Hypnosis is a hotly debated state of awareness in that as the question indicates state theorists hold that it involves an altered state of awareness while other non-state theorists claim it is simply an act of social compliance where the hypnotised simply act out a role. Nevertheless as we shall see research has led to an understanding of various aspects of the phenomenon of hypnosis but it has failed to resolve this debate.
Research using the Cold Pressor Test (CPT) involving participants submerging their forearm into iced water and trying to keep it there for as long as they possible can has been used to try to resolve whether hypnosis is or is not an altered state of awareness. Initially, participants get the sensation of coldness; this is very quickly followed by a tingling sensation, which is quickly followed by pain that gets increasing stronger the longer the forearm stays in the water until it is so unbearable they have to withdraw it from the water. …
