The concept of the hypnotic trance was born in the 18th century, with the notorious German physican <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25761809">Franz Mesmer </a> Mesmer claimed that he could showcase the existence of something he called “animal magnetism,” which is an invisible fluid that “flows” between people, animals, plants, and things, and which can be manipulated to influence people’s behavior.

The origins of hypnosis

Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews has defined hypnosis as a kind of top-down regulation of conscious awareness, a process in which “mental representations […] override <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248791.php">physiology </a>, perception, and behavior.”

Top-down regulation

Hypnosis involves two main elements: induction and suggestions. <ul><li>Hypnotic induction<a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00207140590961934"> </a>is the first suggestion delivered during the process of hypnosis, though what it should consist of is still a matter of debate</li><li>Suggestions<a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1984-16968-001"> </a>are typically expressed as implications that elicit seemingly<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15336254"> </a>involuntary responses from the participants, who do not believe they have much, or any, control (or agency) over the situation.</li></ul>

Induction and suggestions

Neuroimaging techniques have shown that highly suggestible people exhibit higher activity<a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0093187"> </a>levels<a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0093187"> </a> in the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and parietal networks of the brain during different phases of hypnosis.

Some people are also more “suggestible” than others

Many studies link hypnosis specifically to cognitive processes and describe it as “a phenomenon involving attentive receptive<a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Encyclopedia_of_applied_psychology.html?id=UriYBuiH_FkC"> </a>concentration<a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Encyclopedia_of_applied_psychology.html?id=UriYBuiH_FkC"> </a>.” Some evidence points to the role of hypnosis in controlling selective attention<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053810012001407?via%253Dihub"> </a>.The relationship between hypnosis and states of attention is reinforced by the results of past experiments, in which hypnotic suggestion was used to alter different kinds of perception.

Hypnosis is about attention and concentration

Increasingly, self-hypnosis and techniques of hypnotic suggestion have picked up steam as “life hacks.” Self-hypnosis techniques can be used as a shortcut for achieving relaxation and boosting self-confidence.Therefore: meditation and hypnosis are closely related, as they both play a role in mind-body regulation.The potential held by hypnosis for modifying perception is also what makes it fitting as a complementary medicine approach.Hypnotherapy is currently used to relieve several medical conditions and to help people let go of negative habits that can have a serious impact on their health.

The use of hypnosis 

Hypnosis has been treading the line between quackery and therapy since around the 18th century, but recently it has been picking up steam as an alternative treatment for many disorders. What is hypnosis, does it work, and if so, how? We investigate.<figure><picture class="css-16pk1is"><source srcset="https://i0.wp.com/cdn-prod.medicalnewstoday.com/content/images/articles/319/319251/hypnotized-man.jpg?w=1575 750w" media="(min-width: 1190px)"><source srcset="https://i0.wp.com/cdn-prod.medicalnewstoday.com/content/images/articles/319/319251/hypnotized-man.jpg?w=1575 750w" media="(min-width: 990px)"><source srcset="https://i0.wp.com/cdn-prod.medicalnewstoday.com/content/images/articles/319/319251/hypnotized-man.jpg?w=1845 879w" media="(min-width: 768px)"><img src="https://i0.wp.com/cdn-prod.medicalnewstoday.com/content/images/articles/319/319251/hypnotized-man.jpg?w=1155" alt="hypnotized man" width="690" height="460"></picture><figcaption dir="auto">Is hypnosis real? If so, what does it actually do? Since the 18th century, hypnosis has been surrounded by an aura of mystery.</figcaption></figure>The term “hypnosis” is derived from the Ancient Greek word for “sleep” (“hypnos”).Research suggests it was first coined in the early 19th century by <hl-trusted-source source="PubMed Central" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8368197" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">Étienne Félix d’Henin de Cuvillers</a></hl-trusted-source>, a Frenchman interested in the role of suggestion on the mind, and the mental and behavioral processes that took place when someone fell into a hypnotic trance. Other <a href="http://www.jamesbraidsociety.com/braid.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">sources</a> suggest that it was Scottish surgeon Dr. James Braid who coined the term. However, the concept of the hypnotic trance was born earlier, in the 18th century, with the notorious German physican <hl-trusted-source source="PubMed Central" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25761809" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">Franz Mesmer</a></hl-trusted-source>. Mesmer claimed that he could showcase the existence of something he called “animal magnetism,” which is an invisible fluid that “flows” between people, animals, plants, and things, and which can be manipulated to influence people’s behavior.Mesmer’s sham practices gave hypnosis a bad start, but interest for its potential persisted in the medical sphere. In the 20th and 21st centuries, hypnosis continued to be explored, and specialists have gained a better understanding of what it is and how it can sometimes be harnessed to bring health benefits.<div><a name="What-do-we-know-about-hypnosis?">What do we know about hypnosis?</a></div>A recent <hl-trusted-source source="PubMed Central" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28174078" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">review</a></hl-trusted-source> published in the journal Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews has defined hypnosis as a kind of top-down regulation of conscious awareness, a process in which “mental representations […] override <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248791.php" title="A brief introduction to physiology" dir="ltr">physiology</a>, perception, and behavior.”As the authors explain, hypnosis involves two main elements: induction and suggestions. Hypnotic <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00207140590961934" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">induction</a> is the first suggestion delivered during the process of hypnosis, though what it should consist of is still a matter of <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00029157.2016.1201454" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">debate</a>.<a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1984-16968-001" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">Suggestions</a> are typically expressed as implications that elicit <hl-trusted-source source="PubMed Central" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15336254" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">seemingly involuntary</a></hl-trusted-source> responses from the participants, who do not believe they have much, or any, control (or agency) over the situation.Some people are also more “suggestible” than others, and researchers have found that <hl-trusted-source source="PubMed Central" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28704734" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">highly suggestible</a></hl-trusted-source> people are likelier to have a reduced sense of agency while under hypnosis.<a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0301006615594266?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&amp;rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&amp;rfr_dat=cr_pub%253dpubmed" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">Hypnotic suggestibility</a> has been defined as “the ability to experience suggested alterations in physiology, sensations, emotions, thoughts, or behaviour.”<figure><picture class="css-16pk1is"><source srcset="https://i0.wp.com/cdn-prod.medicalnewstoday.com/content/images/articles/319/319251/submerged-brain-art-concept.jpg?w=1575 750w" media="(min-width: 1190px)"><source srcset="https://i0.wp.com/cdn-prod.medicalnewstoday.com/content/images/articles/319/319251/submerged-brain-art-concept.jpg?w=1575 750w" media="(min-width: 990px)"><source srcset="https://i0.wp.com/cdn-prod.medicalnewstoday.com/content/images/articles/319/319251/submerged-brain-art-concept.jpg?w=1845 879w" media="(min-width: 768px)"><img src="https://i0.wp.com/cdn-prod.medicalnewstoday.com/content/images/articles/319/319251/submerged-brain-art-concept.jpg?w=1155" alt="submerged brain art concept" width="690" height="533"></picture><figcaption dir="auto">Some areas of the brain activated during hypnosis include the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and parietal networks.</figcaption></figure>Neuroimaging techniques have shown that highly suggestible people exhibit higher <hl-trusted-source source="PloS One" rationale="Highly respected journal,Expert written journal,Peer reviewed journal" dir="ltr"><a href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0093187" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">activity levels</a></hl-trusted-source> in the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and parietal networks of the brain during different phases of hypnosis.These are areas of the brain involved in a range of complex functions, including <hl-trusted-source source="PubMed Central" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2738354/" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">memory and perception</a></hl-trusted-source>, <a href="http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/jnp.23.2.jnp121" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">processing emotions</a>, and <a href="http://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/abstract/S1364-6613(13)00222-2" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">task learning</a>. However, the specific brain mechanisms involved in hypnosis are still unclear, though scientists are beginning to piece together the <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00029157.2014.978496" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">neurocognitive profile</a> of this process.<h3>Hypnosis and cognition</h3>Many studies link hypnosis specifically to cognitive processes and describe it as “a phenomenon involving <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Encyclopedia_of_applied_psychology.html?id=UriYBuiH_FkC" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">attentive receptive concentration</a>.” Some evidence points to the role of hypnosis in controlling <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053810012001407?via%253Dihub" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">selective attention</a>.The relationship between hypnosis and states of attention is reinforced by the results of past experiments, in which hypnotic suggestion was used to alter different kinds of perception.For instance, suggestion has been used to induce <a href="https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Agnosia-Information-Page" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">agnosia</a>, which is a state wherein the brain can perceive but is unable to recognize various external stimuli. Other <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0028393211003873?via%253Dihub" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">experiments</a> have employed suggestions to manipulate <hl-trusted-source source="PubMed Central" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3388718/" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">visuospatial processing</a></hl-trusted-source>, which is the ability of the brain to identify objects in space, and to recognize shapes.Such effects have often made hypnosis a <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/redeye/culture/redeye-chicago-hypnotist-chris-jones-career-20150717-htmlstory.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">showbiz attraction</a>, and, when treated as a magician’s trick, it elicits laughter and thrilled gasps. However, the practice of hypnosis has occasionally attracted a different kind of attention, when the stunts of amateur “hypnotists” have appeared to have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/12/north-port-florida-students-death-hypnosis" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">tragic outcomes</a>.One person at the receiving end of one such questionable experiment described his mishaps and sense of <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/anxiety/" title="What is Anxiety?" dir="ltr">anxiety</a> in the aftermath.<BLOCKQUOTE>“I was in this trance. I was told I wouldn’t be able to find my [hotel] room because all the room numbers would be changed to Chinese. I was lost for about 20 to 25 minutes walking around. I was seeing the Chinese lettering, the weird lines and all.”</BLOCKQUOTE>Another <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/the-dangers-of-memory-can-regression-therapy-by-hypnosis-produce-false-recollections-of-sexual-abuse-5431250.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">fraught</a> use of hypnosis is that of hypnotic regression. “Therapeutic regression,” which is a method that claims to uncover a person’s repressed memories – often of early abuse and trauma – has sometimes been used in hypnoanalysis, which is a form of psychoanalysis integrating hypnosis techniques.Some even claim that hypnosis can help to achieve <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1991-32308-001" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">past life regression</a>, unearthing memories from previous lives.Existing research suggests that hypnotic suggestion can be effective in inducing <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Handbook-of-Imagination-and-Mental-Simulation/Markman-Klein-Suhr/p/book/9780203809846" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">false memories</a> and convincing individuals of the truthfulness of these fictitious recollections. Such findings throw a negative light on claims of past regression and on the memories thus regained.However, there are also <hl-trusted-source source="PubMed Central" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3744032/" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">studies</a></hl-trusted-source> that bring evidence in favor of the claim that hypnosis can improve memory, yet the level of improvement may be dependent on individual expectations.<div>Medical News Today Newsletter</div><div>Knowledge is power. Get our free daily newsletter. </div>Dig deeper into the health topics you care about most. Subscribe to our facts-first newsletter today.<div><button type="submit">SIGN UP NOW</button></div><div><a name="Uses-of-hypnotherapy">Uses of hypnotherapy</a></div>The potential held by hypnosis for modifying perception is also what makes it particularly fitting as a complementary medicine approach.Hypnotherapy is currently used, both in the United States and in Europe, to relieve several medical conditions and to help people let go of negative habits that can have a serious impact on their health. Some cases in which hypnotherapy has been found useful include:<figcaption>People undergo hypnotherapy to seek help in managing many different conditions, such as IBS and insomnia.</figcaption><h3>Home uses of hypnotherapy techniques</h3>Increasingly, self-hypnosis and techniques of hypnotic suggestion have picked up steam as “life hacks.” Hypnotherapists and media outlets often list <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/jul/06/healthandwellbeing.relaxation17" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">self-hypnosis techniques</a> as a shortcut for achieving relaxation and boosting self-confidence.Researchers suggest that for these simple techniques to be effective, high levels of suggestibility are unnecessary, and sometimes they advise putting them into practice as a way of <hl-trusted-source source="Wiley" rationale="Peer reviewed journal" dir="ltr"><a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ch.237/full" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">supplementing specialist therapies</a></hl-trusted-source> at home.Some surprising avenues wherein hypnotic suggestion has been used are children’s books. One <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/magazine/letter-of-recommendation-the-rabbit-who-wants-to-fall-asleep.html?mcubz=1" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">book</a>, conceived by a writer with extensive knowledge of psychology, employs suggestion techniques to get young children to fall asleep without the extra fuss.<figcaption>Nowadays, even some children’s books use suggestion techniques to help the little ones to fall asleep.</figcaption>Various links between hypnosis and meditation techniques are also drawn by some researchers. Certain <hl-trusted-source source="PubMed Central" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28230460" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">studies</a></hl-trusted-source> suggest that meditation and hypnosis are closely related, as they both play a role in mind-body regulation.However, other researchers claim that hypnosis and meditation are entirely <a href="http://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/4741/" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">separate processes</a>, as they rely on distinct mechanisms. Hypnosis, they argue, is essentially a process through which subjects “trick” their own perception, whereas meditation is a means of enhancing, rather than deceiving, awareness.Despite the fact that the practice of hypnosis has been around for more than 200 years, many of its mechanisms remain mysterious. Its effects may appear to border on the supernatural, yet the brain – as is often the case – holds the key. There may still be some way to go, however, until we fully understand this intriguing instrument called “hypnosis.”<div>ADVERTISEMENT</div>

The practice of hypnosis is cloaked in mystery and often gets a bad name. But what is it, does it really work, and if so, what does it do? We investigate.

Hypnosis

Hypnosis has been treading the line between quackery and therapy since around the 18th century, but recently it has been picking up steam as an alternative treatment for many disorders. What is hypnosis, does it work, and if so, how? We investigate.

The term “hypnosis” is derived from the Ancient Greek word for “sleep” (“hypnos”).

Research suggests it was first coined in the early 19th century by <hl-trusted-source dir="ltr" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" source="PubMed Central"><a dir="ltr" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8368197" rel="noopener noreferrer">Étienne Félix d’Henin de Cuvillers </a> </hl-trusted-source>

, a Frenchman interested in the role of suggestion on the mind, and the mental and behavioral processes that took place when someone fell into a hypnotic trance. Other <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.jamesbraidsociety.com/braid.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer">sources </a>suggest that it was Scottish surgeon Dr. James Braid who coined the term.

However, the concept of the hypnotic trance was born earlier, in the 18th century, with the notorious German physican <hl-trusted-source dir="ltr" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" source="PubMed Central"><a dir="ltr" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25761809" rel="noopener noreferrer">Franz Mesmer </a> </hl-trusted-source>

. Mesmer claimed that he could showcase the existence of something he called “animal magnetism,” which is an invisible fluid that “flows” between people, animals, plants, and things, and which can be manipulated to influence people’s behavior.

Mesmer’s sham practices gave hypnosis a bad start, but interest for its potential persisted in the medical sphere. In the 20th and 21st centuries, hypnosis continued to be explored, and specialists have gained a better understanding of what it is and how it can sometimes be harnessed to bring health benefits.

A recent <hl-trusted-source dir="ltr" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" source="PubMed Central"><a dir="ltr" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28174078" rel="noopener noreferrer">review </a> </hl-trusted-source>

published in the journal Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews has defined hypnosis as a kind of top-down regulation of conscious awareness, a process in which “mental representations […] override <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/248791.php" title="A brief introduction to physiology">physiology </a>, perception, and behavior.”

As the authors explain, hypnosis involves two main elements: induction and suggestions. Hypnotic <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00207140590961934" rel="noopener noreferrer">induction </a>is the first suggestion delivered during the process of hypnosis, though what it should consist of is still a matter of <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00029157.2016.1201454" rel="noopener noreferrer">debate </a>.

<a dir="ltr" href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1984-16968-001" rel="noopener noreferrer">Suggestions </a>are typically expressed as implications that elicit <hl-trusted-source dir="ltr" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" source="PubMed Central"><a dir="ltr" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15336254" rel="noopener noreferrer">seemingly involuntary </a> </hl-trusted-source>

responses from the participants, who do not believe they have much, or any, control (or agency) over the situation.

Some people are also more “suggestible” than others, and researchers have found that <hl-trusted-source dir="ltr" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" source="PubMed Central"><a dir="ltr" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28704734" rel="noopener noreferrer">highly suggestible </a> </hl-trusted-source>

people are likelier to have a reduced sense of agency while under hypnosis.

<a dir="ltr" href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0301006615594266?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&amp;rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&amp;rfr_dat=cr_pub%253dpubmed" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hypnotic suggestibility </a>has been defined as “the ability to experience suggested alterations in physiology, sensations, emotions, thoughts, or behaviour.”

Neuroimaging techniques have shown that highly suggestible people exhibit higher <hl-trusted-source dir="ltr" rationale="Highly respected journal,Expert written journal,Peer reviewed journal" source="PloS One"><a dir="ltr" href="http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0093187" rel="noopener noreferrer">activity levels </a> </hl-trusted-source>

in the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and parietal networks of the brain during different phases of hypnosis.

These are areas of the brain involved in a range of complex functions, including <hl-trusted-source dir="ltr" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" source="PubMed Central"><a dir="ltr" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2738354/" rel="noopener noreferrer">memory and perception </a> </hl-trusted-source>

, <a dir="ltr" href="http://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/jnp.23.2.jnp121" rel="noopener noreferrer">processing emotions </a>, and <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/abstract/S1364-6613(13)00222-2" rel="noopener noreferrer">task learning </a>. However, the specific brain mechanisms involved in hypnosis are still unclear, though scientists are beginning to piece together the <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00029157.2014.978496" rel="noopener noreferrer">neurocognitive profile </a>of this process.

Many studies link hypnosis specifically to cognitive processes and describe it as “a phenomenon involving <a dir="ltr" href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Encyclopedia_of_applied_psychology.html?id=UriYBuiH_FkC" rel="noopener noreferrer">attentive receptive concentration </a>.” Some evidence points to the role of hypnosis in controlling <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053810012001407?via%253Dihub" rel="noopener noreferrer">selective attention </a>.

The relationship between hypnosis and states of attention is reinforced by the results of past experiments, in which hypnotic suggestion was used to alter different kinds of perception.

For instance, suggestion has been used to induce <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Agnosia-Information-Page" rel="noopener noreferrer">agnosia </a>, which is a state wherein the brain can perceive but is unable to recognize various external stimuli. Other <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0028393211003873?via%253Dihub" rel="noopener noreferrer">experiments </a>have employed suggestions to manipulate <hl-trusted-source dir="ltr" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" source="PubMed Central"><a dir="ltr" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3388718/" rel="noopener noreferrer">visuospatial processing </a> </hl-trusted-source>

, which is the ability of the brain to identify objects in space, and to recognize shapes.

Such effects have often made hypnosis a <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/redeye/culture/redeye-chicago-hypnotist-chris-jones-career-20150717-htmlstory.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">showbiz attraction </a>, and, when treated as a magician’s trick, it elicits laughter and thrilled gasps. However, the practice of hypnosis has occasionally attracted a different kind of attention, when the stunts of amateur “hypnotists” have appeared to have <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/oct/12/north-port-florida-students-death-hypnosis" rel="noopener noreferrer">tragic outcomes </a>.

One person at the receiving end of one such questionable experiment described his mishaps and sense of <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/anxiety/" title="What is Anxiety?">anxiety </a>in the aftermath.

“ I was in this trance. I was told I wouldn’t be able to find my [hotel] room because all the room numbers would be changed to Chinese. I was lost for about 20 to 25 minutes walking around. I was seeing the Chinese lettering, the weird lines and all.”

Another <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/the-dangers-of-memory-can-regression-therapy-by-hypnosis-produce-false-recollections-of-sexual-abuse-5431250.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">fraught </a>use of hypnosis is that of hypnotic regression. “Therapeutic regression,” which is a method that claims to uncover a person’s repressed memories – often of early abuse and trauma – has sometimes been used in hypnoanalysis, which is a form of psychoanalysis integrating hypnosis techniques.

Some even claim that hypnosis can help to achieve <a dir="ltr" href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1991-32308-001" rel="noopener noreferrer">past life regression </a>, unearthing memories from previous lives.

Existing research suggests that hypnotic suggestion can be effective in inducing <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.routledge.com/Handbook-of-Imagination-and-Mental-Simulation/Markman-Klein-Suhr/p/book/9780203809846" rel="noopener noreferrer">false memories </a>and convincing individuals of the truthfulness of these fictitious recollections. Such findings throw a negative light on claims of past regression and on the memories thus regained.

However, there are also <hl-trusted-source dir="ltr" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" source="PubMed Central"><a dir="ltr" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3744032/" rel="noopener noreferrer">studies </a> </hl-trusted-source>

that bring evidence in favor of the claim that hypnosis can improve memory, yet the level of improvement may be dependent on individual expectations.

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The potential held by hypnosis for modifying perception is also what makes it particularly fitting as a complementary medicine approach.

Hypnotherapy is currently used, both in the United States and in Europe, to relieve several medical conditions and to help people let go of negative habits that can have a serious impact on their health.

Some cases in which hypnotherapy has been found useful include:

Increasingly, self-hypnosis and techniques of hypnotic suggestion have picked up steam as “life hacks.” Hypnotherapists and media outlets often list <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/jul/06/healthandwellbeing.relaxation17" rel="noopener noreferrer">self-hypnosis techniques </a>as a shortcut for achieving relaxation and boosting self-confidence.

Researchers suggest that for these simple techniques to be effective, high levels of suggestibility are unnecessary, and sometimes they advise putting them into practice as a way of <hl-trusted-source dir="ltr" rationale="Peer reviewed journal" source="Wiley"><a dir="ltr" href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ch.237/full" rel="noopener noreferrer">supplementing specialist therapies </a> </hl-trusted-source>

Some surprising avenues wherein hypnotic suggestion has been used are children’s books. One <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/magazine/letter-of-recommendation-the-rabbit-who-wants-to-fall-asleep.html?mcubz=1" rel="noopener noreferrer">book </a>, conceived by a writer with extensive knowledge of psychology, employs suggestion techniques to get young children to fall asleep without the extra fuss.

Various links between hypnosis and meditation techniques are also drawn by some researchers. Certain <hl-trusted-source dir="ltr" rationale="Highly respected database from the National Institutes of Health" source="PubMed Central"><a dir="ltr" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28230460" rel="noopener noreferrer">studies </a> </hl-trusted-source>

suggest that meditation and hypnosis are closely related, as they both play a role in mind-body regulation.

However, other researchers claim that hypnosis and meditation are entirely <a dir="ltr" href="http://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/4741/" rel="noopener noreferrer">separate processes </a>, as they rely on distinct mechanisms. Hypnosis, they argue, is essentially a process through which subjects “trick” their own perception, whereas meditation is a means of enhancing, rather than deceiving, awareness.

Despite the fact that the practice of hypnosis has been around for more than 200 years, many of its mechanisms remain mysterious. Its effects may appear to border on the supernatural, yet the brain – as is often the case – holds the key. There may still be some way to go, however, until we fully understand this intriguing instrument called “hypnosis.”

The origins of hypnosis

Hypnosis: What is it, and does it work?

Top-down regulation

Induction and suggestions

Some people are also more “suggestible” than others

Hypnosis is about attention and concentration

The use of hypnosis

Hypnosis: a brief history

Altered states of consciousness: the elusiveness of the mind

Daydream believer: why your brain is wired to wander