Dayana Nikolova

Hypnosis usually uses focused attention and suggestions towards an agreed goal, while guided meditation commonly trains awareness of thoughts, sensations or breathing. Their methods can overlap, and neither requires you to switch off your judgement. The useful question is what you want help with, and what an exercise actually asks you to do. Two practices that can sound alike Both might begin with a quiet voice asking you to settle, notice your breathing or focus on a particular sensation....

Cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy combines work on thoughts and behaviour with hypnosis, using focused attention and agreed suggestions to practise different responses. It may help some people question unhelpful thinking, although evidence varies by problem and does not establish it as the best treatment for everyone. A sensible first step is understanding what the work involves, how it differs from CBT and what you should ask before booking. What is cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy?...