Exploring the Schizophrenic Experience with the Use of Hypnosis

Abstract

A brief summary of theories concerning the schizophrenic syndrome is presented within an historical perspective. The psychological theories of environmental/parental influences as well as physiological theories of genetic and biochemical influences are discussed. An interactional theory of both parental and genetic factors is then proposed as most useful for present exploration. An empathic view of the schizophrenic experience as perceived by the therapist utilizing the hypnotic trance is presented as a composite picture of schizophrenia. With this composite picture as a background, the author attempts to view and explore a possible interaction theory of the etiology of schizophrenia. A “model” of an interaction theory describing possible deviant parental patterns and possible genetic differences in empathic ability is discussed. The theory is proposed that genetic variations in empathie capacity interacting with a deviant environment contribute to the etiology of schizophrenia.