Does Hypnosis Work?

The Studies

Hypnosis Subjects Lost More Weight Than 90% of Others and Kept it Off
University of Connecticut, Storrs Allison DB, Faith MS. Hypnosis as an adjunct to cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy for obesity: a meta-analytic reappraisal. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1996;64(3):513-516.

Journal of Clinical Psychology, 41 (1), 35-41

Seventeen to sixty-seven year olds took part in a treatment for weight management either with or without the addition of hypnosis. In total 107 people participated. Following the end of the nine week study, both groups achieved significant weight reduction. However, at the eight month and two year follow up, only the hypnosis group showed significant additional weight loss.

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. Volume: 54 489-492

Investigated the effects of hypnosis in weight loss for 60 females, at least 20% overweight and not involved in other treatment….hypnosis was more effective than a control group (17 vs. .5 pounds on follow-up).

Cochrane, Gordon; Friesen, J. (1986). Hypnotherapy in weight loss treatment.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 489-492.

A study of 60 women separated into hypnosis versus non-hypnosis groups, the groups using hypnosis lost an average of 17 pounds, while the non-hypnosis group lost an average of only .5 pounds

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1996

A meta-analysis, compared the results of hypnosis weight loss treatments across a number of studies and showed that with the addition of hypnosis weight loss increased by an average of 97% during treatment, and even more importantly increased the effectiveness after treatment by 146%.

Hypnosis Over 30 Times as Effective for Weight Loss
Cochrane, Gordon; Friesen, J. (1986). Hypnotherapy in weight loss treatment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 489-492.

Our Hypnotherapy Weight Loss Programs

Hypnosis Studies Other Than Weight Loss

81% Reported They Had Stopped Smoking After Hypnosis
Texas A&M University, System Health Science Center, College of Medicine, College Station, TX USA. Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2004 Jan;52(1):73-81.

90.6% Success Rate for Smoking Cessation Using Hypnosis University of Washington School of Medicine, Depts. of Anesthesiology and Rehabilitation Medicine, Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2001 Jul;49(3):257-66. Barber J. 87% Reported Abstinence From Tobacco Use With HypnosisPerformance by gender in a stop-smoking program combining hypnosis and aversion. Johnson DL, Karkut RT. Adkar Associates, Inc., Bloomington, Indiana. Psychol Rep. 1994 Oct;75(2):851-7. PMID: 7862796 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Hypnosis More Effective Than Drug Interventions For Smoking Cessation
Ohio State University, College of Nursing, Columbus, OH 43210, USA Descriptive outcomes of the American Lung Association of Ohio hypnotherapy smoking cessation program. Ahijevych K, Yerardi R, Nedilsky N.

Hypnosis Patients Twice As Likely To Remain Smoke-Free After Two Years
Guided health imagery for smoking cessation and long-term abstinence. Wynd, CA. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2005; 37:3, pages 245-250.

Hypnosis Most Effective Says Largest Study Ever: 3 Times as Effective as Patch and 15 Times as Effective as Willpower.

Hypnosis is the most effective way of giving up smoking, according to the largest ever scientific comparison of ways of breaking the habit.
University of Iowa, Journal of Applied Psychology, How One in Five Give Up Smoking. October 1992.
(Also New Scientist, October 10, 1992.)

Hypnosis More Than Doubled Average Weight Loss

Kirsch, Irving (1996). Hypnotic enhancement of cognitive-behavioral weight loss treatments–Another meta-reanalysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64 (3), 517-519.

Hypnotherapy group with stress reduction achieved significantly more weight loss than the other two treatments.
J Stradling, D Roberts, A Wilson and F Lovelock, Chest Unit, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, OX3 7LJ, UK

Hypnosis can more than double the effects of traditional weight loss approaches
University of Connecticut, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology in 1996 (Vol. 64, No. 3, pgs 517-519).

Weight loss is greater where hypnosis is utilized
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (1996)

Hypnosis Reduces Frequency and Intensity of Migraines
Anderson JA, Basker MA, Dalton R, Migraine and hypnotherapy, International Journal of Clinical & Experimental Hypnosis 1975; 23(1): 48-58.

Hypnosis Reduces Pain and Speeds up Recovery from Surgery
[Hypnosis and its application in surgery] Faymonville ME, Defechereux T, Joris J, Adant JP, Hamoir E, Meurisse M, Service d’Anesthesie-Reanimation, Universite de Liege, Rev Med Liege. 1998 Jul;53(7):414-8.

Hypnosis Reduces Pain Intensity
Dahlgren LA, Kurtz RM, Strube MJ, Malone MD, Differential effects of hypnotic suggestion on multiple dimensions of pain. Journal of Pain & Symptom Management. 1995; 10(6): 464-70.

Hypnosis Reduces Pain of Headaches and Anxiety
Melis PM, Rooimans W, Spierings EL, Hoogduin CA, Treatment of chronic tension-type headache with hypnotherapy: a single-blind time controlled study. Headache 1991; 31(10): 686-9.

Hypnosis Lowered Post-treatment Pain in Burn Injuries
Patterson DR, Ptacek JT, Baseline pain as a moderator of hypnotic analgesia for burn injury treatment. Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology 1997; 65(1): 60-7.