A common question I hear is, what’s the difference between NLP and hypnotherapy? While there are some differences, there are many similarities too.

Unfortunately, many articles online oversimplify NLP, describing it as little more than a collection of communication techniques or a toolkit, while portraying hypnotherapy as the approach that works with the unconscious mind at a “deeper” level.

Neither of the above is true, and it misses the real difference between hypnotherapy and NLP, and the similarities, and particularly misunderstands NLP.

Having trained in hypnotherapy many years ago after using self-hypnosis for many years myself, I originally learned a range of effective hypnotherapy techniques and processes.

However, it was later, when I fully trained in NLP, that I developed a much deeper understanding of how the mind creates patterns, how emotional, psychological and behavioural problems are created and maintained, and how to work with clients in a far more precise, effective and long-lasting way.

If you are wondering what the difference between NLP and hypnotherapy is, I hope you find this blog helpful.

NLP and Hypnotherapy: Two Powerful Approaches

If you have been looking into therapy or personal development approaches for anxiety, depression, confidence, phobias, habits, or any other issue related to mental, emotional or physical wellbeing, you have probably come across both NLP and hypnotherapy. You may even have seen them offered together and wondered what the difference is.

Both NLP and hypnotherapy are powerful ways to help you to overcome many issues in far fewer sessions than traditional approaches, and they are often combined for even more powerful results.

Many people wonder; what’s the difference between NLP and hypnotherapy? It is a good question, and one that is often answered in a far too oversimplified, and inaccurate way. NLP is far more than a tool kit, and you don’t need deep relaxation for hypnosis.

NLP trainings are varied, there are some high-quality trainings and some quite poor, and sometimes people get a basic introduction to it, like on a coaching course for example. With a basic level of understanding of NLP, it can be easy to think that it’s all about the techniques or that it’s primarily about addressing conscious thoughts or behaviour change, which are gross misconceptions.

First, What Is NLP — Really?

NLP stands for Neuro-Linguistic Programming. It works with the nervous system and the mind body connection (neuro), how our experience is shaped by language, both our internal self-talk and with others (linguistic), and how we create consistent, repeatable patterns of thought, emotions and behaviour (programming).

NLP is not primarily a toolkit. That’s one of the most persistent misconceptions about it. Techniques like anchoring, The Swish Pattern, submodality work, metaphors, reimprinting, The Fast Phobia (also known as The Rewind Technique), processes using time lines, including Time Line Therapy™ and the many other techniques are outputs of NLP. They are developments that come from applying its core methodology. NLP itself is three things working together:

An attitude — one of genuine curiosity about how people function. Not “what’s wrong with this person?” but “how, exactly, are they producing this result so consistently, and what would need to change for something different to happen?”

A methodology — modelling. Observing what a person does internally (what they picture, what they say to themselves, what sensations they experience) and externally (external language, posture, micro-expressions, behaviour) and turning that sequence into something transferable and changeable.

Techniques — the practical tools that come out of the way of thinking when you apply that methodology systematically.

One of the central ideas in NLP is that we respond not directly to reality itself, but to our internal representation, or “map” of reality. That internal map is shaped by beliefs, memories, values, language, focus and past experiences. This is why two people can experience similar events but respond to them very differently.

NLP is not interested in endlessly analysing the story, it’s focused on understanding the processes underneath it. Once the process becomes clear, it becomes much easier to help you to create positive changes.

Hypnosis: A Natural State of Focused Attention

Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis therapeutically to help you create positive emotional, mental and behavioural change.

Hypnosis is a natural focused state of attention in which the conscious mind becomes quieter and you become more receptive to helpful suggestions, imagery and positive changes.

Hypnotherapy usually involves an induction of a focused, inward state in which the unconscious mind becomes more receptive and more accessible where you will be more open to helpful suggestions, therapeutic imagery, and positive shifts.

During hypnotherapy, you may be very physically relaxed, but it doesn’t require deep relaxation to work, despite what many people assume. Trance is a natural, focused state, something we move in and out of in everyday life, like when we daydream, get deeply engrossed in a book or film, and when we seem to drive on autopilot.

What is the Difference Between NLP and Hypnotherapy?

There are a number of differences between NLP and hypnotherapy and there are also many similarities and overlaps.

Structure and Process in NLP

Probably the biggest difference between NLP and hypnotherapy is that NLP is much more about structure and process than hypnotherapy is.

Many NLP processes follow specific steps, and they work with the structure and processes of how we create problems internally, and how we can change the processes and structure to create much more helpful, resourceful states, responses and behaviours.

A skilled NLP practitioner will use careful questions and close observation to identify the precise internal sequence (the mental and emotional sequence a person is running, often outside their own awareness) that produces an unwanted emotional or behavioural response, and ways to change it to a more resourceful response. We don’t particularly need to know the detail of the story because it’s about process rather than content.

A skilled NLP practitioner works with submodalities (the fine-grain qualities of internal images, sounds, and sensations), strategies (the internal sequences that produce behaviours) language, and much more, all at the level of process rather than just the content of things that happened.

This is one of the reasons NLP can work so rapidly. Problems are, in many cases, learned patterns. And patterns that have been learned can be changed more easily when you know how to address the underlying structure and process directly.

Inductions

Hypnotherapy usually involves an induction into trance, so the unconscious mind becomes more receptive to therapeutic work. In NLP, there’s no formal induction, however, a deep level of rapport and a skilful use of language patterns often induce a kind of eyes open trance.

Many NLP interventions are, in practice, quite hypnotic, such as indirect hypnotic language, metaphor, and embedded suggestions and some other specific techniques that are designed to work with the unconscious mind.

NLP is a much more eyes-open, actively engaged process. The client will often be fully alert and conversational throughout, although there will be times when you might want to close your eyes to imagine something during a process, and you may even go into a light or medium trance.

Working with the unconscious mind

When looking at the difference between NLP and hypnotherapy it can be easy for someone to assume that hypnotherapy works with the unconscious mind while NLP doesn’t, especially if they don’t have a deep understanding of NLP.

Both hypnotherapy and NLP work with the unconscious mind. This is one of the most important things they share, and it’s why the common claim that “NLP is conscious while hypnotherapy is unconscious” is completely inaccurate.

A lot of NLP came from hypnosis. The hypnotherapist, Dr Milton Erickson was working very differently to other hypnotherapists at the time in the 1970s, and he was getting very good results.

The founders of NLP, Richard Bandler and John Grinder, closely studied and modelled what Erickson was doing and mapped out his hypnotic language patterns in what became known as the Milton Model. They also studied how he used metaphor and how he built a deep quality of rapport with his clients. All of this is fundamentally about working with the unconscious mind.

In NLP Therapy (NLP is used in many other areas apart from therapy), we often use hypnotic language patterns while the client is in an eyes open, consciously focused state to bypass the conscious mind to help them to create change at the deep unconscious level. This is what is referred to as conversational hypnosis and is an important part of NLP. In addition, Quantum Linguistics is another kind of NLP language pattern sometimes used by advanced practitioners that can create changes at the unconscious level.

There are also some specific NLP techniques that are quite deeply hypnotic, such as NLP parts processes and timeline work. Some people even refer to NLP Therapy as eyes open hypnosis as they are aware that NLP can help to create lasting changes at a deep unconscious level.

Conscious-Unconscious Integration

Hypnotherapy often involves unconscious processing, and the client may not be fully aware of the mechanism of change as it happens. This isn’t a limitation, it’s simply how can sometimes work, and it can be profoundly effective.

NLP involves a much more active integration between the conscious and unconscious mind. The client often understands, at least partially, what is shifting and why. This means that changes can happen at multiple levels of awareness, addressing both conscious and unconscious aspects of experience.

That said, NLP language patterns and conversational hypnosis drawn from the Milton Model, which was developed directly from Erickson’s hypnotic language, are specifically designed to occupy the conscious mind while change happens at an unconscious level. In this case then, NLP does involve unconscious processing without the conscious mind being too involved.

So the difference between NLP and hypnotherapy is not that NLP is conscious while hypnotherapy is unconscious. Both work with the unconscious mind. The difference is more in how that unconscious work is done, and the degree to which the conscious mind is actively involved in the process.

What They Share

Despite there being some difference between NLP and hypnotherapy, they share a great deal:

• Both work with the unconscious mind. Neither relies purely on conscious insight or rational analysis to produce change. Both understand that the patterns driving behaviour are below the level of conscious awareness, and that change has to happen at that level.
• Both recognise the power of language. Both involve a skilled use of language and use language as a primary tool for shaping inner experience and helping to create positive changes.
• Both work with state. Whether through formal trance or through the state-shifting properties of technique and language, both approaches understand that you can’t effectively do change work in the wrong emotional, mental or physiological state.
• Both work with the past, present and future. Both can gently and efficiently resolve trauma (certain NLP techniques, such as The Fast Phobia/Rewind Technique, can be gentler for trauma), negative emotions, and limiting beliefs from the past, while also building internal resources and positive vision for the future.
• Both have techniques to get to the root of the problem and to resolve it. Both can gently get the root of an issue and resolve it using gentle techniques.
• Both work with the mind body connection. Neither treats the mind and body as separate systems. Both recognise the close relationship between thoughts, emotions, physiology and behaviour, and they work holistically to integrate positive changes.
• Both can produce rapid, lasting results. When used skilfully, both approaches can create significant and lasting change in far fewer sessions than traditional talking therapies.
• Both can help with a wide range of emotional, mental and physiological issues. This includes anxiety issues, such as GAD, panic attacks, and OCD, also, depression, fears and phobias, trauma, sleep problems, weight issues and much more.

NLP vs. Hypnotherapy; Is One Better Than the Other?

The answer is no, not really. They both have their strengths, and one may be more appropriate and powerful than the other in a particular context, and for the particular client, at any particular point in the process, and NLP and hypnotherapy techniques can be intertwined for more effective and lasting results.

It really doesn’t have to be either/or, and you can read more about how well NLP and hypnotherapy work together in my blog The power of NLP & Hypnotherapy Combined for Lasting Change

I combine both hypnotherapy and NLP with other tools and techniques, including EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) and Matrix Reimprinting.

I work with clients in Luton, Bedfordshire and Harpenden, Hertfordshire, and also through online therapy sessions.

 

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