Advancing Research and Practice:<i>The Revised APA Division 30 Definition of Hypnosis</i>

TLDR

This article describes the history, rationale, and guidelines for developing a new definition of hypnosis by the Society of Psychological Hypnosis, Division 30 of the American Psychological Association. The definition was developed to be concise, heuristic, and to allow for alternative theories of the mechanisms, to be determined in empirical scientific study. The definition of hypnosis is presented along with definitions of related terms such as hypnotic induction, hypnotizability, and hypnotherapy. The article presents the definitions and discusses their implications for advancing research and practice.

Abstract

This article describes the history, rationale, and guidelines for developing a new definition of hypnosis by the Society of Psychological Hypnosis, Division 30 of the American Psychological Association. The definition was developed with the aim of being concise, heuristic, and allowing for alternative theories of the mechanisms (to be determined in empirical scientific study). The definition of hypnosis is presented as well as definitions of the following related terms: hypnotic induction, hypnotizability, and hypnotherapy. The implications for advancing research and practice are discussed. The definitions are presented within the article.