Self-hypnosis and hypnotherapy use the same state of focused attention but for different purposes: self-hypnosis is a maintenance tool for repetition and regulation, while hypnotherapy is an investigative process used to find and reinterpret the origins of specific beliefs. For lasting change, they are best used together, with a professional session identifying the root cause followed by daily self-hypnosis to reinforce the new response. Self-hypnosis and hypnotherapy get used almost interchangeably, and the confusion costs people either money or results depending on which way they get it wrong. They are not competing options. They are different tools, and most of the time you want both — in a particular order. The state is the same. The purpose is not. Start with what they share. Both use the same underlying state: focused attention, reduced peripheral awareness, heightened responsivene