How Hypnosis May Be More Real, and Powerful, Than You Think

Sanjay Gupta· Host0:02

Hey there. Welcome to Chasing Life. You know, most people think of hypnosis as stage tricks and swinging watches, maybe even people clucking like chickens, and you know what? I thought that too. But I gotta tell you, my views have changed on this. In medicine, clinical hypnosis is something very different than what you might think. New research is showing they can actually show how the brain processes pain, can reduce stress and anxiety, help break bad habits, and even enhance performance. Some Olympians are now using self-hypnosis to sharpen their focus and improve their results. Now, this part may surprise you, but roughly two-thirds of adults are actually hypnotizable, and the percentage for children is even higher than that. I've seen the impact of this up close. I wrote an entire book about pain, and I was so struck by the evidence for hypnosis that I devoted a whole section to how it can help people reframe and reduce their pain experience. Now, to be clear, it doesn't magically erase pain, but it can significantly change the way your brain interprets those pain signals and help you feel more in control, and that's the key. Now, part of the reason I wanted to talk about this today is that despite decades of research, I think hypnosis remains underutilized and misunderstood. So what exactly is hypnosis? What exactly is happening in your brain during hypnosis? Who can benefit? And can you safely