19/10/2025
A real operating room. A surgeon in scrubs. An IV line, monitors, but no scalpel.
In an innovative study at Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital, gastric bypass surgery is being simulated entirely through hypnosis.
In a groundbreaking study at Hadassah Mount Scopus, doctors are simulating gastric bypass surgery - using hypnosis!
Although, unlike actual bariatric surgeries and weight-loss medications, the use of hypnosis does not yet have sufficient scientific evidence to support its effectiveness in treating obesity, the initial findings are surprisingly promising.
Most participants lost an average of 10% of their body weight in just three months.
Yuval Wohlandler, who struggled with obesity, lost 25 kg in about five months says:
“It didn’t feel like effort. Even now, eight months later, I still keep some of the habits that were formed during hypnosis- like preparing my food for the whole day in advance.”
He adds: “The hypnotic surgery feels completely real - as if I actually went through an operation.”
The research initiator, Maya Mizrahi, a medical psychologist and certified hypnotist, explains:
“Hypnosis isn’t magic. It’s a tool that helps people truly listen to their body. During eating, there’s often a disconnect between emotion and logic - and our method helps restore that balance, improving self-control and decision-making.”
The study is being conducted by a multidisciplinary team of experts, including Dr. Tamar Elram, Director of Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital; Prof. Hagai Mazeh, Director of the Department of Surgery; Dr. Ronit Greenbaum, Senior Bariatric Surgeon at the hospital; and Dr. Yurai Tal-Ron, Psychiatrist at Hadassah Ein Kerem. They are joined by Prof. Danny Ben-Zvi, Director of the Metabolism and Diabetes Research Laboratory at the Hebrew University, and Dr. Eitan Abramowitz, Psychiatrist and Medical Hypnosis Specialist at the Hypno-Campus Institute.