My Research Projects

An Overview of My Projects

Hypnosis in an Individual Therapeutic Setting

  1. Successful Treatment of Anxiety and Stress-Related Issues in Patients
  2. Research and publications, particularly on the topic of using suggestions of safety under hypnosis to combat anxiety and stress
    1. In this study, I used hypnosis to induce a sense of security in participants and linked that feeling to a post-hypnotic cue: a slip of paper with the letter “S” for “security.” Participants then used this “S” slip to help them feel secure during a stress test. During the test, they had to conduct a job interview and perform mental arithmetic aloud in front of a panel of judges wearing white lab coats. Participants who used the “S” note during the stress test felt only half as stressed afterward and during the recovery period that followed. Even a week later, the “S” note still had a calming effect, and the participants who used it during the stress test had fewer negative thoughts about their own performance. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-54071-3
    2. In this study, I used hypnosis to induce a sense of security in participants and linked that feeling to a post-hypnotic cue. This cue was a piece of paper with the letter S for “security.” Participants then used this “S” note to feel safe while playing a game of chance. They no longer distinguished between large and small monetary winnings, as could be seen from their brain responses, measured using EEG. The “S” note continued to convey a sense of security even weeks after the hypnosis session: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/psyp.14015
    3. In this study, I induced a sense of security in participants under hypnosis. Afterward, they played a game in which they could win money either immediately or in six months. When the participants felt secure, it didn’t matter to them whether they received the money now or in six months, as could be seen in their brain responses, measured using EEG: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-81572-2
    4. In this study, I induced a sense of security in participants under hypnosis. Afterward, they played a game of chance in which they could win money. When the participants felt secure, the money was less important to them, as could be seen in their brain responses, measured using EEG: https://academic.oup.com/cercorcomms/article/1/1/tgaa050/5894596?login=false
    5. In this study, I suggested to participants under hypnosis that they had earplugs in their ears and could no longer hear anything. The results show that the brain’s processing of sounds was drastically altered, as measured by EEG: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0240832
    6. In this experiment, I suggested to participants under hypnosis that they had a wooden board in front of their eyes and could not look at the screen in front of them. The results show that the brain’s processing of the images was significantly altered, as measured by EEG: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-05195-2
    7. Here is a summary of my work on the topic of hypnosis: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.917139/full

Hypnosis in the Clinic

  1. Continuing education for clinical staff at Heidekreis Klinikum in Walsrode and at Erlangen University Hospital
  2. Online Training for Anesthesiologists:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvlkb87cjfo&t=3372s
  3. Supporting a patient undergoing weaning to help them overcome their anxiety and breathe on their own again. Featured here in a television segment and live interview titled “Hypnosis as a Form of Therapy” on the show “Punkt 12” on RTL on July 30, 2021
    https://www.rtl.de/videos/hypnose-als-therapieform-6107f7f23ef07e2b300adfa2.html
  4. Research and publications on hypnosis, particularly on the topic of using suggestion to instill a sense of security under hypnosis to combat anxiety and stress
    1. Here, we supported patients in the intensive care unit by instilling a sense of security while they were on mechanical ventilation. This helped them accept the ventilation more readily, reduced their anxiety, and made them feel better overall:
      https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00134-021-06364-8
    2. In a recent research project, we tested the effectiveness of hypnotic childbirth preparation using Kristin Graf’s *Die Friedliche Geburt*:
      https://die-friedliche-geburt.de/
    3. Here, we tested a hypnosis intervention to prepare children aged 3–6 for tonsillectomy/adenotomy:
      https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10265951
    4. In a recent study, I am investigating whether hypnosis helps patients undergoing weaning to reduce anxiety and resume breathing on their own more quickly

Hypnosis in Schools

  1. Presentation and Demonstration of Hypnosis to Students at the Emil-von-Behring School in Geislingen
  2. Research Project on Reducing Math Test Anxiety Using Hypnosis:
    https://hypnosestudie-mathematikangst.jimdosite.com/

Hypnosis in Sports

  1. Support for biathletes at the Olympic Training Center in Freiburg im Breisgau
  2. Research Project on Reducing Anxiety Among Professional Downhill Mountain Bikers:
    https://zenodo.org/record/7837241#.ZD0yBvbP1PY

Hypnosis in Science

  1. Workshop on “Presenting Your Own Research in 3 Minutes to a Non-Specialist Audience” as part of the SIPS Summer School in Duisburg on May 10, 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMMoAJ321Gk&t=25s
  2. Panel Discussion “#IchBinHanna Wants to Speak Out!” on December 3, 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVi4tz0x2zc

My Profile on Google Scholar

Welcome to my Google Scholar profile! My research focuses on reducing anxiety and stress through hypnotherapy interventions. My work focuses on improving well-being in intensive care units, reducing preoperative anxiety in children, alleviating test and competition anxiety, and enhancing grip strength and memory performance through hypnosis.

I collaborate with the Department of Psychiatry at Jena University Hospital on projects involving the use of hypnosis to support alcohol withdrawal and electroconvulsive therapy. Explore my publications and research projects!

My Scholar Profile

Nothing beats a person's own motivation when it comes to changing behavior. Hypnosis is a valuable tool in making that change a reality.