Dr. David Spiegel: Using Hypnosis to Enhance Mental & Physical Health & Performance | Episode 60
Main Takeaways
Hypnosis involves a state of highly focused attention and a narrowing of context, which draws us in and can lead to therapeutic benefits.
There are two main types of hypnosis: stage hypnosis (used for entertainment) and clinical hypnosis (used for therapeutic purposes).
Clinical hypnosis enhances cognitive flexibility and allows individuals to shift set easily, which can be useful for addressing a range of issues including sleep, trauma, pain, phobia, stress, and anxiety.
The neuroscience of hypnosis suggests that entry into a hypnotic state involves turning down activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and increasing connectivity between the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPC) and insula.
Self-hypnosis can be an effective way to address these issues, allowing individuals to confront their fears and restructure their understanding of trauma.
It is best to see a specialist to address underlying issues requiring hypnosis, and to be assessed for hypnotizability.
The peak period of hypnotizability is childhood, but rates of hypnotizability among adults vary, with about one-third of adults not being hypnotizable.
Highly hypnotizable people have more functional connectivity and synchronicity between the dACC and left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, key areas for executive control.
Some people are not easily hypnotizable due to traits such as being overly controlling, overly evaluative, or overly imaginative.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a type of psychotherapy that uses eye movements to alleviate distress associated with traumatic memories by reducing activation of the amygdala and associated anxiety.
