Does app-based self-hypnosis lower stress? What 84,000 users showed

What the study was

Stanford researchers analyzed usage data from Reveri, a self-hypnosis app, focusing on its “Manage Stress and Anxiety” sessions. Users rated their stress on a 10-point scale right before and right after each session. In total the data covered 84,395 people and 282,893 sessions.^[1]

This was a retrospective observational study. Nobody was randomly assigned to anything; the researchers looked at what users did and reported.

What it found

Here is what the data showed:^[1]

• Stress fell after every one of the first 10 sessions, by about 1.4 to 1.6 points on average. In effect-size terms (Cohen’s d around 0.7 to 0.8), that is a moderate-to-large short-term change.
• More than half of users only did one session. People who did one session and people who came back both saw similar drops at their first session.
• Bigger drops went with interactive and regular-length sessions, higher measured hypnotizability, older age, and paying membership. The link with hypnotizability was small.
• Only ten users out of 84,395 reported worsening symptoms or other problems, all minor.

Why to read it with care

The authors list several limitations themselves:

• No control group. Sitting quietly or listening to calming audio might lower a stress rating too.
• Stress was a single 10-point rating, not a validated multi-question scale.
• Demographic data were limited, and the study can’t say how many users had a clinical anxiety problem.

There is also a conflict of interest to know about. The senior author, Dr. David Spiegel, co-founded Reveri, which collected the data. Stanford’s conflict-of-interest office reviewed the study, and faculty with no ties to Reveri oversaw the analysis.^[1]

What it means for app-based hypnosis

The authors describe this as the first study of app-delivered hypnosis for stress at this scale, and the in-session drop in stress was consistent, with very few problems reported. It is encouraging, but it answers “do people feel calmer right after a session?” more than “does regular use reduce stress over time?”. The second question still needs randomized trials.

Hypnova is a different app, and this data says nothing specific about it. For a trial that did test an app against a therapist, see our write-up of the 2026 IBS trial.