Have you ever wondered whether hypnosis can help you? If so, you might assume that all hypnosis is the same. However, there are many types of hypnosis. With the aim to help you be a more informed hypnotherapy client, I will describe several types of hypnosis and the advantages and disadvantages of each. If you read to the end, I will give you my personal recommendation for best type of hypnosis for you. Let’s get started.
Traditional Hypnosis
When you think about the types of hypnosis, traditional hypnosis is probably the first thing that comes to your mind. You might imagine a person laying in a recliner with their eyes closed, going deeply relaxed, and accepting the suggestions offered by the hypnotherapist. A session of traditional hypnosis includes clearly defined sections: induction of trance, deepening of trance, therapy, and termination of trance.
- Traditional hypnosis revolves around a technique called direct suggestion – with direct suggestion, you receive straightforward directives for how you are to think, feel, or act in order to achieve your goal. Success with this method hinges on your own willingness to follow the suggestions. Another significant factor is the degree to which you perceive your hypnotherapist as an authority figure.
- Traditional hypnosis advantages – Some people prefer the direct and transparent style of traditional hypnosis. This style of hypnosis is likely to meet your expectations for what hypnosis is. Direct suggestion is also efficient. For example, if I want you to close your eyes, I can just tell you to do so. I don’t need to tell you a lengthy story or metaphor for you to follow the suggestion.
- Traditional hypnosis disadvantages – Direct suggestion, the main technique of traditional hypnosis, does not work all the time. This is often because of client doubt or resistance. However, this does not mean that you’re doing anything wrong. Resisting change is human nature. Of all the types of hypnosis, traditional hypnosis is least equipped to work around resistance. Another disadvantage is that some traditional inductions are lengthy and reduce the amount of time available for therapy. A final reason that direct suggestion might not work is that the therapist does not frame the suggestions in a way that appeals to the client.
- Traditional hypnosis remains an important part of hypnotherapy – Even though other types of hypnosis exist, you will probably receive at least a semi-traditional approach when you hire a hypnotherapist.
Analytical hypnotherapy
If you observe a session of analytical hypnotherapy, the first thing you will notice is that, unlike (most) suggestion therapy sessions, the client responds verbally to the therapist while they are in hypnosis. Of all the types of hypnosis, analytical hypnotherapy is considered an uncovering technique. In other words, it seeks to find the root cause of problems.
- The goal of analytical hypnotherapy is to uncover repressed (unconsciously forgotten) memories – The idea is that once the root cause of your problem is discovered and dealt with, it is easier to solve. This type of hypnosis falls under traditional hypnosis because it has its roots in psychoanalysis, the antecedent of most modern therapies. If you’re not familiar with psychoanalysis, it is Sigmund Freud’s (1856-1939) personality theory and method of therapy. The goal of psychoanalysis is to make unconscious material conscious. If someone has an irrational fear, for example, there may be repressed material in the unconscious causing or maintaining that fear.
- Once the root cause is discovered, analytical hypnotherapy attempts to change your perspective on the memory – For example, events that seem like a big deal to a child are often non-issues for adults. Part of the problem is that you might still be viewing the event through the eyes of your “child” ego state. This outdated perspective prevents you from being more resourceful in how you cope with similar situations in the present. For therapy to be successful, you will need to look at the event from your “adult” ego state.
- Analytical hypnotherapy helps you change by incorporating Dr. Eric Berne’s method of transactional analysis (TA). TA is based on the idea that people respond to life events from different parts of their personality. These are called ego states. TA helps people respond to a situation with the proper ego state. Dr. Berne borrowed this idea from Freud’s personality theory.
- One advantage of analytical hypnotherapy is insight. Insight is a common factor in successful therapy. Another advantage of analytical hypnotherapy is that it does not focus on simply discovering the root cause. It also focuses on changing your perspective on the event. This makes it more likely that you will be able to cope with situations that are similar to the original traumatic event.
- Analytical hypnotherapy has a major disadvantage. When an approach involves searching for the root cause, therapy will likely take longer. Even after locating the root cause and changing your perspective (called reframing), it will still take work to assimilate that change into your present-day habits.
- In my view, analytical hypnotherapy has limited value in modern hypnotherapy. Although it might interest you to learn about the root causes of your challenges, this kind of insight does not always lead to change. Modern therapy emphasizes changing from where you are now. It is not necessary to know the causes of your challenges in order to change them.
Stage hypnosis
- Stage hypnosis happens in front of a live audience. The stage hypnotist is usually charismatic with a talent for engaging and entertaining an audience. The hypnotist starts by asking for “volunteers” from the audience. Although they would like you to think that they are choosing folks at random, they are actually selecting the audience members who are most responsive to hypnotic suggestion. For example, the hypnotist might ask the audience to imagine that there is a helium balloon tied to one of their wrists. The hypnotist will observe varying degrees of responsiveness. Some people’s arms will not move at all, some will move medium amount, and some will have their arms raised all the way up. Which one of these individuals do you think the stage performer will choose?
- Stage shows can be a positive introduction to hypnosis. Many of my clients have told me that they previously saw a stage show and this got them interested in hypnosis.
- Stage hypnosis can create the illusion that the volunteer is under the performer’s control. However, this is not the case. Stage hypnosis is similar to the illusion created by performers in professional wrestling. Although convincing, the wrestlers are not actually fighting. They are performing in a carefully choreographed manner. Some people believe in the illusion of control and are turned off to hypnosis, sometimes permanently. This is what makes stage hypnosis the most unhelpful of the different types of hypnosis.
Ericksonian Hypnosis
Ericksonian Hypnosis was created by psychiatrist Milton H. Erickson (1901-1980) near the end of his life. Here are some characteristics of the Ericksonian style:
- Use of indirect suggestion – Although Erickson was a traditional hypnotherapist for most of his career, he is best known for his use of indirection, namely indirect suggestion. Indirect suggestions are essentially direct suggestions that are loosely suggested or implied. This type of suggestion speaks to the possibility of change but does not mandate it.
- Use of anecdotes – Erickson would often use personal stories which contained themes of therapeutic value to his clients. For example, if a client was nervous about public speaking, he would tell a story about giving a talk and trusting in his own abilities. This would subtly suggest to his client that they can recognize their own expertise and trust in their own communicative powers.
- Erickson used hypnosis outside of formal trance. He would use covert hypnosis. Covert hypnosis means using hypnosis without explicitly defining it as hypnosis. In fact, Erickson only used formal hypnosis with a small percentage of his clients. His methods were still highly effective even when used outside of formal trance.
- Erickson would utilize anything the client presented to help them change, including resistance – He would devise clever ways of helping clients use their own resistance to achieve their goals. For example, he would accept resistance as the correct response through positive reinforcement or ratification. His clients would then begin to resist in the opposite direction, when often meant moving towards their goals.
- Ericksonian hypnosis advantages: This approach is considered to be the most modern form of hypnosis. It is flexible and adaptable to individual differences. This style of hypnosis can be effective for clients experiencing resistance to change. It also can work well for those who want to change on their own terms instead of being told what to do. In terms of time, the therapy is incorporated into the induction (going into trance). Therefore, every minute of the session is therapeutic, making it significantly more time efficient than traditional hypnosis.
- Ericksonian hypnosis disadvantages: Some people prefer a more direct and straightforward approach to hypnotherapy. Also, this style of hypnosis might not match your expectations of what hypnosis is. That’s because it does not emphasize relaxation nor going deeply into trance. Deep trances can and do occur in this style of hypnosis. However, Ericksonian hypnotherapists do not consider these elements necessary for successful therapy.
Self-hypnosis
Just as the name implies, self-hypnosis is the process of guiding oneself into hypnosis. Some people call this auto-suggestion. Here are some common applications of self-hypnosis:
- stress
- anxiety
- smoking
- personal growth
- pain control
- confidence
- weight problems
- sleep
- sports performance
- money and career
- child-birth preparation
- The techniques of self-hypnosis are similar to those of hetero-hypnosis. (hypnosis done with a practitioner). The simplest self-hypnosis technique is described by Melvin Powers – just tell yourself to go into hypnosis. If you have even a little bit of hypnosis experience, that just might work. If you need a little more guidance than that, Powers describes more techniques in his book Self Hypnosis: It’s Theory, Technique, and Application. On a side note, I used this book to learn self-hypnosis before I had any formal training and found it to be helpful.
- By using self-hypnosis, you can get more out of hypnotherapy. You can also reinforce new thoughts and behaviors, making your change efforts more durable. Like meditation, there are a lot of benefits of daily practice such as lower stress, better focus, and better mood.
- Self-hypnosis also comes with disadvantages. If you’re not familiar with hypnosis already, self-hypnosis is going to be a steep learning curve. That’s because most people don’t know what hypnosis is. Learning self-hypnosis will be like trying to hit a target while wearing a blindfold. However, once you’ve done hypnosis with a professional, you may only need to learn a couple of simple techniques before you can reliably perform self-hypnosis.
- Another disadvantage of self-hypnosis is that you are missing out on a therapeutic relationship with a hypnotherapist. Why is this important? Research suggests that it is the therapeutic relationship itself that produces most of the results in therapy. Clients often attribute their results to hypnosis alone. However, this is not the case. Even when the hypnosis is highly effective, the therapeutic relationship still accounts for the majority of therapeutic results.
Clinical hypnotherapy
Clinical hypnotherapy is a form of psychotherapy performed by mental health clinicians.
- Clinical hypnotherapy is performed by a licensed therapist – these practitioners have a masters or doctoral degree in a mental health field such as psychology or counseling. They are fully qualified therapists who have received hypnotherapy training on top of their their therapy qualifications. If you’re interested, you can read this article which talks about how to tell the difference between an actual clinical hypnotherapist and an unlicensed hypnotist.
- Clinical Hypnotherapy advantages: First, clinical hypnotherapists tend to be more qualified and skilled. Next, psychological theory informs their work. This means that they often use scientifically validated methods. This contrasts with the technique-based approach of non-clinical hypnotists, who tend to use unscientific or unproven methods. Another advantage is that all types of hypnosis (except stage hypnosis) can be used for clinical hypnotherapy.
- Clinical hypnotherapy disadvantages: Just because someone is a licensed therapist doesn’t mean they are competent, nor does it mean they are a good fit for you. While clinical hypnotherapists tend to be more skilled than non-clinical practitioners, doing your due diligence in selecting a practitioner is still important. Another disadvantage is that some hypnosis training programs for psychotherapists are very short. Some are as little as 60 hours. Make sure your hypnotherapist has extensive training in both therapy and hypnotherapy.
What types of hypnosis are right for you?
It depends on what you’re wanting to achieve.
- If you’re looking to lose weight or stop smoking – a non-clinical hypnotist practicing traditional or Ericksonian hypnosis has you covered.
- If you’re looking for help with anxiety or depression, you would be better served by a clinical hypnotherapist. I would recommend Ericksonian hypnosis paired with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
- I would recommend that you supplement any type of hypnosis with self-hypnosis. This will help you become more responsive to the technique and improve your results.
I would not recommend stage hypnosis unless you are a natural-born entertainer, exhibitionist, or have too much hypnosis curiosity for your own good.
What should I do next?
If you are still with me, you are seriously interested in hypnosis. You might want to talk to someone about that 🙂 You might be curious as to what to do with this information. First consider:
- Which type of hypnosis interests you the most?
After you have narrowed your interest down to a couple of choices, start a conversation with the hypnotherapist you are considering hiring. Ask them which types of hypnosis they use. Better yet, choose a hypnotherapist trained in more than one approach. Ask to try different types of hypnosis. Give your therapist feedback on which one fits best. Above all, use this information to be a more informed hypnosis client. Good luck in your next personal change endeavor!
References and Further Reading
Alman, B. & Lambrou, P. (2017). Self-Hypnosis: The Complete Manual for Health and Self-Change. (2nd Ed.). Gildan Media.
Barnett, M. (1981). Analytical Hypnotherapy: Principles and Practice. Westwood.
Haley, J. (1986). Uncommon Therapy: The Psychiatric Techniques of Milton Erickson, MD. Norton.
McLeod, S. (2024, January 24). Psychoanalysis: Freud’s Psychoanalytic Approach to Therapy. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/psychoanalysis.html
Murray, H. (2023, October 23). Transactional Analysis Theory & Therapy: Eric Berne. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/transactional-analysis-eric-berne.html
