Jay Shetty & Dr. David Spiegel ON 10-Minute Hypnosis Hack

What if the key to healing trauma, reducing stress, and managing pain is already within you? Could hypnosis be the game-changer you’ve been searching for?

In this On Purpose episode, Jay Shetty sits down with Dr. David Spiegel, a leading psychiatrist and expert on hypnotherapy with over 45 years of experience in this field. Founder of Reveri, the world’s first interactive self-hypnosis app, Dr. Spiegel reveals how hypnosis (a natural and self-directed process) helps individuals reframe trauma, reduce stress, and manage pain.

From empowering a war veteran to overcome trauma to improving sleep and chronic pain for countless individuals, Dr. Spiegel shares the success stories of his patients. Discover how focused relaxation and heightened attention can reshape your responses to life’s challenges and open new paths to healing and self-awareness.

What Is Hypnosis?

Dr. David Spiegel defines hypnosis to Jay Shetty as one of the oldest forms of psychotherapy. It is a state of highly focused attention where you become absorbed in the moment, like getting lost in a captivating movie. When you find yourself in this state of narrow awareness, you dissociate from external distractions, allowing yourself to suspend habitual thoughts and behaviors.

Hypnosis is similar to meditation and mindfulness, yet it enables users to explore new ways of being by temporarily disconnecting from their ordinary sense of self. Dr. Spiegel emphasized that the true purpose of hypnosis lies in its potential to drive personal transformation. Contrary to popular belief, it is not about losing control but gaining it. Through self-hypnosis, you can manage pain, improve sleep, and reduce stress by shifting your focus.

Dr. Spiegel explains to Jay Shetty that hypnosis helps manage stress by breaking the physical feedback loop that intensifies it. You can regulate your responses and approach challenges more effectively by visualizing calming scenarios and focusing on bodily sensations. Hypnosis emerges as a tool to harmonize mind-body interactions, offering a means to navigate and reshape your experiences.

How the Brain Reacts to Hypnosis

Dr. David Spiegel explains to Jay Shetty the neurobiology of hypnosis, based on over a decade of research using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Hypnosis impacts the brain in three key ways:

1. Activity decreases in the anterior cingulate cortex, part of the salience network that detects potential threats. This reduced activity allows you to focus on your experience without anxiety, similar to the calming effects of anti-anxiety medications but achieved naturally. Highly hypnotizable people exhibit more of the neurotransmitter Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in this region, enhancing their ability to reduce stress and anxiety.

2. Hypnosis strengthens the connection between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the insula, a brain region central to mind-body regulation. This connection enhances control over bodily functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and digestion. For instance, participants in hypnosis experiments were able to stimulate or suppress gastric acid secretion simply by imagining or avoiding food. This process increases interoception, the awareness, and regulation of bodily states.

3. Hypnosis reduces activity in the posterior cingulate cortex, part of the default mode network associated with self-reflection and identity. By quieting this "self-critical" region, you can explore new behaviors and reactions without being constrained by habitual thought patterns. This change-inducing process resembles the effects observed in meditation and even psychedelic experiences, opening a pathway for personal change and growth.

How Hypnotizable Are You?

Dr. David Spiegel discusses the extent to which hypnosis can affect people and tests Jay Shetty's hypnotizability through a live demonstration. While acknowledging that hypnosis allows for heightened suggestibility and focus, Dr. Spiegel emphasizes that it is not about losing control but rather gaining it. Highly hypnotizable individuals may be more susceptible to influence but also better equipped to recognize and manage their own tendencies.

During the demonstration, Jay Shetty focused on sensations in his left hand and felt a tingling and lightness, describing the hand as seemingly detached and less under his control compared to his right hand. When instructed to let his hand float or return to a resting position, he noticed a sense of "puppet strings" guiding its movement.

Jay reflects on the surprising nature of the sensations, like an external force influencing his hand’s position. Dr. Spiegel clarifies that these sensations stem from heightened focus and suggestibility during hypnosis. The exercise proved how hypnosis can create physical responses and its potential for deeper self-awareness and control over the body and mind.

How Hypnosis Feels Like

During the hypnosis session, Jay Shetty experienced a floating sensation in his left hand, which he described as lighter, tingling, and feeling almost independent of his control. When asked to bring his hand down, it instinctively rises back up, surprising Jay and challenging his expectations of his body’s responses. He compares the sensation to “puppet strings,” feeling physically and intuitive in nature.

After returning to his previous state of mind, Jay Shetty observed the differences between hypnosis and mindfulness - hypnosis involves immediate physical changes rather than meditative stillness. Dr. Spiegel explains that the mind-body connection can be altered very quickly. Yet he emphasized that hypnosis is a tool for discovering your innate abilities, not about yielding control to another. For skeptics, Dr. Spiegel added that the genuine nature of hypnosis lies in how your body responds beyond mere compliance.

Hypnosis and Memory

Dr. David Spiegel told Jay Shetty that hypnosis is a tool for unlocking untapped mental abilities, much like teaching mindfulness. It helps you expand your perception and control, and it enables you to reassess life’s experiences and use your brain more effectively. This natural ability is not implanted by the hypnotherapist but discovered within a remarkable potential of our mind.

Hypnosis can also influence memory, helping people recall details they might not consciously remember. For example, hypnosis assisted a school bus driver in recalling a license plate number, leading to the conviction of kidnappers. Yet he warns against seeing it as a "truth serum" but rather as a way to manage the emotional implications of past events.

Dr. Spiegel shared with Jay Shetty a case of a woman who survived an attempted rape and how hypnosis reframed her trauma - by placing her in a safe mental space, she not only revisited the event but also recognized her courage in fighting back. This shifted her perception from guilt to pride in her survival instincts. The hypnotherapist compares this process to the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken objects are repaired with gold, symbolizing strength and newfound beauty in imperfection.

Self-Hypnosis App

Dr. Spiegel explained to Jay Shetty how self-hypnosis tools, such as his app Reveri, can effectively address common issues such as insomnia, pain, and stress. The app's interactive design provides personalized instructions, making it as close to a live session as possible, and allows users to practice independently.

Self-hypnosis can offer significant relief for everyday challenges, while more severe conditions (such as PTSD) may benefit more from the in-person guidance of a hypnotherapist. Analyzing the data from Reveri, Dr. Spiegel observed that four out of five users experienced a notable improvement within the first 10 minutes.

Our brain has the power to reframe stress without the risks associated with medications like opioids. Hypnosis is not only safe but can deliver immediate results, making it a valuable and accessible option for mental and physical health management.

Rewiring the Mind

Dr. David Spiegel shares with Jay Shetty the case of a Vietnam veteran who experienced profound healing through hypnotherapy. The veteran had suffered a breakdown during the war, hijacking an ambulance and firing at people he believed were enemies. During hypnosis, he relived the traumatic moment of finding the body of a boy he had informally adopted, who was killed in a bombing. Deeply emotional, the veteran could grieve the loss and appreciate the happy moments they had spent together.

Over time, the veteran practiced self-hypnosis, using the technique to cope with loss. Despite another hospitalization after a family tragedy, he later thrived, mentoring adolescents in long-distance cycling. Dr. Spiegel told Jay Shetty how hypnosis can help people navigate intense emotions, integrating grief and love due to the brain's capacity for healing and transformation.

Hypnotizability Is Set by Age 21

Dr. David Spiegel explains to Jay Shetty that hypnotizability varies, with 20% of adults being highly hypnotizable, 60% moderately so, and 20% not very receptive. Children inherently live in a highly imaginative, hypnotic state until about the age of six. Their hypnotic capacity may diminish as they age and develop formal reasoning skills. Highly hypnotizable people, called "poets," can fully immerse themselves in experiences, while "researchers" tend to analyze and evaluate situations, limiting their hypnotic engagement.

While hypnotizability is a stable trait, research shows even those less receptive can benefit from techniques like self-hypnosis and guided applications like the Reverie app.¹ Dr. Spiegel told Jay Shetty that focusing on positive outcomes rather than avoidance improves effectiveness, such as encouraging smokers to respect their bodies rather than condemning cigarettes.

Hypnosis Is a Tool

Hypnosis can empower people by giving them control over their own minds and bodies. Dr. Spiegel shared with Jay Shetty that it can also support pain management, relaxation, focus, and physical responses, benefiting professionals such as athletes and performers.

Moreover, the hypnotherapist explained that hypnosis is a natural brain function that allows us to modulate sensations and emotions, improve focus, and build better relationships with our own bodies. He believes it is essential to make hypnosis accessible, which was his motivation behind creating the Reveri app. 

More From Jay Shetty

Listen to the entire On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast episode on “Dr. David Spiegel ON 10-Minute Hypnosis Hack to Rewire Your Brain & Reduce Stress 80% Faster” now in the iTunes store or on Spotify. For more inspirational stories and messages like this, check out Jay’s website at jayshetty.me.

‍¹Rosendahl J, Alldredge CT, Haddenhorst A. Meta-analytic evidence on the efficacy of hypnosis for mental and somatic health issues: a 20-year perspective. Front Psychol. 2024 Jan 8;14:1330238. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1330238. PMID: 38268815; PMCID: PMC10807512.