You remember that Vegas show you went to—the one where the magician called an audience member up on stage, sat them down, swung a pocket watch around for 30 seconds and clapped in amazement as the person began to cluck like a chicken? It made for great entertainment—how did he do that?!—but also made you just a little bit wary of this thing called hypnosis. If it’s any assurance, real hypnosis—also called hypnotherapy and used by actual doctors in conjunction with their traditional medical or mental health practices—works a bit differently than a Vegas stage act. “Hypnosis is a form of highly focused attention, like getting so caught up in a good movie that you enter the imagined world—you become part of the story instead of part of the audience,” explains David Spiegel, M.D., a professor of psychiatry and medical director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine in California. “In this state, you can learn to control your physical reaction to stressors, allowing you to approach even difficult problems with less discomfort.” The cartoon image of hypnosis, where you essentially zonk out and become a blank canvas for the hypnotist to do with you as he will (walk funny, talk funny, reveal deep, dark family secrets), is, in fact, the opposite of what the practice of hypnotherapy is about. In the world of mental health, “there is probably nothing else as self-empowering as hypnosis,” says Eric Willmarth, Ph.D., president of the American Psychological Association’s Society of Psychological Hypnosis and a psychologist in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “It’s about self-regulation, and helping people learn to manage their own physiology.” So don’t be fooled by the popular Hollywood plotline. Hypnosis is both less dramatic and more useful than most people realize. Learn more about the benefits of hypnotherapy and how it works—and ways it might make your life a little better.
What is hypnotherapy?
Early forms of the practice originated in the 18th century, when German medical doctor Franz Anton Mesmer (from whom we get the word “mesmerizing”) began looking for an alternative to bloodletting (yikes) to treat disease. Although much of his thinking about how hypnosis works is now known to be incorrect, it is still recognized as one of the first uses of the mind-body technique. Until the advent of chemical anesthesia in the 1840s, hypnosis was used to moderate surgical and childbirth pain. But by the dawn of the 20th century, thanks in part to mischaracterizations in popular literature as a deviant practice, hypnosis fell out of favor. Its resurrection as a legitimate tool for mental and physical healthcare in recent years coincides with a better understanding of how to use hypnosis together with other treatments to improve people’s well-being. “Hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness,” says Willmarth. “It is not a therapy in itself, but it’s a strong adjunctive technique that takes any other therapeutic technique and makes it better. If you take behavioral therapy without hypnosis and compare it to therapy with hypnosis, you’ll see the patient has better outcomes when hypnosis is included.”
Does hypnosis really work?
Still not sold? Neither are some scientists. “Skeptics describe hypnosis in one of three ways: dangerous mind-control, an ineffective farce or placebo,” wrote Dr. Spiegel in his report on the role of hypnosis in modern medicine, published last month in the Journal of American Medicine. “It is often viewed as a loss of control and therefore dangerous, when in fact it is a powerful means of teaching patients how to control mind and body.” How exactly does it do that? To find out, a group of Stanford researchers asked 57 study participants to undergo hypnotherapy while lying in an MRI machine having their brains scanned. Under hypnosis, the brain showed important changes in parts responsible for mental clarity, pain regulation and self-reflection. These changes “can help you break old habits of thought and action and to be open to new approaches to problems,” explains Dr. Siegel. But while the study confirmed that people under hypnosis have measurable brain changes, that’s only true if a person is successfully hypnotized—and it turns out, less than 10 percent of the population is considered to be “highly hypnotizable,” meaning they easily slip into a hypnotic state. Still, research suggests that about 75 percent of people can experience some sort of benefit from hypnotherapy. As for the one in four people who seem impervious to the powers of the practice, in technical terms, their brains lack the ability to make the connections from one region to the next that are required for a hypnotic effect. In everyday language, they have trouble getting into the right headspace. It’s good to know, though, that even if hypnotherapy doesn’t work for you on the first try, it may be successful on the second or the third. “But it may mean there are other issues you’ll want to work with your therapist on first, to figure out why you might be resistant to hypnosis,” says Willmarth.
Benefits of hypnotherapy: What can you use it for?
These days, the better question might be: What can’t you use it for? Hypnotherapy is employed for a wide range of issues, from chronic pain to anxiety to weight loss. Stress, depression, sleep issues and trauma are a few other conditions where hypnotherapy may be applied, according to the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. Unlike certain medications, there are virtually zero side effects to hypnotherapy, so there’s little downside to trying it for whatever ails you.
Hypnotherapy for weight loss
Around the holidays, weight-watching food lovers everywhere have a fantasy: They lie down on a couch, a hypnotist waves a wand … and next thing they know, they wake up and have zero desire to attack the (fill in the blank: fruitcake, biscotti, gingerbread cookies) on the kitchen counter. In reality, hypnotherapy appears to be a fairly successful tool for weight loss, but there isn’t a ton of scientific evidence for it. In one small study, 11 obese people who struggled to lose weight underwent hypnotherapy in addition to dietary modifications, and were able to lose weight and keep it off. And in another experiment, Italian scientists used hypnotherapy on 60 overweight women and found that weight, body-mass index and overall eating habits improved significantly. But there are no large-scale studies to confirm hypnotherapy as a viable weight-loss strategy, in part because the technique works differently on different people, and in part because it may not be in the best interest of drug companies who often foot the bill of such studies to discover a non-pharma option for weight loss.
Hypnotherapy for anxiety and stress
Nearly one in five Americans, or 40 million adults, deal with anxiety issues (it’s the most common mental health issue in the U.S.). Your anxiety might be mild (job worries keep you up at night) and you’re able to deal with it by meditating, or it could be crippling (fear prevents you from leaving the house) and you take meds to help cope. Either way, if you worry a lot, you just might make an ideal hypnotherapy candidate. “People who are highly anxious are already using their imagination to project into the future in a negative way,” says Willmarth. “That makes them a good candidate for hypnotherapy, where a key part is asking people to imagine the future—but in a more positive way, with more confidence and less worry.” Stress and anxiety go hand in hand, so perhaps it’s not surprising that research also shows hypnotherapy is beneficial in lowering stress levels. Scientists at Baylor University in Texas found that one hour of hypnotherapy, once a week for eight weeks, reduced people’s stress levels by 40 percent, while a review of nine separate studies in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that hypnosis was an effective stress management strategy.
Gut-directed hypnotherapy for IBS
Do you have irritable bowel syndrome? Then you know all about the awkward, uncomfortable, urgent trips to the bathroom at the most inconvenient times. You’ve probably explored low FODMAP foods and probiotics, and know more about improvinggut health than you ever thought imaginable. If none of that has brought relief, this might: A seminal 2003 study found 71 percent of people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) saw an improvement in their condition after 12 weeks of once-a-week hypnotherapy and an impressive 81 percent maintained that improvement for at least six years. Since then, numerous studies have repeated these findings, making IBS one of the best-studied conditions for successful hypnotherapy treatment.
Hypnotherapy for depression
If hypnosis is successful at helping people overcome struggles with stress and anxiety, perhaps it’s not a far leap to see how it could benefit those with depression as well. And in fact, a large analysis by researchers at the University of Hartford of 10 existing studies and 13 clinical trials involving depression and hypnosis, found that people with depression who underwent hypnotherapy sessions experienced a greater improvement in their symptoms compared to 76 percent of depressed people who did not receive hypnosis. In another study, scientists determined that patients who were treated with hypnotherapy in addition to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) had a 6 percent greater improvement in symptoms of depression over those who only received CBT. Hypnosis is one of several mind-body approaches, including mindfulness and meditation, that is used to ease varying types of depression. But while the end goal is the same (improving your mood), hypnosis and meditation go about it in different ways. “In meditation, you’re working to open your mind and not think about anything,” explains Willmarth. “Whereas hypnosis is about creating a highly focused lens that lets you think intensely about things.”
Hypnotherapy to quit smoking or drinking
No, getting hypnotized is not going to suddenly make you stop craving e-vapes or quit cigarettes cold turkey. (Sorry.) “A hypnotist can’t control you or make you do something—it doesn’t work that way,” says Willmarth. “But if you’ve been trying to quit, hypnotherapy can make it a lot easier. Smoking is often a maladaptive coping strategy for dealing with stress, and hypnosis can give people other tools to cope.” There are other benefits to using hypnosis for smoking or vaping cessation as well. For starters, it reframes the behavior as a decision you make—and helps you seek out choices that are better for your health. Sound squishy? “Through hypnosis, you learn to focus on protecting your body as if it were a child—dependent on you for its health and safety,” says Dr. Siegel. During a hypnotherapy session, your therapist will suggest positive ways to improve your body’s health (taking walks in the park, eating fresh fruits), rather than focusing on the negative (smoking damages your lungs, chewing tobacco can give you cancer). “We have found that by using hypnosis, about one-quarter of people who try can quit permanently,” says Dr. Siegel. A similar principle of teaching people to treat their bodies better through hypnosis applies to alcohol addiction as well. The evidence for its effectiveness as a tool to quit drinking is less robust, and suggests that hypnotherapy may be more effective addressing the reasons for drinking (anxiety or depression) than the drinking itself.
Hypnotherapy to help you sleep
Forget about waving wands and swinging stopwatches—hypnotherapy will not put you to sleep. But it could help you (and the 40 percent of American adults who have sleep issues) get there more easily on your own. An analysis of 24 studies on hypnosis and sleep in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that 58 percent of the experiments found hypnosis significantly improved people’s ability to fall asleep, with another 12.5 percent showing some benefit. Meanwhile, a sleep laboratory at the University of Zurich in Switzerland found that slow wave sleep—a critical sleep component responsible for body restoration and brain plasticity—increased by 81 percent in people who received hypnosis before sleep. If sleeping through the night is a challenge for you, try downloading a self-hypnosis app to listen to before bed. Along with other mind-body activities like acupressure,meditation and yoga, it could be the answer to your sleep prayers.
Hypnotherapy for trauma or pain
Given that hypnosis started as an 18th century remedy for pain, it’s only fitting that pain is one of the most studied and understood areas of hypnosis, with new research showing hypnotherapy can help ease everything from migraines to post-surgery discomfort. Other research finds it to be highly effective at treating chronic pain like backaches and arthritis. The main reason hypnotherapy is so successful treating pain comes down to your mind, believes Willmarth. “Pain is a perception,” he says. “So if you can teach people to alter their perception, they can learn to change how they experience pain.”
Is hypnotherapy covered by insurance?
While hypnosis itself may not be a billable treatment on your insurance plan, mental health services are, so the best way to get insurance to cover hypnotherapy is to seek out a mental health professional who also practices this technique. “In most cases, you will have it covered because your therapist will bill for a psychotherapy session and use hypnosis adjunctively,” says Willmarth. As far as finding an accredited hypnotherapist, it’s less of the Wild West than you might think. Use websites like the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and the National Board for Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists, the official organizations for therapists who are licensed to practice hypnosis. And remember: “Learning hypnosis doesn’t qualify a therapist to treat anything that they couldn’t already treat without hypnosis,” says Willmarth. In other words, if a therapist tells you he can solve your financial troubles or she can save your job with hypnosis, run the other way. The real power of hypnotherapy, says Willmarth, is giving people the skills so they can use it on their own. “I liken it to learning a musical instrument: I can teach you the notes, but the only person who can make the music happen is you,” he says. “And that’s empowering.” Now, discover everything you need to know about online therapy.
Sources:
David Spiegel, M.D., professor of psychiatry and medical director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine in CaliforniaEric Willmarth, Ph.D., president of the American Psychological Association’s Society of Psychological Hypnosis and psychologist in Grand Rapids, MichiganThe American Journal of Medicine: “Hypnosis: The Most Effective Treatment You Have Yet to Prescribe”Conscious Cognition: “Pattern of Hypnotic Response, Revisited”American Psychological Association: “Hypnosis for the Relief and Control of Pain”American Psychological Association: “Eric Willmarth Uses Hypnosis in Pain Management”Cerebral Cortex: “Brain Activity and Functional Connectivity Associated with Hypnosis”JAMA Psychiatry: “Functional Brain Basis of Hypnotizability”Cleveland Clinic: “Hypnotherapy: Risks/Benefits”Internal Medicine Journal: “Successful Hypnosis for Obesity”International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis: “Hypnobehavioral and Hypnoenergetic Therapy in the Treatment of Obese Women: A Pragmatic Randomized Clinical Trial”Anxiety and Depression Association of America: “Fact and Figures”Baylor University: “An Investigation of the Feasibility of Mindfulness-Based Hypnotherapy for Stress and Anxiety.”BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine: “Hypnosis in Patients with Perceived Stress – A Systematic Review”Gut: “Long-Term Benefits of Hypnotherapy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome”American Journal of Gastroenterology: “Effects of Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy on IBS in Different Clinical Settings—Results From Two Randomized, Controlled Trials”American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis: “A Meta-Analysis of Hypnotic Interventions for Depression Symptoms: High Hopes for Hypnosis?”International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis: “Cognitive Hypnotherapy for Depression: An Empirical Investigation”Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine: “Hypnosis Intervention Effects on Sleep Outcomes: A Systematic Review”Journal of Addiction Research and Therapy: “Effect of Hypnotherapy in Alcohol Use Disorder Compared to Motivational Interviewing: A Randomised Controlled Trial”
International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis: “Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Hypnosis for the Management of Headache”International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis: “Prerecorded Hypnotic Peri-Surgery Intervention to Alleviate Risk of Chronic Postsurgical Pain in Total Knee Replacement: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study”International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis: “Hypnotherapy for the Management of Chronic Pain”
