10 Celebrities Who Found Healing Through Hypnosis

Princess Diana struggled with low self-confidence from a young age, and joining the royal family only intensified the pressure as her life became public. She used hypnosis to build her confidence and overcome her fear of public speaking.

Matt Damon has always been intentional about managing his career and personal life, but quitting smoking was a tough challenge. After nearly two decades of trying, hypnosis finally helped him succeed. Many Hollywood stars like Britney Spears, Drew Barrymore, and Ashton Kutcher have also used this method to quit smoking.

Jackie Kennedy faced one of the greatest traumas imaginable when she witnessed the assassination of her husband, John F. Kennedy. She handled the difficult period with remarkable composure, but truly processing the event required the help of hypnotherapy.

Hypnosis seems to be a trusted tool among celebrities for easing pre-birth stress. Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba, and even Duchess Kate all used it to prepare for childbirth.

During the filming of Waterworld, Kevin Costner developed a fear of water. Although the movie was a major flop, he successfully overcame his phobia by visiting a hypnotherapist in Hawaii during the shoot.

Bruce Willis struggled with stuttering from childhood. It speaks volumes about his confidence that he still pursued acting. Before starting his career, he treated his speech issue with hypnosis—and as we’ve seen, it worked.

Hypnosis was used much earlier than we might think. Mozart knew Franz Anton Mesmer, a doctor who pioneered suggestion-based healing. Mozart used Mesmer’s method to boost his creativity and reportedly composed one piece while in a hypnotic trance.

Hypnosis can boost performance, and stars like Andre Agassi, Tiger Woods, and Michael Jordan have all used it. Winston Churchill also applied it—not for physical but mental stamina—enabling him to work late into the night.

Hypnosis is often used to manage stress. It helped Mel Gibson a lot, and David Beckham credits it for overcoming personal crises.

Orlando Bloom didn’t seek hypnotherapy for stress, performance, or substance issues. He turned to it to break free from a chocolate addiction, which seemed to have gotten out of hand—and reportedly, it helped.