What does neuroscience reveal about how hypnosis actually works?

The answer

Neuroimaging has confirmed that hypnosis produces measurable brain changes distinct from relaxation or pretending. A 2016 Stanford study using fMRI identified three hallmark changes in hypnotized brains: decreased activity in the dorsal anterior cingulate (reducing self-awareness), increased connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and insula (enhancing mind-body control), and reduced connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and default mode network (diminishing self-reflection). Approximately 10-15% of adults are highly hypnotizable, with the trait linked to specific variations in the COMT gene affecting dopamine metabolism. Hypnosis has demonstrated clinical efficacy for chronic pain (reducing it by 29-42%), irritable bowel syndrome, and surgical anesthesia. During the 19th century, surgeon James Esdaile performed over 300 major operations using hypnosis as the sole anesthetic.