The Difference Between Directive and Non-Directive Hypnotherapy

In one sense, there are basically two different kinds of hypnotherapy: directive and non-directive.

Directive hypnotherapy, sometimes called "stage hypnosis" or "guided imagery," is when the patient is put into a trance with scripted language like "Your eyes are getting very heavy." A significant drawback with this type of hypnosis is the fact that the subconscious becomes guarded due to the unusual language used. When then subconscious hears a line like, "You are getting very sleepy" it knows something different is about to happen because it never hears this type of language during normal, everyday conversations. When you are trying to motivate the subconscious is change, the last thing you want is resistance. This is why directive hypnosis has limited results.

Non-directive hypnotherapy is more like talk therapy, except that the therapist tends to be more talkative because he or she is conversing with the client's subconscious. While the hypnotherapist talks with the client, the hypnotherapy occurs throughout the conversation. Non-directive hypnotherapy has a number of advantages over directive hypnosis. As mentioned, the unconscious is more accessible because it is not given any reason to become guarded or alarmed. Without this hindrance, the non-directive hypnotherapist is more easily able to converse with the patient's unconscious and find out what will be needed to affect a change.

Another great advantage of non-directive hypnotherapy is that other therapeutic techniques can be introduced simultaneously because the hypnotherapy is occurring in the form of a therapeutic conversation. In the final analysis, changes that occur through the use of non-directive hypnotherapy tend to be more permanent because the subconscious has been rationalized with rather than tricked.

Hypnotherapy Can Help the Following:

• De-stress and manage daily anxiety and increase coping skills.
• Alleviate phobias, fears, and panic attacks.
• End nightmares, nail biting, exam nerves, jealousy, procrastination, and insomnia.
• Improve your performance in sports and business.
• Learn to meditate effectively
• Gain confidence in public speaking and stage performance.
• Gain insight into yourself and others.
• Smoking cessation
• Weight management
• Relationship clarity
• Sports enhancement
• Test improvement

An Important Note About Hypnotherapy

There are many health professionals who have received training in hypnosis and hypnotherapy. I highly recommend that you see someone who has training in psychology - not just hypnosis. Such training should consist of a Masters degree or a Ph.D., and preferably the practitioner should be a licensed psychotherapist, psychologist or psychiatrist. There is a good reason for this. When you are undergoing hypnosis or hypnotherapy, past traumas and other disturbing events can be triggered. I strongly recommend that you have someone with extensive training in psychology who is capable of dealing with such a situation. Again, there are many psychotherapists, psychologists or psychiatrists who have training in hypnosis and hypnotherapy, so finding someone who fits this criteria should not be difficult.

Where I Received My Hypnotherapy Training

I was fortunate to have received my training from one of finest hypnotherapy schools, Palo Alto School of Hypnotherapy, studying under the guidance of the highly respected author and hypnotherapist Josie Hadley. I blend my hypnotherapy training with my education in Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) because the two are so closely related. In you would like to learn more about NLP, click here. If you would like more information about how I use hypnotherapy in my therapy sessions, please call my office for an appointment. In addition, by book Healing & Wholeness: Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Mental Health discusses the practical applications of hypnotherapy in the field of mental health.