One of the most frequent questions I get as a hypnotherapist regards the difference between hypnosis and meditation.

Meditation and hypnosis are similar in that they both relax us and allow us to quiet our mind. It’s like going to a loud party and choosing to go into a quiet room for a moment. In this quiet room, outside noise and stress are gone. With hypnosis, however, not only can we access this quiet room, but we can also use our imagination to see ourselves as we wish to be, thereby making positive changes in our attitude, feelings and behavior. Since the mind can’t differentiate between what we’re imaging and what is real, hypnosis is a wonderful tool to powerfully activate and create what we desire.

Hypnosis works by verbally guiding you, like a guided daydream, to focus your attention away from life distractions and to imagine a particular goal being accomplished. It’s like looking through a telescope and only seeing your goal. All distractions and blocks, including negative self talk, are temporarily eliminated. Meditation, on the other hand, is a calming of the mind with no particular goal but to relax.

In addition, meditation can be quite difficult to learn and accomplish, especially if you have a very active mind and many stressful events happening in life. Hypnosis, on the other hand, is much easier because you don’t need to empty your mind of thoughts, but instead, gently focus your thoughts in a specific and intentional manner. It’s like being guided to walk down a path and to then turn down a special path, quietly taking in the beautiful scenery called Success. Hypnosis can be a quick, deeply relaxing and effective way to let go of old patterns of thinking and behaving and to start living a more fulfilling and satisfying life.