EEG-Based Analysis of Emotional Effects of Hypnotic Guided Imagery (HGI) on Employees with Burnout: A Feasibility Study.
The International journal of clinical and experimental hypnosis July 6, 2026 Moniek Vidia Pramestri, Kwartarini Wahyu Yuniarti, Frederick Travis et al.
Unregulated negative emotion raises burnout risk by 67%, impairing performance and causing physical symptoms. Hypnotic guided imagery (HGI), a deep relaxation intervention, aims to shift negative to positive emotion, but its physiological basis is unclear. This feasibility study tested HGI's effects on emotional valence and arousal in employees with burnout, using electroencephalography (EEG). Valence was measured by frontal alpha asymmetry; arousal by the frontal beta/alpha ratio. Participants were randomly assigned to HGI (n=19) or control (n=13). EEG analyses showed no significant changes, while self-report indicated increased positive and reduced negative affect in the HGI group. Discrepancies may stem from small samples and variability, highlighting the need for methodological rigor in EEG-based intervention studies.