A multidimensional framework for classifying hypnotic responsiveness

doi:10.1080/00029157.2026.2650702

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A multidimensional framework for classifying hypnotic responsiveness

2026-04-03

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Winner, James

DOI：10.1080/00029157.2026.2650702

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Abstract

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Existing instruments for assessing hypnotizability remain impractical for routine clinical use and provide only unidimensional measures of hypnotic depth. This article presents a theoretically grounded, multidimensional classification framework that conceptualizes hypnotic responsiveness as the product of five latent trait domains: dissociative absorption and amnesia, ideomotor versus cataleptic reactivity, sensory-cognitive processing style, emotional-motivational valence, and attentional directionality. Drawing on 21 years of clinical observation across diverse populations, the framework proposes that these five domains interact to produce distinct responsiveness profiles, each associated with predictable patterns of induction efficacy and trance phenomenology. The theoretical underpinnings of each domain are situated within the established hypnosis literature, including neodissociation theory, Ericksonian utilization principles, and contemporary research on absorption and fantasy-proneness. A proposed experimental design for formal validation is presented, employing blinded administration, naturalistic induction protocols, and behavioral and psychophysiological outcome measures. Clinical implications for treatment individualization are discussed.

Keywords:

Ericksonian hypnosis

hypnotizability

multidimensional assessment

treatment matching