Effects of weight-related literal and metaphorical suggestions about the forearms during hypnosis

International audience; Abstract: During hypnosis, the authors tested repeated weight-related,literal and metaphorical suggestions about the heaviness ofthe subjects’ arms. The purpose was to determine if linguisticallyvaried hypnotic suggestions produced significantly different motorreactions—involuntary pressure forces of the forearms—as assessedby a linguistic biomechanical system. Classic, literal (L) suggestionssuch as “your right arm is heavy” were used, as well as metaphorical(M) suggestions, such as “your right arm is made of lead.” Aspecific effect on the progressive increase of pressure forces only inthe temporal sequence L-M for each forearm (literal suggestions followedby metaphorical suggestions) was found. This effect, termedcrescendo image metaphor effect, conceptualized within context-limitedsimulation theory, explains the findings.