Mindfulness and Hypnotherapy.

At the BAThH AGM this year we focused on Mindfulness, which led me to contemplate the synergies between Mindfulness and Hypnosis/Hypnotherapy. When we do a mindfulness body scan it takes us into a state of mind akin to the physical hypnotic induction, in fact I cannot see any defined difference. When we are in any state of meditation are we not experiencing the slowed down relaxed brain wave state of a hypnotic trance? Where indeed does meditation stop and hypnosis begin? or are they the same thing? When I say to a client “notice noticing” to help them to alter a pattern of behaviour or register a change, am I not leading them towards mindful awareness? And do we not use mindful awareness in treatments for addictive and habitual behaviours by encouraging a conscious awareness of actions instead of allowing subconscious control of the habit? When we work at leading a client towards a wider perception than seeing all experiences as related to themselves, is that not also mindful reflection? I would encourage all practitioners to be mindfully aware of their use of mindfulness within their work and perhaps draw clients attention to this fact, as they world is so much more open to the concept of mindfulness than hypnosis, let’s use those synergies to ours and our client’s advantage.