Listed below is a comprehensive collection of over 300 scholarly and peer-reviewed research articles, catalogued alphabetically by presenting issue, that provide valuable insight into hypnosis and its clinical applications (updated spring 2026). This library has been updated to reflect the current evidence base, which has grown substantially — research publications in clinical hypnotherapy have increased at an average annual rate of 8.5%, reaching a record 134 publications in 2022 alone.

In 2021, the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) identified hypnotherapy as a treatment approach with “high programmatic priority” and issued its first dedicated funding opportunities since 2015. The agency formally recognizes evidence for hypnosis in treating IBS, chronic pain, PTSD, and hot flashes. The research below spans all of these areas and more.

Three foundational resources for further exploration:

1. Dr. David Spiegel, Chair of Psychiatry at Stanford University, has devoted his career to researching over 7,000 patients using fMRI to explore how hypnosis works in the brain. His findings reveal significant changes in brain activity, pain receptivity, and the potential to replace opioids with hypnosis for pain management.

2. A landmark 2024 umbrella review in Frontiers in Psychology analyzed 49 meta-analyses encompassing 261 distinct randomized controlled trials. It found that over 28% of measured outcomes showed large effect sizes, with the most robust evidence in medical procedures (79 studies) and pain management (65 studies).

3. Time Magazine highlights the scientific validity of hypnosis for smoking cessation, anxiety, pain, weight loss and PTSD.

Hypnosis is a very powerful means of changing the way we use our minds to control perception and our bodies.
— David Spiegel, MD

Academic Performance (see also: Stress & Anxiety)

Addiction

Aging

Agoraphobia

Allergies

Anxiety

The Efficacy of Hypnosis as a Treatment for Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis  17 trials. Average participant receiving hypnosis reduced anxiety more than 79% of control participants. Effect size grew further at follow-up.

Hypnotherapy for Anxiety, Cardiovascular Disease and Mental Health: A Review (Frontiers in Psychology, 2024) Reviews hypnotherapy’s role in treating anxiety and its downstream effects on cardiovascular health, smoking, and adherence to treatment

Athletics (see Sports Performance)

Alzheimers & Dementia

Bruxism (Teeth Grinding)

Burns

Cancer

Cataracts

Child Birth or HypnoBirthing: (See Motherhood, Fertility, Perinatal, and Childbirth)

Depression

Diabetes

Erectile Dysfunction

Fears & Phobias (for Agoraphobia, see above)

Flow State

Glaucoma

Healing (see pain)

Headaches

Hemophilia

HIV

HPV

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Memory

Hypnosis for Menopause & Hot Flashes

Motherhood, Fertility, Perinatal and Childbirth

Multiple Sclerosis

Overactive Bladder

Pain

Panic Attack

Parkinson’s Disease

Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (PGAD)

PTSD

Sleep

Smoking Cessation

Sports Performance

Stress & Anxiety

Strokes

Stuttering

Surgery and Speed Healing

Tinnitus

Tourettes Syndrom / Tics

Trichotillomania

Vomiting

Warts

Weight Loss

Other