Is It Hypnosis Guided Imagery Or Guided Meditation
The root of the word "hypnosis" is a Greek word meaning "sleep". In hypnotherapy, the practitioner induces a state where the subject is less conscious than full waking, but not completely asleep, in order to bring forward repressed memories, or introduce positive suggestions. It's called a "trance state".
The practice of guided imagery relies on inducing a trance state as well, in order to reach past the intellect and engage the imagination. Guided imagery can be used for exactly the same purposes as hypnosis, as well as for bringing forward creativity through the imagination, exploring inner feelings, or tapping into higher states of awareness. But then, a hypnotherapist can do those things as well.
A guided meditation also uses an induction process, like hypnotherapy or guided imagery, and typically takes the listener on an inner journey to still the mind, experience peace and tranquility, get in touch with spiritual figures, tapping higher states of awareness, exploring inner feelings
Is this starting to sound familiar? If it is, that's because basically, all three are exactly the same!
The main difference is what the person leading the process chooses to call it. In general, hypnotherapists do "hypnotherapy", psychotherapists do "hypnotherapy" or "guided imagery", and spiritual teachers, spiritual coaches, and everyone else does "guided meditations". Potato potato. Personally, I prefer potatoes.
What about recordings? There's a long history of hypnosis recordings going back to "tapes", for curing everything from warts to shyness. Guided imagery and guided meditation recordings go back almost as far.
But there is something to be said for doing guided imagery/hypnosis/guided meditation with a therapist who can work with you in real time, one on one. By watching you carefully during the process and soliciting feedback as you proceed, your therapist can taylor the experience to your responses, determine the most productive directions as things unfold, and take you deeper into areas that seem to hold more for you. Working in this way takes practice and training, and it's a skill that is best developed with professional supervision over time.
There are hypnosis, guided imagery, and guided meditation recordings on the market for just about everything you can think of, and the more popular themes (weight loss!) have hundreds if not thousands of listings available. The quality is all over the map, though. So if you've tried recordings and haven't connected with them, don't give up without sampling those from other authors. Just about anyone can make a recording, but it takes a lot of work to make a great one, and not everyone is up to the task.
No matter what you call them, some of the most popular programs available are online at The Healing Waterfall, where you can download a free guided meditation by Laura Downall.
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