Trance or hypnosis is a state of mind that everyone experiences at some point of time every day of our lives. Some examples of naturally occurring hypnosis are daydreaming, when reading a book, watching TV, or even when driving a car along a motorway. Hypnotherapy is the specific intention of taking a person into hypnosis (trance) and the use of that state of hypnosis in a therapeutic way.

There are generally two main types of hypnotherapy.

1) Suggestion Hypnotherapy

With this type of hypnotherapy, the hypnotherapist will use suggestions to help alleviate the issue. Those suggestions may be direct suggestion (e.g. you will feel confident now) or indirect suggestion (e.g. suggestions in the form of metaphors and stories).

Advantages

i) Can be effective for unwanted habits such as smoking, weight, nail-biting etc

ii) Can be very rapid and may only require 1 to 2 sessions

iii) Makes use of the clients accepted idea of the power of the stage hypnotist

Disadvantages

i) Issues may come back if anxiety and similar stimuli are experienced by the client that started the original issue.

2) Analytical Hypnotherapy (hypnoanalysis)

Hypnoanalysis seeks the causes of the clients issue. It traces the original experience or experiences that caused the issue and then uses various techniques to help release that issue. Even physical problems such as pain, eczema, hay fever and emotional issues may be resolved using an analytical approach with hypnotherapy.

Advantages

i) The original issue is less likely to come back as the cause has been addressed in hypnoanalysis

ii) Other connected issues may also be resolved

iii) This approach can include the powerful aspects of suggestion hypnotherapy

iv) Increased self-understanding often occurs

Disadvantages

i) Hypnoanalysis will typically need more sessions than suggestion hypnotherapy. Usually the number of sessions is from 6 to 10.

Other Hypnotherapy Variations

A hypnotherapist may state that they use regression hypnotherapy. This simply refers to the guidance of a client back into their personal history with the intention of addressing a past and possibly disturbing experience. All hypnotherapy, possibly with the exception of Suggestion Hypnotherapy, may include regression and it would definitely be part of an analytical hypnotherapy series of sessions.

Some schools of hypnotherapy give their approach to the use of hypnotherapy a specific name. Other schools have produced a specific structure to sessions that they encourage their graduates to follow. An example is 5-path hypnotherapy. This has 5 phases that lead to the resolution of the clients issue. Typically 4 to 6 sessions are required.

All types and variations of approach to using hypnotherapy have the same aim. The intention is to make changes in the most powerful part of the mind; the subconscious mind. The conscious mind is considered to be the weaker part of the mind. The urges, instincts, habits and behaviours that an individual exhibits come from the subconscious and although conscious intervention and intention can help, sometimes a powerful intervention such as hypnotherapy is required to make that change in the subconscious mind.

A well-trained and experienced hypnotherapist has the potential to help many people enjoy a better quality of life.