QUICK AND CONVENIENT ASSESSMENT OF HYPNOTIC DEPTH - SELF-REPORT SCALES

Hypnosis is not an all-or-none state, but a discrete altered state of [human] consciousness sometimes subject to rapid variations in various intensity aspects (conventionally called the depth of hypnosis). Since the sucess or failure of a specific suggestion may often depend on whether a subject is beyond some minimum threshold depth for experiencing that suggestion, it is practical to have a quick and convenient way to assess depth. Various self-report scales of hypnotic depth are reviewed. Some of these scales not only show high correlations with measures of hypnotic susceptibility, but predict the level of success to specific hypnotic phenomena quite well. The best of these scales is recommended as the standard operating procedure in both experimental and applied work with hypnosis.