S1E36 - David Spiegel - Managing Our Minds
It seems anxiety and depression surround us, and perhaps plague us personally. To help us understand the domain of the mind, we met with pre-eminent Stanford psychiatrist and hypnosis expert, David Spiegel to explore applications of psychotherapy and self-hypnosis. Our hour of conversation proved to be an invaluable primer for everyone, whether we are currently in care, know someone who is, or might find ourselves facing anxiety and depression in the future within ourselves or within a loved one. Spiegel gave us helpful insights on approaching post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, emotional triggers, pain, chronic or terminal illness, and generally managing our mental states to live better lives. We briefly touched upon how his smartphone-based self-hypnosis app, REVERI, makes this healing modality accessible to anyone. Spiegel gave us cautionary advice for loved ones of a person in treatment for anxiety and depression. We also talked about the broader social aspects of psychology, including guns and mass shootings, the scapegoating of mental illness, AI, admissibility in court of hypnosis-based testimony, and much more. Join us.
Biography
Dr. David Spiegel is Willson Professor and Associate Chair of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Director of the Center on Stress and Health, and Medical Director of the Center for Integrative Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he has been a member of the academic faculty since 1975, and was Chair of the Stanford University Faculty Senate from 2010-2011. Dr. Spiegel has more than 40 years of clinical and research experience studying psycho-oncology, stress and health, pain control, psychoneuroendocrinology, sleep, hypnosis, and conducting randomized clinical trials involving psychotherapy for cancer patients. He has published thirteen books, 404 scientific journal articles, and 170 book chapters on hypnosis, psychosocial oncology, stress physiology, trauma, and psychotherapy. His research has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Aging, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Fetzer Institute, the Dana Foundation for Brain Sciences, and the Nathan S. Cummings Foundation. He was a member of the work groups on stressor and trauma-related disorders for the DSM-IV and DSM-5 editions of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. He is Past President of the American College of Psychiatrists and the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis, and is a Member of the National Academy of Medicine. He was invited to speak on hypnosis at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2018.
Conversation recorded on April 14, 2023.
Overview of the Reveri App
Reveri is a clinically-backed self-hypnosis app created by Dr David Spiegel, a world-leading psychiatrist at Stanford University, and Ariel Poler, an investor and technology leader, who has served on the boards of pioneering technology companies, including Strava.
Reveri is built on Dr Spiegel’s 40 years of experience practising clinical hypnosis for a number of therapeutic purposes, including psycho-oncology, stress, pain control, and sleep. His research has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute on Aging. Through the app, members can access interactive, personalized sessions designed and narrated by Dr Spiegel, to help them achieve their goals.
Reveri Program Overview / Content Offering / Goals
Reveri covers 6 goal-based pathways: quit an addiction or bad habit, manage pain perception, reduce stress, improve sleep, enhance focus, and eat better. Each pathway contains a refined selection of exercises members can work through to achieve their aims. Reveri is the only hypnosis app to offer both interactive and listening-only sessions. Interactive sessions mimic an in-person session with Dr Spiegel, adapting to members’ answers and needs in the moment, and are highly effective at providing immediate relief.
In 2023:
94% of users who practised a Pain Management session reported an improvement.
94% of members reported a reduction in stress after a Reduce Stress session.
90% noted an improvement after an Enhance Focus session.
Reveri also includes Dr Spiegel’s proprietary hypnotizability test, which gives members an insight into how their brain functions with relation to hypnosis and how frequently they will need to practise to see the benefits of hypnosis.
Reveri is already helping thousands of people find immediate relief to their problems and make fast progress towards their goals. The immediacy of the product and impact is one of the core unique propositions of hypnosis and we’re excited to take the practice mainstream to support thousands of people live happier, healthier lives.
Pricing
Reveri currently offers new members a 7-day free trial to test out the app. We also offer monthly, annual and lifetime plans. Current pricing available here.
Reveri for Good
We offer discounts and scholarships on our yearly membership through our Reveri for Good program. This is primarily for students, educators, and people who want to use Reveri to achieve their goals that do not have the financial means to pay full price for a subscription.
Reveri is available to download on both IOS and Android, and more information can be found at: