Self-Repair for Your Mental Health

By David Spiegel, with Sarah Sherwood

In the last decade, it was with curiosity and a healthy ambivalence that I eyed online tools for self-hypnosis when they first appeared. Could online self-help apps, when developed by a qualified professional, deliver something of value to the mental health consumer?

While there is tremendous value in the intense relationship, exploration, and advice about managing problems that in-person and remote psychotherapy provides (I know because I have devoted my career to doing it), there must be elements of various psychotherapeutic techniques that can be taught, learned, and utilized. For example, the rational analysis of feelings and self-evaluation taught by cognitive-behavioral therapists is something that can be learned – indeed ‘homework’ is a crucial part of the treatment.

The fields of psychology and psychiatry have been no exception to the trend of introducing more private, personalized self-care; however, self-help technology should never replace traditional therapy when it’s needed, but it can provide powerful support when used wisely.

Indeed, I have always known that hypnosis is powerful and rapid in its effect. Unfortunately, it is often mistakenly believed that hypnosis always requires in-person care. In fact, what is needed is intense focus, dissociation, and cognitive flexibility[1] – in a sense, hypnosis is self-hypnosis, even when guided by a professional.

Because there is so little oversight of mental health apps, it is important to choose an app that is transparent about how your data is collected and utilized. It is also critical that there is clear communication about what the app can actually do for you so that you understand why you are using it. It should be built upon the foundation of clinical experience and careful research evaluation. You want to make sure it is safe, that it works for you, and has sufficient evidence.

Tiago’s story

Tiago is a scientist who is committed to his own healing and health. He works as a neuroscience researcher, and through his own studies of hypnosis, he learned how to help limit cravings and manage his weight. He has also used a self-hypnosis app to manage his anxiety. When he was first introduced to his preferred program, Tiago put it to the test, having some familiarity since he understands the field. He wanted to calm his own fears, limit the effects of anxiety, and eat more mindfully. Tiago says he had an addiction to chocolate, he ate way too much of it, including the richest and unhealthiest kind.

He also lived with a fear of flying and described it as a true phobia. He wanted to be able to control that as well, as it was a nagging fear and affected his professional life.

“The app helped calm me in all of these areas, especially noticeable with food. I now find I think less about food, I am better at grocery shopping, and I am feeling calmer overall,” Tiago says. “This is because I have become more mindful, more aware, thinking about the script throughout the day. I will eat now in a mindfulness state of awareness, enjoying food more, while eating less.”

What Key Elements Are Provided

Here's how to help prevent certain circumstances from worsening, we can be trained to form better habits and thinking, including:

• Cognitive self-care: Changing your thinking habits and patterns to help improve behavior
• Dialectical behavioral therapy: To better cope and deal with complex emotions, impulses, and situations
• Self-hypnosis: Focus attention on a desired outcome or behavior
• Meditation: Clear the mind of distractions through focus
• Regular relaxation: Deep breathing and other techniques to calm them