Hypnosis-Based Machine Learning Biomarker Study

September 10, 2025 updated by: David Reich, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Standardized Hypnotic Susceptibility Testing to Facilitate Development of a Machine Learning Tool to Characterize Physiological Biomarkers of Calm and Tranced States

This study seeks to contribute to the growing body of literature on hypnosis by providing robust, data-driven insights into the physiological mechanisms underlying trance states. The integration of electroencephalogram (EEG) and other wearable-derived physiological data will offer a comprehensive assessment of the changes that occur during a standardized hypnosis protocol: the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility (HGSHS:A). The results of this study are intended to facilitate derivation and validation of an Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML)-based monitor that quantifies a patient's instantaneous emotional/arousal state along the spectrum that spans anxiety through states of calmness and trance. Future investigations will explore the ability of using such an interactive virtual system as a component of a closed-loop adaptive device to create optimal states of non-pharmacological sedation using personalized audiovisual content to allay anxiety and discomfort during medical procedures, such as percutaneous biopsies.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

This is an interventional study that will acquire data to characterize the time course of physiological biomarkers and audiovisual observations of depth of trance before, during and upon emergence from a standardized hypnotic susceptibility protocol. The subjects will also complete the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) immediately before and after the hypnosis protocol. The differences in the biomarker signals among subjects of different degrees of hypnotic susceptibility and different pre-post levels of state anxiety will facilitate between- and within-subjects comparisons that will be supplemented by computer vision analysis of subject responses. The full data set will be used to facilitate derivation and validation of a novel machine-learning monitoring tool to measure instantaneous emotional/arousal levels along a spectrum that spans anxiety through calmness and trance.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
50

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10029
        • Mount Sinai Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Written informed consent obtained from participant and ability and willingness for participant to comply with the requirements of the study.
  • Adults of all genders, ages 18-65
  • Healthy volunteers
  • English-speaking

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Participating currently in experimental drug trials.
  • Recent (<1 year) or current history of substance use disorder.
  • Diabetes T1 or T2, major cardiovascular or respiratory diseases, major neurological diseases, or limited mobility
  • Presence of a condition or abnormality that in the opinion of the investigator would compromise the safety of the patient or the quality of the data.
  • Adults that cannot consent.
  • Chronic use of psychoactive medications.
  • Chronic use of antiepileptic medications.
  • Active substance use disorder.
  • Participants reporting significant phobias or anxiety disorders triggered by imagery or situations involving insects (specifically flies), enclosed spaces or elevators (claustrophobia), or heights (acrophobia).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Guided Hypnosis
All participants will undergo a single, standardized hypnotic susceptibility protocol using the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility: Form A (HGSHS:A).
Behavioral: Standardized Hypnotic Susceptibility Testing
Participants will be guided through the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility: Form A (HGSHS:A), a validated group hypnosis protocol that includes standardized hypnotic inductions and suggestibility tasks.
Other Names:
  • HGSHS:A

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility (HGSHS:A) Total Score
Time Frame: During hypnosis session (single study visit)
Total score (0-12) reflecting responsiveness to hypnotic suggestion during standardized protocol. Higher scores suggest greater responsiveness to hypnotic suggestion.
During hypnosis session (single study visit)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Subscale Scores
Time Frame: Immediately Pre- and immediately post-hypnosis session (single study visit)
The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory is a 40-item instrument divided into two subscales: state and trait anxiety. State Subscale range from 20-80, with higher score suggesting more anxiety at a particular moment in time. Trait Subscale range from 20-80, with higher score suggesting general anxiety feelings overall. These will not be summed therefore there will not be one total scale.
Immediately Pre- and immediately post-hypnosis session (single study visit)
EEG Spectral Power
Time Frame: Immediately Pre-, During, and immediately post-hypnosis session (single study visit)
Power values in EEG frequency bands collected across 21 electrodes during baseline, hypnotic induction, and post-session phases.
Immediately Pre-, During, and immediately post-hypnosis session (single study visit)
Heart Rate (HR)
Time Frame: Immediately Pre-, During, and immediately post-hypnosis session (single study visit)
Mean heart rate (beats per minute) captured continuously using a wearable chest patch before, during, and after hypnosis session.
Immediately Pre-, During, and immediately post-hypnosis session (single study visit)
Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
Time Frame: Immediately Pre-, During, and immediately post-hypnosis session (single study visit)
Time and frequency domain HRV metrics derived from wearable ECG data.
Immediately Pre-, During, and immediately post-hypnosis session (single study visit)
Respiratory Rate (RR)
Time Frame: Immediately Pre-, During, and immediately post-hypnosis session (single study visit)
Mean respiratory rate (breaths per minute) obtained from a respiration belt and ECG-derived signals.
Immediately Pre-, During, and immediately post-hypnosis session (single study visit)
Electrodermal Activity (EDA)
Time Frame: Immediately Pre-, During, and immediately post-hypnosis session (single study visit)
Skin conductance level and phasic response rate measured using BIOPAC sensors.
Immediately Pre-, During, and immediately post-hypnosis session (single study visit)
Pre-Ejection Period (PEP)
Time Frame: Immediately Pre-, During, and immediately post-hypnosis session (single study visit)
Pre-ejection period (ms), a marker of sympathetic nervous system activity, measured via seismocardiogram from chest patch.
Immediately Pre-, During, and immediately post-hypnosis session (single study visit)
Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA)
Time Frame: Immediately Pre-, During, and immediately post-hypnosis session (single study visit)
RSA index (ms²), derived from heart rate and respiration synchrony during hypnotic protocol.
Immediately Pre-, During, and immediately post-hypnosis session (single study visit)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Entrancing Entertainment, Inc.

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: David L Reich, MD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 4, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 9, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 9, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 30, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 30, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 5, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 16, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 10, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • STUDY-25-00767

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Aggregate deidentified data and results will be shared. Individual participant video and EEG data will not be shared due to PHI concerns.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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