Hypnotism Against Catholic Teaching?

[NanaGigi]

Is it? My friend says yes, because doing things that might be wrong can be suggested to you. But, I have always learned that one will never do anything under hypnotism that is against one’s conscience. What’s the truth?

 

[corvidae]

While it may be true (note may be) that you cannot be hypnotized to do something that is against your will or conscience, because hypnotism is simply a form of powerful suggestion, you could be put into a mental situation where you would do something immoral,
for example, you would normally not simply strip down in front of people, but if you were convinced in a hypnotic state that you needed to get ready to take a bath, you might.

I believe that the Church is opposed to it unless for medical reasons. The reason is you are granting part of your God given will to someone to manipulate.

A lone Raven

 

[Scottgun]

I see nothing objectively wrong with hypnotism in and of itself and am unaware of any Church teaching against it. The rightness or wrongness of it would depend on the intention and the relative circumstances.

Scott

 

[Carrie_Andrews]

The following is from EWTN archives: Answer by Fr.Stephen F. Torraco on 02-19-2002: There is no moral objection to the use of hypnosis as a therapeutic tool in competent clinical hands provided there is a due proportion between the expected benefits and the anticipated risks and a reasonable effort to minimize those risks. The risks generally discussed include the precipitation of psychiatric problems in borderline psychotics by untrained therapists, an unhealthy personality dependence of the patient on the therapist, inadvisable post-hypnotic suggestion and, in obstetrics, the disturbance of the mother-child relationship by too deep hypnosis.