Hypnosis vs Meditation is a hot topic, they are two of the most popular self-care practices out there. Discover which form of self-care is the perfect fit for your lifestyle.
We’ll explore the difference between these two practices, so you can determine whether one is better suited for your goals, or should you use both.
Both have a lot of benefits, and they can also be used to do things like help you quit smoking , lose weight, manage stress and achieve your goals. But which one is more important and suited toward your current needs?
Hypnosis And Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is usually provided by a certified hypnotist who has permission to access the client’s subconscious mind to work with the client on their specific goals or concerns. Most commonly, the focus is to reduce anxiety, depression, or the effects of trauma, but it can also be a helpful tool in goal focusing, success and much more.
There is a similar state of very deep meditation during hypnosis that leads to relaxation. Consequently, total relaxation allows for a non-judgmental state of mind, helping you get in touch with your subconscious mind.
Many successful people practice this technique by learning to enter the subconscious mind with guided audio download recordings to help achieve their goals and vision in life.
Hypnosis audios are great self-help tools for individuals who do not have extra time or money to go to a clinic to see a certified hypnotherapist for multiple sessions.
With the audio downloads, usually a professional clinical hypnotherapist writes and creates many goal focused audios (when searching online for a hypnosis audio, always check that it is written by a clinical hypnotherapist.)
Most of the carefully selected audios will have a hypnotic induction that will get you into that very relaxed trance-like state opening the mind for your positive goal-focused suggestions.
Many successful people, including professional athletes, use the power of hypnosis and meditation as tools of strategy for managing stress, negative emotions, and gaining more success.
Mental Health Benefits Of Hypnosis
Hypnosis has proven clinical benefits for various concerns and goals in mind. In particular, it has been known to reduce anxiety and stress or help the person to focus and achieve a specific goal.
It can be a handy tool when it comes to self-healing. Hypnosis can also be used in various holistic modalities, as the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis mentioned. Many people find it beneficial for sleep concerns, as well.
Hypnosis can help you access your subconscious mind and awaken your intuition and creativity. In hypnosis, a deep meditative trance state opens the door between the conscious and subconscious, allowing you to connect to your subconscious mind and reprogram it to adopt new, positive thoughts and behaviors.
Due to the brain’s neuroplasticity (the brain’s neural networks can be rewired with learning), hypnosis is known to rewire the brain and teach the person to replace their negative thoughts with thoughts of confidence and success.
What is Meditation?
The practice of meditation also represents a state of deep relaxation and awareness. And yes, it can also slow the brainwaves down to the alpha level (only when you reach a specific type of deep relaxation via breath or focusing on a mantra). There are many different forms of mediation practice.
This practice is not rooted in any specific religion. Still, it is interesting to find meditative-like traditions worldwide, some of the most ancient techniques dating back thousands of years.
As you can see, there are similarities between hypnosis and meditation. With a meditative practice, we focus on something specific but not necessarily a goal, it’s more like – Our breath, a mantra or phrase, a voice giving instructions, our body relaxing, and so on.
So, in a meditation session or meditation classes, there isn’t a particular goal in mind being suggested, apart from the breath or mantra. Instead, meditation benefits come from this enhanced attention for a quiet mind.
Some forms of meditation usually begin with a simple session where the person focuses their attention on how they breathe.
We can get more complex as we deepen our daily practice. This is all it takes to begin the meditation practice: bringing our attention back gently and without judgment or emotion, when distracted by thoughts or feelings.
A very subtle process that only requires us to actively pay attention on the here and now, being mindful on the breath, without judgment while sitting still for a long or short period of time.
This practice has a variety of documented benefits that grow, the more we practice it.
What Are Some Of The Meditation Benefits?
The main benefit of meditation lies in its power to improve our emotional and physical well-being.
Meditation can help us feel better and calmer, reducing symptoms of anxiety and some forms of depression.
It provides an inner calm and helps with a focus of mind, also may contribute to a longer and healthier life.
Meditation practice can also help with mind control to manage better, the over-thinking and negative thinking patterns that trigger anxiety and similar issues.
Both hypnosis and meditation are easy to master, once it is practiced regularly. Many audios are very helpful with guiding the thinking mind.
There are different styles of meditation, all of which are beneficial. You can choose whichever type of meditation feels best for you or whichever seems to address a current issue you are having.
4 Styles of Meditation Practices
1. Breath Meditation
You focus on your breath and keep your attention on this process as it happens, gently.
You don’t need to breathe differently for this kind of practice; just focus on it as it comes naturally to you.
2. Mindfulness Meditation
In mindfulness meditation, you need to focus on everything you are experiencing:
- Your sensations
- Perceptions
- Thoughts
- Feelings
During mindfulness meditation, you will pay attention to your thoughts and feelings without judgment and let your experiences come and go without emotionally engaging with them.
It’s like watching clouds pass in the sky.
3. Meditation Based On Visualization
In this meditation session, you focus your attention on an image that you create in your mind (visualize).
For example, you can imagine a peaceful beach or emerald forest, a flowing river or a still, crystal-clear lake, a burning candle or soothing flames of the fireplace, etc.
Here is our YouTube channel with a variety of meditation music, healing chakras and guided meditations for you.
With visualization you can also imagine something that is vital to you, like a goal you want to achieve. In short, you can imagine anything that engages your attention and relaxes you.
If you want to try this type of meditation, you can exercise your imagination by creating images that you enjoy and bringing you positive emotions.
You can also use guided audios to help you discover what to imagine and walk you through step by step.
4. Loving-Kindness Meditation
This meditation practice is focused on thinking kindly about others and yourself, and it involves an open-hearted presence that fosters feelings of love, compassion and self-compassion, and kindness.
You might focus your thoughts on yourself, someone you care about, someone you don’t know very well, and someone you dislike.
During loving-kindness meditation, think about wishing them kindness, happiness and engage in other positive thoughts.
There are many other meditation styles, each offering mental health benefits.
These benefits grow the more we practice, and regular meditators tend to have significantly better experiences in terms of the practice, and the benefits they experience.
Hypnosis Vs Meditation : FAQ
What’s the main difference between hypnosis vs. meditation? Both of these involve a state of relaxation. However, hypnosis consists of a goal or suggestion (an affirmation like “You sleep and rest” or “You feel calm” or “I am at peace” or “I am successful and confident”).
In the hypnotic state, these suggestions are more powerful as we are re-programing the subconscious mind with the goals we want to achieve.
Q: Can anyone be hypnotized?
Most individuals are somewhat suggestible.
There seems to be a few who cannot get hypnotized, at least not easily, but some are highly susceptible and can benefit more from this practice.
Q: Can anyone meditate?
Most people seem to be able to meditate with no issue, although it might take some time to learn the art of “switch off” and focus solely on the breath.
It might not be an option for people with psychotic disorders or those who find that meditation worsens their anxiety (always seek advice from a medical practitioner beforehand.)
Both of these practices can be useful and can be applied at the same time! Your meditation practice can guide you into a nice relaxed state, (similar to a hypnotic induction- prior to accessing the subconscious mind for goals.)
Different meditation styles are more accessible to try on your own as a practice at home. At the same time, hypnotherapy usually is the better option to get started with a certified practitioner if there are certain health issues that need to be worked on.
Hypnosis can be more effective in a professional setting because a hypnotherapist can help develop better and more tailored suggestions for certain health concerns.
Q: Can a hypnotherapist make me do things I don’t want to do?
No, the therapist can’t change your personality or force actions that you don’t want. Hypnotherapy is something that can only help you with goals that are aligned with your values.
Many successful individuals benefit from using this modality in reaching their goals and visions in life, and sportspeople also find it very beneficial with pain management.
You will not be unconscious throughout the process of hypnotherapy. Also, you will discuss the process with your hypnotherapist and be aware of the suggestions that are being presented.
Q: How do I know whether I am meditating correctly?
If you are trying to focus your attention on something specific and bring it back gently when it wanders, you are meditating correctly. It doesn’t matter even if you get distracted, as it is a part of the process.
If you are unsure, try a guided meditation audio that will help your busy thoughts, step by step.
Usually, the guided meditation styles are an excellent option for when you have fully occupied thoughts continually spinning around, as the guidance gently redirects your mind back to the focus of your breath.
Q: Are there any side effects of hypnosis and meditation?
These practices are not known to have side effects.
A few people might find it unpleasant or lead to more distress, but this is very rare. So, if you are unsure, always speak to your medical practitioner beforehand.
Hypnosis is usually used as a self-healing tool to help with some forms of anxiety, stress issues, quitting smoking, and goals.
It is a helpful tool in accessing buried memories and helps with changes in our behavior and emotional state.
Q: Are hypnosis and hypnotherapy the same?
A certified practitioner usually conducts hypnotherapy, and it is specifically tailored towards your personal health concerns or goal, taking into consideration your personal belief patterns, so the session is specific and tailored.
Ready made goal focused audios are a fraction of the price and can be practiced within the home environment and at your convenience.
This self-healing method is practiced via guided audios which are purchased online. They can be aligned to your goals, although the audios might not be tailored toward your specific beliefs and behaviors, so it’s always good to read the description about the audio before purchase.
Hypnosis Benefits
Always speak to your practitioner before embarking on any new alternative treatments. If you have concerns about any medical matters, you should always consult your healthcare provider without delay.
Disclaimer: Our web pages and blog posts provide general information for general purposes only and not to be used for any medical, legal or alternative health advice for any type of physical, mental health or financial concerns.Always speak to your practitioner before embarking on any new alternative treatments. If you have concerns about any medical matters, you should always consult your healthcare provider without delay.We thank you for taking full responsibility for your own health and wellbeing in life. ☺