What is the difference between hypnosis and meditation?

Essentially, hypnosis and meditation are the same things, because they are both based on the principles of being in a trance-like state of mind. The hypnotic state can be induced by yourself, with self-hypnosis, or by a hypnotist or hypnotherapist who will use various techniques to get their clients into that state where they are between sleep and consciousness – a total subdued state of extreme self-awareness. You may want to learn more about the difference between hypnosis and hypnotherapy as well.

Meditation is not very different, except that you do not need a hypnotist to get you there, you just need a quiet room and some breathwork exercises, and you will slip into a similar state of heightened self-awareness. There are also different types of meditation. The aim of meditation is to calm one’s mind down, and slow down the thought trajectory, whereas the aim of hypnosis is to tap into the subconscious mind, retrieve hidden memories, or uncover the roots of unexplainable behaviors. Here are some points that highlight some of the main differences:

• Meditation is often a spiritual affair, whereas hypnosis is more psychological
• Hypnosis, unless you are trained in self-h0ypnosis, is guided by a hypnotherapist, whereas meditation is done by oneself. Guided meditations are also available, but they still rely on you getting into that state by yourself
• Meditation is about your self-awareness, mindfulness, and living within the present moment, whereas hypnosis is about tapping into memories from your past that is trapped within your subconscious mind.

How are meditation and hypnosis similar?

Contrary to popular belief, hypnosis and the various types of hypnosis is not some mind-game where the hypnotist sends you into some hypnotic trance state where you have no control. Even though you are within your subconscious mind, you are always aware of what is going on as you would in wakefulness, and you are in control of yourself and your thoughts throughout the entire hypnosis session. A meditative state is similar in that you have all the control over where your thoughts end up. You are simply in a heightened state of awareness that enables you to practice mindfulness within your present moment. Here are a few of the similarities that hypnosis and meditation share.

• In order to achieve either hypnosis or meditation correctly, one must focus their concentration on something specific like words from your hypnotherapist or a certain sound, or even breathwork techniques.
• Both meditation and hypnosis or hypnotherapy have similar dissociative qualities in the state of consciousness they bring forth.
• Both hypnotherapy and meditation are brilliant tools for relieving stress on the mind and body.

Meditation vs hypnosis comparison chart

For your benefit, we have listed some of the possible factors that can be compared with hypnosis and meditation. Keep reading to find some more differences and similarities, as well as the benefits of meditation and hypnotherapy.

Meditation or hypnosis for ease of use?

How easy is it for one to get into a proper trance-like state using either meditation or hypnosis? Is there a difference between the two, or are they both just as achievable as the other? Let’s find out!

Hypnosis

Getting into that state of hypnosis is done through a hypnotherapist, and it depends on whether or not that person is nearby or far away that will determine how easy it is.

Self-hypnosis

Self-hypnosis is not something for anyone to attempt. You will need to have undergone some training with a legitimate hypnotherapist before you will be able to perform self-hypnosis, due to the safety risks and accuracy of what you are doing.

Meditation

Meditation is not easy for every one of us. We all have unique minds that work differently, and it can be a struggle to get into that relaxed state. Practicing mindfulness meditation takes time and effort to induce the desired positive changes, and not everyone has that spare time on hand very often.

Guided meditation

Guided meditations are a beautiful way for the person who struggles to get into that meditative state by themselves. Similar to hypnosis, a voice will guide you through the veil and you will slip into that desired trance-state of mind. This can be quite tricky because the time and place will matter immensely, but a good pair of headphones might help you infinitely.

Winner: There is no winner in terms of how easy hypnosis and meditation are to achieve. This answer will vary from person to person because our minds all work differently. It depends on you which one you find the easiest to practice more regularly.

Hypnosis vs meditation for relaxation

It is time for a bit of relaxation! It is much needed for most of us, we dare say. But, the question is, which will get you more relaxed quicker, hypnosis or meditation? It might not be the most obvious decision for most, but this is all dependent on the person who is in need.

Hypnosis

Hypnosis can easily set you into a state of relaxation via the hypnotherapist, yet this state is more based on your subconscious.

Meditation

Meditation is all about relaxation. The point is to subdue the conscious thoughts that are based on the past and the future and to bring yourself into the present moment. This is done by focusing your thought mindfully.

Guided meditation

Guided meditations allow relaxation to happen infinitely because there is no concentration needed at all to relax your mind, which is ideal because relaxing is not possible with excessive concentration.

Winner: This is dependent on the person, each one of us prefers a certain method to feel relaxed, so it depends if you prefer to get yourself there, or if you like to be guided towards that state of being.

Consciousness

how does hypnosis or meditation affect our consciousness? Essentially they have similar effects with minor differences.

How does hypnosis affect consciousness?

Hypnosis is all about tapping into a sleep-wake cycle. It is helpful because one can access memories that have been hidden by their subconscious or the unconscious mind, which are often caused by traumatic events – no matter how intense they are. Regardless of the misconceptions, we all benefit from unveiling messages we have hidden from ourselves.

How does meditation affect consciousness?

Meditation is more about tapping into the present moment. It is about incorporating the “right now” into our lives, without worrying about the past or the future.

Winner: This depends on what you want out of your healing session. Do you want to subdue the stress in our life that is caused by pressing factors of past events or future possibilities?

Meditation vs guided meditation vs self-hypnosis for sleep

Struggling to sleep? Can you use meditation instead of sleep? Which one will help ease you into that oh-so-desired slumber easier? No one likes to be sleep-deprived, so if this is a pressing matter, you might find this interesting.

Self-hypnosis

Self-hypnosis might help you in the long run, by finding the underlying issues that are causing you issues or underlying stress that is preventing sleep.

Meditation

Meditating is an obvious route to set your mind to relaxation. If you are exhausted, but your mind is racing, you might appreciate a few meditative sounds to help bring your mind from running 1000 miles per hour, down to a more reasonable pace that can fall asleep.

Guided meditation

Guided meditation is better if you are someone who struggles to get into that needed trance-like state by yourself. it helps them to relax their mind, but if you are using it to fall asleep, you might find the voice a bit distracting to fall asleep to.

Winner: Again, this depends on the person. Every person has their preferred method to fall asleep, so not everyone will fall asleep the same way.

Hypnosis vs meditation brain waves

The mind is very receptive to both hypnotherapy as well as meditation. There is evidence in MRIs that are scanned during both of these induced moments.  Let’s take a look at some of the differences in our brainwaves.

How does hypnosis affect the brain?

Hypnosis has this amazing ability to set your mind into theta mode. The theta waves can make you feel so subdued that you might even feel paralyzed at times when you are under the influence. This will pass, it is simply part of the process.

How does meditation affect the brain?

The same happens when you are practicing meditation. Some people have even reported out-of-body experiences from deep meditations.

Winner: Again, this depends on the person, and what they want out of the session. Because both meditation and hypnosis activate the theta waves, in terms of brain waves, they have a similar effect of making you feel like you can not move.

Hypnotism meditation: Is there a hybrid, are they the same anyway?

Because hypnotism and meditation are so similar, they can be used for almost the same reasons. Whether you want to stop smoking or start your weight loss journey, overcome phobias,  or facilitate general well-being, hypnosis and meditation are amazing tools. You can even incorporate self-hypnosis techniques into your meditation practice, which will act as affirmations of some sort when you are feeling overwhelmed, and wish to center yourself.

Which is better: hypnosis or meditation? Our Key takeaways

Ultimately, self-hypnosis and meditation are the same things. Whether you are wanting to quit smoking, rid yourself of self-sabotaging thoughts, inspire your spiritual journey, or bring hidden memories forth so you might bring the roots of unexplained behaviors into the conscious mind, there is a form of meditation, or some form of hypnosis work that will benefit your physical, spiritual and mental health. Not one option is better than the other, it all depends on what works best for you.

FAQs

Is meditation hypnosis in a different form?

Hypnosis and meditation are both very similar, except the one help you to dive into your present moment and revel in it, and the other helps to awaken the subconscious thoughts and memories.

Are hypnosis and meditation both forms of sleep?

Neither hypnosis nor meditation is a form of sleep, but they can instill relaxation in a way that helps you fall asleep easier, which is a god-send for those who struggle. Be wary of hypnosis myths!

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