It’s a good question that I’m
sometimes asked, and I’ll begin by saying there are similarities and
differences. Just as there are different
types of meditation, there are different methods and techniques used in
hypnosis. For example, in some types of
meditation, people may have a spiritual goal or the desire to reach a relaxed
state, and others may use meditation to quiet the conscious mind. Both meditation and hypnosis may focus on
breathing and progressive relaxation techniques and visualizations, there may be
similar destinations, but their routes can differ. Generally, hypnosis is more goal-oriented.
Brain-imaging studies have shown
that there are differences in parts of the brain when one is meditating and in
some hypnotic states versus other hypnotic states, and that centres around the default
mode network (DMN) which is typically quiet or turned off as more focused
attention takes place in the pre-frontal cortex. Some techniques used in hypnosis actually
turn on the DMN.
Perhaps the most succinct
definition of hypnosis coined by Philip H. Farber and backed by brain-imaging
studies is: “Hypnosis is a set of techniques for switching brain modes
from attention to introspection and back again, at will, and it may be that act
of switching back and forth that helps to reconsolidate change into our brains.”
The Journal of Hypnotism, Vol.29, p56.
