It's all in the science
Discover our pioneering research and clinically backed studies.
Reveri is rooted in nearly 50 years of clinical research and hundreds of research papers. We distill it all into a world class experience for you.
Reveri’s Founder, Dr. David Spiegel, has authored more than 400 research papers. He’s considered the global authority on clinical hypnotherapy.
The clinical research papers
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Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal
We show that breathwork, especially the exhale-focused cyclic sighing, produces greater improvement in mood (p < 0.05) and reduction in respiratory rate (p < 0.05) compared with mindfulness meditation. Daily 5-min cyclic sighing has promise as an effective stress management exercise.
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Hypnosis: The Most Effective Treatment You Have Yet to Prescribe
Despite robust evidence for myriad ailments and sound mechanistic data, hypnosis is underused by internists. Using hypnosis fulfills our pledge to abide by evidence-based treatments that alleviate suffering with the least collateral harm, but there is a discrepancy between its benefits and physicians who offer the treatment. Although hypnosis may appear in the medical curricula at academic powerhouses like Baylor, Harvard, Columbia, and Stanford, hypnosis training is rare even at these institutions. Here is why a modern resurrection of the oldest Western form of psycho- therapy should inspire internists to get trained and offer medical hypnosis broadly.
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Shared cognitive mechanisms of hypnotizability with executive functioning and information salience
Our results indicate an inverse relationship between trait hypnotizability and perseveration, an executive function that utilizes regions of both the executive control and the salience systems. This suggests that hypnotizability may share a common cognitive mechanism with error evaluation and implementation of logical rules.
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Hypnosis and mindfulness: experiential and neurophysiological relationships
The neural and phenomenological overlap between hypnosis and mindfulness is reviewed in this chapter. The historical emergence of hypnosis and mindfulness in their respective applications to modern medicine and psychology are discussed. Hypnosis is defined as a form of effortless, absorbed awareness with a present moment focus in which imaginative or visual percepts are often prominent. Mindfulness is specified as a broad construct that encompasses an array of meditative practices, the states of awareness supported by those practices, and an enduring trait derived from long-term practice. The overlap between hypnosis and mindfulness is discussed in terms of their respective positions along four dimensions: effort, attention, continuity of awareness, and agency.
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Grief and Heartbreak on the Brain
What is the science of heartbreak? Learn how how our brains process emotional pain, mirroring physical discomfort, and the transformative power of neuroplasticity. Discover the psychological parallels between romantic loss and substance withdrawal, the impact of grief on mental health, and how hypnosis can pave the way for healing and growth.
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On the Safety of Hypnosis
When done correctly and responsibly, hypnosis is safer than many medications people often take to address similar concerns. There is very little evidence to suggest risks in hypnosis, and it is mostly based on clinical anecdotes.
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On the Brain's Activity during Hypnosis
Hypnosis is a skill your brain can use to help make changes in your behaviors, thoughts, and emotions safely and effectively. The brain decreases the monitoring and management of information coming from the senses, reduces mind-wandering, and changes its reasoning and planning strategies to fit the hypnotic suggestions given during the session.
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On Hypnosis for Stress and Anxiety
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.
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On Hypnosis and Genetics
Several genes have been linked to hypnotizability. However, our genetics affect only a portion of our ability to respond to hypnotic suggestions, among various other factors. Undergoing hypnosis sessions has been linked to the activation of genetic programs related to a healthy immune response, stem cell growth, reduced inflammation, and decreased stress.
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On Hypnosis for Sleep
Hypnosis offers an effective way to reduce sleep symptoms; it is safer than sleep medication and has been shown to significantly improve sleep quality, reduce sleep difficulties, fatigue, and insomnia-related emotional distress, and increase deep sleep. Hypnosis is not sleep, but you can indeed sleep on it.
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On Hypnosis vs. Placebo
Hypnosis and placebo share common ground in expectancy – expecting them to lead to an effect can increase the extent of their effects. However, evidence from several studies suggests that hypnosis and placebo are separate, building on a key conceptual difference: placebo responses are based on simple expectation, while hypnosis involves learning to focus on and deliberately alter perception and physiological response.
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On Hypnosis and Performance
Hypnosis is used by several top athletes and performers around the world. Hypnosis offers a variety of ways to improve performance across various skills. For example, hypnosis can help increase focus, facilitate learning, and intensify practice through visualization. Hypnosis can also reduce performance anxiety, negative thought patterns, and other potential barriers to doing your best.
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On Hypnosis and Weight
Hypnosis can be very effective in reducing and maintaining weight and improves weight outcomes when added to other psychological treatments. Hypnosis can help you change behaviors that interfere with managing your weight and improve your relationship with your body, reduce inflammation, and improve your overall quality of life even if you do not lose a significant amount of weight.
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On Hypnosis and Smoking Cessation
Hypnosis can be an effective approach to reducing tobacco use and maintaining abstinence. Hypnosis is likely more effective than common drugs and counseling for smoking cessation and can enhance their effects when combined with those approaches. Given the effectiveness, safety, and ease of use of hypnosis, and considering the devastating health effects of smoking, we strongly recommend hypnosis for smoking reduction and cessation.
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On Hypnosis for Pain
Hypnosis is one of the best drug-free treatments for pain management. Hypnosis can reduce pain sensation, and in addition it can also reduce the distress and negative emotions associated with experiencing it. At a time when there are more than 100,000 drug overdose deaths per year in the United States, two-thirds of them caused by opioids [9], hypnosis is safer than most pharmacological treatments for pain, can reduce the need for such medication, and can be more effective than common pain treatments.
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On Hypnotizability
Hypnotizability is our ability to experience changes in response to suggestions in hypnosis. It is impacted by psychological, biological, and social factors and can help us estimate how much a person can benefit from hypnosis. While most people score as hypnotizable, even those with low hypnotizability can benefit from hypnosis. Don’t get hung up on your score – give it a try! Whatever the outcome, your experience will enhance your ability to address and resolve problems.
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On Hypnosis and Depression
Hypnosis can be very effective in reducing symptoms of depression such as negative expectations and low energy. It is likely as effective as mainstream psychological treatments for depression, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, may decrease the likelihood of relapses, and has fewer side effects than most psychiatric drugs.
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