Recent advances in applied clinical psychology offer growing insights into understanding and treating patients more effectively. By evaluating a person’s suggestibility during intake, clinicians can gain valuable insights into symptoms and how best to approach treatment. Suggestibility—how open someone is to external suggestions—can offer crucial clues about their mental state.
What is suggestibility? [Definition]
Suggestibility is the tendency to accept and act on suggestions from others. In some cases, this can involve the insertion of false memories. For example, when someone repeatedly hears a particular version of a past event, they may begin to recall that event in line with the repeated narrative, even if it’s inaccurate. This concept is central to techniques like gaslighting, where memory and perception are manipulated.
History of suggestibility in psychology
Suggestive communication techniques have been used by psychologists, hypnotherapists, and doctors for centuries to aid in healing. However, the formal concept of suggestibility—later linked to the placebo effect—gained traction only about 150 years ago. French hypnotherapist Émile Coué popularized autosuggestion, encouraging patients to repeat affirmations like “every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better.” Through this repetition, he believed the subconscious could be reprogrammed, leading to healing, often through the placebo effect.
Today, the placebo effect is widely studied and applied in clinical settings, particularly in double-blind studies. Even in therapeutic conversations, suggestibility plays a role in reshaping self-limiting beliefs.
Suggestibility and mass psychology
While suggestibility is often used for positive outcomes, it’s also exploited in less benevolent ways. Marketing, media, and political institutions frequently harness suggestibility to influence public behavior. A famous example comes from 1957 when Coca-Cola researchers flashed subliminal messages during a movie, encouraging viewers to buy the drink without consciously noticing the ads.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, media and political figures frequently used suggestibility to guide public reactions. By repeating certain messages through experts and scientists, they created a consensus that shaped the behavior of the general population, sometimes leading to a psychological effect similar to gaslighting.
Types of suggestions: direct and indirect
Suggestions can be classified into two broad types:
Direct suggestions are straightforward, implying a clear course of action. For instance, “before buying that house, you should check with the neighbors about the neighborhood.”
Indirect suggestions are more subtle, giving the impression that the individual is making their own decision, but subtly guiding them. A hypnotherapist might say, “and if you find it easier to slow your breath, you may start to feel more relaxed…”
Within these categories, we can identify three main areas of suggestibility:
- Placebo effect: Using an inert treatment or substance that, through belief, leads to real healing effects.
- Hypnotic suggestibility: In a hypnotic state, individuals feel they are in control but are more likely to follow external suggestions.
- Suggestive questioning: A subtle form of persuasion that can influence how someone responds, often leading them to accept an altered version of reality.
Brainwaves and suggestibility
Brainwave activity plays a key role in how receptive we are to suggestions. When we are fully alert, our brain produces beta waves. In deep sleep, delta waves dominate, while theta waves occur during dream states or deeply relaxed moments. Alpha waves appear when we’re relaxed but awake, such as when daydreaming or letting our mind wander.
The theta state is when we’re most suggestible, highly receptive to external influences and impressions. This is why hypnotherapists aim to guide individuals into a theta state, enabling them to address deep-seated beliefs in the subconscious mind.
Achieving a theta state requires turning off external stimuli and focusing inward, much like in meditation. By closing your eyes and slowing your breathing, you create an ideal environment for suggestibility to take hold. When the brain is in this state, it’s easier to “imprint” new beliefs or behaviors.
While this level of suggestibility can be beneficial, it can also be exploited. For instance, late-night commercials or talk shows—when many viewers are drifting between wakefulness and sleep—use suggestibility to influence decisions and plant ideas.
Hypnosis and hypnotic sensitivity
Hypnosis doesn’t create suggestibility, but it does enhance it. In fact, many individuals show more sensitivity to suggestions outside of a hypnotic state. For example, if a coworker says, “you look pale, are you getting sick?” the power of suggestion might make you start feeling unwell, even if you were fine before.
This power of suggestion can work positively or negatively. A positive suggestion can lead to healing (the placebo effect), while a negative one might induce harm (the nocebo effect). In either case, belief plays a crucial role in determining the outcome.
Abstraction in hypnosis
Hypnotherapists often use abstract language to increase suggestibility. The famous hypnotist Milton Erickson was known for guiding patients into hypnosis with subtle language patterns. His techniques later inspired the founders of neurolinguistic programming (NLP), who modeled Erickson’s methods for wider use.
In a hypnotic setting, the therapist uses indirect suggestions, such as “…and as you relax more deeply…” to help the patient feel at ease while encouraging them to follow the suggestion without overt direction.
Metaphors and descending into the subconscious
Metaphors are often used to access the subconscious mind during hypnosis. A common metaphor is the “staircase to the subconscious,” where the patient is guided step by step into deeper relaxation. This helps bypass the rational mind and allows access to the subconscious, where deeply held beliefs reside.
Repetition in hypnosis
Repetition is a powerful tool in hypnosis. The more often a suggestion is repeated, the more likely the individual is to accept it as true and integrate it into their belief system. Over time, repeated suggestions can profoundly influence behavior and thought patterns.
The brainwashed experiment
A chilling example of how suggestibility can be used negatively comes from the “Brainwashed” experiment, supervised by Dr. Cynthia Meyersburg of Harvard and Dr. Mark Stokes of Oxford. Hypnotherapist Tom Silver tested how deeply subjects could be hypnotized and how much influence could be exerted. One participant, “Ivan,” was brainwashed to believe he had been instructed to carry out an assassination attempt. Under hypnosis, Ivan was told to shoot a foreign dignitary, and he followed through with the plan using a fake gun, believing the event to be real.
This experiment demonstrated how suggestibility can be manipulated for harmful purposes, a tactic used in intelligence operations like MK Ultra.
Examples of suggestibility
Suggestibility appears in everyday life and specialized contexts like advertising and therapy. Here are some common examples:
Sales techniques: Salespeople use suggestive language to influence buyers. For instance, “This car seems like it was made for you” can nudge a customer toward making a purchase.
Hypnosis: In a hypnotic state, someone might be told their arm is growing lighter and actually experience the sensation.
Memory alteration: Suggestive questioning can lead to false memories, especially during interrogations or repeated questioning.
Mood contagion: If a coworker arrives looking upset, it can influence the mood of the entire office.
Advertising: Commercials often suggest that a product will improve your life, such as implying that using a certain kitchen appliance will make you a better cook.
Peer pressure: Teenagers might feel pressured to engage in risky behaviors because of suggestive comments from friends.
Placebo effect: In medical studies, patients may experience real relief from a placebo, purely because they believe it’s an active treatment.
Social compliance: In authority-driven situations, people might comply with instructions even if they feel uncomfortable, as shown in Stanley Milgram’s obedience experiments.
