Can hypnosis help manage MS symptoms? I tried it live with Dr. Spiegel.

Figuring out how to manage MS symptoms sometimes means dipping my toe into unconventional waters. While I’m not going anywhere near bee-sting therapy, I do believe in lifestyle modifications and complementary therapies when it comes to managing my MS. I know that exercise improves MS outcomes and that social capital has a direct impact on my wellbeing. I don’t think kale cures anything (okay, maybe scurvy), but I do believe in a (mostly) whole foods diet. My MS has benefited from a holistic approach that includes things like probiotics, adaptive horseback riding, and neurostimulation therapy.

So, when the Reveri team reached out to see if I would be interested in exploring self-hypnosis to help manage MS symptoms, I was curious. That the hypnotist in question would be an internationally renowned psychiatrist and not some circus carny gave me the confidence to say, why the heck not? Let’s see what hypnosis can do for MS.

I got hypnotized. Live.

Being hypnotized kind of felt like guided meditation, but more intentional. I was fully aware the whole time. I felt present, but like, really relaxed? I was surprisingly chill considering the number of internet eyes watching me throughout the experiment (fortunately, I’m not a mouth-breather) and I noticed an immediate reduction in my chronic pain perception.

You can watch the webinar and my hypnosis sesh with Dr. Spiegel here. Spoiler: there were no swinging pendulums, I did not bark like a dog. This was not some Vegas side-show and I never felt like my mind was being controlled. Dr. Spiegel is a respectd physician. If you want to see me speak in tongues you have to pay extra for that.

Introducing Reveri

If you’re wondering if hypnosis can help you manage your own MS symptoms the good news is you don’t need a private (but also super public) audience with Dr. Spiegel to try self-hypnosis…there’s an app for that!

Reveri is a science-backed, self-hypnosis tool grounded in decades of research. The app was created by Dr. Spiegel and his team at the Stanford School of Medicine and provides the kind of hypnosis that’s used in clinical settings to help manage symptoms like pain, anxiety and sleep disorders in all kinds of patient populations including MS.

What makes the self-hypnosis app Reveri so cool?

The hypnotizability test

Short, focused hypnosis

I asked Dr. Spiegel about the difference between meditation and hypnosis and he explained that hypnosis takes less time than meditation which is a big plus in my book, and while meditation is about observing and accepting, hypnosis seeks to change things. Naturally, I’m a fan of anything that might give me a sense of control over what often feels like an out of control disease.

Most of Reveri’s self-hypnosis exercises are ten minutes or less. This feels doable even when I’m tired, cog-foggy, or let’s be real, just feeling lazy.

Dr. Spiegel in the house

Dr. Spiegel guides each hypnosis session. His soothing voice is calm, clear and credible. Think, Morgan Freeman meets your favourite podcast cohost, but with less swearing. (Shout out Alex Hajjar!)

Interactive hypnosis

Reveri engages users mentally and physically during self-hypnosis sessions. Dr. Spiegel says you can use the techniques anywhere (unless you’re like, driving a car). That said, you will probably want to use the app somewhere quiet and private lest someone see your eyes roll back into your head and worry you’ve been possessed. I forgot to ask Dr. Spiegel if my arm floating around like a balloon counts as physiotherapy so I’m gonna assume the answer is yes.

Hypnosis has no weird side-effects

I like to echo Dr. Aaron Boster’s three rules about complementary MS therapies: it can’t be too expensive, it can’t be dangerous, and it can’t be used instead of something known to work.

Self-hypnosis isn’t designed to treat your underlying MS – that’s what DMTs (disease modifying therapies) are for. Hypnosis doesn’t claim to prevent MS attacks. The hope is that hypnosis can be a tool, an add-on option for managing MS symptoms and encouraging recovery when relapses happen. ✅

Reveri is safe. There are no negative side-effects associated with self-hypnosis. Even if you aren’t among the most hypnotizable, Reveri’s sessions provide solid, soothing advice. (I found the insomnia sesh particularly wise and helpful). ✅

Affordability is different for every individual and something we each need to assess for ourselves. Reveri is a subscription based app that comes with a free 7-day trial where you can poke around and find out your hypnotizability score before committing. Plans are monthly or yearly and Trippers can receive a 30% discount off an annual or lifetime plan using the code STRENGTH30. ✅

What MS symptoms can hypnosis help with?

Reveri’s self-hypnosis sessions can help manage insomnia, stress, chronic pain, fatigue and cog-fog. It can even help with breaking habits like smoking, which is particularly important as research shows that smoking accelerates MS progression. The self-hypnosis techniques can be applied to almost any MS symptom.

It’s a hypnosis party and you’re invited!

MS can feel unrelenting and traditionally available treatments for symptoms like chronic nerve pain, fatigue, neurogenic bowel and wonky balance are…limited. Reveri won’t replace your meds but its self-hypnosis sessions offer a low-risk, non-invasive research-backed option that just might have a place in your arsenal of resources to help manage MS.

Curious? To learn more and to sign up for Reveri with the exlusive Tripping on Air discount click here.

Have you tried hypnosis to help manage MS symptoms? How’d you make out? Lemme know in the comments!

p.s

You’re now fully relaxed. Your limbs are heavy. Your mind is open…open to the possibility of buying my book! Fallosophy is available wherever books are sold. Already read it? You are getting very sleepy…and compelled to leave a 5-star review. Thank you!!!