therapeutic directives). The Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory was completed in reference to a 2-minute sitting-quietly period embedded in the hypnotic procedure. Although results generally suggest that the two scales are alternate measures of hypnotizability, some differences were observed: (a) item difficulty levels differed on 4 of the 12 items; (b) subjects reported greater altered awareness with the direct method; and (c) contrary to the results of previous research, the more resistant subjects showed a tendency toward higher hypnotizability scores with the HGSHS:A, while the less resistant subjects responded better with the AWIHSS.

Attitude↗

PubMed2004

Self-hypnosis relapse prevention training with chronic drug/alcohol users: effects on self-esteem, affect, and relapse.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a self-hypnosis protocol with chronic drug and alcohol patients in increasing self-esteem, improving affect, and preventing relapse against a control, a transtheoretical cognitive-behavioral (TCB), and a stress management (attention-placebo) group. Participants were 261 veterans admitted to Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Programs (SARRTPs). Participants were assessed pre- and postintervention, and at 7-week follow-up. Relapse rates did not significantly differ across the 4 groups at follow-up; 87% of those contacted reported abstinence. At follow-up, the participants in the 3 treatment conditions were asked how often they practiced the intervention materials provided them. Practicing and minimal-practicing participants were compared against the control group for each of the 3 interventions via MANOVAs/ANOVAs. Results revealed a significant Time by Groups interaction for the hypnosis intervention, with individuals who played the self-hypnosis audiotapes "at least 3 to 5 times a week" at 7-week follow-up reporting the highest levels of self-esteem and serenity, and the least anger/impulsivity, in comparison to the minimal-practice and control groups. No significant effects were found for the transtheoretical or stress management interventions. Regression analyses predicted almost two-thirds of the variance of who relapsed and who did not in the hypnosis intervention group. Hypnotic susceptibility predicted who practiced the self-hypnosis audiotapes. The results suggest that hypnosis can be a useful adjunct in helping chronic substance abuse individuals with their reported self-esteem, serenity, and anger/impulsivity.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Operationalizing trance II: clinical application using a psychophenomenological approach.

Although many clinicians use the word "trance" to describe the subjective effects associated with being hypnotized, heretofore there has been no means to operationalize that concept. In a prior paper (Pekala & Kumar, 2000) the authors operationalized the notion of trance by using a retrospective, self-report instrument, the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (PCI), to quantify the subjective experience of being hypnotized. Trance was operationalized in terms of: hypnotic depth via a pHGS (predicted Harvard Group Scale) score (derived from regression analysis using subdimensions of the PCI) that gives a quantitative measure of subjective trance depth; and trance typology profiles (derived from cluster and discriminant analyses of the PCI dimensions and subdimensions) that give a qualitative measure of empirically derived clusters of subjective trance experiences. These measures, when used in conjunction with data on the individual PCI dimensions and subdimensions, provide the clinician with specific information on phenomenological events experienced by the client during hypnosis which can be used in better adapting hypnotic suggestions to the client's phenomenological world. Two clinical cases are presented in which use of the above approach has been helpful in facilitating treatment planning.

Adolescent↗