The difference between narrative hypnosis and regressive hypnosis
- Empowering To Thrive
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 15 minutes ago
Narrative hypnosis and regressive hypnosis are two distinct approaches within the field of hypnotherapy, differing significantly in their focus and techniques. Here's a breakdown of their key differences:

Narrative Hypnosis:
Focus: Narrative hypnosis centers around the use of stories, metaphors, and therapeutic language to facilitate hypnotic trance and promote positive change. It emphasizes the power of suggestion embedded within a narrative structure.
Techniques:
o Storytelling: The therapist weaves engaging stories, often symbolic or
metaphorical, that resonate with the client's issues and desired outcomes. These stories can bypass the critical conscious mind and access the
subconscious.
o Indirect Suggestion: Suggestions for change are often embedded indirectly
within the narrative, allowing the client's subconscious to acceptance and
internalize them at its own pace.
o Metaphors and Imagery: Vivid imagery and metaphors are used to create a
rich and engaging experience, promoting relaxation and receptivity to
suggestions.
o Reframing: Stories can offer new perspectives on old problems, helping
client to reframe their experiences and create new meanings.
Goal: The primary goal is to facilitate personal growth, change unwanted behaviors, manage emotions, and promote well-being through the power of suggestion and the client's own internal resources, stimulated by the narrative. It often focuses on creating new possibilities and a new personal "story" for the client.
Time Focus: Narrative hypnosis is generally present and future-oriented, focusing on creating new, positive narratives for the client's life. While past experiences might be acknowledged in the context of the story, the primary emphasis isn't on directly reliving or analyzing them.
Regressive Hypnosis:
Focus: Regressive hypnosis aims to uncover and address the root causes of present-day issues by guiding the client back to past events, memories, or perceived past lives that are believed to be contributing to their current challenges.
Techniques:
o Age Regression: The therapist guides the client back to specific ages or
periods in their current life, often childhood, to re-experience and process
significant events.
o Past Life Regression: This controversial technique explores what are
believed to be memories from previous incarnations.
o Affect Bridge/Somatic Bridge: The therapist helps the client connect
current emotions or physical symptoms to past experiences where those
feelings or sensations first originated.
o Hypnotic Regression: General use of hypnosis to access the subconscious
mind and retrieve past memories.
Goal: The main objective is to identify and release repressed emotions, understand the origins of current patterns, and reframe past events to diminish their negative impact on the present. The belief is that unresolved past experiences can manifest as emotional, behavioral, or even physical symptoms in the present.
Time Focus: Regressive hypnosis is explicitly past-oriented, seeking to revisit and resolve earlier experiences.
Important Considerations:
Controversy: Regressive hypnosis, particularly past life regression and even some forms of age regression, is more controversial within the therapeutic community due to concerns about the potential for creating false memories and the lack of scientific evidence for reincarnation.
Therapeutic Approach: Narrative hypnosis often aligns with solution-focused and Ericksonian approaches, emphasizing the client's resources and potential for change. Regressive hypnosis is often used in the context of exploring trauma or deeply ingrained patterns.
Client Experience: In narrative hypnosis, the client is often engaged in listening to and internalizing a story. In regressive hypnosis, the client is actively recalling and re-experiencing past events.
Both narrative and regressive hypnosis can be powerful tools for facilitating change, but they operate through different mechanisms and with different objectives. The choice of approach depends on the client's needs, preferences, and the therapist's expertise and theoretical orientation.