Dr. David Spiegel: Using Hypnosis to Enhance Health & Performance

My guest is Dr. David Spiegel MD, Associate Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Director of the Center on Stress and Health and Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Spiegel has more than 40 years of clinical and research experience with hypnosis, stress physiology, and psychotherapy. In this episode, we examine the role of clinical hypnosis for the treatment of trauma, chronic pain, anxiety and more. Dr. Spiegel explains how to determine your level of ‘hypnotizability’ and provides case studies of incredible successes with hypnosis to treat a variety of ailments. We also discuss how breathing, vision and directed mental focus can modulate internal states and enhance performance. Additionally, we discuss how the adoption of self-hypnosis techniques can reduce stress and enhance sleep in anyone. Dr. Spiegel teaches us how hypnosis works at the neural circuit level to enhance cognitive flexibility. Throughout the episode, Dr. Spiegel summarizes key clinical trials and peer-reviewed findings and resources to work with a trained clinical professional or to do guided self-hypnosis.

#HubermanLab #Neuroscience #Hypnosis

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Timestamps:
00:00:00 Dr. David Spiegel MD, Hypnosis
00:04:16 AG1 (Athletic Greens), Thesis, ROKA
00:09:09 Clinical Hypnosis
00:16:45 Stage Hypnosis
00:20:25 Neurobiology of Hypnosis
00:26:04 ADHD
00:28:22 Hypnosis for Stress & Sleep
00:32:12 Hypnosis to Strengthen Neural Connections
00:37:19 Restructuring Trauma Narratives
00:45:14 Ketamine Therapy
00:50:07 Self-directed Hypnosis, Reveri
00:56:53 Eliminating Obsessive Thoughts, Superstitions
01:01:50 ‘Hypnotizability’, the Spiegel Eye-roll Test
01:15:36 EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing)
01:21:43 Confronting Stress & Trauma
01:27:56 The Mind-Body Connection
01:31:35 Dealing with Grief
01:35:45 Hypnosis in Children & Groups
01:40:06 Drug Therapies & Hypnosis
01:42:39 Breathing Patterns, Peak Performance
01:50:00 Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Reviews, Sponsors, Patreon, Thorne, Instagram, Twitter

Please note that The Huberman Lab Podcast is distinct from Dr. Huberman's teaching and research roles at Stanford University School of Medicine. The information provided in this show is not medical advice, nor should it be taken or applied as a replacement for medical advice. The Huberman Lab Podcast, its employees, guests and affiliates assume no liability for the application of the information discussed.

Audio Engineering: Joel Hatstat at High Jump Media

[tylerh]

This podcast is truly my favorite thing about mondays

[halcyon-cgeb]

My son suffered from bad OCD as a teenager. I took him to a hypnotist (not a clinical one) who asked what symptom he would like to get rid off, and he said, the constant tapping. After the session, my son never tapped again. Moral of the story: you will never know if something works unless you try it for yourself.

[ar-xgfs]

Respect and gratitude. I'm a Swiss hypnotherapist, lapping up Huberman Lab podcast and using its content to improve my sessions since 1 year now .

[happyworklifeproject]

I have ADHD and I am also a clinical hypnotherapist. I am extremely hypnotizable and I can also easily put myself under hypnosis and help myself that way. I have also worked with people having diagnosed ADHD and they have all been going into hypnosis. I have found hypnosis, meditation and hypnotherapy extremely helpful with overwhelm, focus, confidence, procrastination and self esteem issues, as well as physical issues, some mentioned here.

[samantha-kemp-therapy]

As a hypnotherapist, I can honestly say there is nothing nicer than seeing someone completely rebalance and reset their system and their perspective on how much control they have to be free of things that are getting ion their way. Its a wonderful modality and Dr Spiegel explains it beautifully.

[jmsee]

Dr Huberman, I don't know how to say/request this in a concise manner so I'm just going to blurt it all out. But before doing so, I wish to express my extreme gratitude for your beautiful heart that gifts us all with your knowledge, kindness, empathy, humor and all else that makes up "you". As do many others, I am greatly in your debt.
So what I would like to request is a segment or series on dementia, caregiving/caregiver burnout, grief (when your loved one is still with us) and self-care. I have given up all that I am to live with and care for my mother and aunt, both of whom have dementia, while also helping my father out. He lives alone down the street and does not drive. I'm also helping with the floundering family business. I wouldn't change any of this for the world, my love for them runs so deep, but I'm finding that the stress is turning me into a different person, someone I'm not very proud of at times. I strive for balance and continue to search for ways to allow for some kind of support as I don't have much at all. Tonight I had a long overdue meltdown which helped lighten some of my load. Can you offer anything in regards to the items I mentioned? So often I feel I am drowning while knowing I need to be my best self for my family.
Thank you again for all that you share. I listen to you on a nightly basis - somehow your words and gentle voice have become the calm in my storm.

[waela]

Andrew has been a true inspiration. I suggest to have an episode on Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and its impact.

[zeropointhypnosis]

As a hypnotherapist (like a lot of us here!) I'm pleased that hypnosis is gaining credibility and scientific validation. Thank you for sharing so people can benefit from this wonderful tool.

[mattbabb.]

I’ve been waiting for this one for over a year. Been studying hypnosis for half a decade and am STOKED to see it get the highlight on such an esteemed podcast as HubermanLab 👏

[Cinerouquine]

Ok can we talk about Dr Spiegel’s soothing bass voice? I could listen to that voice 24/7… Fantastic episode again - and many fabulous tools to try out. I have downloaded the Reveri app for a while but haven’t tried it yet. That just convinced me to make time to implement a little hypnosis sesh in my days.

[allenharrelliii]

I'm a hypnotist and i appreciate the exposure and validation of hypnosis. I heard you mention hypnosis a few years ago and have been listening to you ever since.

[karenhayley]

Just to add to this! I'm a certified practicing Hypnotherapist and I've
had success with clients with both OCD and ADHD.. Just wanted to share in case it's useful for anyone
reading the comments who's experiencing or been diagnosed with either of
these things. Thank you for a wonderful podcast! Karen

[anshultheboss]

Dr. Spiegel has such a nice voice. I can get hypnotized very easily.

[memastarful]

You are so kind caring and giving by making these podcast videos available to us all for free. Thank you once again Andrew Huberman 🕯

[jjuniper]

I cannot express how valuable the content of your podcast is to me, personally, in a pithy note, but thank you.

[caronkoumbatis]

I am a hypnotherapist and I’m so pleased Prof Huberman is debunking the common myths around hypnotherapy! Great for our profession.

[intunehypnotherapy]

As a hypnotherapist, I just loved this interview with Dr. Spiegel. Andrew has been an inspiration and I have been learning so much about the neuroscience behind the work that I do. I am so pleased that hypnosis is finally getting the recognition it deserves.

[kaylolittlejohn]

I absolutely love Reveri. Many people may not know this about Reveri but in spirit of the zero cost ethos of the podcast: they have instructions on their website in order to request a free or reduced priced membership if prohibitively expensive for you.

Personally, I paid for the lifetime membership as I found it within my budget, have great respect for Dr. Spiegel's research, and have received great benefit from his scripts. I did consider requesting a free membership due to price but ultimately paying was the right decision for me as I assessed that I could afford it. Huge thank you and upmost respect to Dr. David Spiegel for his research efforts and continuing to make this a zero cost resource for those who truly cannot afford it!

[calebthomas]

I know you have touched on it, but I wondered if you would be interested in doing an episode on rest and recovery for your brain? I used to do bodybuilding, so I know how important it is to rest your body correctly. I’ve always been confused about how to know when you're genuinely mentally exhausted(not just giving up), do you need to rest your brain(other than a healthy sleep schedule), do you need full rest days for your brain like you need for muscle or is it all taken care of during sleep? I’ve watched almost all of your videos and looked through them all, trying to find this info. If I missed something let me know! You have literally changed my life! Thank you for being interested in teaching science!😜

[hopedavey]

After using Reveri for several months I recovered from a nasty C.diff diagnosis. I used the pain and stress scripts daily. I’m now C. diff free and so grateful for this tool! Thanks to you both!