If so, what exactly does it do? Is there an impediment to hypnotism on an autistic child?
In my opinion it is not real (in the sense that it is commonly portrayed).
This is a muddy topic, due to loose definitions.
Best I can tell: hypnotism, of some sort, is real. It’s essentially an altered mental state your body goes through naturally as part of a natural sleep / wake cycle. Hypnotism keeps people in that state rather than moving on to waking up or falling asleep.
You can’t use it to trick people or control people, but there is some evidence that “post-hypnotic suggestion” can help with some behavior modifications. It’s also something some people simply find pleasant or relaxing.
It’s not hokum, but a lot of the common presentation of it is.
Scientific American had a nice treatment in 2001 (sub req):
I see they had a somewhat more skeptical take in 2008 (free):
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=is-hypnosis-a-distinct-form&print=true
Here’s what I recall from psychology classes circa 15 years ago. No cites - I’m not presenting this as fact, just my impression of the consensus back then.
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There’s no evidence hypnotism is a special state in a physiological sense.
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It’s not well studied experimentally.
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Like many techniques used in therapy, it’s generally regarded as useful but unscientific.
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It doesn’t enhance memory. To the extent that it helps people remember things, it works by lowering their standards and recalling details that in other circumstances your brain would have rejected as unreliable.
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That said, consensus was that it’s not total hokum; it is something, we’re just not quite sure what.
The hypnotic “state” is less special than is usually assumed. You’re not in any way under the control of the hypnotist. It’s more like a state of intense concentration. Ever play a 3d video game, like a racing game, and find yourself trying to lean around the corners? It’s like that: you’re still conscious and aware of what’s going on, you’ve just lowered your inhibitions a bit. You know that leaning won’t help but you do it anyway. There is no magic spell, you can snap out of it at any time, but you allow it to happen because you want it to.
This was mainly in reference to a clinical setting. Stage hypnosis has very little to do with hypnosis (perhaps nothing at all), and everything to do with peer pressure, exhibitionism and excitement.
I’ll answer the latter: Yes. All hypnotism models I’ve seen assume a neurotypical mind. Furthermore, they are very involved with language, something autistic individuals often have problems processing.
But, as mentioned, there’s very little scientific research on the subject, although, unlike other people here. I’m convinced by the explanations of the participants that it is pretty close to the way hypnotists describe it.
I am waiting for someone to snap their fingers… !!
And when I snap my fingers, you will awaken and go straight to your bank, withdraw all of your money and send it to me. 1…2…3… <SNAP>! 