What are the differences between these three practices?
Hypnosis
Many would agree that hypnosis is a process for inducing a relaxed state of mind and a space where communication between the conscious and subconscious minds can occur. It involves the subject's subconscious mind becoming more dominant and their conscious mind less dominant. In general, the individual undergoing hypnosis is directed to focus inwardly, utilising their imagination or memories, while simultaneously reducing their emphasis on external stimuli perceived through the five senses.
Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic approach that can be applied by a trained practitioner. The practitioner combines hypnosis with various therapeutic methods to enhance the efficiency and speed at which a specific issue or problem can be relieved or resolved.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is grounded in dialogue; examples include CBT and talk therapy. The clients are urged to communicate honestly with their therapist, who employs their expertise to adopt an impartial, unbiased, and noncritical position. Some psychotherapists may use hypnosis as a part of a range of interventions they incorporate into their practice while others might employ hypnosis techniques without explicitly acknowledging them.
In his book, Hypnosis and Treating Depression: Applications in Clinical Practice, (2006), Michael D. Yapko highlights how hypnosis is used in many professional disciplines, including neuroscience, social psychology, positive psychology, individual psychology, genetics and medicine.
Due to its diverse applications and the varying training of individual practitioners, hypnosis does not have a universally agreed-upon definition. It encompasses a wide range of practices influenced by the specific training of each practitioner. Moreover, it operates within a broad conceptual framework shaped by professional training. For instance, professionals specialising in cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), psychoanalysis, or medical intervention may each approach weight-related matters differently. This divergence within clinical frameworks results in the adoption of distinct practices.
A professional who favours CBT might amplify the behavioural aspects of being overweight in a session. In contrast, a therapist with a psychology background may want to work on how the client feels about their weight. In some ways, the use of hypnosis, all but in name, by a range of professionals has contributed to what may be considered contradictory statements about hypnosis. Unfortunately, such contradictions, in turn, impact the public’s perception of what hypnosis is.
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