Abstract: This paper proposes a definition of hypnosis with integrated properties. First of all, the paper reviews more than 40 major views in the history of hypnosis, including the suggestion view of Braid, Bernheim, Hull and Tao Chengzhang, the sleep view of Liébeault, Jung and Pavlov, especially Pavlov’s materialistic interpretation of the mechanism of hypnosis and hypnotic phenomenon, the dissociation view of Engels, Janet and Hilgard, the imagination view of Jung, Sarbin and Coe, the state view of Mesmer, Charcot, Elman, Orne, the non-state view of Sarbin, Barber, Spanos, the cooperation view of Erickson, the love view of Freud, and so on. In addition to scholars’ views above, APA Division 30 has organized many rounds of discussions & conferences. The Hypnosis Definition Committee, established in 2014, defines this term as “A state of consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness characterized by an enhanced capacity for response to suggestion”. It is worth noting that hypnotic researchers and hypnotic institutions, either personally or officially, have different understandings of the definition of hypnosis at different times, and some even deny their early views. Secondly, the paper sums up the general features of hypnosis, such as activation, subjective mood, flexibility, embodiment and integration. Among them, activation is the physical and mental basis of hypnosis, subjective mood is the influencing factor of hypnosis, flexibility is the functional expression of hypnosis, embodiment is the natural attribute of hypnosis, and integration is the mainstream and trend of hypnosis. All these have been found in the scattered publications about hypnosis at different times, but they have not formed a system yet. Thirdly, the paper analyzes the mian hypnotic views and their features. It is found that hypnosis is naturally a kind of communication, and trance is both its essential attribute and an important sign to distinguish other views in a narrow sense, while the depth is closely related to activation with positive, effective and continuous characteristics, which are regarded as the results of this study. Finally, as hypnosis has a disgraceful origin and past, and some researchers and the public still have prejudices and the definition of hypnosis has never been unified, the paper, from the perspectives of critical inheritance, positive psychology, science and art, tries to give a new definition to hypnosis that it is a kind of deep communication characterized in trance. This conclusion is helpful to optimize the cognition of hypnosis, to highlight the positive hypnotic orientation, and to guide the operation of hypnotic techniques as well. The innovation of the definition lies in two aspects: one is to clearly put forward that hypnosis has a unique research value, which is of great significance to the construction of hypnosis system and the development of hypnosis discipline; the other is to point out that the combination of depth and trance is helpful to define hypnosis. Overall, the paper looks forward to the research on the definition of hypnosis and shows that we should strengthen the integrative research on cognitive neuroscience, psychoanalysis and traditional Chinese culture. Cognitive neuroscience is good for exploring the activation and inhibition of hypnosis on the brain skin level and other related neural properties, psychoanalysis is available for the personality dynamics of hypnosis, and traditional Chinese culture is conducive to interpreting hypnosis with Chinese harmonious wisdom and inquiring hypnosis theory with Chinese characteristics.

Key words: hypnosis, trance, deep communication, research review, new definition

摘要： 综述催眠发展史上主要催眠观点，归纳其激活、意境、灵活、具身及整合等基本特征，继而提出催眠是一种以恍惚为特色的深度沟通的新定义，认为催眠本质上是一种沟通，恍惚是其特色，深度与恍惚相结合有助于界定催眠。未来应加强与认知神经科学、精神分析以及中国传统文化等的融合研究。

关键词: 催眠, 恍惚, 深度沟通, 综述, 新定义