EMDR and hypnosis are sometimes discussed together because both involve more than traditional talk therapy and may include guidance from a trained therapist. However, they are distinct approaches with different goals and methods. Treating them as interchangeable can create inaccurate expectations about what each therapy involves and how it is intended to work.
One approach uses focused attention and suggestion to help a person explore or respond differently to thoughts, feelings, habits, or experiences. The other is designed to support the processing of distressing memories and experiences that may remain emotionally unresolved. While the therapeutic setting may look similar on the surface, the similarities largely end there.
Hypnosis Relies on Suggestion
Under hypnosis, your body and mind enter into a deep relaxation and intense focus. From there, your guardrails begin to fall. In this newly opened state, a hypnotherapist offers a suggestion. Maybe it’s about quitting smoking or tolerating needles after a lifelong fear.
Hypnosis is most often used to help break habits or manage pain. Some therapists find success in managing mild anxiety as well, though it was not built for anything more severe than that. Hypnosis plants something new while your mind is less argumentative than usual. Since your mind allows it in without a fight, it has a greater chance of sticking.
No Suggestion Involved in EMDR
Under EMDR, there is no deeply relaxed or suggestible state. You remain wide awake throughout the process, able to help direct the session. EMDR incorporates bilateral stimulation through eye movements, tapping, or auditory tones, while you target a specific memory.
This stimulation is designed to mimic what your brain already does during a REM sleep cycle. As your eyes move back and forth, your brain can sort through and file away the day’s experiences. After experiencing a traumatic event, that piece often gets skipped. The memory sits there, in raw form, keeping you stuck in a place where it can continue affecting you. EMDR helps loosen the memory enough for your brain to process it and close the loop.
Different Tools and Different Targets
Hypnosis gives you a new idea to accept that you weren’t necessarily sold on before. EMDR works in a different plane. You’re not being fed a new belief to override an old one. You’re moving existing information along to its final destination, and the eye movements (or other stimulation) give it traction.
Hypnosis was never meant to tackle complex or layered issues. Its lane is a single habit or single mindset shift. As beneficial as it may be, it won’t effectively untangle the how and why your nervous system is holding onto a past memory.
Either Way, You Remain in Control
A common question with either method is whether you have to be out of it while participating. You can turn down a hypnotic suggestion that doesn’t feel right just as easily as you can pause an EMDR session at any point. In either scenario, you are the narrator of your story.
If anything, EMDR offers you more control compared to most therapy options. You select the target memory and monitor the feelings that come up. The therapist supports you and keeps you steady during the process.
Which is the Right Choice
If your goal is to address fear or change a habit, hypnosis may be a good option worth a conversation. If you’re dealing with heavier things that continue to resurface, EMDR is your better bet.
You don’t need to have a final decision to reach out and start the conversation. Explore our webpage to learn more about EMDR therapy and find contact information to get in touch. Together, we can sort it out and find the right fit for you.