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    Hypnosis

    催眠

    Concept
    Also called
    hypnotism, hypnotherapy, hypnotic induction, hypnotizability, hypnotic susceptibility

    What is hypnosis?

    The American Psychological Association’s Division 30 defined hypnosis in 2014 as a state of consciousness involving focused attention and reduced peripheral awareness, with an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.[1] A hypnotic induction is the procedure used to bring it about; hypnotherapy is its use to treat a medical or psychological problem.[1]

    One session (standard scales follow the same steps)

      • Motor: “Your hands are moving apart”
      • Challenge: “Your eyes are shut tight. Try to open them”
      • Perceptual-cognitive: “You will not remember what happened”

    Scores on standard scales (approximate shares)

    Shares are approximate ranges from a review, not results of a single study.

    Same people retested 10–25 years later: r = .64 to .82

    Common scales: Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C; Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A

    Select a part of the figure for details.
    Top: the sequence of a hypnosis session, from induction to suggestion to response; standard scales measure hypnotizability the same way. Bottom: roughly what share of people score low, medium and high on such scales. Select a part for details. Select a part for details
    Top: the sequence of a hypnosis session, from induction to suggestion to response; standard scales measure hypnotizability the same way. Bottom: roughly what share of people score low, medium and high on such scales. Select a part for details. Save as image (PNG)

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    Key points

    • A session has two phases: an induction that helps the person relax, picture a calm scene and focus, then suggestions aimed at their symptoms, such as feeling less anxious.[2]
    • Hypnotized people are not asleep, and the professional society stresses that they stay in control and cannot be made to do what they do not want;[2] responses can still feel involuntary.[3]
    • Hypnotizability varies: about 10–15% of people score high on standard scales, 10–15% low and the rest in between. Retests 10 to 25 years apart correlate .64 to .82.[3]
    • In an overview of 49 meta-analyses, evidence was strongest for medical procedures and pain; irritable bowel syndrome effects were mostly small to medium; only 2 of 6 smoking effects were significant.[4]

    An example

    Ms. Wang is tense about having a wisdom tooth pulled. Her dentist has her slow her breathing and picture herself lying on a beach, then suggests “with each breath out, your jaw loosens a little more.” She can still hear the instruments and knows she can open her eyes at any time; her attention is on the dentist’s words.

    Misreadings and limits

    Evidence varies by condition and its overall quality is limited: only 9 of the 49 meta-analyses were rated high quality, about two thirds of effects showed substantial heterogeneity, head-to-head comparisons with established treatments were rare, and fewer than half the reviews reported on harms.[4] On recovering memories, see Hypnosis and memory; on direct versus indirect wording, see Ericksonian hypnosis.

    Sources

    1. 1 Society of Psychological Hypnosis, Division 30 of the American Psychological Association (2014). Definition and description of hypnosis. About Division 30. American Psychological Association. View source
    2. 2 Society of Psychological Hypnosis, Division 30 of the American Psychological Association (n.d.). Hypnosis: What it is and how it can help you feel better [Client brochure]. American Psychological Association, Division 30 (PDF). View source
    3. 3 Barnier, A. J., Terhune, D. B., Polito, V., & Woody, E. Z. (2022). A componential approach to individual differences in hypnotizability. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 9(2), 130–140. doi:10.1037/cns0000267
    4. 4 Rosendahl, J., Alldredge, C. T., & Haddenhorst, A. (2024). Meta-analytic evidence on the efficacy of hypnosis for mental and somatic health issues: A 20-year perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1330238. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1330238

    Last checked against sources: October 27, 2026