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Aphantasia and Hypnotism? (lemmy.zip)

submitted 2 days ago by Electrical_Depth@lemmy.zip to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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So I was wondering, is it possible to hypnotize a person who has Aphantasia. Now, before you get into a debate that a human cannot just make another human to run on commands. I'm no talking about this kind of hypnotism.

Where an expert in this field guide his/her patient/client to close their eyes and imagine a bunch of scenarios to calm their mind, I'm talking about this kind.

What will happen if a client turned out to have aphantasia?

Will the expert be successful in his/her method?

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[–] ickplant@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I’m a therapist and also trained in hypnotherapy. It is possible or but harder IMO. I just tell people to “pretend” instead of “visualize.”

“Pretend you are standing at the top of a staircase” is something most people can do even if they don’t get a visual. It’s “a felt sense.”

You can do this test: if you pretend or imagine to bite into a lemon, do you start to salivate a bit even if you can’t see it in your mind’s eye? If yes, you can be hypnotized. If no, doesn’t mean you can’t, but it means there will be extra work.

[–] Sludgeyy@lemmy.world 0 points 2 days ago (1 children)

As an aphant I cannot begin to imagine salivating by thinking of biting a lemon.

I believe some aphants can have smell and taste memories since it only has to do with a lack of visual imagine. Just like some cannot hear inner speech.

I cannot say it's impossible but I've never believed in hypnotizism.

[–] ickplant@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I think a lot of role misunderstand hypnosis. It’s just putting your brain in a relaxed state (theta waves) that you normally experience when you sleep and dream. If you experience that state when you are asleep, you can also experience it awake. It’s just a matter of finding the right relaxation technique.

One thing I didn’t mention in my comment is that for people who struggle to visualize, we just do a progressive muscle relaxation induction rather than a visualization. No need to imagine anything.