I used to go to hypno therapy for my eating disorder. I think meditation and hypnosis are pretty much the same. Kind of like a mind-over-matter thing. People get hypnotized for smoking, weight loss, etc. You have to want your goal/reason for hypnosis REALLY BAD. You go into a meditative state when hypnotized, and "hypnotizer" guides you through. It's not like you see on T.V.
References :

Both meditation and hypnosis have far reaching positive health benefits, for mind and body. Meditation can be used for a variety of different effects: reduction in stress levels, reduction in blood pressure (if only temporarily), improved concentration, improved sporting technique, improved confidence – ie for both mind and body issues. it seems to work by accessing a part of our being that we rarely listen to in our day to day lives, where we are too busy reacting to our enviroment, in an effort to control our lives. We need to take in some stimuli, whilst ignoring other stimuli: ie jumping out of the path of an oncoming vehicle, whilst not paying attention to the pretty pattern its headlights are making on the road! Meditation takes us away from all this over stimulation, and towards a pattern of emotional observation, and "being present in the present", rather than chasing our tails with "if i'd only done this" or "next time i'd do this", which make up the majority of the day. The meditative "trance" that is one aim of meditation, allows a seperate part of our brain to take over, to "process" events that have happened and emotions that have been experienced. This in turn would appear to benefit the body in relaxation of muscle, dilatation of blood vessels (leading to reduced blood pressure), and a faster regeneration of damaged tissues.
Hypnosis seems to work in a similar way, where the "trance" state is induced to access this part of our brain that we have difficulty accessing in our normal day to day lives. In short meditation / hypnosis is an excellent discipline to bring into anyones life.
References :