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Should we take hypnotherapy more seriously?

Should we take hypnotherapy more seriously?

Author: LSE June 9, 2026 Duration: 33:05
LSE IQ podcast
Education

From stage-show stereotypes to life-changing treatment, this episode explores the science - and the myths - behind hypnosis and hypnotherapy. We uncover extraordinary stories of addiction recovery, pain relief, and everyday healing from a form of talking therapy that remains widely misunderstood.

Asking whether we should take hypnotherapy more seriously, Joanna Bale talks to LSE anthropologist Dr Nick Long, who spent 18 months researching hypnosis and hypnotherapy in Indonesia. There, hypnotic practices are woven into everyday life - used in classrooms, homes and communities to calm, encourage and connect. In the UK, by contrast, hypnotherapy remains marginalised and constrained by cultural suspicion, despite recognition from the NHS.

Joanna also speaks to Amanda Joy, who left the NHS to retrain as a hypnotherapist after witnessing hypnosis succeed in relieving pain where conventional medicine had failed. And Sarah Ibrahim shares a moving personal account of how hypnotherapy helped her break free from a cocaine addiction that had gripped her for two decades.

These powerful first-hand testimonies help to illuminate what hypnosis really is, what it might be capable of, and why we may be too quick to dismiss it.

Contributors

Nick Long

Amanda Joy

Sarah Ibrahim

Research

Suggestions of power: searching for efficacy in Indonesia’s hypnosis boom by Nick Long

Therapeutic aQompaniments: Walking together in hypnotherapy—and ethnography by Nick Long


Each month, the LSE IQ podcast poses a single, compelling question about the forces shaping our world. Produced by the LSE Film and Audio Team, it draws directly on the rigorous and diverse thought found at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Rather than broad surveys, each episode focuses deeply on one intelligent query, bringing in leading social scientists and specialists to unpack it from multiple angles. You’ll hear nuanced conversations that go beyond headlines, exploring the research and evidence behind issues in economics, politics, and society. The discussions are grounded in academic expertise but designed for anyone curious about how complex systems actually work. Tuning into this podcast means getting a clearer, more thoughtful understanding of the ideas and debates that define our times, all through the lens of cutting-edge social science. It’s a monthly opportunity to engage with serious inquiry, making the often-abstract tangible and relevant.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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