Critics often dismiss hypnotherapy as “fake” or entirely placebo-driven.
Oakley & Halligan (2013) showed hypnosis produces measurable neurophysiological changes, including altered connectivity between executive control networks and pain perception regions.
This is not merely belief or expectation; hypnotic suggestion actively modifies brain processing.
Hypnotic analgesia, for instance, is distinct from relaxation or placebo; it modulates pain pathways in the brain.