Placebo-Enhanced Hypnotic Intervention (PEHI)™
Placebo-Enhanced Hypnotic Intervention™ blends the science of placebo with the art of hypnosis to produce targeted healing responses. It was developed to activate your body's "internal pharmacy" through precise mental imagery and suggestion.
Unlike traditional hypnosis alone, sessions specifically incorporate guided visualization of a personalized healing agent (an imaginary pill) traveling through your body, triggering measurable biochemical responses such as endorphin release, immune system enhancement, and hormonal regulation.
By incorporating placebo-enhancing elements, you create a powerful approach that leverages both the science of expectation and the heightened suggestibility of hypnosis.
What Can It Help With?
Sessions can address concerns including stress management, comfort enhancement, mood support, sleep quality, energy levels, digestive wellness, general well-being, and relaxation. PEHI™ doesn't replace traditional medicine or therapy, but offers a complementary wellness approach that recognizes and works with your body's remarkable capacity for self-healing.
Your Internal Pharmacy
Your body houses an incredible "internal pharmacy" capable of producing numerous chemicals that influence everything from pain perception to mood regulation, including endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and anti-inflammatory cytokines.
The placebo effect isn't "fake" or "all in your head"— it represents the activation of real neurobiological pathways that trigger healing responses. Modern research shows that when you expect healing to occur, your brain can stimulate the release of specific chemicals that create genuine physical changes in your body.
What's most remarkable is that this effect works even when you know it's happening. Studies show that people who take "open-label" placebos (when they're told it's just a sugar pill) still experience significant symptom improvements. This shows that our conscious awareness doesn't diminish this ability, in fact, understanding the process can enhance it.
About Your Session
During your session, you'll experience deep relaxation while in a hypnotic state, allowing your mind to become receptive to positive suggestions. You'll be guided through vivid visualizations of healing processes moving through specific areas of your body that require attention.
Throughout the session, you'll receive strategic suggestions targeting relevant processes designed to support your body's natural healing responses. You'll also receive training to self-activate these responses, empowering you to continue the benefits on your own. It's not magic, it's applied neuroscience, and it might be the most important skill you never knew you had.
The PEHI™ Advantage
Leverages open-label placebo research
Client knows exactly how the process works
Uses real neuroscience
Aligns with actual brain function rather than generic concepts
Teaches transferable skills
Clients learn precision attention and self-activation
Creates lasting change
Based on neural pathway development, not temporary states
Scientifically credible
Appeals to analytical minds that might resist traditional approaches
Measurable outcomes
Targets specific biological markers that can be objectively assessed
Ready to Start?
Contact Harley today to schedule your PEHI™ session and discover how you can activate your body's natural healing abilities.
Studies on Imaginary Pills: (1) Pagnini, F., Barbiani, D., Grosso, F. et al. Enacting the mind/body connection: the role of self-induced placebo mechanisms. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11, 977 (2024). (2) Anne Schienle, Wolfgang Kogler, Arved Seibel, Albert Wabnegger, The pill you don’t have to take that is still effective: neural correlates of imaginary placebo intake for regulating disgust, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Volume 19, Issue 1, 2024. (3) Buergler, S., Sezer, D., Bagge, N. et al. Imaginary pills and open-label placebos can reduce test anxiety by means of placebo mechanisms. Sci Rep 13, 2624 (2023). (4) Bagge, Niels. Harnessing the Placebo Effects Using Imaginary Pills to Transform Emotional Pain. 37th SEPI Conference, 2021. (5) de Shazer, Steve. The Imaginary Pill Technique. Journal of Strategic and Systemic Therapies Volume 3, Number 1 (1984).
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