Spellbound
This is Your Brain on Hypnosis.
Many people link hypnosis to entertainment due to its presence in stage performances, where volunteers appear to be compelled into surprising or even embarrassing actions (like clucking like a chicken). This is known as “stage hypnosis.”
However, there is another form of hypnosis – one that is entirely serious and unrelated to entertainment. “Clinical hypnosis” or “hypnotherapy” is a tool that can help with a wide range of psychological and physical symptoms and conditions, and facilitate positive behavioural changes.
The therapeutic use of hypnosis is backed by an ever-growing body of research and has even been endorsed by multiple medical associations.
BENEFITS OF HYPNOTHERAPY
Various research studies suggest that hypnotherapy can be used to address stress, anxiety, pain, depression, phobias, sleep problems, digestive issues including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), skin conditions such as warts, side effects of cancer treatment, and more.
There is substantial evidence supporting the use of hypnotherapy to positively impact a variety of mental and somatic health issues.
This was the conclusion reached by Dr. Jenny Rosendahl and her colleagues in their 2024 review of meta-analyses, published in Frontiers in Psychology.
“Positive effects were found for the vast majority (99.2%) of health outcomes that hypnotherapy has been used to address,” said Dr. Rosendahl, a psychologist at Jena University Hospital in Germany. “Although there is evidence that hypnotherapy can help with a wide range of things, we found the most robust evidence to date is for the use of hypnotherapy with patients undergoing medical procedures, with individuals experiencing pain, and with children and adolescents.”
Of particular interest for Mind Over Matter® magazine is that many hypnosis benefits are relevant for brain health, either directly or indirectly.
Hypnotherapy can help directly with two of the Six Pillars of Brain Health, namely, stress management and sleep. (And, when hypnosis is used to help decrease pain, that can help with sleep.)
Hypnotherapy also contributes to brain health indirectly by addressing known dementia risk factors, such as aiding in smoking cessation, weight management, and the treatment of depression or anxiety.
HYPNOTHERAPY & SLEEP IN PEOPLE WITH MCI
One group that frequently experiences sleep disturbances is individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This is especially concerning, as poor sleep quality is associated with heightened stress responses, memory impairment, and an increased risk of MCI progressing to dementia.
Dr. Gary Elkins and his colleagues conducted a pilot study to determine whether a five-week hypnotherapy intervention could enhance sleep quality in adults with MCI. The 21 study participants were randomly assigned to listen to either a 15-minute hypnosis audio recording or a 15-minute sham recording labelled “White Noise Hypnosis” daily for five weeks.
“In this study, significant improvements in sleep quality, sleep duration, and daytime sleepiness were experienced by those in the hypnosis group,” said Dr. Elkins, a professor at Baylor University in Texas, and author of the 2024 book Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy: What You Need to Know.
This research demonstrated the feasibility of using hypnotherapy to help improve sleep for people with MCI, suggesting it is a promising potential treatment for this population and warrants further research.
These findings were published in 2024 in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.
HYPNOTHERAPY & MENOPAUSE
Research has also shown that women can benefit from hypnotherapy to help alleviate hot flashes and improve sleep during the menopause transition and into post-menopause.
The evidence is robust enough that the Menopause Society recommends clinical hypnosis as a non-hormonal treatment to manage the vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause.
They rated the treatment as Level 1, indicating strong and consistent evidence supporting its effectiveness.
Dr. Elkins was involved in a recent review – published in 2025 in Women’s Health Reports – comparing the use of clinical hypnosis versus Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for hot flashes. “We found that both clinical hypnosis and CBT can help address the psychological distress caused by hot flashes, but only clinical hypnosis demonstrates effectiveness at directly reducing the severity and frequency of hot flashes,” said Dr. Elkins.
CLINICAL HYPNOSIS WAS ALSO FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY LINKED WITH IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE, SLEEP QUALITY, AND MOOD. IMPORTANTLY, THESE BENEFITS WERE EXPERIENCED WITH FEW, IF ANY, NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS.
WHAT TO EXPECT DURING A HYPNOSIS SESSION
Hypnosis sessions can be done with a hypnotherapist live in-person or online. Another common approach is to listen to pre-recorded audio of hypnosis sessions on one’s own at home – these might be custom recordings made for an individual by a hypnotherapist, or a generic recording.
A live session, especially if it is a person’s first experience with hypnosis, typically begins with sharing information about hypnosis, discussing goals, answering questions and addressing any misconceptions, and instilling “positive expectancy.”
The hypnosis experience usually progresses smoothly through these four stages:
01 induction – which includes suggestions to help with relaxation and focusing attention, e.g., attention to breath, eye fixation and closure, progressive muscle relaxation, or focus on a visual image;
02 deepening – which takes relaxation and focus to a deeper level using varied techniques, including counting down, or using imagery associated with descent such as imagining walking down stairs or envisioning sinking deeper and deeper into a soft bed;
03 hypnotic suggestion – which uses imagery and carefully chosen language to evoke an emotional, psychological, and/or physiological experience, which will vary depending on the goals of the session; and
04 emergence – which includes techniques to bring the person back to normal consciousness, e.g., imagining climbing back up the stairs, or counting up.
The first two stages help the person reach a deep state of focus and relaxation, a trance state that has been compared by some to the feeling one gets when losing oneself in deeply-focused “flow” during a pleasant activity such as reading or making art. This trance state is thought to provide access to the unconscious mind, making a person more open to the suggestions shared in Stage 3.
During a hypnosis session, the person being hypnotized remains in complete control. They are aware of who and where they are and usually remember everything that happened during the session.
The hypnotherapist guides the session by providing suggestions and does not make the person do anything against their will.
HOW HYPNOSIS WORKS
Exactly how hypnosis works is not fully understood. A lot of complex mechanisms play intertwined roles, including:
biological factors, such as shifts in the physical brain itself;
psychological factors, such as hypnotizability; and
social factors, such as the rapport between the hypnotherapist and the person being hypnotized.
Brain-imaging studies have revealed fascinating insights into what happens inside the hypnotized brain.
Dr. Amir Raz and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of brain-imaging studies on hypnosis and found that there is inconsistency across studies about which brain areas are engaged, yet some patterns are emerging. For example, three key networks were found to be linked with hypnotizability: the central executive network, the salience network, and the default mode network.
Given the complexity of hypnosis and the diverse study designs in research, it is unsurprising that neuroimaging has identified a wide range of brain activity patterns during hypnosis. Findings suggest that different hypnotic suggestions activate distinct areas of the brain.
These findings were shared in 2017 in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews.
More recently, Dr. Thomas Wolf and colleagues conducted a review of research about the functional changes in brain activity during hypnosis and published their findings in 2022 in Brain Sciences.
Like Dr. Raz and his team, these researchers found that there continue to be inconsistencies across the results in this subject area.
“Because hypnosis was used in different ways and a variety of imaging methods were used in the research papers we reviewed, it was difficult to compare across the studies and summarize the findings. However, we were able to conclude that suggestions made during hypnosis can cause changes in brain activity,” said Dr. Wolf, a professor at the University of Bern in Switzerland.
IN PARTICULAR, WE FOUND THAT AREAS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROCESSING COGNITION AND EMOTION ARE MORE ACTIVE DURING HYPNOSIS.
“And, functional connectivity between the anterior cingulate cortex and the large neural network is also affected by hypnosis,” explained Dr. Wolf.
GIVE HYPNOSIS A TRY
Hypnosis is a relatively low-cost (or free) intervention that does not take a lot of time. Sometimes results can be achieved in one or just a few sessions (although it can take longer, depending on the severity of the issue being addressed).
If you’re going to seek out a professional, know that hypnosis is not regulated in most places, so be sure to research credentials and recommendations before choosing a hypnotist or hypnotherapist. Often, you can find healthcare professionals such as doctors, nurses, social workers, dentists, and psychologists who have done additional training in hypnosis and can provide this service.
If you’re going to give hypnosis a try on your own, look for recordings made by well-qualified hypnotherapists with a voice that you like to listen to. Some are available online for free, and some can be purchased. (Dr. Elkins’ book Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy: What You Need to Knowincludes a free hypnosis session.)
You might also want to check out a self-hypnosis app. Here are some examples of hypnosis apps that have been developed for specific applications:
Evia, to help with symptoms of menopause and sleep;
Reveri, for pain;
Finito, for quitting smoking; and
Nerva, for irritable bowel syndrome.
GIVEN THAT HYPNOSIS IS SO ACCESSIBLE AND SAFE, I RECOMMEND THAT ANYONE WHO IS STRUGGLING WITH ONE OF THE MANY CONDITIONS IT CAN HELP WITH TO GIVE IT A TRY.
“Be patient, as the desired change may take a while to happen, but the end result will be well worth it,” advised Dr. Elkins.
Source: Mind Over Matter V21