Hypnotic Susceptibility: Multidimensional Relationships With Cloninger’s Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire, COMT Polymorphisms, Absorption, and Attentional Characteristics

One hundred and seven healthy volunteers were administered Cloninger’s Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ), the Differential Attentional Processes Inventory (DAPI), the Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS), and the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C (SHSS:C). Polymorphisms of catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT), an enzyme involved in dopamine metabolism, were assessed. Highly hypnotizable subjects self-reported greater TPQ persistence, absorption, and focused attentional abilities. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses found that TPQ persistence, COMT, TAS, and the DAPI attentional scales explained 43.8% of the variance in women and 29% in men. Membership was correctly discriminated for the more extreme low (62.1%) and highly (81.5%) hypnotizable groups. These results suggest that highly hypnotizable persons have a more effective frontolimbic attentional system and further suggest the involvement of dopaminergic systems in hypnotizability.

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