Chasing Life How Hypnosis May Be More Real, and Powerful, Than You Think
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Apr 17, 2026 
Dr. David Spiegel, Stanford psychiatrist and clinical hypnosis researcher, explains how hypnosis changes brain networks and can help with pain, anxiety, habits, and performance. He contrasts hypnosis with meditation, describes who is hypnotizable, demonstrates self-hypnosis, and discusses clinical evidence and athletic uses in short, practical conversations.
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Hypnosis Stopped A Severe Asthma Attack
- David Spiegel used hypnosis on a 15-year-old in status asthmaticus who was failing standard treatment and could barely speak.
- Within five minutes she stopped wheezing and relaxed, prompting immediate clinical and staff reaction.
How Hypnosis Changes Brain Networks
- Hypnosis is a state of focused attention, absorption, and dissociation that interrupts usual evaluative thinking.
- Neuroimaging shows reduced salience network activity, increased left prefrontal–insula connectivity, and altered default mode network coupling.
Hypnotizability Is A Stable Trait
- Hypnotizability is a stable trait by early adulthood with low, medium, and high ranges across people.
- About 20% are highly hypnotizable, ~60% moderately, and ~20% are low and resistant to hypnotic states.