Hypnotizability and Schizotypy Values of Participants at Two Annual Conferences of the Milton Erickson Society for Clinical Hypnosis, Germany (MEG)

At two annual conferences of the MEG, a hypnotizability and a personality test were conducted at an interval of seven years. At the first conference there was a right-skewed distribution of hypnotizability with more high than low hypnotizable subjects and increased values in the personality style schizotypy in the high compared to the low hypnotizable subjects. At the second conference there was an approximately planar distribution of hypnotizability and there were no differences in the personality style schizotypy between the high, medium and low hypnotizable. It is discussed that external factors such as the COVID pandemic 2020-22 shortly before the second test probably did not play a role. Because the participants at these two annual meetings did not differ in their sociodemographic data, because it was the same test and the test conditions were largely similar, only guesses can be made to explain the differences between the two conferences: It is possible that the theoretical and practical understanding of hypnosis and hypnotherapy within the MEG has changed in recent years.