Series
Science of clinical hypnotherapy
29articles
Does Hypnosis Work for Children? What the Evidence Shows
Children score higher than adults on hypnotic-suggestibility scales, and the strongest pediatric evidence is for procedural pain and gut-directed hypnotherapy. The research, honestly.
Hypnosis for Fibromyalgia: What the Evidence Shows
Does hypnosis help fibromyalgia? The Zech 2017 meta-analysis of 7 RCTs, what it did for pain and distress, and why the trial base stays small and low-quality.
Hypnosis for Nausea: What the Evidence Shows
Does hypnosis help chemotherapy nausea? A meta-analysis found a large effect on anticipatory nausea in children, but adult evidence stays thin. The honest read.
Rapid Induction: The Science of 'Instant' Hypnosis
The stage handshake and shoulder-tap 'sleep' look like magic. The science says the induction adds little — your suggestibility and expectancy do the work.
Highway Hypnosis: What It Is and What the Science Actually Says
Highway hypnosis isn't a real trance — it's mind-wandering and automaticity behind the wheel. What driving-attention research shows, and when it turns risky.
Hypnosis for Public Speaking Anxiety: What the Evidence Shows
No direct RCT proves hypnosis cures glossophobia — but meta-analyses show hypnosis cuts anxiety and measurably amplifies CBT. The honest evidence, cited.
Hypnosis for Skin Conditions (Psoriasis, Eczema, Warts): What the Evidence Shows
Can your mind clear a wart or calm eczema? Controlled trials found hypnosis beat placebo for warts — but psoriasis and eczema data stay small and old.
Post-Hypnotic Suggestion: The Science of How It Works
Post-hypnotic suggestion is real and measurable — fMRI shows it can reduce the automatic Stroop effect, but mainly in highly hypnotizable people. The science.
Can Hypnosis Recover Lost Memories? What the Science Says
No — hypnosis increases the amount you recall and your confidence, not accuracy. A 24-study meta-analysis found more false memories. Why courts restrict it.
Hypnosis for Dental Anxiety: What the Evidence Shows
A 29-RCT meta-analysis found hypnosis cut dental distress most among non-drug options (g = 0.58) — but CBT beats it for phobia. The evidence, honestly.
Hypnosis for Depression: What the Evidence Shows
A meta-analysis found hypnosis patients improved more than 76% of untreated controls for depression, but the base is thin and it works best added to CBT.
Hypnosis for Migraine and Tension Headaches: What the Evidence Shows
Does hypnosis help migraines? The 47-patient RCT that beat medication, a 9-study review, and why a 2025 meta-analysis still calls the evidence insufficient.
Hypnosis for Phobias: What the Evidence Shows
Is hypnosis a phobia cure? The honest read: exposure-based CBT is first-line, and hypnosis works best as an adjunct that can enhance it. The evidence, plainly.
Hypnosis Before Surgery: What the Evidence Shows
Meta-analyses show hypnosis before surgery cuts anxiety, pain, and medication use — but a rigorous 2018 trial found no pain benefit. Who actually responds?
Hypnosis for Childbirth: What the Evidence Shows
Hypnobirthing promises calm, drug-free labour. The Cochrane data: hypnosis cuts overall pain-medication use but not epidural use. The honest evidence review.
Is Hypnosis Just a Placebo? What the Science Says
Is hypnosis just a placebo? It shares the machinery of suggestion and expectancy — but brain scans show hypnotic analgesia changes the brain differently.
Hypnosis for Anxiety: What the Evidence Shows
A meta-analysis found the average hypnosis patient beat 79% of untreated controls for anxiety — and it works best added to CBT, not alone. The evidence.
Hypnotherapy for Chronic Pain: What the Evidence Actually Shows
Does hypnosis work for chronic pain? The named meta-analyses, the suggestibility catch, and why a 2025 RCT review found no average chronic-pain effect.
Hypnotherapy for Smoking Cessation: What the Evidence Shows
Does hypnosis help you quit smoking? The largest modern RCT found it works no better than CBT — about 15% quit — and the Cochrane review can't confirm it beats nothing.
Can You Get Stuck in Hypnosis? And Other Myths, Debunked
No, you can't get stuck in hypnosis — there are no documented cases. Here's the neuroscience behind that and four other myths that keep skeptical people away.
Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy for IBS: What the Evidence Shows
Does gut-directed hypnotherapy work for IBS? The named studies, the response rates, why major guidelines recommend it — and the honest limits clinics skip.
Self-Hypnosis for Hot Flashes: What the 2025 Trial Shows
A 2025 randomized trial of 250 women tested self-administered hypnosis for menopausal hot flashes. Here's the result, the mechanism, and how it compares to CBT.
Does Self-Hypnosis Work? The Evidence, and How to Actually Do It
Yes — a meta-analysis of 22 RCTs found a large effect (Hedges' g = .536) for self-hypnosis on pain, stress and anxiety. The evidence, plus how to do it.
Is Hypnosis Just Sleep? What Brainwaves Reveal
The word 'hypnosis' was a naming mistake — the man who coined it spent years trying to take it back. EEG shows an awake, focused brain, not a sleeping one.
What Happens in Your Brain During Hypnosis
Stanford scanned 57 brains and found three measurable shifts during hypnosis — quieter alarm circuits, tighter mind-body control, no inner chatter. The science.
Are You Hypnotizable? The Science of Who Responds to Hypnosis
Roughly 85% of people are at least moderately hypnotizable, and brain scans tie it to attention and executive-control wiring — not gullibility. The science.
71% of CEOs Feel Like Frauds. The Self-Doubt Pattern Beneath It.
71% of US CEOs experience imposter syndrome despite 85% feeling totally competent. The gap between competence and self-doubt is a neural pattern — here's how hypnosis and visualization work with it at the subconscious level.
Access Flow State on Demand: The Neuroscience-Backed Protocol
A 2024 Drexel neuroimaging study reveals the neural mechanism of flow. Hypnosis and visualization induction phases align with the brain state involved.
How Neural Repatterning Rewires Your Brain (Backed by Science)
Neural repatterning is the mechanism many associate with hypnosis and visualization. Here's how the 4-phase session structure works with neuroplasticity.