What’s the difference between a guided meditation and hypnotherapy?
Firstly, there are similarities.
- Both induce trance.
- Both can use imagination and creativity.
- Both are helpful tools for performance coaching.
But there are big differences too.
Guided Meditations:
- Guided meditations are generally monologues. Usually the hypnotist simply goes on a storytelling rant with little to no interaction with the client(s).
- Guided meditations are suitable for group work because the effort is mostly one directional. The hypnotist can sense the audience and adjust his pacing and delivery but there is no way to customize the presentation to accommodate each individual in the audience.
- When you listen to recordings of guided meditations, everything is pre-scripted and squished into a can. These scripts are usually designed to be generic in order to appeal to a wide audience.
- Pre-recorded guided meditations are convenient and predictable. A person can use these pre-recorded scripts like a mantra – Simply push PAUSE, PLAY or REPEAT – over and over and over again. Incite or awareness can occur over time.
- Since feedback is non-existent, a client will need to recognize when it is time to move on or change the script. Listening to an outdated script is a waste of time and can stifle a person’s growth.
Hypnotherapy:
- On the other hand, hypnotherapy is a dialogue between the hypnotherapist and the client.
- The dialogue occurs during the trance induction and while the client is in a deep trance.
- Because it is a dialogue, the CLIENT has a lot of control over the content and direction of the therapeutic conversation. Key decisions are reserved for the client such as:
- Should we move faster or slower?
- Should we pause?
- Are you ready to move forward?
- What resources do you need before we proceed? Etc…
- In a hypnotherapy session, very little is pre-scripted. Everything is customized to suit the clients current needs.
- Specialized skills are required to perform hypnotherapy because there are more variables and more uncertainty to accommodate. Each client will present in a different way each session. Circumstances change and a clients impulses will shift.
- Most importantly, a hypnotherapist can provide empathy, compassion and acceptance that is calibrated to the clients changing needs.
There is a place and time for both guided meditations and hypnotherapy. How to blend these and other treatments can be discussed with your therapist. Remember, the journey is not about efficiency or perfection, its more to do with progress.