#182 Hypnosis 101: What It Really Is, What It Can Do For You & How to Use It Yourself with Dr. David Spiegel

Have you ever been hypnotized?

When you hear the word hypnosis, I’m willing to bet the first thing you think of is those stage performances where an audience member is instructed to do something ridiculous. But in reality, hypnosis is so much more than that, and it can truly benefit you in many ways. Whether you want to stress less, sleep better, manage pain, lose weight, overcome fears, or improve professional performance, hypnosis can help you do it.

This week’s Beyond Influential guest, Dr. David Spiegel is the expert when it comes to clinical hypnosis, and his mission is to help destigmatize hypnosis and show you how you can use the power of your own mind to heal and achieve. I wanted to have Dr. Spiegel on because this isn’t pseudoscience; what we discuss today is backed by decades of scientific research and clinical experience.

Dr. Spiegel has a laundry list of accomplishments and accolades, including degrees from Yale and Harvard Medical School. He is currently serving as Willson Professor and Associate Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Director of the Center on Stress and Health, and Medical Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he has been a member of the academic faculty since 1975.

Dr. Spiegel has more than 40 years of clinical and research experience studying psycho-oncology, stress and health, pain control, sleep, hypnosis, and more. He has published thirteen books, over 400 scientific journal articles, and contributed over 170 book chapters on hypnosis, psychosocial oncology, stress physiology, trauma, and psychotherapy. His research has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Aging, and several other organizations. He is Past President of the American College of Psychiatrists and the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis. He was also invited to speak on hypnosis at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2018. 

On top of all of this, Dr. Spiegel is also the Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Reveri, which is an app designed to help you learn and use the proven techniques of self-hypnosis to experience the benefits of hypnosis quickly and conveniently. 

On Ep. 182, we cover:

• Hypnosis: What it is & how it works
• Benefits of Hypnosis: How it can help with everything from reducing stress, anxiety, and depression to overcoming addiction, trauma, and phobias, to pain management, weight loss, better sleep, and improved focus
• Clinical vs. Stage Hypnosis: What’s the difference?
• Can you be hypnotized? How to tell if you’re hypnotizable
• Hypnosis vs. meditation: Similarities and differences
• Induction techniques and best practices for self-hypnosis
• Reveri: building the app, and the future of hypnosis

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Book Recommendation

Trance and Treatment: Clinical Uses of Hypnosis by Herbert Spiegel, MD and David Spiegel, MD https://amzn.to/3JjA0es

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App I've been loving!