Manage Depression with Hypnosis
A toolkit in your pocket to help you heal, thanks to clinically-backed neuroscience.
Hypnotherapy sessions to go through your depression.
Grounded in 50+ years of research and clinical experience by Stanford's Dr. David Spiegel.
Clinically backed
67% of members felt better after one 10-minute interactive session
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Our sessions are tailored, and personalized to your goals.
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Manage your depression with hypnosis
Reveri’s clinically-validated self-hypnosis app offers a fast, natural, and proven path to calm your mind and overcome depression.
67% of members who tried one interactive session felt better
with our science-backed sessions. Read more
David Spiegel, M.D.
Associate Chair of Psychiatry
4.6/5 (5,000+ reviews)
Real people. Real relief.
Self-hypnosis for depression
The journey to emotional healing and overcoming depression is a deep transformative journey. As you search for an effective natural approach for depression, safety, effectiveness, and overall benefit are top priorities. Hypnosis is a safe, drug-free natural therapy for depression that can help you rediscover the best version of yourself while achieving overall happiness and wellbeing. The best part is, with our Reveri hypnosis app in your pocket 24/7 - you don’t have to do it alone.
Start your pain free life today
Well done for making it here - that’s a big first step. Hypnosis is rooted in decades of clinical research. See if it can change your life today.
Hypnosis app can help with severe depression
Research has shown hypnosis for depression can be 76% more effective than control conditions, and it does not use any medication. Hypnosis for anxiety and stress is also extremely effective. Hypnosis takes a science-based approach to helping patients, enabling them to achieve holistic wellness with a stronger, healthier mindset and newfound confidence.
FAQ
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Hypnosis is a natural therapy that’s proven effective for reducing depression. Research findings demonstrate that hypnosis patients experienced more reduction in depression than about 76% of patients that received other treatment. Hypnosis is a therapy that focuses the mind on solutions and puts the control back in the hands of the patient. During personalized sessions patients can retrain the mind to focus on things they are for (things that offer pleasure or positivity) moving away from things they are against (negativity, hopelessness, or things causing anxiety or stress). It offers patients a dedicated time to disconnect and reset the mind as they are guided into a highly focused state. Of those who have tried Reveri's Manage Depression exercise, 78% feel a noticeable improvement after just one session.
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Hypnosis is one of the safest therapies for depression. It does not require drugs or medication of any kind. During hypnosis sessions patients are guided into a highly focused state where the subconscious mind is open to receive positive suggestions. Patients do not lose control when hypnosis is properly practiced - in fact, they gain greater control over their mind and body. While hypnosis is a safe and effective therapy, depression is a serious condition affecting approximately 1 in 14 adults in the U.S.
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Using the Reveri hypnosis app for depression you can receive personalized hypnosis sessions at home. With 24/7 access to your personalized toolkit via our app simply choose a 10-minute interactive session and start hypnosis.
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Hypnosis is a natural therapy. During hypnosis sessions, you are guided into a highly focused mental state in which the subconscious mind is more receptive to suggestions and positive change. For example, the belief that one is not good enough can be reprogrammed to establish confidence and a mindshift that you are good enough. In this receptive state, anyone can retrain their mind, reduce emotional pain, and help establish healthier beliefs - all of which can build a foundation to manage depression.
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Individuals seeking natural therapy and stronger mind-body connection are great candidates for hypnosis. The brain is the master regulator of the body; it is connected to every organ in the body. So practicing hypnosis is developing the skill of enhancing your control over your body and mind.
Depression is a broad term or diagnosis that can encompass low mood, loss of interest or pleasure, or both. Whether you’ve been diagnosed or not, or simply want to use hypnosis to improve focus and boost energy, you can achieve immediate results. Compared to antidepressants, hypnosis is a much safer, side effect-free alternative. But hypnosis can also be used in parallel to antidepressants to boost your results. Do not stop taking any medications without first speaking to your healthcare provider.
Research: On hypnosis for depression
Depression is an umbrella term for the presence of several symptoms rooted in dysregulated mood. At its core, depression includes either low mood, loss of interest or pleasure, or both [1]. Among the other experiences people with depression might have are insomnia or hypersomnia, fatigue, lack of motivation or enjoyment, concentration difficulties, changes in appetite and weight, and suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Every year, approximately 1 in 14 adults in the U.S. experience clinically significant depression with significant distress and impairment of life quality and functioning (i.e., Major Depressive Disorder) [1]. Depression rates are three times greater in young adults (18-29 years old) than in older adults (+60) and twofold more common in women than men. Depression rates are on the rise, with significant increases in prevalence from 2005 to 2015 [1] and even higher numbers since the COVID-19 pandemic [2].
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Can hypnosis help with depression?
A recent meta-analysis (a statistical summary of findings across studies) found that people who received hypnosis showed more reduction in depression than about 76% of those who received other task assignments (control conditions) and more than half remained improved at the longest follow-up after the treatment ended [3]. The findings suggested that hypnosis is a very effective approach for reducing depression and appears as effective as common treatments such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) [3]. Additionally, hypnosis for intrusive thoughts can help individuals manage persistent, unwanted thoughts that often accompany depression, providing a valuable tool for calming the mind and improving overall mental well-being.
Hypnosis is particularly helpful in decreasing excessive focusing on distress (i.e., rumination) and may assist in addressing helplessness and hopelessness as well [4]. Moreover, hypnosis can be used to support the learning of new skills, a key aspect of all evidence-based psychological treatments for depression. This improvement also reduces the chance of future episodes of depression [5]. This is understandable because both depression and hypnosis can affect expectancy; depression is associated with expecting negative outcomes or the lack of positive outcomes while hypnosis can be used to improve one’s outlook [5].
Why is hypnosis a better alternative for depression?
More than 1 in 8 adults in the U.S. have used antidepressant medications in the past month. The likelihood of being prescribed an antidepressant increases with age, with the highest among women above 60 (almost 1 in 4) [6]. Of those taking psychiatric medication, more than 4 in 5 people use medication long-term. Long-term use of antidepressants has a wide range of side effects, with potential symptoms such as dry mouth, constipation, weight gain, and sexual dysfunction (depending on the type of drug) [7]. Importantly, the claims that antidepressants work by correcting a neurochemical imbalance (e.g., insufficient levels of serotonin in the brain) have been challenged [8]. Clearly there is a placebo component to antidepressant benefits, for the very reason that there is widespread believe in the efficacy of these medications among doctors and patients. Indeed there is reason to believe that depression might be particularly sensitive to hypnosis because both hypnosis and antidepressant medications work in part through shared mechanisms (e.g., expectancy) [9]. Moreover, hypnosis is safer than most medications and, as noted in The American Journal of Medicine [10], “if hypnosis were a drug, it would be standard of care.”
Bottom Line
Hypnosis can be very effective in reducing symptoms of depression such as negative expectations and low energy. It is likely as effective as mainstream psychological treatments for depression, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, may decrease the likelihood of relapses, and has fewer side effects than most psychiatric drugs.
References
1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition Text Revision (DSM-5-TR). (American Psychiatric Association, 2022).
2. Salari, N. et al. Prevalence of stress, anxiety, depression among the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Glob. Health 16, 57 (2020).
3. Milling, L. S., Valentine, K. E., McCarley, H. S. & LoStimolo, L. M. A Meta-Analysis of Hypnotic Interventions for Depression Symptoms: High Hopes for Hypnosis? Am. J. Clin. Hypn. 61, 227–243 (2019).
4. Yapko, M. Hypnosis in Treating Symptoms and Risk Factors of Major Depression. 30, 14 (2009).
5. Yapko, M. D. Hypnosis in the Treatment of Depression: An Overdue Approach for Encouraging Skillful Mood Management. Int. J. Clin. Exp. Hypn. 58, 137–146 (2010).
6. Brody, D. J. Antidepressant Use Among Adults: United States, 2015–2018. 8 (2020).
7. Bet, P. M., Hugtenburg, J. G., Penninx, B. W. J. H. & Hoogendijk, W. J. G. Side effects of antidepressants during long-term use in a naturalistic setting. Eur. Neuropsychopharmacol. 23, 1443–1451 (2013).
8. Kirsch, I. Antidepressants and the placebo effect. Z. Für Psychol. 222, 128 (2014).
9. Kirsch, I. & Low, C. B. Suggestion in the Treatment of Depression. Am. J. Clin. Hypn. 55, 221–9 (2013).
10. Kittle, J. & Spiegel, D. Hypnosis: The Most Effective Treatment You Have Yet to Prescribe. Am. J. Med. 134, 304–305 (2021).
About the author:
Afik Faerman, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University. He completed his doctoral training in clinical psychology with an emphasis in neuropsychology, and his clinical training at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. Afik’s research centers on identifying key neurocognitive mechanisms in clinical change, focusing on hypnosis, pain, and sleep. His research was supported and acknowledged by the American Psychological Association, the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, and the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis.