An Evaluation of Woodard's Theory of Perceptually Oriented Hypnosis

Response to Lynn, et al.'s “Evaluation of Woodard's Theory of Perceptually Oriented Hypnosis”

In this article some misunderstandings of Perceptually Oriented Hypnosis presented in the recent evaluation by Lynn, et al. are pointed out. Perceptually Oriented Hypnosis emphasizes individual differences naturally occurring in the experience of everyday life or being-in-the-world and differentiation as major themes to understanding hypnosis. Woodard advocates that qualitative research enhances our understanding of hypnotic experiencing and allows us to examine hypnotic phenomena that elude the laboratory and control settings.

A preliminary phenomenological study of being hypnotized and hypnotizing

This paper presents phenomenological research conducted following Woodard's phenomenological and perceptual research methodology for understanding hypnotic experiencing. The research emphasizes examining the internal experiencings of individuals involved in hypnotic experiencing. Examples are presented of Individual Situated Structures and the General Structures from both a group of 8 participants who hypnotized their clients and another group of 17 individuals who volunteered to be hypnotized. The explicated themes identified in hypnotic experiencing (the hypnotic relationship, phenomenology of trance, use of imagination, problem with psychic energy, a gestalt of experiencing, and linear-nonlinear experiencing) are discussed. The author discusses limitations of this study and suggestions for further work.