| What is the difference between meditation and | | | | subject into an altered state where the desired |
| self-hypnosis? The short answer is, "There isn't | | | | changes are more easily made. Use of metaphor, |
| necessarily any difference." Both take us out of our | | | | trigger words, and language patterns that bypass the |
| day-to-day consciousness. Both have the power to | | | | conscious mind are also commonly used in hypnosis. |
| open our eyes and to create very powerful | | | | A truly wise practitioner (a rarity indeed), can use |
| experiences and changes. Having said that, let me | | | | techniques from both approaches to have deeper |
| share some common perceptions and attitudes that | | | | experiences in meditation, and better achieve their |
| typically accompany these two methodologies, and I'll | | | | goals. In order to create a truly integrated practice |
| also suggest a method for integrating the two. | | | | that suits you, spend some time considering what |
| People who study/practice hypnosis or self-hypnosis | | | | you are looking to create. Then take some time |
| tend to be a bit more scientific. The beliefs that | | | | researching a variety of methods of self-hypnosis as |
| stand in the way of effective practice of | | | | well as meditation. |
| self-hypnosis are rarely religious in nature or fervor, | | | | One of the simplest ways to integrate these |
| and thus, are much easier to work with. On the | | | | practices is to begin any session of meditation with a |
| downside, the vast majority of people who are | | | | countdown procedure. |
| interested in self-hypnosis only study it for habit | | | | 1. Relax and breathe deeply as you close your eyes |
| control. Smoking cessation and weight loss are | | | | and visualize the number 5. Take another deep |
| worthy goals, but this is just the beginning of what is | | | | breath, and visualize the number 4 as you exhale. |
| possible with hypnosis. Unfortunately, this is as far as | | | | Continue this process all the way down to number 1. |
| most people take it. | | | | The more you practice this, the more you will notice |
| People who study meditation tend to have bigger | | | | that it gets easier and easier to step into a deep |
| long term goals... goals more oriented toward real | | | | space of concentration: just close your eyes and |
| growth. Some of the descriptions are enlightenment, | | | | take a deep breath. |
| long term peace and happiness, merging with the | | | | 2. Now that you are relaxed and focused, bring your |
| divine, raising the kundalini, contacting the Holy Spirit, | | | | goals for this session into your awareness. Once it is |
| etc. These are much more worthy goals. The | | | | clear, release it. |
| downside of meditation is the frequent lack of any | | | | 3. At this point, you can continue your normal |
| scientific basis or method of change/improvement. I | | | | practice of meditation. |
| haven't met too many meditators that have | | | | 4. When you are ready to finish, bring any goals you |
| developed any structured method of recognizing | | | | are working on in life into your awareness. Examine |
| feedback or improving their practice. | | | | them. Affirm them. Release them. |
| As far as techniques are concerned, meditation is | | | | 5. You can finish by counting yourself back up to |
| best known for simple awareness and acceptance, or | | | | normal consciousness (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), or you can bring |
| focusing and moving internal energy. Either one of | | | | that meditative state with you into the rest of your |
| these methods will eventually grant the practitioner | | | | life. |
| much more balanced emotional states as well as | | | | Whether you primarily practice meditation or |
| deep emotional insight. | | | | hypnosis, you will be amazed at the power of your |
| The techniques of hypnosis usually involve | | | | results when you take the time to blend the wisdom |
| countdown methods (5, 4, 3, 2, 1) to bring the | | | | of both paths to deepen and broaden your practice! |