RAPID EYE MOVEMENTS IN HYPNOTICALLY INDUCED DREAMS

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Abstract
Eleven hypnotic subjects and 5 non-hypnotized controls were studied under a variety of conditions to ascertain the relationship of hypnotic dreamingtoeyemovements, EEG[electroencephalogram] and dream recall. Eye movements were the principal focus of the study. Arousal by mental arithmetic was associated with greater ocular activity by most measures in both the hypnotic and control groups. In the hypnotic subjects, the range of eye movements was significantly increased during dreaming above that induced by arousal in either the waking or hypnotized state. In contrast, the range was not increased by control subjects who imagined dreaming. Thus, hypnotic dreaming had more effect on rapid eye movements than inmagined dreaming by control subjects. However, the most striking finding relevant to the issue of rapid eye movements in hypnotic dreaming is provided by the statistically significant correlation of range of eye movements and quality of the dream reported by the subjects. The inference from this finding is that the more the hypnotized subject''s dream experience has the quality of a sleep-dream, the greater the ocular activity present. The eeg showed an alpha pattern during both hypnosis and hypnotic dreaming. The loss of dream recall with time which is characteristic of sleep-dreams was not seen in the hypnosis-dreams recorded in these experiments.

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