Hypnosis is an effective problem-based treatmentClinical applications: sleep, trauma, pain, phobia, stress, anxiety – and emerging research with cancer patientsEnhancing the mind-body connection is good for stress relief because it allows for the dissociation between somatic and psychological reactions. Self-hypnosis can be extremely helpful in falling back asleep when you wake up in the middle of the nightHypnosis allows you to confront phobias.Self-hypnosis allows for a wider array of experiences that aren’t negative and might even be positive for treating phobias

Clinical Applications Of Self-Hypnosis

Induction state = deep hypnosisThree things characterize entry into a hypnotic state: <ol><li> turning down activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) responsible for cognition and motor control</li><li>The Dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPC) has higher connectivity with the insula (part of the mind-body control system)</li><li>Inverse functional connectivity between DLPC and posterior cingulate cortex (part of the default network, activity decreases in things like meditation)</li></ol>Reducing the activity of dACC makes it less likely that you’ll be distracted and pulled out of whatever you’re in

Neuroscience Of Hypnosis

Eye movements have a lot to do with consciousness: stimulants make eyes big, opioids constrict pupils, rapid eye movement takes place during sleepEye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) EMDR: psychotherapy designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories by reducing activation of the amygdala and associated anxiety and reducing the amplitude of threat reflexEMDR is most successful for single event trauma, like a car crash, robbery, etc. – not prolonged experiences like childhood abuse, divorce; it may be helpful but is ultimately an incomplete treatment.

Eye Movement Desensitization And Processing (EMDR)

There’s a correlation between the capacity to keep eyes up and hypnotizabilityTilt your chin back so you’re looking up toward the ceilingDirect eyes upward while openClose your eyes, trying to keep the eyes up while closing the eyelidsIf eyes roll back and you see the whites of your eyes, you’re highly hypnotizable; if eyes roll down and you see the iris (colored part of the eye) you’re less hypnotizable

Are you hypnotizable? Try the Spiegel eye-roll test

Hypnotizability: capacity to have hypnotic experiencesThe peak period of hypnotizability is childhood, around 6-10 years old. Dentists and phlebotomists can use hypnosis to shift focus. By the time you’re in your early 20s, hypnotizability becomes fixed.Rates of hypnotizability: about 1/3 of adults are not hypnotizable, 2/3 are hypnotizable – with about 15% extremely hypnotizable.Some people are not that hypnotizable: people are overly controlling and busier evaluating than experiencing

Hypnotizability

It can be necessary and useful to go into a grief state – on the flip side, you want an anchor to hold on to and come back to.Grieving death, ask yourself: what have they left you?Face a loss, live with the emotion that comes with it and embrace that the pain is because of how much they mean to you – reflect on what you gained from knowing the person.

Grief

The hallmark of treatment and getting over things is confronting it head-on.Stress inoculation: we have to deal with stressful things in life to be better equipped the next time we face stress. You’ll become a stronger person if you face problems and stress.We need to think of our brain and body signals as a tool to help us understand what’s going on in the world – and something that can be managedReflect on and categorize pain: is it something that is healing and leading us to get better? Or is it bad and making it worse?Leverage pain and discomfort as an opportunity to take action.

Overcoming Obstacles

Hypnosis is an effective problem-based treatmentClinical applications: sleep, trauma, pain, phobia, stress, anxiety – and emerging research with cancer patientsEnhancing the mind-body connection is good for stress relief because it allows for the dissociation between somatic and psychological reactionsSelf-hypnosis can be extremely helpful in falling back asleep when you wake up in the middle of the night

It’s best to see a specialist who can be sure to address underlying issues requiring hypnosis, and not just the symptom. Self-hypnosis often requires just 1-2 visits or periodic sessions, not regularlyA physician or practitioner will assess how hypnotizable you are and take you through self-hypnosis, teaching you how to do it so you can practice on yourself laterEven a 1-minute refresher has been shown to be quite helpful. The goal is for self-hypnosis to become an acquired skill without needing to see a clinician

Starting Self-Hypnosis

Hypnosis: a state of highly focused attention, like looking through a camera lens.Hypnosis involved a narrowing of context and loss of selfAn experience is not considered hypnotic if the physical reaction is distracting or makes you think about something else.Stage hypnosis: what we stereotypically think of someone performing with a pen or hypnotic tool trying to alter the state and actions of others for entertainment.Clinical hypnosis: enhances control of mind and body by inducing cognitive flexibility and allowing you to shift set easily and change the way you evaluate events

What Is Hypnosis?

My guest is Dr. David Spiegel MD, Associate Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Director of the Center on Stress and Health and Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Spiegel has more than 40 years of clinical and research experience with hypnosis, stress physiology, and psychotherapy. In this episode, we examine the role of clinical hypnosis for the treatment of trauma, chronic pain, anxiety and more. Dr. Spiegel explains how to determine your level of ‘hypnotizability’ and provides case studies of incredible successes with hypnosis to treat a variety of ailments. We also discuss how breathing, vision and directed mental focus can modulate internal states and enhance performance. Additionally, we discuss how the adoption of self-hypnosis techniques can reduce stress and enhance sleep in anyone. Dr. Spiegel teaches us how hypnosis works at the neural circuit level to enhance cognitive flexibility. Throughout the episode, Dr. Spiegel summarizes key clinical trials and peer-reviewed findings and resources to work with a trained clinical professional or to do guided self-hypnosis.  Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman Thesis: https://takethesis.com/huberman ROKA - https://roka.com - code "huberman" Our Patreon page https://www.patreon.com/andrewhuberman Supplements from Thorne https://www.thorne.com/u/huberman Huberman Lab Social & Website  YouTube  Instagram  Twitter  Facebook  Website  Newsletter  Dr. David Spiegel Links  Stanford Center for Stress and Health  Support Dr. Spiegel’s Research at Stanford (tax-deductible)  Dr. Spiegel’s Published Work  Email: david@reveri.com  Article Links  Posthypnotic Amnesia in Hypnotizability Assessment: Validation of a New Scoring System for the Hypnotic Induction Profile  Post-traumatic stress disorder and cancer  Association between Anterior Cingulate Neurochemical Concentration and Individual Differences in Hypnotizability  Hypnosis reduces distress and duration of an invasive medical procedure for children  Other Links  Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis  American Society for Clinical Hypnosis  Watch Andrew’s Hypnosis Session with Dr. Spiegel  Reveri website  Reveri app (iOS)  Join the Waitlist for Reveri for Android  Timestamps (00:00:00) Dr. David Spiegel MD, Hypnosis (00:04:16) AG1 (Athletic Greens), Thesis, ROKA (00:09:09) Clinical Hypnosis (00:16:45) Stage Hypnosis (00:20:25) Neurobiology of Hypnosis (00:26:04) ADHD (00:28:22) Hypnosis for Stress & Sleep (00:32:12) Hypnosis to Strengthen Neural Connections (00:37:19) Restructuring Trauma Narratives (00:45:14) Ketamine Therapy (00:50:07) Self-directed Hypnosis, Reveri (00:56:53) Eliminating Obsessive Thoughts, Superstitions (01:01:50) ‘Hypnotizability’, the Spiegel Eye-roll Test (01:15:36) EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) (01:21:43) Confronting Stress & Trauma (01:27:56) The Mind-Body Connection (01:31:35) Dealing with Grief (01:35:45) Hypnosis in Children & Groups (01:40:06) Drug Therapies & Hypnosis (01:42:39) Breathing Patterns, Peak Performance (01:50:00) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Patreon, Thorne, Instagram, Twitter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer

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My guest is Dr. David Spiegel MD, Associate Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Director of the Center on Stress and Health and Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Spiegel has more than 40 years of clinical and research experience with hypnosis, stress physiology, and psychotherapy. In this episode, we examine the role of clinical hypnosis for the treatment of trauma, chronic pain, anxiety and more. Dr. Spiegel explains how to determine your level of ‘hypnotizability’ and provides case studies of incredible successes with hypnosis to treat a variety of ailments. We also discuss how breathing, vision and directed mental focus can modulate internal states and enhance performance. Additionally, we discuss how the adoption of self-hypnosis techniques can reduce stress and enhance sleep in anyone. Dr. Spiegel teaches us how hypnosis works at the neural circuit level to enhance cognitive flexibility. Throughout the episode, Dr. Spiegel summarizes key clinical trials and peer-reviewed findings and resources to work with a trained clinical professional or to do guided self-hypnosis.  For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Supplements from Momentous https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Dr. David Spiegel MD, Hypnosis (00:04:20) Sponsors: AG1, LMNT (00:09:09) Clinical Hypnosis (00:16:45) Stage Hypnosis (00:20:25) Neurobiology of Hypnosis (00:26:04) ADHD (00:28:22) Hypnosis for Stress & Sleep (00:32:12) Hypnosis to Strengthen Neural Connections (00:37:19) Restructuring Trauma Narratives (00:45:14) Ketamine Therapy (00:50:07) Self-directed Hypnosis, Reveri (00:56:53) Eliminating Obsessive Thoughts, Superstitions (01:01:50) ‘Hypnotizability’, the Spiegel Eye-roll Test (01:15:36) EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) (01:21:43) Confronting Stress & Trauma (01:27:56) The Mind-Body Connection (01:31:35) Dealing with Grief (01:35:45) Hypnosis in Children & Groups (01:40:06) Drug Therapies & Hypnosis (01:42:39) Breathing Patterns, Peak Performance (01:50:00) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Supplements, Instagram, Twitter Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac Disclaimer

Huberman Lab discusses neuroscience: how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health. We also discuss existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works. Dr. Andrew Huberman is a tenured professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine. His laboratory studies neural regeneration, neuroplasticity, and brain states such as stress, focus, fear, and optimal performance. For more than 20 years, Dr. Huberman has consistently published original research findings and review articles in top-level peer-reviewed journals, including Nature, Science, Cell, Neuron, and Current Biology. He is a regular member of several National Institutes of Health review panels and a Fellow of the McKnight Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts. Dr. Huberman regularly consults for technology development companies, professional athletic organizations, and various units of U.S. and Canadian Special Operations.