Hypnosis for Stress: What Nine Trials Show
Oct 22, 2026The original paper
Fisch S, Brinkhaus B, Teut M. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2017. Hypnosis in patients with perceived stress – a systematic review
Read the original paper on the publisher's site →
Summary
This systematic review gathered every randomised trial of hypnosis for people with perceived stress — nine trials with 365 participants, mostly students.
Six of the nine trials found that hypnosis significantly reduced stress compared with control groups. Effects on immune markers were mixed. The authors are honest that the studies were small and had a high risk of bias, so they call the overall picture promising but not yet settled.
Key finding
Six of nine randomised trials found hypnosis significantly reduced stress.
Why this matters
Stress is the nervous system stuck in 'on'. Hypnosis is a direct way to show it that it is safe to switch off — and the early research points the same way.
Research is summarised in plain language for a general audience. Hypnotherapy and energy healing are complementary approaches and are not a substitute for medical or psychiatric care.