Experimental pain in hypnosis research Ischemic vs transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

The purpose of this study was to compare two types of experimental pain typically used in hypnosis research: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) and ischemia on the basis of how closely each approximates clinical pain. Approximation reports were obtained using a semantic differential measure (Osgood, Suci, & Taunenbaum, 1950) in both awake and hypnosis conditions. This study also tested whether high hypnotizables differ in their ability to manage pain induced by TENS as compared to ischemic pain. The final sample was comprised of 50 participants in both pain conditions. Hypnotizability was assessed by the Stanford Hypnotic Clinical Scale (Morgan & Hilgard, 1975). Analyses showed that in the awake state TENS pain failed to closely approximate clinical pain versus ischemic pain. However, in the hypnotic state TENS pain was shown to more closely approximate clinical pain in contrast to ischemic pain. Analyses also revealed that high hypnotizables differ significantly in their ability to manage pain induced by TENS in contrast to ischemic pain. However, consistent with the literature, hypnosis was shown to significantly reduce pain perception versus the same level of painful stimulation in awake conditions