mindsetalex
Joined 8 years ago
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Jan 12
Recent submissions
Comment · 6 years ago
Comment · 6 years ago
When we raised our seed we had already launched two mobile apps and had existing user data (as well as being based on an existing study).
Comment · 6 years ago
Interesting review! I agree that the use of the word 'trance' isn't accurate nor beneficial for describing hypnosis.
I found their conclusion interesting: "We have argued that hypnosis does not produce a trance or ASC clearly distinguishable from nonhypnotic experiential states, but that hypnotic interventions, nevertheless, can initiate a broad array of alterations in consciousness". So essentially they're arguing that although it's not a distinct altered state of consciousness, it can trigger changes to consciousness?
I haven't heard of the CSTP - will definitely check it out, thanks! Could imagine a world where you use techniques such as these at the beginning of a program to enhance the effectiveness of the program.
I wouldn't necessarily take that away from the study - acting on the same brain area doesn't necessarily mean it's 'kind of imagination', instead that it could just work on similar brain areas as automaticity (or perceived automaticity).
Comment · 6 years ago
The state vs non-state discussion is still ongoing. The Stanford study linked above highlighted that there is a change in brain activity during hypnosis but there is also evidence for the non-state theories around expectancy, perception etc.
When I say 'state', I don't necessarily mean a distinct cognitive state, instead, I'm describing the characteristics: heightened suggestibility induced by expectation and focused attention.
Comment · 6 years ago
If you're interested in our science, here's the RCT our app is based on: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/apt.13706
Comment · 6 years ago
Good question! There have been some studies looking into hypnosis for trichotillomania (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11417149/) which found it was helpful but there needs to be more studies into the area. On a cognitive level, I could imagine why it would be an effective treatment tho.
Comment · 6 years ago
Hypnosis is simply a state of heightened focus and suggestibility, nothing more. The misconceptions you're familiar with are unfounded but understandable.
We work with respected doctors and researchers and are evidence-focused (Nerva is based on an RCT and we're in the early stages of our own study).
I do think our website is pretty respectable: https://www.mindsethealth.com
Comment · 6 years ago
Sorry was this our site or TechCrunch?
Comment · 6 years ago
That's stage 2 of our roadmap
Comment · 6 years ago
We actually have a course on procrastination (by a different practitioner, not Dr Yapko) but you'll have to learn to like your job yourself haha.
Comment · 6 years ago
Hey HN, I'm Alex. I’m the co-founder of Mindset Health, a digital health startup that makes hypnosis-based management programs for chronic health conditions.
Hypnosis get’s a bad rap but it’s essentially just a state of focused attention and absorption where you become more suggestible. It’s an experiential learning state that amplifies therapeutic techniques, from CBT to visualization and direct suggestion.
If you’re interested in learning more, here’s a recent study from Stanford on the brain areas activated during hypnosis: (https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2016/07/study-identif...) and a meta-analysis on hypnosis as an adjunct to CBT vs CBT alone (http://coyoteinstitute.us/Hypnosis%20as%20an%20Adjunct%20to%...).
We work with expert doctors and psychologists to deliver audio hypnotherapy sessions (think goal-orientated guided meditation) through mobile apps for various health conditions, like anxiety and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
I work on Mindset Health with my brother, Chris, and small (but awesome) team based out of Melbourne, Australia. We raised our US$1.1m seed round coming out of Y Combinator and are passionate about empowering people to manage their conditions themselves, from home.
We have two programs at the moment, Mindset for Mental Health and Nerva for IBS.
Mindset is based on the work by Dr Michael Yapko, a world-leading expert in the clinical uses of hypnosis and involves teaching coping skills while in a hypnotic state.
Nerva is based on the work by Dr Simone Peters, who ran a randomized clinical study with Monash University that found her 6-week gut-directed hypnotherapy approach helped 71% of participants improve their symptoms by an average of 62%.
We want your feedback, questions, and ideas. We know the topics of ‘hypnosis’ and ‘hypnotherapy’ bring up questions and skepticism and we’d love to dive deeper into those questions.
Comment · 7 years ago
It’s often hard to know if you need you need help, it’s why we go to a doctor for a checkup - it’s equally important to focus on your mental health as your physical health.
Comment · 7 years ago
It’s the difference between brief therapy, where you’re learning specific coping skills and is much more solution focused, and talk therapy which is much more problem focused.
We have an alert session in Mindset you can try as well. The flow comparison is quite apt.