What is Hypnotherapy?
Last week, I wrote an article to explain the difference between hypnosis and meditation. The answer we believe lies in intent. I have a monotropic cognitive style, and trying to fully understand every inch of something can take a lot of my focus. Which is difficult with a subject that even the most hardworking researchers don’t fully understand. Of course – If our brains were simple enough to understand, we wouldn’t be smart enough to understand them! Most hypnosis researchers accept the current explanations of hypnosis and focus on the application of it. Contradicting my love of intuition and playing in spiritual realms, I’m still stuck on what hypnosis is and why am I using it?
As my understanding evolves, concepts that once seemed vast or complex become more defined and easier to explore in depth. After writing the hypnosis Vs meditation article, I couldn’t get the thoughts out of my head about hypnotherapy. A few more things clicked into place, and I found myself writing this article in my head.
What is the definition of Hypnotherapy?
I put this to AI and it told me Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic practice that uses hypnosis to help people make positive changes in their thoughts, behaviours, or emotions. Hypnosis itself is a focused state of awareness where the mind becomes more receptive to suggestions.
In hypnotherapy, a trained therapist guides someone into this state – often through relaxation techniques and guided imagery – so they can work on issues like:
- Breaking habits (e.g., smoking, nail-biting)
- Reducing anxiety or stress
- Managing pain
- Improving sleep
- Building confidence
- Processing trauma
It’s not about mind control but rather helping people focus inward, access their own resources, and make desired changes.
And I tend to agree, but how does hypnosis make these changes? My article Why Hypnosis isn’t The Therapy explains in more detail how hypnosis itself is not therapy. A skilled hypnotherapist combines hypnosis with therapeutic techniques to help clients make meaningful changes. Because hypnotherapy blends hypnosis with various therapeutic modalities, it is effective for many issues – provided the therapist is knowledgeable in the relevant area.
What if I’m not hypnotisable?
People experience hypnosis differently – some people feel their focus deepen and their body relax – like being absorbed in a book, movie, or daydream. Most people remain fully aware, although external noise fades into the distance. Some people feel light and floaty, while others feel heavy and grounded. Thoughts may slow down, and imagination becomes more vivid. Physically, you might notice a sense of stillness, warmth, or tingling, but there’s no “right” way to experience it.
To understand what happens inside the body during hypnosis, researchers use hypnotic susceptibility tests (the two most popular are the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility and the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scales) to determine who meets their ‘hypnotisable’ profile and use fMRI to look at the brain changes in and out of hypnosis. Most formal definitions of hypnosis include a strong focus of attention, a reduction in peripheral awareness, and an increase in responsiveness to suggestion. I’d like to see comparisons against people absorbed in an activity, as I believe many of us move in and out of this same state of mind throughout life without hypnotic induction.
I recently worked with someone to help them with a fear after an online hypnotisability test told they aren’t hypnotisable enough. I rubbished this; however, it got me thinking. If we remain rigid in the belief that an individual in hypnosis must fit the formal definition, my opinion changes. Hypnosis audios rely on suggestibility. The hypnotic susceptibility scales test suggestibility. If someone scores low, it indicates they are not suggestible, which means a hypnosis audio is useless. Some hypnotherapists rely on suggestion. Their method of working goes like this – hypnotic induction, hypnotic deepener, suggestion work, end session. For suggestible people, this is perfect. However, most therapists work more imaginatively and combine knowledge in other therapeutic techniques with hypnosis. Hypnotherapy is possible for people who are “not hypnotisable” or “not suggestible”.
Hypnosis without Suggestion
Sometimes a hypnotic induction includes suggestions, e.g. relax your shoulders. Most people feel happy following the instructions because of the nature of the situation. However, in hypnotherapy school, we learn how to induce hypnosis in other ways. If you experience PDA, it is something to mention to your hypnotherapist as you should, if you feel like you might be hard to hypnotise!
Because suggestion is part of the definition of hypnosis, is it hypnosis without suggestion? And how can we use that therapeutically? I expect many of my clients would score low on a hypnotisable susceptibility test – meaning they are not suggestible. Yet the therapy seems to work. I believe there is a state of mind that almost everybody can move into, which is similar or the same brain state of that seen on fMRI in hypnotised subjects. In this state of mind, we have a deep focus, vivid images in the mind or strong feelings within the body, and reduced focus on the external – including the fear of judgement. The same feeling one would describe when absorbed in an activity. Whether this is hypnosis, meditation or not, we can use it to improve therapeutic outcomes.
Metacognition / Introspection
Meta-cognition is the way you think about thinking. The awareness and regulation you have of your cognitive processes, such as planning, monitoring, and evaluating how you learn or solve problems. For example, when you realise that rereading a passage doesn’t help you understand it so you switch to summarising it instead.
When you explore your own thoughts, emotions, and experiences, it is introspection. You self-reflect and self-examine. For example, when you sit quietly and reflect on why you felt a certain way during a conversation.
Meta-cognition and introspection are both beneficial life skills and necessary for growth. Meta-cognition helps you recognise effective strategies, regulate your thoughts and make better decisions, thereby improving your learning and problem solving. It increases adaptability, reduces overconfidence, and enhances self-regulation, making it especially useful in academic and professional settings. Introspection deepens the understanding you have about yourself by improving your emotional awareness and personal reflection. Through introspection, you can improve the regulation of your emotions and strengthen relationships.
A key aspect of therapy is developing introspection and meta-cognition, and hypnosis can accelerate and deepen this process. Some research suggests the hypnotic state reduces meta-cognition; this is beneficial, helping switch off constant self-analysis. Much like lowering inhibitions and concerns about judgment. In this state, people often feel more comfortable unlocking mental spaces they’ve kept closed for years. Additionally, hypnosis makes the experience more visceral, heightening emotional engagement and strengthening the processing of thoughts and feelings within the safe space of the therapy room.
This process highlights that hypnosis without suggestion helps one main purpose of therapy – deepening introspection and meta-cognition. By naturally creating a state where mental barriers lower and self-exploration becomes more immersive, hypnosis allows us to engage with our thoughts and emotions without external directives. Rather than relying on suggestion, the altered state of awareness enables a more organic and profound connection with your inner world, making personal growth and self-understanding a natural outcome of the process.
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