HealthyMystHypNCT06017388
Mystical Experience in Hypnosis: a Neurophenomenological Study
A study testing Hypnosis in people with Healthy, run by University of Liege at 1 site in Belgium.
Trial summary
Mystical experience is described as an experience that is unique to everyone, potentially transformative and leaving a mark for many years or even a lifetime. It is characterized by: a loss of self/ego, being with the whole/nature/universe, transcendence, a loss of spatio-temporal reference points, ineffability, peace… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 60 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Healthy
- What is being tested?
- Hypnosis
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 50 participants
- Where
- 1 siteBelgium
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2023to 31 Jan 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- at least 18 years old
- good comprehension of French
Who cannot join
- Psychiatric history
- History of neurological disorder
- Psychoactive medication
- Addiction
- Alcoholism
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
Belgium1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
University of Liege
Liège, 4000
Aminata Bicego, PhD
About this study
Official title: A Neurophenomenological Study of Hypnosis
Mystical experience is described as an experience that is unique to everyone, potentially transformative and leaving a mark for many years or even a lifetime. It is characterized by: a loss of self/ego, being with the whole/nature/universe, transcendence, a loss of spatio-temporal reference points, ineffability, peace and joy, a sacred character, and a noetic quality. The mystical experience is one that occurs in the context of non-ordinary states of consciousness such as meditation and the consumption of so-called psychedelic drugs, for example. It would seem, in fact, to correspond to the transformative mechanism of the psychedelic experience. The goal ofthis study is to investigate the possibility of a mystical experience through hypnosis.
Read the detailed description
Anyone interested in taking part in the study will be contacted by telephone or e-mail and offered a face-to-face appointment to carry out the screening (T0). During the appointment, screening (cf. inclusion criteria) will be carried out, socio-demographic data (age, sex, education, nationality, history of hypnosis practice, etc.) and randomization will also take place at this time. At this time, the investigators will assess psychological flexibility and psychologigal well-being, and participants will do a cognitive flexibility task (T1). If people meet the inclusion criteria, the investigators will schedule an appointment for a session to take place roughly a week later.
During this session, the investigators will start by reviewing beliefs about hypnosis, assessing participants' expectations of the study, their absorption and dissociation trait, their positive and negative affects and their anxiety. Next, the investigators will perform a 15-minute resting electroencephalographic (EEG) recording. We will then administer the Elkins Hypnotizability Scale. A 30-minute break will be taken. Next, the investigators willperform a hypnotic induction followed by a mystical experience suggestion for the experimental group. The control group will simply receive a reading of the mystical experience suggestion without hypnosis. The rest of the procedure is the same for both groups. EEG activity will be recorded during the mystical experience suggestion (± 15 minutes) in hypnosis and outside hypnosis (ordinary state of consciousness). Directly afterwards, participants will be asked to orally explain their subjective experience during the suggestion of mystical experience. Then the investigators will assess the positive and negative affect in addition to these outcomes: the mystical experience, the ego dissolution, the psychological flexibility, the cognitive flexibility, the altered state of consciousness, the near-death experience, alterness, absorption state, dissociation state, time perception (T2).
Three months after receiving the experimental session, participants will be seen again for a follow-up session (T3). During this session, we will ask: "Since the experimental session, have you observed any changes in your behaviors, emotions and beliefs? If so, can you tell us about them?". The investigators will assess the positive and negative affects and psychological well-being.
- Conditions
- Healthy
- Being tested
- Hypnosis, Control
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
HypnosisBehavioural
We will propose a hypnotic induction followed by a suggestion of mystical experience (based on Lynn \& Evans, 2017).
ControlBehavioural
We will propose the neutral reading of a mystical expetience suggestion (based on Lynn \& Evans, 2017).
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Active comparator | The control group will simply receive a reading of the mystical experience suggestion without hypnosis. Receives: Behavioral: Control |
| Experiemental | Experimental | The experiemental group will receive a suggestion of the mystical experience in hypnosis. Receives: Behavioral: Hypnosis |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Mystical experience
The 30-item revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire will assess the occurrence and intensity of mystical-type experiences. It is comprised of four factors: mysticality, positivity of mood, transcendence of time and space, and ineffability. A mystical experience is defined as having a score equal or above 60% on all factors.
Measured: During the procedure
Hypnotizability
The susceptibility one has concerning hypnosis. Will be assessed with the Elkins Hypnotizability Scale. A score :
0-3 : low hypnotizability 4-7: medium hypnotizability 8-11 : high hypnotizability 12 : very high hypnotizability.
Measured: During the procedure
Secondary outcomes (7)
Ego Dissolution
The Ego Dissolution Inventory will assess the occurrence of ego dissolution.
Measured: During the procedure
Alteration of consciousness
The Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory will allow to empirically quantify the subjective experience in terms of pattern and intensity parameters. It is composed of 53 items consisting of 12 major dimensions (e.g., positive affect), and 14 minor dimensions (e.g., absorption) (annex). Graphs will be constructed to represent the intensity and pattern of relationships between pairs of dimensions.
Measured: During the procedure
Psychological flexibility
Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory.
Measured: Before the procedure and direclty after the procedure
Cognitive flexibility
Cognitive flexility will be assessed with the Test of Attentional Performance which is an informatized cognitive task.
Measured: Before the procedure and direclty after the procedure
Psychological well-being
Psychological well-being will be assessed with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale
Measured: Before the intervention and after 3 months
Modification of mood, cognition, emotion and behavior
We will ask an open-ended question "Since the experimental session, have you observed any changes in your behaviors, emotions and beliefs? If so, can you tell us about them?".
Measured: After 3 months
Phenomenal experience
Phenomenal experience will be assessed by the recording of the narrative experience.
Measured: During the procedure
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted30 Aug 2023
- Study start1 Sep 2023
- Primary completion30 Sep 2024 (estimated)
- Study completion31 Jan 2025 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for HealthyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Liege
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Bicego Aminata, University of Liege
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06017388
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2022-213
- Acronym
- MystHyp
- Status last verified
- Dec 2023
- First submitted
- 2 Aug 2023
- Last updated
- 6 Dec 2023
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 6 Dec 2023. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Neurophenomenological Study of Hypnosis
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06017388
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- MystHyp / 2022-213
- Conditions
- Healthy
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Unknown status
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- University of LiegeUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Sep 2024 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 31 Jan 2025 (estimated)
- First posted
- 30 Aug 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Mystical experience is described as an experience that is unique to everyone, potentially transformative and leaving a mark for many years or even a lifetime. It is characterized by: a loss of self/ego, being with the whole/nature/universe, transcendence, a loss of spatio-temporal reference points, ineffability, peace and joy, a sacred character, and a noetic quality. The mystical experience is one that occurs in the context of non-ordinary states of consciousness such as meditation and the consumption of so-called psychedelic drugs, for example. It would seem, in fact, to correspond to the transformative mechanism of the psychedelic experience. The goal ofthis study is to investigate the possibility of a mystical experience through hypnosis.
Detailed description
Anyone interested in taking part in the study will be contacted by telephone or e-mail and offered a face-to-face appointment to carry out the screening (T0). During the appointment, screening (cf. inclusion criteria) will be carried out, socio-demographic data (age, sex, education, nationality, history of hypnosis practice, etc.) and randomization will also take place at this time. At this time, the investigators will assess psychological flexibility and psychologigal well-being, and participants will do a cognitive flexibility task (T1). If people meet the inclusion criteria, the investigators will schedule an appointment for a session to take place roughly a week later.
During this session, the investigators will start by reviewing beliefs about hypnosis, assessing participants' expectations of the study, their absorption and dissociation trait, their positive and negative affects and their anxiety. Next, the investigators will perform a 15-minute resting electroencephalographic (EEG) recording. We will then administer the Elkins Hypnotizability Scale. A 30-minute break will be taken. Next, the investigators willperform a hypnotic induction followed by a mystical experience suggestion for the experimental group. The control group will simply receive a reading of the mystical experience suggestion without hypnosis. The rest of the procedure is the same for both groups. EEG activity will be recorded during the mystical experience suggestion (± 15 minutes) in hypnosis and outside hypnosis (ordinary state of consciousness). Directly afterwards, participants will be asked to orally explain their subjective experience during the suggestion of mystical experience. Then the investigators will assess the positive and negative affect in addition to these outcomes: the mystical experience, the ego dissolution, the psychological flexibility, the cognitive flexibility, the altered state of consciousness, the near-death experience, alterness, absorption state, dissociation state, time perception (T2).
Three months after receiving the experimental session, participants will be seen again for a follow-up session (T3). During this session, we will ask: "Since the experimental session, have you observed any changes in your behaviors, emotions and beliefs? If so, can you tell us about them?". The investigators will assess the positive and negative affects and psychological well-being.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Active comparator | Behavioral: ControlThe control group will simply receive a reading of the mystical experience suggestion without hypnosis. |
| Experiemental | Experimental | Behavioral: HypnosisThe experiemental group will receive a suggestion of the mystical experience in hypnosis. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 60 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- at least 18 years old
- good comprehension of French
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Psychiatric history
- History of neurological disorder
- Psychoactive medication
- Addiction
- Alcoholism
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| HypnosisWe will propose a hypnotic induction followed by a suggestion of mystical experience (based on Lynn \& Evans, 2017). | Behavioural | Experiemental |
| ControlWe will propose the neutral reading of a mystical expetience suggestion (based on Lynn \& Evans, 2017). | Behavioural | Control |
Primary outcome
Mystical experience
Time frame: During the procedure
The 30-item revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire will assess the occurrence and intensity of mystical-type experiences. It is comprised of four factors: mysticality, positivity of mood, transcendence of time and space, and ineffability. A mystical experience is defined as having a score equal or above 60% on all factors.
Hypnotizability
Time frame: During the procedure
The susceptibility one has concerning hypnosis. Will be assessed with the Elkins Hypnotizability Scale. A score : 0-3 : low hypnotizability 4-7: medium hypnotizability 8-11 : high hypnotizability 12 : very high hypnotizability.
7 secondary outcomes
Ego Dissolution
Time frame: During the procedure
Alteration of consciousness
Time frame: During the procedure
Psychological flexibility
Time frame: Before the procedure and direclty after the procedure
Cognitive flexibility
Time frame: Before the procedure and direclty after the procedure
Psychological well-being
Time frame: Before the intervention and after 3 months
Modification of mood, cognition, emotion and behavior
Time frame: After 3 months
Phenomenal experience
Time frame: During the procedure
Results and safety
Results are not available in the source record.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 6 Dec 2023.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Hypnosis in people with Healthy, run by University of Liege at 1 site in Belgium.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: status not confirmed, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Dec 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Belgium. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
Results are not available in the source record.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Aminata Bicego (+3243663499, abicego@uliege.be), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Mystical experience (time frame: During the procedure). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Dec 2023; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 30 Oct 2026.