www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Hypnosis

I recently read and article that hypnosis can help cure people of smoking and of overeating. Is hypnosis evil? Is it beneficial? Is there any place for it in a Christian's life? What say you?

All my spiritual fathers have said without question that Christians should not use hypnosis as it leads you open to diabolic suggestion. Neither should we get involved with magic. There are too many risks as it can lead to delusions.

Read the Acts of the Apostles when the Apostles encountered the Magician.

Hypnosis is a natural reflex of the human psyche. It is not evil. Nor does it expose one to any more demonic "influence" than they are exposed to under any other circumstances.

No one is "forced" in hypnosis to do anything. I have seen hypnotized people flatly refuse to divulge information.

There are others here on the forum who are much more informed on this topic than I am so I'll let them elaborate.

Jason

To use the power of suggestion or to willingly submit to it is the danger.

I used to have a chiropractor who was also a Catholic hypnotherapist and a magician.

He began to use hypnotherapy on his chiropractic patients to control them. I confronted him about that and he told me that if I did not like that aspect about his chiropractic practice, then I could leave. I did.

Ethically, that was wrong. The guy later left the Catholic Church when he married outside the Church.

A friend tried hypnosis to stop smoking. He said that afterwards he drove several blocks from the hypnotist's office before lighting up.

I just don`t think hypnosis is something Christians should get involved with, anything that involves giving over any control of our minds/will to the influence of anything other than God is not something I want to mess around with.

I agree.

Once I went to a business meeting and a magician was invited as part of the entertainment. He was doing his tricks and so I decided to pray. I was messing up his tricks and he pointed me out and called me the culprit.

According to the chiropractor I mentioned previously, a lot of his magician friends were also hypnotists who used that skill as part of their magic.

Read Acts of the Apostles. The Apostles had no time for magicians who wanted to buy spiritual favors.

Another story:
A Catholic priest told me that there was this woman who had a bleeding statue of Our Lady, Rosa Mystica. He asked her to bring the statue into his office and then asked her to make it bleed. He started to pray the prayers of exorcism, but the woman said that he prevented her from doing so.

I don't think hypnosis is inherently evil. It is technique to guide someone into a relaxed state of mind. Yes, people are more open to suggestion in such a state of mind. On the other hand, people can't be forced to do things against their will by hypnosis. Hence, the key is: What is the suggestion that is being offered through hypnosis ? For example, a suggestion is probably good if it is to disregard cravings for smoking by thinking of something good like the good feeling of health, the happiness of family, etc.

-- John