The Experience of Responding to Imaginative Suggestions: A Micro-phenomenological Interview Exploratory Study

The micro-phenomenological interview is a technique for investigating phenomenology in detail during an activity lasting seconds to minutes. Here, we applied it to understanding the moment-to-moment experiences of subjects responding to imaginative suggestions that were aimed at temporarily altering perceived reality through deployment of phenomenological control. Our intention was to generate novel hypotheses that could be tested in a future study. We presented three suggestions individually to seven participants, and then interviewed them about their experiences, with the qualitative findings generating four independent hypotheses. We repeated the process with six new participants and found that the data supported three of the hypotheses. These were that while moderate responses involved goal-directed fantasies, high responses appeared to not; that responses scored low did not involve reports of active sabotage; and high and moderate responders do not appear to be aware that they are generating the suggested behaviour and cognitions. These hypotheses will need confirming for generalisability with a quantitative study. If confirmed, these results will bear on the mechanisms underpinning phenomenological control.