Self Hypnosis Vs Working With a Hypnotist

Self Hypnosis Vs Working With A Hypnotist: What’s the Difference & Which Is Best For You?

To really understand the difference between self hypnosis and working with a hypnotist, there are a few things you’ll want to know about hypnotism in general. In a previous post about hypnosis and the subconscious mind, I mentioned that to be hypnotized, you have to be willing to be hypnotized. Therefore all hypnosis is really self hypnosis.

If you’re willing to be in a state of hypnosis (a heightened state of awareness where your focus is so fine-tuned it allows you to go into deeper states of relaxation), you have a few options for getting there.

What Is Self Hypnosis?

Self-hypnosis done alone can happen through listening to a hypnosis recording, music using binaural beats or theta brain waves, or a guided meditation. You could put yourself into a state of hypnosis by staring at a candle or even just by focusing on one thing to the extent that everything else is so unimportant you don’t even notice it.  

Have you ever been so engrossed in a book or something you’re doing or watching that someone had to say your name a few times to get your attention, “Heidi. Heidi? Helllloooooo, earth to Heidi!” And then you snap back to the present moment? That’s being in a state of self-hypnosis, unintentionally obtained, but still hypnosis.

There are different levels of hypnosis ranging from light hypnosis (like spacing out while watching a show or movie or driving on the highway and missing your exit because you’re so focused on your thoughts) down to the deepest levels where you can anesthetize yourself, not to feel pain.

Self-hypnosis without someone or something guiding you is generally a light state of hypnosis; you’re relaxed and focused on one thing.

You really need a hypnosis recording (like these hypnosis audios) or a hypnotist/hypnotherapist to guide you into a deeper state of hypnosis where you’re capable of doing deeper work within the subconscious.

Listening to a guided self hypnosis audio will allow you to access a deeper state of hypnosis; all you need is your willingness (and a good audio!). The intent behind most hypnosis audios is to help you change, heal, or expand the beliefs you hold in your subconscious. To do that work in the subconscious, you have to access the deeper states of hypnosis. Great audios can do that, and so can great hypnotists.

Is There A Difference Between a Hypnotist and a Hypnotherapist?

A hypnotist is a person who has the ability to guide others from a state of consciousness into a state of hypnosis, allowing you to access your subconscious mind. 

A hypnotherapist is the same thing! It’s a person who has the ability to take others from a conscious state into a state of hypnosis to access the subconscious.  

Both have the same skills. In the United States, some states have regulations on whether you can call yourself a “hypnotherapist” because of the word “therapist” contained within it. I could have chosen to be a Certified Hypnotherapist, but I decided to be certified as a Hypnotist so that if I’m moving around the U.S. I can still do my work.

There are also differences between the types of hypnotists. Some hypnotists are all about stage hypnotism, where they’re making audience members walk like a chicken for entertainment. But other hypnotists, like me, are using the profound tool of hypnosis to give insight to their clients that can’t be gathered from the conscious state so that they may heal and evolve forward.

What Is Hypnotherapy?

Both hypnotists (the non-entertainment kind) and hypnotherapists practice hypnotherapy when working with clients. It’s “therapy” because they’re trying to treat or heal something, and they’re using hypnosis to access the subconscious to work on the root of the issue. It’s a therapeutic tool for healing what can’t be healed in traditional, conscious-based therapies.

Benefits of Self Hypnosis

You can do incredible things using self hypnosis at home. When you’re in a space you’re comfortable in; it can be much easier to drop into the state of hypnosis. You’re in your own surroundings, wearing whatever you want, maybe you haven’t even brushed your teeth yet, it doesn’t matter! 

With self-hypnosis, you can create a space for yourself to feel safe and relaxed and then use an audio to guide you into hypnosis and do beautiful work within your subconscious mind. You get to pick the time and place when you do self-hypnosis!

Benefits of Working with a Hypnotist/Hypnotherapist

When you work 1:1 with a hypnotist (or hypnotherapist - I’ll use the term hypnotist to refer to both going forward), you have the advantage of a trained professional using their skills to work on your specific needs. The subconscious is a wild place; things don’t operate or look the same as they do in the conscious, so to have a hypnotist there as your trained guide, you can do much more work than you can with a hypnosis audio. You’re working together to do deep, healing work.

How to Determine Which to Use: Self Hypnosis or Hypnotherapy?

We’ve covered the benefits and the differences between self hypnosis and hypnotherapy, but you may still be wondering which version of hypnosis is best for you.

Using Self Hypnosis

If you’re just starting out with hypnosis, I think it’s great to grab an audio and dip your toe in that way. It allows you to become comfortable in the state of hypnosis. You’ll begin to drop into hypnosis faster and easier through regular listening, all while reprogramming your subconscious with empowering new beliefs.  

Self-hypnosis audios generally focus on guiding you into the subconscious and delivering suggestions to your subconscious around a specific theme (losing weight, confidence, etc.) The audios I’ve created go beyond other hypnosis audios. I’m guiding you to align your subconscious beliefs and your energy with your conscious intentions. So if you’re curious about self-hypnosis, my hypnosis audios would be an amazing place to start. 

Self-hypnosis using hypnosis audios is easy, can be done anytime, isn’t a huge time commitment, and is super cost-effective.

Working with a Hypnotist/Hypnotherapist

Working with a hypnotist would be great for you if you’ve done other therapies to address issues or patterns, but they keep popping up. Working with a hypnotist would be a great option if you’re motivated to get to the root of the issue. 

Can Self Hypnosis and Working with a Hypnotist/Hypnotherapist Be Done Together?

I say yes!  

All of my clients learn a self-hypnosis technique that they use every day between our sessions together. Once you know how easy it is to access the subconscious and how powerful it is to be in that space, you’ll want to be taking agency over your subconscious programming by intentionally getting into the subconscious and making the changes you want to make.

I believe working with a hypnotist and doing self hypnosis audios at home is a brilliant combo. Self hypnosis allows you to advocate for your conscious intentions by aligning the programs in your subconscious with those intentions using audios that align with your goals.

No one can do this for you, not even a hypnotist.  

A hypnotist can help you identify and clear out old limiting beliefs and programs and help you identify where they came from and why, but it still requires that you put in the time to create new expansive programs in your subconscious to really move yourself towards your intentions.

Any hypnosis work you can do is better than not doing any at all, but marrying self-hypnosis with working 1:1 with a hypnotist is a super powerful way to move yourself forward.