Dr. David Spiegel

Yeah, well, I've lived with it for a long time. But we've spent a decade studying what's going on in the brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging techniques. with people who are high and low in hypnotizability in and out of hypnotic states. And we find three things happen in the brain when you go into hypnosis. The first is you turn down activity in the anterior cingulate cortex.

That's part of what we call the salience network. It's a pattern matching region of the brain that says there's something different going on here. Maybe you better look out. So you hear a loud noise and you think, is it a threat? What is it? That's the salience network firing off saying, there may be trouble here, you better attend to it. You turn down activity in that part of the brain.

That's part of what we call the salience network. It's a pattern matching region of the brain that says there's something different going on here. Maybe you better look out. So you hear a loud noise and you think, is it a threat? What is it? That's the salience network firing off saying, there may be trouble here, you better attend to it. You turn down activity in that part of the brain.

The cingulate cortex is like an inverted C right in the middle of the brain, and the front part of it is the salience network. We found that the more hypnotized people felt, the less activity there was in that part of the brain. So you're turning off the home alarm system and just letting yourself experience what you experience.

The cingulate cortex is like an inverted C right in the middle of the brain, and the front part of it is the salience network. We found that the more hypnotized people felt, the less activity there was in that part of the brain. So you're turning off the home alarm system and just letting yourself experience what you experience.

we find actually that the more hypnotizable people are, the more of an inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid, they have in the anterior cingulate. So it's the drug that benzodiazepines, anti-anxiety drugs, actually stimulate GABA receptors. And so that's how we can control ourselves. We can reduce anxiety, but you don't need a drug to do it. You can do it yourself.

we find actually that the more hypnotizable people are, the more of an inhibitory neurotransmitter, gamma-aminobutyric acid, they have in the anterior cingulate. So it's the drug that benzodiazepines, anti-anxiety drugs, actually stimulate GABA receptors. And so that's how we can control ourselves. We can reduce anxiety, but you don't need a drug to do it. You can do it yourself.

The second thing that happens is we have more functional connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on the left and a part of the brain called the insula. It's Latin for island. And it's a little island of tissue in the middle of the front part of the brain that is a mind-body conduit.

The second thing that happens is we have more functional connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on the left and a part of the brain called the insula. It's Latin for island. And it's a little island of tissue in the middle of the front part of the brain that is a mind-body conduit.

So when that connection is happening, you have more ability to control what's happening in your body, to control heart rate and blood pressure, your level of arousal, to control the functioning of the gastrointestinal system. We found that highly hypnotizable people, given a hypnotic instruction to eat an imaginary meal, actually increased their gastric acid secretion by 89%.

So when that connection is happening, you have more ability to control what's happening in your body, to control heart rate and blood pressure, your level of arousal, to control the functioning of the gastrointestinal system. We found that highly hypnotizable people, given a hypnotic instruction to eat an imaginary meal, actually increased their gastric acid secretion by 89%.

We had one subject who was taking a gastronomic tour of the Bay Area, and after about a half an hour of it, she said, let's stop, I'm full, you know, just eating imaginary food. And when they do the opposite, when they relax but think of anything but food or drink, we got a 39% decrease in gastric acid. So the brain has an amazing ability to control what's going on in the body.

We had one subject who was taking a gastronomic tour of the Bay Area, and after about a half an hour of it, she said, let's stop, I'm full, you know, just eating imaginary food. And when they do the opposite, when they relax but think of anything but food or drink, we got a 39% decrease in gastric acid. So the brain has an amazing ability to control what's going on in the body.

That's this prefrontal cortex to insula connection. And also to be more aware of what's going on in the body. We call that interoception. So you enhance your regulation of the body and perception of it.

That's this prefrontal cortex to insula connection. And also to be more aware of what's going on in the body. We call that interoception. So you enhance your regulation of the body and perception of it.

The third one, and I think this might be of special interest to you, Jay, in view of your interest of how we get trapped in notions of ourselves and try to be something we're not and don't focus on the fundamental things. You get inverse connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and the posterior cingulate cortex.

The third one, and I think this might be of special interest to you, Jay, in view of your interest of how we get trapped in notions of ourselves and try to be something we're not and don't focus on the fundamental things. You get inverse connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and the posterior cingulate cortex.

That's a part of the brain that we call the default mode network, where you contemplate who you are, what you are. Instead of what you're doing, when you're not working or doing anything, you're just reflecting. And it's the part of the brain that is the closest probably to what we call the superego in analytic terms, where you're looking at yourself and saying, who am I? Who should I be?

That's a part of the brain that we call the default mode network, where you contemplate who you are, what you are. Instead of what you're doing, when you're not working or doing anything, you're just reflecting. And it's the part of the brain that is the closest probably to what we call the superego in analytic terms, where you're looking at yourself and saying, who am I? Who should I be?

What do I want to be? and so you're to the extent you're engaged in the hypnotic task you're suppressing activity there and that's the football coach dancing like a ballerina you know i don't care i'll just try it anyway and see what it's like now that's silly but if you want people to change