Entering a hypnotic state

To start with, Dr Spiegel helps you to enter a hypnotic state by following a three-step process. This process forms the beginning of most of the sessions.

On the count of one, you look upwards
On two, you close your eyes and take a deep breath
On the third count, you release the breath, allow your eyes to relax and imagine your body is floating. Then, you allow your arms to float in the air

In the stress session I took on, Dr Spiegel then prompted me to think of a screen: on one side, there should be the thing I’m stressing about most right now, and on the other, there should be a potential solution. After asking me to visualise both of these separately, the screen was then split in two, and I was asked to turn my focus towards the solution.

The app prompts you to measure whatever issue you’re facing both before and after the session, to see whether you experience any improvement. After my first session, my stress level went down by one point – I didn’t feel hugely different, but I did feel a bit more prepared to face the stressor I focused on during the exercise.

I also tried a session on being present (which was helpful for getting out of my head), as well as what Dr Spiegel calls a ‘micro-hypnosis’ – a one-minute exercise that allows you to reap some of the benefits of hypnosis without entering a full hypnotic state. The one I chose was on embracing discomfort, and while I can’t say I noticed a difference after doing it, it was nice to sit still for a minute and focus on one thing.

Could self-hypnosis really be the next big thing in stress management? We put it to the test