In practice these really refer to the same process. However technically speaking hypnosis is a calming and relaxed state in between being awake and asleep. You in fact go into a ‘hypnotic trance’ often, for example when you are daydreaming or in focused concentration. Hypnotherapy is about the visualisations and words used by a hypnotherapist to bring about positive change. So, hypnosis is the relaxed state and hypnotherapy is the ‘change work’ carried out once in that relaxed state.