Mapping EEG-based hypnosis research: A bibliometric study.
The American journal of clinical hypnosis November 1, 2025 Martaria Rizky Rinaldi, Gilles Van Luijtelaar, Nida Ul Hasanat et al.
Hypnosis is increasingly studied as a quantifiable neurophysiological process using electroencephalography (EEG). A bibliometric analysis of 135 publications retrieved from Scopus on January 24, 2025, reveals a publication upwelling from 2013 to 2015, followed by stable growth through 2024. The United States, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom lead the field, with Harvard Medical School and the University of Washington as the most prominent institutions. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identified four primary research clusters: neurophysiological mechanisms of hypnosis, clinical applications in pain management and anesthesia, EEG-based markers of hypnotizability, and intersections with sleep and consciousness. Emerging themes include integration of artificial intelligence, neurofeedback, and virtual reality. Methodological inconsistencies in EEG protocols and hypnotic induction techniques limit cross-study comparability.