Decoding hypnotic consciousness: neural and experiential insights into induced and ideomotor suggestions
bioRxiv Preprint Server May 11, 2025 Juliette Gelebart, Alexandre Fouré, Romain Quentin et al. preprint
Hypnosis actively reshapes brain networks and subjective experience, rather than simply inducing a passive, low-arousal state. Using EEG, respiratory monitoring, and first-person reports across resting, hypnotic induction, and ideomotor task conditions, the study found that light hypnosis involved early alpha suppression and increased theta activity in parieto-occipital regions. Deeper hypnosis increased frontoparietal theta connectivity while parasympathetic activation declined. During an ideomotor task, participants fell into two groups: Tremblers, who attempted movement despite feeling involuntary constraint, and Non-Tremblers, who refrained from acting due to perceived impossibility. Tremblers showed increased frontoparietal gamma and reduced delta connectivity, indicating heightened sensorimotor integration and executive monitoring under motor conflict. These findings support predictive coding accounts of agency disruption and highlight the value of neurophenomenological methods.