Meditation Vs Hypnosis

When reading about meditation or hypnosis, sometimes you will see that these two terms are used interchangeably.   While they are similar in some regards, they are different in a few specific ways.  Let's take a closer look. 

How Meditation and Hypnosis are Similar

As we have already discussed on the Brain Waves and Mental States page, the human mind has three mental levels:

• The Conscious level, which is what we generally regard as being "awake and alert". 
• The Subconscious level, which is a state characterized by physical relaxation, and a mental shift from outward alertness to inward reflection.  This shift also means that the mind is less conscious of the five senses, and more aware of subconscious memory, intention, creativity and personal traits like values, beliefs and identities.
• The Unconscious level, in which the mind is largely inactive while the body heals and maintains itself.

Also recall from our brain waves page that these three levels overlap at their boundaries.  The subconscious starts at the low end of the delta brain waves range, covers the entire alpha brain waves range, and extends a bit into the theta brain waves range. When you are quiet, relaxed and introspective, your brain is experiencing alpha waves and your mind is in an "alpha state".  This makes the alpha state invaluable for both relaxation and "clearing the (conscious) mind", and accessing the subconscious.  In turn, that access provides us with an opportunity to become aware of, understand and/or modify personal identities, values, and beliefs lying within the subconscious mind.  

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How Meditation and Hypnosis are Different

Meditation and hypnosis diverge in how they are used:
Meditation is primarily used for relaxation and/or accessing the intuition.  Many cultures throughout history have incorporated meditation into their daily routines to make full use of this access.  Seeking a calm, centered, serene personal space each day (or even several times each day) has been proven to have measurable medical benefits, including reduced blood cortisol levels, lower heart rates, muscle relaxation, improved awareness of the self, and the moment.  These in turn can improve a person's quality of life and personal health.

Hypnosis, on the other hand, is characterized by having and implementing one or more intentions.  These intentions are made by the conscious mind.  If the person is practicing self-hypnosis, those intentions are kept in the conscious mind as the person relaxes and slides into the alpha state, and then the conscious mind communicates those intentions to the subconscious. 

If the person is working with a hypnotherapist, the hypnotherapist will use an induction method to hypnotize the client, then speak with them about implementing their intentions upon returning to consciousness.  In either case, when the person comes out of hypnosis, those intentions are then still stored in the subconscious and will influence the person's behaviors from that point forward.  Click here for a more complete list of what hypnosis can do,  and what it can't.

Also note that there is some overlap between how meditation and hypnosis can be used.  For anxious or depressed patients, either approach can be successful to provide a calmer, more serene state of mind.  Clients who are trying to address physical symptoms like high blood pressure, high stress levels and/or high heart rates, can use either approach to make improvements.

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