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Why some doctors are reassessing hypnosis

There is growing evidence that it can help with pain, depression and more

an eye shape containing a black spiral on a red background
Illustration: The Economist

TIMES ARE good in the hypnosis business. On YouTube, channels such as UltraHypnosis offer videos featuring candles, swirling patterns and slow voiceovers, with titles like “Hypnosis to Declutter your Mind Before Deep Sleep”. Some have tens of millions of views. At a recent conference of hypnosis experts in California, David Spiegel, one of the speakers, noted the success of his hypnosis app, “Reveri”, which has gained more than 214,000 users in the past year, and 650,000 since its launch in 2020.

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