Author(s):
Sheila Menon, Vidya Bhagat
Email(s):
menonsheila@yahoo.com
DOI:
10.52711/0974-360X.2026.00273 
Address:
Sheila Menon1, Vidya Bhagat2
1London College of Clinical Hypnosis Asia, LCCH Asia, 807 Block B Phileo Damansara1, Jalan Damansara, Section 16/11 Petaling Jaya Selangor 46350 Malaysia.
2A.J. Institute of Hospital Management, Mangalore Rajeev Gandhi University, Mangalore 2, India
*Corresponding Author
Published In:
Volume - 19,
Issue - 4,
Year - 2026
ABSTRACT:
Hypnosis has historically been met with scepticism; however, advances in cognitive neuroscience and clinical research increasingly indicate that hypnotic processes involve identifiable neurobiological mechanisms and regulatory dynamics within large-scale brain networks. The accumulating evidence now warrants a clearer scientific account of the mechanisms underlying hypnosis. Aim: To synthesise contemporary evidence on neural, neurophysiological, autonomic, and cognitive mechanisms underlying hypnosis and evaluate their implications for positioning hypnotherapy within mainstream scientific frameworks. Method : A narrative review of 23 peer-reviewed publications (1095–2025) was conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, TRIP, and Google Scholar. Eligible studies examined neuroimaging findings, electrophysiological correlates, functional connectivity patterns, autonomic modulation, and clinical outcomes associated with hypnosis and hypnotherapy. Conclusion : This study concludes that, convergent evidence indicates that hypnosis involves modulation of executive control networks, particularly the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), altered connectivity between executive and sensory systems, and changes in neural oscillatory activity. Neuroimaging and autonomic findings further demonstrate modulation of pain, affective processing, and stress-related physiological responses, with emerging evidence of trait-related differences in intrinsic brain network organisation associated with hypnotisability. Together, these findings suggest that hypnosis functions as a neurocognitive regulatory process in which shifts in attentional organisation modulate the integration of sensory, cognitive, and affective information across distributed brain networks. This supports the conceptualisation of hypnosis as a mechanism-informed neurocognitive process consistent with contemporary neuroscience and highlights the potential for integrating hypnotherapy within neurobiological and cognitive-behavioural models of clinical practice.
Cite this article:
Sheila Menon, Vidya Bhagat. Neurobiological Mechanisms of Hypnosis: A Neurocognitive Framework for Clinical Hypnotherapy. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology. 2026;19(4):1901-6. doi: 10.52711/0974-360X.2026.00273
Cite(Electronic):
Sheila Menon, Vidya Bhagat. Neurobiological Mechanisms of Hypnosis: A Neurocognitive Framework for Clinical Hypnotherapy. Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology. 2026;19(4):1901-6. doi: 10.52711/0974-360X.2026.00273 Available on: https://rjptonline.org/AbstractView.aspx?PID=2026-19-4-62
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