What happens when…
Groundless superstition saturated in snake oil or trance-formative experiences? We stare directly into this mesmerising practice
01 Focal points
No swinging pocket watches to see here. You can think of hypnosis as ‘a naturally occurring state of highly focused attention’, says David Spiegel, professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford University and co-founder of the Reveri self-hypnosis app. If you’ve ever been so absorbed in a good film that it felt like the world around you melted away, that’s similar to hypnosis. In this state you can be easily influenced – hence its behaviour change associations.
02 Power down
While you might be asked to lie down or sit somewhere comfortable and close your eyes, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis, says Professor Spiegel. ‘It’s not something I do to you. It’s something that I show you how to do.’ It has a physiological effect, too; research suggests that hypnosis slows down functions such as heart rate and breathing. ‘You’re maintaining alertness, but you’re turning it inwards.’
03 Brain science
Hypnosis heightens ‘cognitive flexibility’, allowing you to explore new ways of thinking. Activity in the brain’s salience network – your mind’s ‘moderator’ that evaluates which stimuli deserve your attention – is reduced. ‘This part fires up when you hear a loud noise,’ says Professor Spiegel, meaning that you’re less likely to be distracted. Connectiv
