Clinical Neuropharmacology
July 31, 2026
Stephen I Deutsch, Jeffrey Elikan, David Spiegel et al.
Last of the Just, a novel of historical fiction published in 16 languages and recipient of France's highest literary award, is recognized for its scholarly contribution to Holocaust education and conceptualization of the Lamid Vavnik, one of "36 (largely anonymous) Just Men of Jewish Tradition" responsible for sustaining humanity. The book's main character is Ernie Levy, who has clinical...
medRxiv Preprint Server
April 19, 2026
Cameron C. Glick, Saad Pirzada, Shaun K.l. Quah et al.
preprint
Background Scalable, low-burden behavioral interventions are needed to address rising subclinical mental health symptoms. However, few randomized controlled trials have evaluated ultra-brief, remotely delivered, meditation using multimodal outcome assessment under real-world conditions.
npj Mental Health Research
January 31, 2026
Clayton Olash, Derrick Matthew Buchanan, Randi Brown et al.
1 citation
Magnesium-ibogaine, a formulation combining ibogaine with pre- and post-treatment magnesium, was recently found to yield rapid clinical improvements in U.S. Special Operations veterans with TBI and PTSD. Yet, its therapeutic phenomenology during such healing is unknown. We analyzed post-session narratives from 30 male veterans who, after a single open-label magnesium-ibogaine treatment,...
The British Journal of Psychiatry
March 17, 2025
Nirit Soffer-Dudek, Eli Somer, David Spiegel et al.
Maladaptive daydreaming is a distinct syndrome in which the main symptom is excessive vivid fantasising that causes clinically significant distress and functional impairment in academic, vocational and social domains. Unlike normal daydreaming, maladaptive daydreaming is persistent, compulsive and detrimental to one’s life. It involves detachment from reality in favour of intense emotional...
Cell Reports Medicine
2023
Melis Yilmaz Balban, Eric Neri, Manuela M. Kogon et al.
261 citations
Controlled breathwork practices have emerged as potential tools for stress management and well-being. Here, we report a remote, randomized, controlled study (NCT05304000) of three different daily 5-min breathwork exercises compared with an equivalent period of mindfulness meditation over 1 month. The breathing conditions are (1) cyclic sighing, which emphasizes prolonged exhalations; (2) box...
Cerebral Cortex
December 16, 2019
Danielle D. DeSouza, Katy H. Stimpson, Laima Baltusis et al.
26 citations
Hypnosis is the oldest form of Western psychotherapy and a powerful evidence-based treatment for numerous disorders. Hypnotizability is variable between individuals; however, it is a stable trait throughout adulthood, suggesting that neurophysiological factors may underlie hypnotic responsiveness. One brain region of particular interest in functional neuroimaging studies of hypnotizability is...
Cerebral Cortex
August 1, 2017
Heidi Jiang, Matthew P White, Michael D. Greicius et al.
Hypnosis has proven clinical utility, yet changes in brain activity underlying the hypnotic state have not yet been fully identified. Previous research suggests that hypnosis is associated with decreased default mode network (DMN) activity and that high hypnotizability is associated with greater functional connectivity between the executive control network (ECN) and the salience network (SN)....
Depression and Anxiety
April 1, 2013
David Spiegel
In this review, the role of hypnosis and related psychotherapeutic techniques are discussed in relation to the anxiety disorders. In particular, anxiety is addressed as a special form of mind/body problem involving reverberating interaction between mental and physical distress. The history of hypnosis as a therapeutic discipline is reviewed, after which neurobiological evidence of the effect of...
Depression and Anxiety
September 1, 2011
David Spiegel, R. Loewenstein, Roberto Lewis-Fernández et al.
Background: We present recommendations for revision of the diagnostic criteria for the Dissociative Disorders (DDs) for DSM‐5. The periodic revision of the DSM provides an opportunity to revisit the assumptions underlying specific diagnoses and the empirical support, or lack of it, for the defining diagnostic criteria. Methods: This paper reviews clinical, phenomenological, epidemiological,...
Journal of Clinical Psychology
July 2008
Lisa D Butler, Lynn C Waelde, T Andrew Hastings et al.
This randomized pilot study investigated the effects of meditation with yoga (and psychoeducation) versus group therapy with hypnosis (and psychoeducation) versus psychoeducation alone on diagnostic status and symptom levels among 46 individuals with long-term depressive disorders. Results indicate that significantly more meditation group participants experienced a remission than did controls...