Hypnosis isn’t magic. It’s the brain at work

alien: (in astronomy) Life on or from a distant world.

anesthesia: A medical treatment that causes a numbing or loss of physical feeling. Doctors can induce anesthesia in one area of the body (local anesthesia) or they can offer general anesthesia, where a patient temporarily loses consciousness.

anxiety: A nervous reaction to events causing excessive uneasiness and apprehension. People with anxiety may even develop panic attacks.

attention: The phenomenon of focusing mental resources on a specific object or event.

average: (in science) A term for the arithmetic mean, which is the sum of a group of numbers that is then divided by the size of the group.

behavior: The way something, often a person or other organism, acts towards others, or conducts itself.

brain scan: A technique to view structures inside the brain, typically with X-rays or a magnetic resonance imaging (or MRI) machine. With MRI technology — especially the type known as functional MRI (or fMRI) — the activity of different brain regions can be viewed during an event, such as viewing pictures, computing sums or listening to music.

chemical: A substance formed from two or more atoms that unite (bond) in a fixed proportion and structure. For example, water is a chemical made when two hydrogen atoms bond to one oxygen atom. Its chemical formula is H₂O. Chemical also can be an adjective to describe properties of materials that are the result of various reactions between different compounds.

chemistry: The field of science that deals with the composition, structure and properties of substances and how they interact. Scientists use this knowledge to study unfamiliar substances, to reproduce large quantities of useful substances or to design and create new and useful substances.

chronic: A condition, such as an illness (or its symptoms, including pain), that lasts for a long time.

clinical trial: A research trial that involves people.

cognitive: A term that relates to mental activities, such as thinking, learning, remembering and solving puzzles.

factor: Something that plays a role in a particular condition or event; a contributor.

fMRI: A special type of medical scanning technology for studying brain activity. It uses a strong magnetic field to monitor blood flow in the brain as an individual is performing some task (from reading or viewing pictures to thinking about various spoken words). Tracking areas of elevated blood flow can tell researchers which brain regions are especially active during those activities. (See also, MRI or magnetic resonance imaging)

focus: (in behavior) To look or concentrate intently on some particular point or thing.

magnetic resonance: The vibration of two magnetic waves in synchrony, allowing one of them to strengthen.

meditation: A mental exercise looks to calm down by engaging in contemplation or reflection of some experience. Some people approach this by consciously taking slow, even breaths or repeating some sounds or phrases.

middle school: A designation for grades six through eight in the U.S. educational system. It comes immediately prior to high school. Some school systems break their age groups slightly different, including sixth grade as part of elementary school and then referring to grades seven and eight as “junior” high school.

mindfulness: A potentially calming state of mind where someone is fully focused on where they are, what they’re doing and the environment around them. It’s being fully present in the moment, not planning for the future, ruminating over events that took place or judging oneself.

mindset: In psychology, the belief about and attitude toward a situation that influences behavior. For instance, holding a mindset that stress may be beneficial can help improve performance under pressure.

molecule: A group of atoms that represents the smallest possible amount of a chemical compound. Molecules can be made of single types of atoms or of different types. For example, the oxygen in air is made of two bound oxygen atoms (O₂). Water is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom (H₂O).

muscle: A type of tissue used to produce movement by contracting its cells, known as muscle fibers. Muscle is rich in protein, which is why predatory species seek prey containing lots of this tissue.

nerve: A long, delicate fiber that transmits signals across the body of an animal. An animal’s backbone contains many nerves, some of which control the movement of its legs or fins, and some of which convey sensations such as hot, cold or pain.

network: A group of interconnected people or things. (v.) The act of connecting with other people who work in a given area or do similar thing (such as artists, business leaders or medical-support groups), often by going to gatherings where such people would be expected, and then chatting them up. (n. networking)

neuroscientist: Someone who studies the structure or function of the brain and other parts of the nervous system.

nuance: A term for some the small (subtle) degree by which some feature or situation differs from another.

perception: The state of being aware of something — or the process of becoming aware of something — through use of the senses.

phenomenon: Something that is surprising or unusual.

psychological: (adj.) Related to how the human mind works, especially in relation to guiding actions and behavior.

range: The full extent or distribution of something. For instance, a plant or animal’s range is the area over which it naturally exists.

skeptical: Not easily convinced; having doubts or reservations.

spectroscopy: The study of how light and other types of radiation interact with matter.

spectrum: (plural: spectra) A range of related things that appear in some order.

syndrome: Two or more symptoms that together characterize a particular disease, disorder or social condition.

therapy: (adj. therapeutic) Treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder.

wave: A disturbance or variation that travels through space and matter in a regular, oscillating fashion.