1 http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2002/4/11/harvard-professor-demonstrates-hypnosis-is-real/ Harvard Professor Demonstrates Hypnosis Is Real Rapper Notorious B.I.G's claims of "hypnotizm" still unproven By Arielle J. Cohen, CRIMSON STAFF WRITER April 11, 2002 According to Lindsley Professor of Psychology Stephen M. Kosslyn and the research team at his Visual Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, hypnosis is no joke. The phrase “hypnosis is not a toy” came through the phone receiver loud and clear as Kosslyn, slightly offended, immediately rejected the idea of hypnotizing an FM reporter. To say that Kosslyn, who has published an award-winning paper finding hypnosis to be a distinct mental state, takes hypnosis seriously is an understatement. Despite his quick rejection of trial hypnosis, Kosslyn was happy to grant FM an interview. An abundance of work and an obviously hectic schedule are evident upon entering Kosslyn’s eighth -floor William James Hall office. Model brains are crammed in whatever space they can find on a desk piled so high with journals that Kosslyn himself is hidden from sight. But the bearded professor manages to pop through the cracks to discuss the science that has captured his attention for the greater part of the last decade. Kosslyn, who has specialized in mental imagery and the connection between vision and the brain at Harvard since 1977, teamed up with Stanford University’s David Spiegel, a major figure in hypnosis research, five years ago at a conference for mind-body interaction. Kosslyn had no previous association with the field, but with the help of a MacArthur Foundation grant, Spiegel and Kosslyn took on the challenge of proving hypnosis’ legitimacy. In addition to the fact that it’s been exploited as an gimmick (“My sense is that [hypnosis shows] trivialize what’s really interesting, and also leads many people to dismiss hypnosis as nothing but stage- show silliness,” Kosslyn says), hypnosis’ sketchy reputation stems from real academic d ispute. “Different perspectives led to a difficulty in even agreeing upon a definition for hypnosis,” says William L. Thompson, one of Kosslyn’s research assistants. Some scientists believe that a hypnotic state must be induced, while others contend that people can simply fall into a hypnotic state on their own. Most agree, however, that hypnosis is a mental state of relaxation that carries with it simultaneous focused attention and receptive openness to external suggestions.
