A Hypnotic Suggestion Can Generate True and Automatic Hallucinations

A Hypnotic Suggestion Can Generate True and Automatic Hallucinations
www.sciencedaily.com...

Aug. 13, 2013 — A multidisciplinary group of researchers from Finland (University of Turku and University of Helsinki) and Sweden (University of Skövde) has now found evidence that hypnotic suggestion can modify processing of a targeted stimulus before it reaches consciousness. The experiments show that it is possible to hypnotically modulate even highly automatic features of perception, such as color experience. The results are presented in two articles published in PLoS ONE and International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.

It's interesting to think that our very visual experience can be under the influence of hypnotism. The very ability for the brain to attach colors to shapes is amazing enough, goes to support my theory of synesthesia being the basis for cognition.

This enhanced oscillatory brain activity is proposed to reflect automatic comparison of input to memory representations. In this case the hypnotic suggestion "all squares are red" led to a memory trace that was automatically activated when a square was presented. Furthermore, for the participant TS-H the effect was strong enough to override the real color of the square. The matching must have occurred preconsciously because of the early timing of the effect and the immediacy of the color change. Also, both participants reported having performed under posthypnotic amnesia without conscious memory of the suggestions.

Another relating article:

Learning and Memory May Play a Central Role in Synesthesia: Link to Childhood Toys Containing Magnetic Colored Letters
www.sciencedaily.com...

According to the researchers, these are the first and only data to show learned synesthesia of this kind in more than a single individual.
They point out that this does not mean that exposure to the colored letter magnets was sufficient to induce synesthesia in the participants, though it may have increased the chances. After all, many people who do not have synesthesia played with the same colored letter magnets as kids.
Based on their findings, Witthoft and Winawer conclude that a complete explanation of synesthesia must incorporate a central role for learning and memory.

and... one more
Limits On Brain's Ability to Perceive Multifeatured Objects
www.sciencedaily.com...

Participants' responses to unique color-shape associations were significantly faster and more accurate than were their responses to displays with mixed color-shape associations.
The results show that relevant color and shape dimensions could be synchronized when the pairings between color and shape were unique, but not when the pairings were mixed.

These findings demonstrate a new behavioral principle that governs object representation. When shapes are repeated in several locations and have mixed color-shape associations, they are hard to perceive.

This research expands on Anne Treisman's groundbreaking research on feature integration in visual perception, which shows that humans can encode characteristics such as color, form, and orientation, even in the absence of spatial attention.

Then... to further take it a bit further:

Bach to the Blues, Our Emotions Match Music to Colors
www.sciencedaily.com...

Participants consistently picked bright, vivid, warm colors to go with upbeat music and dark, dull, cool colors to match the more tearful or somber pieces. Separately, they rated each piece of music on a scale of happy to sad, strong to weak, lively to dreary and angry to calm.
Two subsequent experiments studying music-to-face and face-to-color associations supported the researchers' hypothesis that "common emotions are responsible for music-to-color associations," said Karen Schloss, a postdoctoral researchers at UC Berkeley and co-author of the paper.

I've always wondered to what extent manipulating an individuals cognitive processes can be achieved through 'suggestion' or exposure to directed associations between color, emotion, shape, and auditory means. Is it possible, that using the knowledge of the relationships between color, emotion, hearing and so forth, to effectively create a new means of cognitive therapy? Has anybody heard of such initiatives?

Hey, what do ya know...

I answered my own question via google:

psychology.about.com...
Color Psychology
How Colors Impact Moods, Feelings, and Behaviors

Artists and interior designers have long understood how color can dramatically affect moods, feelings, and emotions. It is a powerful communication tool and can be used to signal action, influence mood, and cause physiological reactions. Certain colors have been associated with increased blood pressure, increased metabolism, and eyestrain.

en.wikipedia.org...
Chromotherapy

Chromotherapy, sometimes called color therapy, colorology or cromatherapy, is a complementary medicine method. Trained chromotherapists claim to be able to use light in the form of color to balance "energy" wherever a person's body be lacking, whether it be on physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental levels. The practice is pseudoscientific, since it does not employ the scientific method.

It's too bad that there hasn't been more research into this topic, other than direct practical concerns and not through scientific rigor. I can imagine approaches using this data to improve approaches to teaching, increasing memory recall, and environments that are more engaging.