Cell Reports Medicine
January 1, 2023
Melis Yilmaz Balban, Eric Neri, Manuela M. Kogon et al.
261 citations
A month-long remote randomized controlled trial compared three daily five-minute breathwork exercises—cyclic sighing (prolonged exhalations), box breathing (equal inhale, hold, exhale), and cyclic hyperventilation with retention (longer inhales, shorter exhales)—against mindfulness meditation. Cyclic sighing produced greater improvements in mood and greater reductions in respiratory rate than mindfulness meditation. The findings suggest that brief, exhale-focused breathwork may be an effective stress management tool.
Cerebral Cortex
December 16, 2019
Danielle D. DeSouza, Katy H. Stimpson, Laima Baltusis et al.
26 citations
Hypnotizability, a stable trait in adulthood, is linked to the concentration of the neurotransmitter GABA in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). In healthy individuals, higher ACC GABA levels were positively associated with higher hypnotizability scores measured by the Hypnotic Induction Profile. An exploratory analysis also found a negative relationship between glutamate levels and the absorption and imaginative involvement subscale of the Dissociative Experiences Scale. These findings suggest a neurobiological basis for individual differences in hypnotic responsiveness, which may help explain variability in treatment outcomes for hypnosis-based psychotherapies.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
November 30, 2016
David Spiegel
13 citations
No Summary
npj Mental Health Research
January 31, 2026
Clayton Olash, Derrick Matthew Buchanan, Randi Brown et al.
1 citation
A single open-label magnesium-ibogaine treatment prompted four recurring experiential themes among 30 male U.S. Special Operations veterans with TBI and PTSD: guided replay of autobiographical memories that allowed trauma reappraisal; altered-self and mystical connectedness; emotional resolution marked by surges of forgiveness, love, and renewed purpose; and embodied healing with a vivid sense of neural repair, cognitive clarity, and somatic relief. These themes describe an accelerated, self-directed psychotherapeutic process that aligns with previously reported clinical improvements in the same cohort, suggesting mind-body mechanisms involving rapid neuroplastic change.
medRxiv Preprint Server
April 19, 2026
Cameron C. Glick, Saad Pirzada, Shaun K.l. Quah et al.
preprint
A scalable, low-burden behavioral intervention using ultra-brief, remotely delivered meditation was tested in a randomized controlled trial with multimodal outcome assessment under real-world conditions. The intervention aimed to address rising subclinical mental health symptoms, though the abstract does not report specific findings or effect sizes.
Depression and Anxiety
April 1, 2013
David Spiegel
Hypnosis can help manage anxiety disorders and anxiety related to medical illness by modulating perception in the brain, particularly through the dorsal anterior cingulate gyrus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The review discusses anxiety as a mind/body problem with reverberating interaction between mental and physical distress. Hypnotizability is a stable trait that varies among individuals. Analogies between hypnosis and dissociative reactions to trauma are presented, and uses in treating posttraumatic stress disorder, stressful situations, and phobias are reviewed. Effects on control of somatic processes and psychosocial support involving Supportive-Expressive Group Therapy and hypnosis on survival time for cancer patients are also evaluated.