Hypnotherapy has been used therapeutically for many years, but an important question remains: does it actually work?

The answer from modern research is increasingly encouraging. A growing body of peer-reviewed research, including systematic reviews, meta-analyses and randomised controlled trials, has investigated hypnosis and hypnotherapy for a wide range of psychological and physical conditions.

The research does not suggest that hypnotherapy is a cure-all, nor should it. Different conditions have different levels of supporting evidence. However, research has found potentially useful effects in areas including anxiety, stress, IBS, pain, migraine, sleep difficulties, medical procedure anxiety and some other conditions.

A major 2024 review examined meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials published over approximately two decades. The authors concluded that hypnosis has demonstrated efficacy across a range of mental and physical health problems, while also identifying areas where further high-quality research is required.

This page brings together some of the published research behind hypnotherapy and provides links to the original scientific papers.

Hypnotherapy and Anxiety

Anxiety is one of the areas in which hypnosis has been investigated relatively extensively.

A 2019 meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis examined 15 studies incorporating 17 trials. At the end of treatment, the researchers found a mean weighted effect size of 0.79, indicating a substantial reduction in anxiety compared with control conditions. At the longest available follow-up, seven trials produced an even larger mean weighted effect size.

Interestingly, hypnosis appeared to be particularly effective when combined with other psychological interventions rather than being used entirely on its own.

This is an important finding because hypnotherapy does not necessarily have to be viewed as an isolated technique. It can incorporate relaxation, therapeutic suggestion, imagery and other established psychological approaches.

Research:
The Efficacy of Hypnosis as a Treatment for Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis – PubMed

A separate review of hypnosis for anxiety- and stress-related disorders also concluded that there was compelling evidence for hypnosis in reducing state anxiety and in several anxiety-related conditions, while recommending further research into disorders such as generalised anxiety disorder.

Hypnotherapy and Stress

Stress is another area where hypnosis may be particularly relevant.

A multicentre randomised controlled trial involving 95 participants investigated a five-session group hypnosis programme for people experiencing increased perceived stress.

Following treatment, the hypnosis group reported significantly lower stress levels than the control group. Improvements were also seen in quality of life and self-efficacy, with some benefits remaining at 12-week follow-up.

This provides more than anecdotal evidence because the study used a randomised controlled design.

Hypnotherapy may be particularly useful where stress is associated with persistent physical tension, worrying, difficulty relaxing or an inability to mentally switch off.

Research:
Group Hypnosis for Stress Reduction and Improved Stress Coping – PubMed

IBS and Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy

Of all the areas discussed on this page, IBS is one of the most extensively researched applications of hypnotherapy.

Gut-directed hypnotherapy is designed specifically around the relationship between the brain and digestive system. This is sometimes referred to as the gut-brain axis.

A major 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis examined 12 studies involving 1,158 people with IBS. All 12 studies found gut-directed hypnotherapy to be superior to the comparator treatment, while nine reported statistically significant results.

The meta-analysis also found a significant improvement in pain compared with comparator groups.

An earlier systematic review and meta-analysis examined seven randomised controlled trials involving 374 IBS patients. It found a significant improvement in abdominal pain at three months and greater improvement in overall gastrointestinal symptoms in most of the trials.

Another 2021 systematic review included 12 trials and investigated how the delivery of hypnotherapy influenced outcomes.

There is also long-term research into gut-directed hypnotherapy, making IBS one of the particularly interesting areas for anyone wanting to understand the evidence behind clinical hypnotherapy.

Research:
2025 Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy for IBS – PubMed

The Efficacy of Hypnotherapy in the Treatment of IBS – PubMed

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Hypnotherapy for IBS – PubMed

Hypnotherapy and Migraine

Migraine is a neurological condition that can be extremely disabling. Although medical treatment remains important, researchers have also investigated hypnosis as a complementary approach.

A 2026 systematic review examined nine studies involving 406 adults with migraine. The researchers found consistent evidence that hypnosis could reduce migraine symptoms, although they also identified methodological weaknesses in the existing studies and called for better-designed research.

This is an excellent example of how research should be presented honestly. The findings are encouraging, but the authors themselves acknowledge that the evidence base still needs strengthening.

An earlier systematic review published in 2018 also examined hypnosis for headache disorders.

Research:
Medical Hypnosis for Migraine Management – 2026 Systematic Review

Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Hypnosis for Headache – PubMed

Hypnotherapy and Insomnia

Sleep problems can become self-perpetuating. Worrying about not sleeping can increase mental alertness, which makes falling asleep more difficult.

Research has examined whether hypnosis can help interrupt this cycle.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials found that hypnotherapy significantly shortened the time required to fall asleep compared with a waiting-list control, although the researchers noted limitations in the available evidence.

A later systematic review examined 44 studies involving hypnotherapy and sleep disturbance and concluded that the findings were promising while again calling for more high-quality research.

Research:
Hypnotherapy for Insomnia – Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Systematic Review of Hypnotherapy for Sleep and Sleep Disturbance

Hypnosis and Pain

Pain is another area with a substantial research base.

A comprehensive 2021 meta-analysis examined 42 studies incorporating 45 trials of hypnosis for clinical pain. The researchers found medium-sized effects, with participants receiving hypnosis experiencing less pain than control participants.

Another meta-analysis examined 85 controlled experimental trials involving more than 3,600 participants and found evidence for analgesic effects associated with hypnosis.

This does not mean hypnosis should replace appropriate medical investigation or treatment. Rather, it suggests that hypnosis may be useful as part of a broader approach to pain management.

Research:
Hypnosis and the Alleviation of Clinical Pain – Comprehensive Meta-Analysis

Hypnotherapy and Phobias

Phobias require slightly more careful consideration.

There is strong evidence for psychological treatments such as exposure-based therapies for specific phobias, while the research specifically investigating hypnosis for general phobias is comparatively limited.

However, hypnosis has been investigated in particular types of phobia and fear.

For example, a 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis examined 19 clinical trials involving interventions for dental anxiety and phobia. The researchers described the findings concerning hypnosis as promising, although there was considerable variation between studies.

A much larger 2024 systematic review examined 173 randomised controlled trials relating to dental anxiety, dental trait anxiety and dental phobia. Moderate-certainty evidence supported hypnosis for reducing state anxiety during oral surgery.

This suggests that hypnosis may have a useful role in particular fear and anxiety situations, but it would be inappropriate to claim that hypnosis has conclusively been shown to eliminate every type of phobia.

Research:
Hypnosis and Dental Anxiety and Phobia – Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Interventions for Dental Anxiety and Phobia – 2024 Systematic Review

Hypnosis and Medical Procedure Anxiety

Hypnosis has also been extensively investigated in hospitals and medical settings.

A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials involving 34 studies and 2,597 patients found beneficial effects associated with hypnosis during medical procedures, including reductions in emotional distress, pain and medication requirements.

A more recent systematic review and meta-analysis examined 20 randomised controlled trials involving 1,250 patients undergoing invasive procedures. Hypnosis significantly reduced anxiety and pain compared with standard care.

These findings are particularly interesting because they demonstrate that hypnosis is not restricted to the traditional image of a therapy session. Clinical hypnosis has also been studied as a practical intervention within conventional medical environments.

Research:
Hypnosis in Adults Undergoing Surgery or Medical Procedures – Meta-Analysis

Hypnosis for Invasive Medical Procedures – 2025 Meta-Analysis

Hypnotherapy and Self-Confidence

Research into general self-confidence is smaller than the evidence for IBS, pain or anxiety, but there are interesting findings relating to self-esteem and self-efficacy.

A randomised controlled study involving people who had completed cancer treatment investigated a group intervention combining self-hypnosis and self-care. The intervention produced improvements in self-esteem and emotional wellbeing compared with a wait-list control.

Other research has examined self-hypnosis and self-efficacy in performance settings.

It would therefore be more accurate to say that hypnosis may support confidence, self-esteem and self-efficacy in certain circumstances, rather than claiming that research has definitively established hypnotherapy as a treatment for low self-confidence.

Hypnotherapy and Smoking Cessation

Smoking cessation is an area where the research is particularly interesting because the evidence is mixed.

A recent systematic review published in 2025 examined 63 papers relating to hypnotherapy and smoking cessation. A proportion of the studies reported positive outcomes, suggesting that hypnotherapy may have potential.

However, the Cochrane review of hypnotherapy for smoking cessation found insufficient reliable evidence that hypnosis was superior to other interventions or no treatment.

This is precisely why evidence-based information should acknowledge both sides.

Hypnotherapy may help some people stop smoking, but it would be inappropriate to tell every smoker that hypnosis is guaranteed to work.

Research:
2025 Systematic Review of Hypnotherapy for Smoking Cessation

Cochrane Review – Hypnotherapy for Smoking Cessation

What Does the Overall Evidence Tell Us?

The research paints a much more interesting picture of hypnotherapy than the old-fashioned image of hypnosis as entertainment.

There is peer-reviewed evidence investigating hypnosis across a surprisingly broad range of conditions.

Some areas have particularly substantial evidence:

• IBS and gut-directed hypnotherapy

• Clinical pain

• Anxiety

• Stress

• Medical procedure anxiety and pain

• Sleep disturbance

Other areas have encouraging but less extensive evidence:

• Migraine

• Phobias

• Self-esteem and self-efficacy

• Depression

• Menopausal symptoms

• Smoking cessation

The strength of evidence varies, and further research is still required in many areas.

That is not a weakness of hypnotherapy. It is simply the reality of clinical research.

Good evidence-based practice means being able to say where the evidence is strong, where it is promising and where the evidence remains uncertain.

A Growing Evidence Base

One of the most useful recent publications is the 2024 review by Rosendahl and colleagues, which examined meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials investigating hypnosis for mental and physical health problems over approximately 20 years.

The authors concluded that the research provides evidence for the efficacy of hypnosis in a range of health conditions while also identifying important gaps in the literature.

That is perhaps the most sensible way to view modern hypnotherapy.

It is neither a miracle cure nor something that can simply be dismissed as having no scientific basis.

It is a therapeutic approach that has been, and continues to be, investigated scientifically.

As research develops, our understanding of where hypnosis can be most useful will become clearer.

Selected Peer-Reviewed Research Library

Below is a selection of papers that provide a useful starting point for anyone wanting to investigate the evidence for themselves.

General evidence

1. Meta-analytic Evidence on the Efficacy of Hypnosis for Mental and Somatic Health Issues: A 20-Year Perspective – 2024
   Read the paper on PubMed

2. The Efficacy, Safety and Applications of Medical Hypnosis – systematic review
   Read the paper on PubMed

Anxiety and stress

3. The Efficacy of Hypnosis as a Treatment for Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis
   Read the paper

4. Hypnosis in the Treatment of Anxiety- and Stress-Related Disorders
   Read the paper

5. Group Hypnosis for Stress Reduction and Improved Stress Coping
   Read the randomised controlled trial

IBS

6. Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy for IBS – Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, 2025
   Read the paper

7. The Efficacy of Hypnotherapy in the Treatment of IBS – Meta-Analysis
   Read the paper

8. Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Hypnotherapy for IBS
   Read the paper

9. Hypnotherapy for IBS – Systematic Review
   Read the paper

Migraine and headache

10. Medical Hypnosis for Migraine Management – 2026 Systematic Review
    Read the paper

11. Systematic Review of Hypnosis for Headache
    Read the paper

Insomnia and sleep

12. Hypnotherapy for Insomnia – Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
    Read the paper

13. Systematic Review of Hypnotherapy for Sleep and Sleep Disturbance
    Read the paper

Pain

14. Hypnosis and the Alleviation of Clinical Pain – Comprehensive Meta-Analysis
    Read the paper

15. Hypnosis for Musculoskeletal and Neuropathic Chronic Pain – Meta-Analysis
    Read the paper

16. Effectiveness of Hypnosis for Pain Relief – 85 Controlled Trials
    Read the paper

Phobias and dental anxiety

17. Hypnosis for Dental Anxiety and Phobia – Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
    Read the paper

18. Interventions to Reduce Dental Anxiety and Phobia – 2024 Review
    Read the paper

Medical procedures

19. Hypnosis in Adults Undergoing Surgery or Medical Procedures – Meta-Analysis
    Read the paper

20. Hypnosis for Invasive Medical Procedures – Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
    Read the paper

Smoking cessation

21. Hypnotherapy for Smoking Cessation – 2025 Systematic Review
    Read the paper

22. Cochrane Review – Hypnotherapy for Smoking Cessation
    Read the review

Wider clinical applications

23. The Efficacy, Safety and Applications of Medical Hypnosis
    Read the systematic review

24. Hypnotherapy for Smoking Cessation, Sleep, Pain and the Potential of Hypnosis Apps
    Read the article

A Final Word About the Research

Research is constantly evolving. New studies may strengthen, modify or sometimes challenge what we currently believe about a particular application of hypnotherapy.

For that reason, the most responsible approach is not to promise that hypnosis will work for everyone.

Instead, the evidence suggests that hypnosis can be a useful therapeutic intervention for a range of psychological and physical problems, with particularly encouraging evidence in areas such as IBS, anxiety, stress, pain and some sleep difficulties.

If you are considering hypnotherapy, it is worth discussing your individual circumstances with a suitably qualified practitioner and, where appropriate, your GP or other healthcare professional.

The research provides a foundation.

The therapeutic relationship, the individual circumstances of the client and the way hypnotherapy is applied are also important parts of the picture.