I get this question a lot: is meditation the same as hypnosis? People often put these two terms side by side for comparison. But to be honest, that's like asking if a pen is the same as a piece of paper.
Why? Because hypnosis is a state, while meditation is a practise. An apple-to-apple comparison would be self-hypnosis. Let's look into these terms below and explore the difference!
Hypnosis is a deep state of relaxation and focused attention, a state where we naturally go in and out throughout the day. In fact, people who does self-hypnosis and many of those who meditates enter this state during their practice. It gives the body a good relaxing break to recharge, and for some, it's a great way to detach from overwhelming emotions and thoughts.
Meditation is a practice of mindfulness. When you meditate, you learn how to bring your attention to the present moment and remain in control of your mind, stopping yourself from being carried away by the gazillion thoughts passing through. It focuses on the here and now. Those who practices meditation often has reported lowered stress levels and improved connection with the self, as one puts it "(with meditation) we get to know our pain, we connect better, we improve our focus, and we're kinder to ourselves". There are many benefits of meditating, and here's a good read if you're interested: https://www.businessinsider.com/tim-ferriss-meditation-mindfulness-2017-11?IR=T
Self-hypnosis is a practice of focused attention, where a person goes into the state of hypnosis and uses the power of their subconscious mind to help them reach their goals. This usually involves visualisation and repetition of positive suggestions, for example "I am getting stronger", "I feel calm when I speak", "I'm confident in my ability to express my ideas" etc. Self-hypnosis is usually taught by clinical hypnotherapists to ensure there's continuity in therapy even when you are at home. It is not as widely used as meditation, but anyone can do it. Interested to try? Simply follow the steps here: https://www.wikihow.com/Perform-Self-Hypnosis
There's also hypnotherapy, also known as clinical hypnosis, medical hypnosis, or clinical hypnotherapy - which is having added suggestions delivered by qualified therapists while you're in the state hypnosis. Usually, hypnotherapists works closely with their patients to understand their problems and more importantly, their goals, through a variety of psychotherapy techniques. Thereafter, they induce their patients into hypnosis and feed them suggestions whether in the form of stories, or via direct suggestions.
There are many different ways of inducing a person into hypnosis - and despite popular believe, most hypnotists don't use pendulums. If you're curious to try out a sessions, feel free to contact us!
Here's a good read on some researches and scientifically proven benefits of hypnosis: