12 July 2025

BM-Science researchers have published a new article, "Echoes of the Self: A Neurophenomenological Journey into the Shifting Realms of Selfhood in Neutral Hypnosis," as Chapter 3 in Hypnosis, Volume 184 of the International Review of Neurobiology (Elsevier). 

Neutral hypnosis offers a valuable state for researchers interested in the nature of consciousness. By minimizing external influences and suggestions, it allows for the investigation of the intrinsic qualities of hypnotic consciousness and its relationship to normal waking states. Studies have shown that neutral hypnosis can result in a significant shift in self-perception. Self-consciousness in neutral hypnosis is often characterized by distortions in the sense of self, fluctuations in self-awareness, and alterations in the experience of agency and body ownership. However, despite these clear effects, the field has largely overlooked the importance of these self-alterations, leading to a notable gap in the literature.

Researchers reviewed neuroscientific, phenomenological, and first-person experience data to examine how Selfhood might dissolve, reconfigure, and echo back in unexpected ways. 

Some key takeaways:

• The self isn't fixed—it’s a dynamic, multilayered construct shaped by brain's and phenomenological hierarchies.
• Hypnosis offers a unique state of consciousness that challenges traditional boundaries of self.
• It is important to trace alterations of self using a neurophenomenological approach that combines subjective reports with EEG.