Huberman Lab

Dr. David Spiegel on Huberman Lab: How hypnosis rewires fear

Hypnosis narrows attention to separate thought from all feeling; Reveri protocols cut acute pain, ease stress, and speed relief from phobias and trauma.

AHAndrew HubermanhostDSDr. David Spiegelguest

Nov 27, 2025·34m·Watch on YouTube ↗

📖 CHAPTERS

1. 1
   1:00 – 4:40

   Defining Hypnosis: Focused Attention, Not Loss of Control

   Spiegel introduces hypnosis as a state of highly focused attention, likening it to becoming fully absorbed in a film or sporting event. He contrasts this genuine, therapeutic state with stage hypnosis, emphasizing that clinical hypnosis increases personal control and cognitive flexibility rather than making people vulnerable or foolish.

2. 2
   4:40 – 10:20

   Brain Networks in Hypnosis and Powerful Mind–Body Effects

   The discussion moves into the neuroscience of hypnosis, focusing on changes in the salience network, default mode network, and mind–body control circuits. Spiegel illustrates these changes with a gastric acid study showing that hypnotic imagery can significantly alter digestive physiology, underscoring the brain’s capacity to regulate bodily functions.

3. 3
   10:20 – 17:30

   Hypnosis for Focus, Stress, Sleep, and Phobias

   Huberman asks about practical applications, and Spiegel details how hypnosis can enhance focus, reduce stress, improve sleep, and help with phobias. He explains techniques that decouple bodily stress responses from psychological stress and describes how hypnosis allows people to build new, healthier memory networks around feared situations.

4. 4
   17:30 – 27:30

   State Change, Trauma Processing, and State-Dependent Memory

   Spiegel argues that changes in mental state have intrinsic therapeutic value and illustrates this with trauma work under hypnosis. He describes using dissociative, safe-body imagery to help a woman reprocess an attempted rape, and he connects this to state-dependent memory: matching the dissociative state of the trauma can make accessing and reworking those memories more effective.

5. 5
   27:30 – 32:00

   Reframing Control, Naming, and Longevity of Hypnotic Change

   They revisit the misconception that hypnosis removes control, arguing that it actually enhances voluntary regulation of mind and body. Huberman notes that the term “hypnosis” itself may hinder acceptance, and Spiegel discusses durability of effects, the typical structure of clinical hypnosis, and the complementary role of self-hypnosis and apps like Reveri.

6. 6
   32:00 – 37:00

   Hypnotizability, the Spiegel Eye-Roll Test, and OCD Limitations

   Spiegel explains hypnotizability as a measurable trait, the prevalence of different levels in the population, and how this informs treatment. He describes the Spiegel eye-roll test as a quick proxy for hypnotic capacity and notes that highly obsessional individuals, such as many with OCD, often show low hypnotizability due to overactive evaluative thinking.

7. 7
   37:00 – 43:00

   Facing Problems Voluntarily: Exposure, Mind–Body Framing, and Pain

   The conversation centers on the importance of voluntary, controlled confrontation with fears and stressors rather than avoidance. Spiegel describes using hypnosis to help patients feel in control of when and how they access difficult material, and he extends this logic to reinterpreting pain signals and emotional distress as information and opportunities for action.

8. 8
   43:00 – 48:00

   Hypnosis for Children, Groups, and Medical Procedures

   Spiegel describes how hypnosis can be used safely and effectively in children when given more structure, often involving parents. He shares data from pediatric imaging procedures, and outlines the use of group hypnosis in cancer support, highlighting social and procedural benefits.

9. 9
   48:00

   Breathing, Flow States, and Finding Qualified Hypnosis Practitioners

   In closing, Huberman and Spiegel link hypnosis to breath control and performance flow states, noting that many high performers enter hypnotic-like absorption naturally. They also provide practical guidance on accessing the Reveri app and locating properly trained hypnosis clinicians through professional organizations.