Hypnosis is a treatment intervention that involves inducing the client into a relaxed, suggestible state and then offering post-hypnotic suggestions for relief of symptoms. It uses the hypnotic trance—the simple shifting back and forth between the conscious and subconscious mind, a natural process that occurs every day—in order to create this relaxed, suggestible state.

Many people think of hypnosis as inducing sleep. That’s actually not the case. Hypnosis (and hypnotherapy) induce the “trance state.” It is actually a natural state of mind that many of us encounter in everyday life on a regular basis. If you’ve ever been engrossed in a book, movie, or performance, then you have likely experienced the trance state.

The only thing that distinguishes a naturally occurring trance state from the hypnotic trance state is that hypnotherapists induce the latter and are able to control the trance state to create understanding and healing.

The hypnotic trance state creates a deep sense of relaxation and allows the client to let go. During this process, the hypnotherapist is able to uncover subconscious motivations, access repressed memories, perform regression therapy, and/or use the power of suggestion to “re-map” the mind’s responses to stimuli.

Hypnotherapy is the practice of psychotherapy with a client who is in the hypnotic altered state of consciousness. Hypnotherapy is a powerful way to access the source of distress, like depression and anxiety, and for people to reconnect with dissociated emotions and disowned parts of themselves. Hypnotherapy helps therapists and client get closer to the source of a client’s issues by opening the doorway to their subconscious mind.

To understand the difference between hypnosis and hypnotherapy, think of hypnosis as a tool and hypnotherapy as the use of a tool.

While hypnosis and hypnotherapy are in the same “family,” they are very different from each other. The core difference is that hypnotherapy is an internationally-recognised therapy technique for treating mental and psychosomatic issues. It uses hypnosis to break through to the subconscious to better understand the foundation of the issues a client is facing.

Yes, hypnotherapy works. Professional organizations have consistently reported on the value of hypnotherapy. The British Medical Association has been formally studying and verifying it since 1892.

In the 1950s, both the British Medical Association and the American Medical Association confirmed the efficacy of hypnotherapy as official policy. They claimed: “For the past hundred years there has been an abundance of evidence that psychological and physiological changes could be produced by hypnotism which were worth study on their own account, and also that such changes might be of great service in the treatment of patients.”

In 2001, the British Psychological Society reported that: “Enough studies have now accumulated to suggest that the inclusion of hypnotic procedures may be beneficial in the management and treatment of a wide range of conditions and problems encountered in the practice of medicine, psychiatry and psychotherapy.”

When therapists treat their patients with traditional methods, they spend much of their time simply trying to get past mental blockages to understand the subconscious reasons for their patients’ issues. However, hypnotherapy uses the hypnotic trance as a method for accessing the subconscious. Accessing the subconscious allows therapists to better understand the core reasons that someone’s issues may be manifesting.

Think of a the therapist as an archaeologist. Using traditional talk therapy, therapists must slowly remove the crust with toothbrushes, finally reaching the skeletons below after much painstaking work. Hypnotherapy allows you to tunnel directly down to the subconscious.

What are the benefits of hypnotherapy? Hypnotherapy has repeatedly and consistently helped patients with anxiety, depression, PTSD, obesity, addictions, or countless other issues heal faster. When combined with Havening valuable healing work can begin as quickly as one or two sessions.