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There is clearly some link between meditation and hypnosis, but this overlap is rarely discussed by those involved with either practice. Most hypnotherapists know little about the practice of meditation. Some are dismissive of meditation because they see it as essentially aimless – not directed at any specific goal nor aimed at the solution of any specific problem. But over the years I have come to realize that meditation and hypnosis are intimately related. To understand one is to understand the other.

Having said that, I have to confess that my own experience of meditation is somewhat limited. I took up meditation in my late teens / early 20s and I did so with a specific aim in mind – to improve my concentration. Read the rest of this entry »

What does “hypnosis” actually mean? From a professional point of view I would go along with the definition offered to us when we were in training. Hypnosis is a calm, receptive state of mind which is brought about by physical and mental relaxation. For clinical purposes sometimes it is easier and simpler to conceive of hypnosis as a specific state of mind into which a subject can allow him or herself to be lead.

But outside of the therapy room such a definition is far too limited. Therapists, theorists and psychologists may argue endlessly over the definition of hypnosis but the definitions they come up with, however loosely worded, are inevitably too limited. Brian Vandenberg tentatively defined hypnosis as a “communicative process” in which people will allow some other individual to exert a degree of influence upon their experience (Vandenberg 1998). Fine – but where does that leave self-hypnosis? Sarbin (1997) regarded hypnosis as a kind of “conversation” between the hypnotist and the subject. But that not only rules out self-hypnosis, it also seems to exclude the whole subjective experience of the hypnotic process. Read the rest of this entry »

I often think that learning hypnosis is like learning to play the piano – more of an art as a craft or technique. Many children, in the UK at least, take up the piano, only a tiny percentage get though to the highest grade. Fewer still continue to play and use what they have learned. Fewer still make a living from it.

The hypnotherapy training I undertook was pretty demanding and the drop-out rate was high. That is to say, students would often complete a stage but then fail to progress to the next level. Only two of us in my first-stage group made it through to the final stage.

And some of those who make it to the end are quick to abandon the use of hypnosis or to relegate it to the level of a technique for occasional use – maybe when all else fails! This is a great shame – experience, or practice, is so important, so vital. I feel sure that many would-be hypnotherapists give up on hypnosis because they have not really understood it or have not gained the practice and experience to use it effectively. Read the rest of this entry »