Dr Hiro Koo at SEGi College: Exploring Applied Hypnosis and the Neuroscience of Peak Performance

 

On 25th February 2026, SEGi College Penang hosted a thought-provoking guest lecture titled “Applied Hypnosis and The Brain: A Theory of Change for Peak Performance.” The session was delivered by Dr Hiro Koo, trauma-informed hypnotherapist and organizational psychologist, known for integrating neuroscience, applied hypnosis, and performance psychology.

This lecture explored how applied hypnosis works with the brain to enhance resilience, mental health, and high performance across academic, professional, and personal domains.

What Is Applied Hypnosis in Modern Psychology?

Applied hypnosis today is not stage entertainment. It is a structured psychological intervention that works with attention, neuroplasticity, and the unconscious processes of mind to facilitate measurable change.

In the SEGi College lecture, students were introduced to:

• How focused attention alters neural networks

• The role of suggestion in cognitive and emotional regulation

• Brain mechanisms involved in stress recovery and resilience

• How hypnotic processes support peak performance

Rather than pushing harder, applied hypnosis supports strategic regulation of the nervous system, improving clarity, emotional stability, and executive functioning.

The Brain and Peak Performance

Peak performance is often misunderstood as working longer hours or maintaining constant motivation. Neuroscience suggests otherwise.

Sustainable high performance requires:

• Emotional regulation

• Cognitive flexibility

• Reduced rumination

• Balanced sympathetic and parasympathetic activation

During the SEGi College session, Dr Hiro Koo explained how applied hypnosis can modulate brain states linked to focus, stress response, and recovery. When the brain shifts from survival-mode activation into adaptive regulation, performance improves without burnout.

Applied Hypnosis for Mental Health and Workplace Resilience

Another key theme at SEGi College was the role of applied hypnosis in mental health and workplace wellbeing.

Students explored how brain-based interventions can help with:

• Burnout symptoms

• Anxiety and overthinking

• Performance pressure

• Value-misalignment stress

By addressing both cognitive and physiological processes, applied hypnosis becomes a bridge between mental health science and performance psychology.

Why This Matters for Students and Professionals

For university students preparing for competitive careers, understanding brain-based change models offers a significant advantage.

Applied hypnosis provides tools for:

• Exam performance enhancement

• Presentation confidence

• Emotional regulation under stress

• Long-term resilience building

For professionals, it offers a framework for sustaining productivity without sacrificing wellbeing.

SEGi College and the Advancement of Applied Psychology

Hosting discussions on applied hypnosis and brain science reflects SEGi College’s commitment to contemporary psychological education. Integrating neuroscience with practical interventions equips students with relevant, evidence-informed perspectives.

The lecture highlighted how modern psychology is moving beyond symptom management toward systemic brain-based change.

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Final Reflection

If peak performance is not about pushing harder but about regulating smarter, what might change in the way you approach stress, work, and growth?

Transforming Corporate Wellness Program Malaysia by UUM Alumnus Dr Koo Kian Yong (Hiro)

I am truly grateful to share that UUM Today recently published a feature about my work titled:

“Transforming Corporate Wellness: UUM Alumnus Brings Expressive Arts Therapy into the Business World.”

As a Universiti Utara Malaysia alumnus, this recognition feels deeply meaningful. UUM shaped my academic foundation in psychology, and to now be featured for my contributions in corporate mental health and burnout prevention is something I do not take lightly.

You can read the full article here:
https://uumtoday.com/education/transforming-corporate-wellness-uum-alumnus-brings-expressive-arts-therapy-into-the-business-world/

I would like to sincerely thank UUM Today for highlighting how psychology, neuroscience, and expressive arts can be responsibly applied within corporate environments.

Recognition increases responsibility.

As Dr Hiro Koo, Organizational Psychologist and burnout management specialist, I remain committed to advancing trauma-informed, neuroscience-informed, and system-level approaches to workplace mental health across Malaysia and beyond.

To every collaborator, client organisation, student, and mentor who has supported this journey, thank you.

The mission continues.

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Dr Hiro Koo: Organizational Psychologist Focusing on Burnout Management

As an Organizational Psychologist based in Malaysia, my work centres on burnout management and prevention using an integrated framework that combines:

• Occupational Health Psychology

• Applied neuroscience and neurofeedback

• Trauma-informed approaches

• Expressive arts–based reflective processing

• Leadership and psychosocial risk strategies aligned with ISO 45003

Burnout is often misunderstood as simple exhaustion. In reality, it can present in different patterns:

• General burnout from chronic overload

• Misalignment burnout when personal values conflict with organisational culture

• Frenetic burnout driven by overachievement and emotional overextension

• Worn-out burnout marked by disengagement and learned helplessness

My work focuses on building structured systems that address these patterns at both individual and organisational levels.

Burnout prevention is not a motivational talk.
It is a strategic intervention architecture.

7 Signs You're Heading Toward Burnout (And What Your Body Is Trying to Tell You)

Published by New Mind Brain Health Centre | Bangsar South, Malaysia

You've been feeling exhausted lately. Not the kind of tired that a good weekend sleep can fix, but something deeper. You push through anyway because there's always more work to do, more responsibilities to handle, more people depending on you.

Sound familiar?

Here's what most people don't realize: burnout doesn't happen suddenly. It builds gradually, and your body sends warning signals long before you hit that wall. The problem is, most of us have learned to ignore these signals – or we don't even recognize them for what they are.

In Malaysia, where work culture often celebrates long hours and where saying "no" can feel impossible, burnout has become alarmingly common. A 2024 study found that 67% of Malaysian employees report experiencing burnout – one of the highest rates in the world.

Let's look at the warning signs your body might be sending you right now.

The 7 Warning Signs of Approaching Burnout

🔥 THE BURNOUT WARNING SIGNS

1. EXHAUSTION THAT REST DOESN'T FIX
You sleep but wake up tired. Weekends don't recharge you anymore.

2. EMOTIONAL DETACHMENT
You feel disconnected from work, people, and activities you once enjoyed.

3. INCREASED CYNICISM
Everything feels pointless. You're more negative than usual.

4. DECREASED PRODUCTIVITY
Tasks that used to be easy now take forever. Brain fog is constant.

5. PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
Headaches, muscle tension, digestive issues, frequent illness.

6. SLEEP DISTURBANCES
Can't fall asleep, can't stay asleep, or sleeping too much.

7. LOSS OF SATISFACTION
Achievements feel empty. Nothing feels "worth it" anymore.

Sign 1: Exhaustion That Rest Doesn't Fix

This isn't ordinary tiredness. This is waking up after eight hours of sleep and still feeling like you could sleep for eight more. It's the kind of fatigue that sits in your bones.

What your body is telling you: Your nervous system has been in "fight or flight" mode for so long that it's depleted. Sleep doesn't fully restore you because your body can't reach the deep, restorative states it needs when it's constantly on alert.

Many Malaysians dismiss this as "normal" – after all, everyone's tired, right? But there's a difference between needing rest and being unable to be restored by rest.

Sign 2: Emotional Detachment

You used to care deeply about your work. Now you're just going through the motions. Colleagues you once enjoyed feel like interruptions. Even time with family and friends feels like another obligation.

What your body is telling you: This is your mind's way of protecting itself. When everything feels like too much, emotional numbing is a survival mechanism. But it's also a sign that you're running on empty.

Sign 3: Increased Cynicism and Negativity

"What's the point?" becomes your internal soundtrack. You see problems everywhere and solutions nowhere. You might find yourself being more critical of colleagues, family, or yourself.

What your body is telling you: Chronic stress affects brain chemistry, particularly reducing dopamine and serotonin – the neurotransmitters that help us feel motivated and positive. Your negativity isn't a character flaw; it's a neurological response to prolonged stress.

Sign 4: Decreased Performance Despite More Effort

You're working longer hours but accomplishing less. Simple tasks take three times as long. You read the same email five times without absorbing it. Brain fog is your constant companion.

What your body is telling you: Your prefrontal cortex – the part of your brain responsible for focus, planning, and decision-making – is literally exhausted. Chronic stress shrinks this area of the brain and reduces its function.

Sign 5: Physical Symptoms

Your body keeps score. Burnout often shows up physically before we recognize it mentally:

• Persistent headaches or migraines
• Neck and shoulder tension that won't release
• Digestive issues – IBS, acid reflux, stomach upset
• Getting sick more frequently
• Heart palpitations or chest tightness
• Skin problems – breakouts, rashes, eczema flares

What your body is telling you: Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, when chronically elevated, affect virtually every system in your body. These physical symptoms are your body screaming for attention.

Sign 6: Sleep Problems

You're exhausted but can't fall asleep. Or you fall asleep but wake at 3 AM with racing thoughts. Or you sleep too much but never feel rested.

What your body is telling you: Your nervous system doesn't know how to switch off anymore. The same stress response that helped our ancestors escape predators is now keeping you alert to emails and deadlines – even when you're trying to rest.

Sign 7: Loss of Satisfaction and Purpose

Accomplishments feel hollow. Even things that used to bring joy feel flat. You might ask yourself: "Is this all there is?"

What your body is telling you: This is called anhedonia – the inability to feel pleasure. It's a serious sign that your stress has crossed into territory that needs attention.

Why Traditional Advice Often Doesn't Work

You've probably tried the usual recommendations:

• "Take a vacation" (but you came back and felt burned out again within days)
• "Practice self-care" (but bubble baths don't fix nervous system dysregulation)
• "Set boundaries" (but you don't know how, or your workplace doesn't allow it)
• "Exercise more" (but you're too exhausted to exercise)

Here's why these don't work for true burnout: they address the symptoms, not the root cause.

Burnout isn't just about being tired. It's about a nervous system that has forgotten how to regulate itself. Your body is stuck in chronic stress mode, and no amount of vacation can fix that if you don't address the underlying patterns.

What Actually Helps

Real recovery from burnout requires addressing what's happening in your body and nervous system, not just your schedule. This includes:

1. Nervous system regulation – Learning to shift your body out of chronic stress mode
2. Identifying stress patterns – Understanding why you push past your limits
3. Building sustainable practices – Creating habits that support long-term wellbeing
4. Addressing underlying beliefs – Examining the thoughts driving overwork

Taking the First Step

If you recognized yourself in three or more of these signs, your body is asking for attention. This doesn't mean you need to quit your job or make dramatic life changes (though sometimes that's part of the solution).

It means it's time to listen to what your body has been trying to tell you.

When to Consider Professional Support

If you've been experiencing these symptoms for more than a few weeks, or if self-help strategies aren't making a difference, it may be time to work with someone who understands nervous system regulation.

At New Mind Brain Health Centre, we use hypnotherapy and neurofeedback to help your nervous system learn to regulate itself again – addressing burnout at its source rather than just managing symptoms.

📞 Book a consultation: Contact us to discuss whether our approach might be right for you.

Key Takeaways

• Burnout doesn't happen suddenly – your body sends warning signs early
• These signs are not personal failings – they're neurological and physiological responses to chronic stress
• Traditional advice like "take a break" often doesn't work because it doesn't address nervous system dysregulation
• Real recovery involves teaching your body to regulate itself again
• Recognizing the signs is the first step toward meaningful change

You deserve more than just surviving. Your body is wise – it's time to start listening.