What's The Difference? Counselling, Psychotherapy & Hypnosis?

Counselling and Psychotherapy are known as the talking cures and have been used for centuries using psychological theories and skills to clients’ personal problems. Their main difference being the theories that are used during the sessions.

Hypnosis has also been used for centuries and is a state which occurs naturally in many situations, have you ever driven home and thought "I don't remember driving here” when you got there? Well, whilst driving you were in a natural hypnotic state or trance, you were probably thinking about something else whilst your subconscious or unconscious took over the driving. This can happen when reading, watching TV and in many other situations. Its all down to the how the brain processes more than one task.

This natural state can be combined with counselling or psychotherapy to make the process more effective. It’s then called hypnotherapy.

Hypnotherapy works on a subconscious or unconscious level so although our conscious or thinking part of the brain by going over the past may be able to figure out why we do things,e.g. I’m sad because ....or I have a phobia or anxiety because...this doesn’t always alleviate the problem. It’s usually more important to alleviate the problem and put in its place new more positive replacement behaviours; this is where hypnosis plays a part in hypnotherapy because when used by a skilled counsellor or psychotherapist it effectively teaches the subconscious much more flexible ways of responding to perceived situations.

It is important therefore if choosing a hypnotherapist that you also make sure that they have trained in either a counselling or psychological therapy as well.

REFERENCE: According to the BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL ”Hypnosis is the induction of a deeply relaxed state, with increased suggestibility and suspension of critical faculties. Once in this state, sometimes called a hypnotic trance, patients are given therapeutic suggestions to encourage changes in behaviour or relief of symptoms.”

ABC of complementary medicine: Hypnosis and relaxation therapies
Vickers and Zollman British Medical Journal.1999; 319: 1346-1349.