In view of the uniformly consistent results obtained in this experimental work, the reader might reach the conclusion thai a reliable test for the detection of imulation has been devised. It must be emphasized that this experiment was not designed or devised to be considered as meeting in any way the criteria for a test for the existence of a state of hypnos 1
Whereas the experimenter believes, and the results confirm, that hypnotic subjects behave in a basically different manner from waking subjects, false and misleading results could ensue if the procedure here described were used as a definitive test for the detection of simulation. Sophisticated subjects would cer- tainly find no insuperable difficulty in imitating a hypnotic response, once they were aware of the nature of that response. Trie purpose of this work has not been to construct a test for simulation but to investigate the apprehension of reality in the states of consciousness known as the "hypnotic state" and the
v. iking state.
The original experiment was intended to determine if external reality was apprehended differently in the somnambulistic hypnotic state than it was in the ordinary state of conscious awareness. It was based upon a procedure in which a definite task could be assigned to the subjects in either the waking or the somnambulistic state, with the nature of the assignment placing all responsibility for performance upon the subjects themselves. It was believed that the experi- mental task performance had to be one in which any wishes, hopes, expectations, or desires on the part of the experimenters would have no influence upon the subjects' responses. The experiment was devised so that the subjects' perfor- mances would have to be in their terms of evaluation of reality values as they themselves perceived the realities without even being made aware of that fact The somnambulistic hypnotic subjects were to be tested by random selection, half in the waking state first, half in the somnambulistic state first.
As first planned, 300 subjects were to be used, of whom a third would be chosen because of a known capacity to develop somnambulistic hypnotic states. A fortunate series of events led to an increase ot the number ot subjects from 300 to over 2,000 and the number of somnambulistic hypnotic subjects to over 750. This ot course led to ati extension of the length of time required to complete
82 Nature of Hypnosis & Suggestion
the experiment. This in lum led to the opportunity to enlist the aid of vdnuu-.lv sophisticated assistant experimenters. These were used as controls upon each other and upon the author himself as well as upon the separate identifications of environmental realities for subjects in both the ordinary state of Lonsuous awareness and the state of hypnotic somnambuli m
Also, the extended period of lime permitted retests of many subjects, espe- Ltally those first used only as w ikin^, stale subjects Additional IhL L\k.ndid period of time permitted control ttsts on subject s much as three )Ldrs idtLi and retests by different assistants to determine the reliability of the first timi results
Clinical work and the teaching of hypnosis to professionally trained audiences gave additional opportunities for unexpected spontaneous manifestations of be- havior fully comparable to that elicited under the planned experimental condi- tions as well as the intentional utilization of a teaching situation to effect meaningful behavior comparable or actually equivalent to the experimental re- sults obtained in the experiment itself.
The reporting of the experimental findings was delayed for an extended period of time because of the continued accumulation of comparable instances of be- havior in other siluations, and it was hoped to discover some understandable definition of that behavior.
As a final statement, after extensive experimental work aided by independent work of others employing the author's procedures, and the findings achieved over the years in teaching and clinical situations, this author feels that a som- nambulistic hypnotic subject spontaneously apprehends the surrounding envi- ronment of realities differently than does a subject in the ordinary state of waking consciousness, and that the one type of reality apprehension does not preclude the other type of reality apprehension.
3. A Special Inquiry with Aldous Huxley
into the Nature and Character of
Various States of Consciousness
Milton H. Erickson
INTRODUCTION
Over a period of nearly a year much time was spent by Aldous Huxley and the author, each planning separately for a joint inquiry into various states of psychological awareness. Special inquiries, possible methods of experimental approach, and investigations and various questions lo be propounded were listed by each of us in our respective loose-leaf notebooks. The purpose was to prepare a general background for the proposed joint study, with this general background reflecting the (hinking of both of us uninfluenced by another. It was hoped in this way to secure the widest possible coverage of ideas by such separate outlines prepared from the markedly different backgrounds of understanding that the two of us possessed.
Early in 1950 we met in Huxley's home in Los Angeles, there to spend an inttnsive day appraising the ideas recorded in our separate notebooks and to engage in any experimental inquiries that seemed feasible. 1 was particularly inii rested in Huxley "s approach to psychological problems, his method of think- ing, and his own unique use of his unconscious mind, which we had discussed only briefly sometime previously. Huxley was particularly interested in hyp- nosi and previous exceedingly brief work wiih him had demonstrated his ex- cellent competence as a deep somnambulistic subject.
It was realized that this meeting would be a preliminary or pilot study, and this was discussed by both of us. Hence we planned to make it as comprehensive and inclusive as possible wilhout undue emphasis upon completion of any one particular ilem. Once the day's work had been evaluated, plans could then be made for future meetings and specific studies. Additionally we each had our individual purposes—Aldous having in mind future literary work, while my interest related to future psychological experimentation in the field of hypnosis. '« Journal Journal of Clinical Hypnosis,
84 The da\ v.01 P.M. with some t their general agre abbreviated notat and to correct an
Nature of Hypnosis & Suggestion 6:00 isiderable review of our notebooks the next day to establish lent, to remove any lack of clarity of meaning caused by the i we had entered into them during the previous day's work, wer ights. On the whole we found that our notebooks were reasonably in agreement, but that naturally certain of our entries were reflective of our special interests and of the fact that each of us had, by the nature of the situation, made separate notations bearing upon each other.
Our plan was to leave these notebooks with Huxley, since his phenomenal memory, often appearing to be total recall, and his superior literary ability would permit a more satisfactory writing of a joint article ba.sed upon our discussions and experimentations of that day's work. However, I did abstract from my notebook certain pages bearing notations upon Huxley's behavior at times when he, as an experimental subject, was unable to make comprehensive notations on himself, although postexperimenially he could and did do so, though less com- pletely than I had. ft was proposed that from these certain special pages I was to endeavor to develop an article which could be incorporated later in the longer study that Huxley was to write. Accordingly I abstracted a certain number of pages, intending to secure still more at a later date. These pages that I did remove Huxley rapidly copied into his own notebook to be sure of the com- pleteness of his data.
Unfortunately a California bmshfire later destroyed Huxley's home, his ex- tensive library containing many rare volumes and manuscripts, besides numerous other treasures to say nothing of the manuscripts upon which Huxley was cur- rently working as well as the respective notebooks of our special joint study. As a result the entire subject matter of our project was dropped as a topic too painful to discuss, but Huxley's recent death led to my perusal of these relatively few pages I had abstracted from my notebook. Examination of them suggested the possibility of presenting to the reader a small but informative part of that day's work. In this regard the reader must bear in mind that the quotations attributed to Huxley are not necessarily verbatim, since his more extensive utterances were noted in abbreviated form. However, in the essence of their meaning they are correct, and they are expressive of Huxley as 1 knew him. It is also to be home in mind that Huxley had read my notations on the oca of our joint study and had approved them.