Look into my eyes: A look at the online hypnosis phenomenon

Interest in hypnosis soared during the pandemic, largely thanks to social media and video conferencing. Is it a fad, or does going into a trance-like state help relieve stress and anxiety? 

During the pandemic, hypnotherapists pivoted online - now, with the help of social media, apps and video conferencing, many are staying virtual, and people are following.

Gone are the days of slow swinging pocket watches and a voice bleating, ‘you are getting sleepy’ - hypnosis has moved online, and the power is in our hands.

During the pandemic, hypnotherapists pivoted online - now, with the help of social media, apps and video conferencing, many are staying virtual, and people are following. On TikTok, #hypnosispain has 1.8bn views, suggesting people are exploring hypnosis, not as entertainment but as a tool to control their symptoms.

But is it just a fad, or does going into a trance-like state deliver results?

Aidan Sloan, hypnotherapist and member of the Clinical Hypnotherapist Practitioner Association of Ireland, says, “there is a genuine scientific link between the mind and body. Hypnotherapy is about harnessing that link to help people, and it has nothing to do with making fools of themselves in front of an audience.”

The idea that hypnotherapists can take over your mind and make you do things you don’t want to do is wrong, says Sloan. “For me to facilitate you to go into hypnosis, you have to be a willing participant,” he says.

Because willingness is a necessary component of hypnosis, Sloan argues that “all hypnosis is self-hypnosis”.

Many studies show that hypnosis is an effective therapeutic tool for reducing the brain’s response to pain, helping treat anxiety, and improving sports players’ performances. However, one meta-analysis highlights that hypnosis is more effective when combined with other psychological interventions than when used as a stand-alone treatment. As Sloan says: there isn’t “a one-session magic wand - it doesn’t work like that - it’s a process”.

The hypnotherapy process is often associated with quitting smoking or weight loss, but according to Sloan, most of his work is around “anxiety or self-esteem issues.”

Because of the one-to-one nature of his work, he was hesitant about moving online but once he did, he quickly saw the benefits. He adds that going to therapy can be intimidating, and accessing it from your home help clients feel more comfortable.

Relaxed state

Sloan offers to demonstrate how hypnosis can put me in a relaxed and open state. After a stressful morning, I enthusiastically agree. With accompanying background music, he talks, and I listen.

Feeling self-conscious, I find my eyes flicking open at the start, but as he speaks, I feel an ease come over me. When my eyes open, I am surprised to see 17 minutes have passed, and I feel calm yet alert.

To build on my calming experience, I downloaded the Reveri app and started a seven-day trial. Reveri (currently €64.99 yearly) is a self-hypnosis app with programmes that help users relieve pain and stress, improve eating habits, aid sleep, improve focus, or quit smoking. I listened to the relieving stress and enhancing focus programmes.

Both programmes reminded me of guided meditations I’d done before. I asked Prof David Spiegel, co-founder of Reveri and associate chair of psychiatry at Stanford University, about the differences between meditation and hypnosis.

Hypnosis is aimed at problem-solving whereas mindfulness is more a way of being, says Spiegel.

With mindfulness, he adds, “your goal is not to solve a problem but to detach from yourself, from everyday concerns and allow thoughts and feelings to flow through you. They are related but not the same thing.”

Self-hypnosis

The app was released during the pandemic when people were under increased stress and couldn’t go out for support. But even post-lockdown, it remains popular. Available for Apple users since January at the App Store, the app recently launched on Android. Within two days of its launch on the Google Playstore, the Reveri app was downloaded over 50,000 times.

Self-hypnosis tools are growing, says Spiegel. “How to think differently, manage your emotions, alter your feelings and sensations; they are skills people can learn, and you don’t always have to be face to face with someone.”

Spiegel hopes that moving online “is the beginning of a revolution on how we make psychotherapeutic stress management skills more widely available, at much less cost.”

Whether you are seeking help through an app or one-to-one sessions, hypnotherapy is online and open for business.

• For information on hypnotherapists working in Ireland, see chpa.ie
  
• If you’d like to try self-hypnosis, the Reveri app is available on the App store and Google Play.