Brief Biographical Summary:

Dr. Herbert Spiegel: 1914-2009

Clinician, researcher, author and teacher in New York City: 1946-2009. Dr. Spiegel developed treatment strategies with hypnosis for smoking cessation, habit control, anxiety, insomnia, dissociative disorders, personality disorders, trauma and psychological issues as a result of medical problems. Over the years, he has studied and treated over 50,000 people.

Herbert Spiegel trained in psychoanalysis at the William A. White Institute under the supervision of Harry Stack Sullivan, Erich Fromm and Frieda Fromm-Reichman. As a battalion surgeon during WWII, he learned the psycho-physiological effects of trauma, the effectiveness of immediate psychological treatment to prevent psychiatric illness and the role of hypnosis in crisis management.

In the 1960's Dr. Spiegel discovered the Eye Roll Sign (ERS) as a measure of personality style & dissociative capacity. During that time he also developed the Hypnotic Induction Profile, a measure of hypnotizability used to individualize treatment strategies, predict treatment outcome and diagnose the presence or absence of psychological health. These measures, but the ERS in particular, remain both innovative & trailblazing in their implications for assessment of brain-mind processing.

From 1960 — 1982, Dr. Spiegel was Clinical Professor of Psychiatry on the faculty at the College of Physicians & Surgeons at Columbia University, where he served as Special Lecturer in Psychiatry until 2009.

For 22 years he introduced mind-body concepts with hypnosis to medical students, residents, physicians and surgeons in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia, conducting the longest running post-graduate course on clinical hypnosis.

For decades, Dr. Spiegel conducted annual courses for the American Psychiatric Association on hypnosis and brief psychotherapy and was an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, sharing his expertise on brain-washing, high hypnotizability and the "honest liar" syndrome.

Publications

  • War Stress and Neurotic Illness, Abram Kardiner, MD with the collaboration of Herbert Spiegel, M.D., New York: Paul B. Hoeber, Inc., 1947
  • Trance and Treatment: The Clinical Uses of Hypnosis, Herbert Spiegel & David Spiegel, New York: Basic Books,1978; 2nd Edition, Washington, DC: American
    Psychiatric Press, 2004
  • The Inner Source: Exploring Hypnosis with Dr. Herbert Spiegel, Donald S. Connery, New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1982 New York, Allworth Press, 2003
  • Chapters in the records of the Library of Congress & textbooks on military psychiatry, neurology, forensics, pain management, habit control, hypnosis as an adjunct to psychotherapy, psychosomatics, obstetrical anesthesia and perinatology.
  • Journal articles on hypnosis and brief psychotherapy — 1944-2007, writing and collaborating with Dr. Marcia Greenleaf since 1989.
First Awards
  • 1943. Purple Heart, American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal for Meritorious Service.
Recent Awards
  • 2009. The Hilgard Award for the Best Theoretical Paper in Hypnosis: "The Neural Trance: A New Look at Hypnosis," published in the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis,(2007) - The Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis
  • 2009. The Living Treasure Award, an ancient Japanese tradition, honoring him for contributions in the field of hypnosis - The Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis
  • 2006. The Herbert Spiegel Lectureship: College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University.
  • 2004. Arthur Shapiro Award for Best Book on Hypnosis: - The Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis
  • 2000. Pierre Janet Award for Clinical Excellence: International Society of Hypnosis.
  • 1999. Distinguished Contributions to Professional Hypnosis: American Psychological Association.
  • 1998. Presidential Commendation: The Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.
  • 1996. Bernard B. Raginsky Award: The Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.
  • 1991. Award of Merit: The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.