On Hypnosis for Stress and Anxiety

Stress and anxiety are terms that are often used interchangeably and indeed share many similarities. To take a step further into understanding their uniqueness, we can imagine them as two sides of the same coin; stress is typically caused by an external trigger (e.g., a negative experience, medical concern, or global events). Stress can impact us in the short term, but it could also persist beyond the scope of its origin. Anxiety is excessive worrying that remains even when there is no actual danger. Anxiety often stems from a fear of a negative future event (whether realistically possible or not) that has not yet come to pass. Both stress and anxiety can go hand in hand with emotional (e.g., irritability, anger), cognitive (e.g., difficulty concentrating or falling asleep), and physical symptoms (e.g., muscle aches, digestive issues, fatigue).

Anxiety is the most common mental health symptom in the U.S. [1]. While experiencing some stress and anxiety symptoms is normal throughout life (and, at times, can even have helpful outcomes), the clinical threshold (i.e., a disorder) is where such symptoms persist to the point of distress and interference with daily life. More than 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. will meet the criteria for anxiety disorder in their lifetime [2]. In the U.S. alone, more than 70% of people report stress that impacts their physical or mental health, and about 1 in 3 people describe their stress as “extreme” [3]. A recent meta-analysis (a statistical summary of findings across different studies) found that more than 23% of people across the globe report clinically significant psychological and posttraumatic stress symptoms [4]. Not surprisingly, the incidence of stress and anxiety has increased during the COVID-19 global pandemic [5]. This is particularly concerning as prolonged stress can negatively impact hormonal, immune, and central nervous system functioning [6].

Can hypnosis help with stress and anxiety?

A recent meta-analysis found hypnosis to be a highly effective way of reducing anxiety [7]. In the studies included, people who received hypnosis showed more anxiety reduction than about 79% of those who received other task assignments (control conditions), and more than 84% at the longest follow-up after the treatment ended. Moreover, the meta-analysis’ authors argued that hypnosis might be as effective, if not more effective, than other treatments such as mindfulness for anxiety [7]. Indeed, hypnosis reduced anxiety symptoms even better when combined with other psychological interventions (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy; CBT). This suggests that the hypnosis might even be more helpful if you are already receiving treatment for anxiety.

Although not tested directly on COVID-19-related distress, hypnosis has been demonstrated to effectively decrease stress related to medical procedures [8]. Several studies have found that self-hypnosis training not only reduces stress but could negate the stress-related impact on the immune system and enhance immune function [6] [9].

Why is hypnosis a better alternative for anxiety?

One in 12 adults in the U.S. takes anti-anxiety medication (anxiolytics, sedatives, and soporifics) [10]. Such drugs come with a variety of risks and side effects. For example, they may cause injurious falls and increased risk of fractures in aging adults [11], risk of negative outcomes after surgery [12], and risk of preeclampsia in women with early pregnancies [13]. Not only that, anti-anxiety medication use is associated with an increased mortality rate [14]. Long-term use of anti-anxiety medication can lead to drug habituation, resulting in needing more of the drug to get the same benefits. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the treatment need for and abuse of benzodiazepines (a common family of drugs for anxiety) tripled between 1998 and 2008 [15]. One factor that can lead to long-term use of anti-anxiety medication is low resilience to stress [16].

Apart from anti-anxiety medication, people might self-medicate (attempt to reduce their symptoms independently) with or without prescribed substances to manage their stress and anxiety symptoms. For example, more than 18% of those with a clinical generalized anxiety disorder self-medicate with alcohol.

Hypnosis is safer than most medications, easy to try, and significantly reduces anxiety even if you are already receiving relevant treatment [7,9].

Bottom Line

Hypnosis can effectively reduce anxiety and stress symptoms, potentially even more effectively than other common treatments. The benefits of hypnosis apply in different contexts and are not limited to specific forms of anxiety or stress. Using hypnosis for anxiety may also help you reduce effects of stress on your body, for example by normalizing levels of stress hormones and improving sleep. Given its safety and ease and how prevalent anxiety and stress symptoms are, we strongly recommend that you give it a try.

References

1. Facts & Statistics | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/facts-statistics.

2. Remes, O., Brayne, C., van der Linde, R. & Lafortune, L. A systematic review of reviews on the prevalence of anxiety disorders in adult populations. Brain Behav. 6, e00497 (2016).

3. Boyd, D. Daily Life. The American Institute of Stress https://www.stress.org/daily-life.

4. Cooke, J. E., Eirich, R., Racine, N. & Madigan, S. Prevalence of posttraumatic and general psychological stress during COVID-19: A rapid review and meta-analysis. Psychiatry Res. 292, 113347 (2020).

5. Salari, N. et al. Prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression among the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Glob. Health 16, 57 (2020).

6. Morey, J. N., Boggero, I. A., Scott, A. B. & Segerstrom, S. C. Current directions in stress and human immune function. Curr. Opin. Psychol. 5, 13–17 (2015).

7. Valentine, K. E., Milling, L. S., Clark, L. J. & Moriarty, C. L. The Efficacy of Hypnosis as a Treatment for Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis. Int. J. Clin. Exp. Hypn. 67, 336–363 (2019).

8. Schnur, J. B., Kafer, I., Marcus, C. & Montgomery, G. H. Hypnosis to manage distress related to medical procedures: A meta-analysis. Contemp. Hypn. J. Br. Soc. Exp. Clin. Hypn. 25, 114–128 (2008).

9. Hammond, D. C. Hypnosis in the treatment of anxiety- and stress-related disorders. Expert Rev. Neurother. 10, 263–73 (2010).

10. Moore, T. J. & Mattison, D. R. Adult Utilization of Psychiatric Drugs and Differences by Sex, Age, and Race. JAMA Intern. Med. 177, 274–275 (2017).

11. Bakken, M. S. et al. Risk of hip fracture among older people using anxiolytic and hypnotic drugs: a nationwide prospective cohort study. Eur. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 70, 873–880 (2014).

12. Ward, N. et al. Anxiolytic medication is an independent risk factor for 30-day morbidity or mortality after surgery. Surgery 158, 420–427 (2015).

13. Bernard, N. et al. Use of antidepressants and anxiolytics in early pregnancy and the risk of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension: a prospective study. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 19, 146 (2019).

14. Parsaik, A. K. et al. Mortality associated with anxiolytic and hypnotic drugs—A systematic review and meta-analysis. Aust. N. Z. J. Psychiatry 50, 520–533 (2016).

15. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions for Abuse of Benzodiazepines. https://atforum.com/documents/TEDS028BenzoAdmissions.pdf (2011).

16. Hiyoshi, A. et al. Stress resilience in adolescence and subsequent antidepressant and anxiolytic medication in middle aged men: Swedish cohort study. Soc. Sci. Med. 134, 43–49 (2015).

About the author:

Afik Faerman, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University. He completed his doctoral training in clinical psychology with an emphasis in neuropsychology, and his clinical training at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. Afik’s research centers on identifying key neurocognitive mechanisms in clinical change, focusing on hypnosis, pain, and sleep. His research was supported and acknowledged by the American Psychological Association, the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, and the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis.