Yogyakarta, 14 August 2025 – A research team from the Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has once again drawn attention from the global academic community through a bibliometric study mapping global trends in EEG-based (electroencephalography) hypnosis research. The study highlights how hypnosis is increasingly understood as a measurable neurophysiological process.
Published in the prestigious American Journal of Psychology, the research was authored by doctoral student in Psychology, Martaria Rizky Rinaldi, with the supervision team consisting of Dr. Nida Ul Hasanat, M.Si., Prof. Kwartarini Wahyu Yuniarti, M.Med.Sc., Ph.D., and in collaboration with Prof. Gilles van Luijtelaar from the Donders Centre for Cognition, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The team conducted a bibliometric analysis of 135 international Scopus-indexed publications as of 24 January 2025. Using VOSviewer, they identified research trends, leading authors and institutions, country contributions, and keyword networks related to EEG-based hypnosis studies.
The findings show an increase in publication frequency from 2013 to 2015, followed by relatively stable growth from 2016 to 2024. Countries such as the United States, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom dominate the field, with Harvard Medical School and the University of Washington as the leading institutions. Keyword analysis revealed four main research clusters: the neurophysiological mechanisms of hypnosis, applications in pain management and anesthesia, EEG-based markers of hypnotizability, and intersections between hypnosis, sleep, and consciousness. Emerging themes include the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), neurofeedback, and virtual reality (VR).
Despite rapid development, the researchers note remaining challenges, particularly methodological inconsistencies—especially in EEG protocols and hypnosis induction techniques—which make cross-study comparisons difficult. The UGM team calls for methodological standardization to ensure that hypnosis interventions can have a broader real-world impact.
“Hypnosis is not just suggestion; it has a scientific basis that can be traced through brain activity. This is the future of neuroscience-based therapy,” said Prof. Kwartarini.
This study strengthens UGM’s role in advancing brain-technology-based psychology and demonstrates the university’s capacity for global collaboration.
Abstract. Hypnosis, traditionally studied as a psychological phenomenon, is increasingly explored through electroencephalography (EEG) to monitor alterations in brain activity associated with the hypnotic state. This study provides a bibliometric analysis of EEG-based hypnosis research, mapping key trends, contributors, and emerging themes. A Scopus-based bibliometric analysis was conducted on January 24, 2025, retrieving 135 publications using relevant keywords. The study examined publication trends, leading authors, institutions, contributing countries, journal sources, and keyword co-occurrence networks using VOSviewer. Findings show a publication upwelling from 2013 to 2015, followed by stable growth (2016–2024). The United States, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom lead the field, with Harvard Medical School and the University of Washington as the most prominent institutions. Keyword co-occurrence analysis revealed four primary research clusters: (1) neurophysiological mechanisms of hypnosis, (2) clinical applications in pain management and anesthesia, (3) EEG-based markers of hypnotizability, and (4) intersections with sleep and consciousness. Emerging themes include the integration of artificial intelligence (AI), neurofeedback, and virtual reality (VR) technologies. The findings suggest that hypnosis is increasingly conceptualized as a quantifiable neurophysiological process. However, methodological inconsistencies – particularly in EEG protocols and hypnotic induction techniques – limit cross-study comparability. Future research should prioritize methodological standardization to improve cross-study comparability and reproducibility, international collaboration to address geographic disparities, and the incorporation of advanced neurotechnology to enable real-time monitoring and personalized hypnotic interventions.
Keywords: Bibliometric analysis; EEG; hypnosis
This publication is available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00029157.2025.2532452
Based on its keywords, this article is an output focusing on SDG 3.
Congratulations to Dr. Nida, Prof. Kwartarini, and the author team.
Writer: Fauzi
Editor: Zufar