Hypnosis vs Meditation Explained By a Certified Hypnotherapist

Takeaway: Both hypnosis and meditation can have powerful impacts on your brain, wellness, and overall quality of life. But what’s the difference between meditation and hypnosis? And how do you know which is right for you? I share everything you need to know here.

So many clients come to me and say they have a hard time meditating and wonder if they will be able to be hypnotized. Do you have a hard time turning off your thoughts to practice meditation? The good news is that when you do hypnosis there is nothing YOU have to do! You can leave it all in the hands of your hypnotherapist to guide you into a hypnotic state.

Do you want to understand the main difference before these two disciplines? While the hypnotic trance and meditative state have a lot in common, there are some key difference that I'll share with you to give you the mental clarity you need to decide if self hypnosis, hypnosis meditation or mindfulness meditation is a good fit for you!

Understanding hypnosis

Hypnosis helps you to change your behaviors, habits and feelings. When you have a goal in your conscious mind, but are struggling to achieve it; it could be a sign that there is something going on in the subconscious that is holding you back.

Hypnosis is similar to a guided meditation however, when you work with a hypnotherapist your hypnosis will be very personal and customized just for you! Your hypnotherapist will work with you to get clear on your goals and uncover the subconscious programming (often from childhood or past experiences) that may be creating blocks or obstacles. In each hypnosis session you will peel back the "layers of the onion" to heal different parts of you that really need positive change.

If you are looking for self improvement such as inner peace, reducing chronic pain, improve your focused attention, smoking cessation or have goals for weight loss, hypnosis can be a very powerful tool.

Contrary to how hypnosis is portrayed in the media, your hypnotherapist can't make you do anything you don't want to do. Your conscious mind is still alert and paying attention in this altered state. It can hear everything that is being said. And hopefully most of what your hypnotherapist is suggesting to you will have you reinforcing it with the thought, "YES! That is exactly what I want!"

When your mind hears suggestions made in this hyper focused state, your brain is able to create new beliefs, patterns and neural pathways that are more up to date with your current goals and life.

You will likely leave each hypnosis session feeling a wonderful sense of well being and a deep state of relaxation. You may even continue to be in a trance like state as you leave your hypnosis session. This is why it is important for you to keep your environment, and conscious thoughts positive even as you come out of hypnosis. I encourage my clients to give the self suggestion, "this is going to work for me!" when they leave my office.

Understanding meditation

I often tell my clients that the hypnotic state taps into very similar brain waves as meditation. While I'm certainly not a meditation expert, I have meditated inconsistently for many years and can share what I've learned from my own experience and what I've heard from the pros.

Meditation aims to train the mind to achieve a state of focused attention, relaxation, and heightened awareness. It is often used for stress reduction, improving concentration, and promoting overall well-being.

At its core, meditation involves directing attention to a single point of focus, such as the breath, a mantra, or a specific sensation. This helps quiet the mind and reduce the constant stream of thoughts.

Meditation activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the "rest and digest" response in the body. This leads to a decrease in heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension, promoting a state of relaxation.

Meditation also enhances self-awareness by encouraging you to observe your thoughts and emotions without judgment. This can lead to greater emotional regulation and resilience.

There are several forms of meditation, each with its own techniques and goals:

Mindfulness Meditation: Involves paying attention to the present moment without judgment. This practice cultivates awareness of thoughts, feelings, and sensations.
Transcendental Meditation (TM): Involves silently repeating a mantra to focus the mind and achieve a state of relaxed awareness.
Loving-kindness Meditation: Involves cultivating feelings of compassion and love towards oneself and others. This practice can enhance empathy and improve relationships.
Body Scan Meditation: Involves focusing attention on different parts of the body, promoting relaxation and body awareness.
Breath Awareness Meditation: Involves focusing attention on the breath, which can help calm the mind and improve concentration.

Overall, meditation aims to cultivate a calm and focused mind, enhancing self-awareness, and promoting overall well-being.

Meditation vs. hypnosis: 5 main differences

Hypnotherapy and meditation both tap into a trance like state and both meditation and hypnosis can create positive changes in your mental and physical well being. While they share mutual benefits of deep relaxation & lower anxiety there are some key differences between hypnosis and meditation.

The difference between meditation and hypnosis are:

Goal & Focused state

Hypnotherapy: The goal of hypnotherapy is usually to address specific issues or goals, such as quitting smoking, reducing anxiety, or improving confidence. It often involves working with a hypnotist to explore and address underlying beliefs or behaviors.
Meditation: Meditation is typically more focused on calming the mind, increasing awareness, and achieving a sense of inner peace or spiritual growth. It may not be directed towards a specific goal or issue.

State of Consciousness

Hypnotherapy: In hypnotherapy, you are guided into a state of deep relaxation where your subconscious mind is more accessible. The hypnotist may then suggest changes or explore thoughts and feelings.
Meditation: Meditation also involves a state of relaxed awareness, but the focus is often on observing thoughts and sensations without judgment, rather than actively trying to change them.

Role of the Practitioner

Hypnotherapy: A trained hypnotherapist typically guides the session, providing suggestions or asking questions to help the individual explore their subconscious mind.
Meditation: While some forms of meditation may involve guidance from a teacher or audio recording, many people practice meditation independently, without direct guidance.

Use of Suggestions

Hypnotherapy: Hypnotherapy often involves the use of suggestions to help the individual change behaviors, beliefs, or perceptions at a subconscious level.
Meditation: Meditation typically does not involve the use of specific suggestions, but rather encourages the individual to observe their thoughts and let them pass without attachment.

Application

Hypnotherapy: Hypnotherapy is often used as a therapeutic tool to address specific issues such as phobias, habits, or emotional issues.
Meditation: Meditation is used for a variety of purposes, including stress reduction, improving focus and concentration, and promoting overall well-being.

While hypnotherapy and meditation have different approaches and goals, they both have the potential to promote relaxation, self-awareness, and personal growth. But I hope this helps you understand the key difference between hypnosis and meditation.

Choosing the right practice for you

If you are trying to decide between hypnosis vs meditation, the good news is you don't have to! Hypnosis sessions and meditation are going to help you find a sense of deep relaxation. While these two practices have some big differences, both guided meditation and hypnosis meditation can be used simultaneously.

If you sense you have some subconscious blocks getting in the way of your goals, hypnosis sessions will help you get support from an unbiased professional who can offer new perspectives that we often miss if we just try to figure it out on our own.

Once you have released the blocks, you will see your life change in subtle and big ways! You can then start using self hypnosis and guided meditation to support your continued growth.

I believe that the unconscious mind holds many beliefs that were planted in there a long time ago and need to be released or reprogrammed. But bringing the unconscious into consciousness often takes time and work. Hypnotherapy helps to speed up that process. Your hypnotist will have different techniques to target your particular issue.

So if you have a specific goal, like to stop smoking, meditation isn't likely to do the trick. But in the hypnotic state you will be suggestible to the person directing you to stop smoking. This makes hypnosis a good choice for anyone with a specific goal in mind.

Answering common questions about hypnosis

Hypnosis and meditation both feel like similar meditative states. In your own mind you may not feel the difference in the current moment. The hypnotic state isn't all that much different than meditation because they are both tapping into slower brain waves. I describe both the meditative state and the hypnotic trance to be a relaxed and sleepy sort of twilight state. Similar to how you would feel when you first wake up in the morning or when you getting sleepy at night before bed. Your brain waves are slowing down as you get sleepy and the door to your subconscious mind is opening and able to receive new suggestions that help you make lasting changes in your life.
mind will drift from here to there and you may not remember 100% of what was said to you in hypnosis but you can trust that your subconscious mind is listening and paying attention. Sometimes in the altered state you may have some memory distortion, which is why we don't recommend using hypnosis to recall past traumas or blocked memories.
Every person has a different experience in the hypnotic states. There are different depths & in a deeper state you may have some amnesia. But it's important to know that deeper doesn't mean more effective. Your hypnotherapist should be trained to keep you in a state that will be most powerful and impactful for you!
The goal is not to fall asleep during hypnosis. If you are sleeping you will miss out on the therapeutic purposes of hypnosis. And that would be one very expensive nap! But not to worry, I make a recording of all my hypnosis sessions so that you can always listen back to them from the comfort of your own home.
Personally, when I listen back to my recordings at home sometimes I will fall asleep or have amnesia but most of the time I hear everything that is being said to me. The trance state should feel really good and you can trust it's making positive changes in your mind.

Hypnosis can help you tap into the healing potential you already possess.

Both hypnosis and meditation are wonderful tools to help you lower stress and gain deeper self awareness. If you have a specific goal you sense your subconscious mind is keeping you from reaching, hypnotherapy is one of the most powerful ways to release blocks and make exciting changes in your life.

I love supporting my clients to help them break through old beliefs and empowering them to do whatever they set their minds to! I have seen my clients break through their fears, and improve their health, mental well being and achieve their career goals!

If you are curious to learn more about how hypnosis could help you, please reach out, I'd love to connect! I offer no pressure complimentary "chaos to clarity" consults. I will give you my full energy, attention and support with no sales pressure. I truly want to help and I know how much hypnosis has helped me, so I'm excited to share it with you!

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