Do you think meditation and hypnosis are the same? Your hypnotherapist might suggest that you meditate to improve your focus. However, they are totally different methods.
You may confuse hypnosis and meditation because both practices can relax your mind and body.
This blog post tells you: how hypnosis and meditation are different, and how you can benefit from them.
What is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a trance-like state of your mind. You jump over your conscious mind to work with your subconscious mind.
Your subconscious stores all your thoughts. So, most of your problems might come from there. So, hypnosis helps you reach into your subconscious to recognise and resolve your negative thoughts.
Hypnotic trance state bypasses your critical thinking. You can access the powerful subconscious to update the outdated information stored there. This allows you to change your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
Hypnosis and meditation seem similar only because your mind relaxes and focuses more with both methods. However, you must focus on your inner affirmations to meditate… while you must focus on external affirmations during hypnosis.
Hypnosis is conducted by a trained hypnotherapist or a licensed psychologist. Your hypnotherapist gives you positive suggestions to change your negative beliefs. It relaxes you and opens your mind to suggestions.
However, you are fully aware of your surroundings. You know exactly what is going on.
Those suggestions can help you manage a problem or issue, i.e. quitting smoking, losing weight, or reducing anxiety.
What is Meditation?
Meditation is a mental practice that involves training the mind to focus and achieve a state of relaxation. The practice of meditation involves training the mind to focus on a particular thought, image, or sound, while also being aware of one’s surroundings.
Unlike hypnosis, which is typically facilitated by a hypnotist, meditation is a practice that can be done alone, and the meditator is in complete control of the experience. While both hypnosis and meditation involve a state of altered consciousness, the primary difference between the two is that hypnosis typically involves external guidance, while meditation involves an internal focus.
A meditative practice can help you reduce stress, improve concentration, and sleep better. By achieving a state of relaxation, meditators can also become more mindful and gain a greater understanding of their thoughts and emotions.
How Does Meditation Work?
Meditation works by quieting the mind and calming the body. Some forms of meditation involve entering a state of deep relaxation and inner peace that is often described as a “witnessing” or “observer” state of consciousness.
During this state, individuals may experience a sense of timelessness or spacelessness, and may feel a sense of oneness or interconnectedness with the world around them.
Other forms of meditation, involves intentionally focusing the mind on a particular object, such as the breath or a visual image.
During this practice, individuals may experience a heightened sense of awareness and concentration, but may not necessarily enter an altered state of consciousness.
What is Guided Meditation?
Guided meditation is a technique that involves a trained professional or an audio recording guiding an individual through the process of meditation.
It shares some similarities with other forms of meditation, such as mindfulness and concentration meditation, but there are some key differences as well.
Like other forms of meditation, guided meditation requires the individual to sit still, breathe deeply, and focus their attention on a particular object, thought, or sound.
However, during guided meditation, the individual is provided with specific instructions and guidance throughout the practice.
One similarity between guided meditation and hypnosis is that both involve suggestibility. During guided meditation, the individual is often encouraged to visualize specific scenarios or images, which can help to improve focus and relaxation.
Similarly, during hypnosis, the individual is often given suggestions to help them overcome specific issues or challenges, such as chronic pain or anxiety.
Depending on what the individual is looking to achieve, guided meditation can be tailored to their needs. For example, guided meditations for chronic pain may involve visualizing the pain leaving the body or focusing on relaxation techniques to reduce discomfort.
Guided meditations for anxiety may involve visualizing calming images or learning to let go of negative thoughts.
The Differences Between Hypnosis and Meditation
Both hypnosis and meditation can change your mental state. However, their main difference is their results and methods.
Result:
You use hypnosis for specific behaviours, emotions or memories. On the other hand, meditation helps you calm down in general.
Different types of meditation have different goals and methods. For example, mindfulness meditation makes you more aware of the present. It helps you accept your negative thoughts without feeling guilty.
In contrast, transcendental meditation helps you experience a sense of oneness with the universe. While both types of meditation calm you, the methods and the ultimate results are different.
Additionally, you should practice guided meditation with a teacher. They must help you throughout the meditation practice. You can do other types of meditation on your own.
Method:
You can learn to do self-hypnosis. However, it is better if you get help from an experienced hypnotherapist. Why? Because you go into a trance-like state to achieve your goals. On the other hand, you can totally perform meditation by yourself. You don’t need a supervisor for it.
Have Difficulty in Meditation? Try Hypnosis Instead!
You may think hypnosis is easier than other traditional therapies. Why? Because it gives you quicker results. Other reasons can be:
Guided relaxation: You go through a supervised process with REM (Rapid Eye Movement). It is easy to follow because you are more focused. Your mind can wander with talk therapies, on the other hand.
Targeted suggestions: Hypnosis treats target specific issues, i.e. anxiety, poor sleep, or a phobia. This can be helpful for individuals who struggle with general meditation practices that do not address specific concerns.
Active participation: During Conversational Hypnotherapy, individuals are actively participating in the process, which is more engaging than traditional meditation practices.
Increased suggestibility: Hypnosis can increase a person’s suggestibility, making it easier to receive and process suggestions for positive behavior change or to overcome negative thought patterns.
In a Nutshell
Hypnosis can be useful if you think traditional therapies don’t work for you. If your mind wanders during those sessions, targeted hypnosis will keep you focused. Also, you can meditate to become calm in general. Want to be a calmer, happier person? Book a FREE Strategy Call with us to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What is hypnosis not good for?
Hypnosis should not be used as a substitute for evidence-based medical treatment, such as medication or surgery. It is important to work with a licensed healthcare professional such as our Hypnotherapists to determine if hypnosis is an appropriate therapy for your specific needs.
2. Is mindfulness the same as hypnosis?
No, mindfulness and hypnosis are not the same. Mindfulness is a form of meditation and a type of mental training that involves focusing one’s attention on the present moment, without judgment. It is a tool for developing greater awareness, reducing stress, and improving well-being. Hypnosis, on the other hand, involves mindfulness, but more importantly, it involves inducing a trance-like state to access the subconscious mind and make changes to thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. While both practices can help reduce stress and improve well-being, they are different in terms of their methods and goals.
3. Can hypnosis cause memory loss?
Hypnosis is natural and safe, it does not and cannot cause memory loss. In fact, hypnosis can actually enhance memory and recall abilities by increasing focus and concentration. However, it is important to work with a trained and licensed hypnotherapist to ensure a safe and effective hypnosis experience.
