Is Hypnosis okay?

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What if I wanted to undergo therapy and hypnosis to help me to forget something, while helping me to remember the lesson I learned? I think a lot of big problems I have today, including sinful habits and leanings, come from several memories of mistakes I’ve made. I have heard that it’s remotely possible to forget things through hypnosis. Would the Church say this is a sin?

What about hypnosis to just help me overcome the negative consequences of my memories, and make those consequences non-existence, such as the sinful tendencies that they’ve caused? Would that at least be permitted by the Church or do I have to just tough it out?

I am desperate! Thanks!
 
According to the statement below found on the Vatican website, hypnosis compromises who we are in God. Christianity calls for personal repentance and daily struggle to overcome sin and the inclination to do so by the Grace of God, prayer, fasting, and obedience.
The “consequences” of our memories are often times what lead us to repentance. Granted, to dwell in them can cause doubt of God’s forgiveness and of one’s own strength given by Him.

I realize that I do not know the situation(s) and may be speaking out of my league. You should contact a priest for reconciliation and counsel on what you should do.

Peace in Christ

From
JESUS CHRIST THE BEARER OF THE WATER OF LIFE A Christian reflection on the “New Age”

“The point of New Age techniques is to reproduce mystical states at will, as if it were a matter of laboratory material. Rebirth, biofeedback, sensory isolation, holotropic breathing, hypnosis, mantras, fasting, sleep deprivation and transcendental meditation are attempts to control these states and to experience them continuously”. These practices all create an atmosphere of psychic weakness (and vulnerability). When the object of the exercise is that we should re-invent our selves, there is a real question of who “I” am. “God within us” and holistic union with the whole cosmos underline this question. Isolated individual personalities would be pathological in terms of New Age (in particular transpersonal psychology). But “the real danger is the holistic paradigm. New Age is thinking based on totalitarian unity and that is why it is a danger…”. More moderately: “We are authentic when we ‘take charge of’ ourselves, when our choice and reactions flow spontaneously from our deepest needs, when our behaviour and expressed feelings reflect our personal wholeness”. The Human Potential Movement is the clearest example of the conviction that humans are divine, or contain a divine spark within themselves.

The link:
vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20030203_new-age_en.html
 
Hypnosis

Is there absolutely no way that any theraputic use of hypnosis could be performed or sanctioned by the church then? Is there a medical approved catholic alternative?

If this were a physical injury say a broken leg would I be required to have it form from its own rebuilding and love the deformity as my reminder to being a better catholic that I can now constantly suffer and be more in keeping with good thinking? I know this is a bit extreme.

Is there any use of healing for the mind that does not require suffering?

Thought may simply need a splint for healing, not cutting.
Like a festering wound is there a way to encourage cleaning or because it is all in the mind keeping it in is our only method of healing?

I would be horrified if a doctor was to set my breaks and deny me a pain control agent. So I suppose the question becomes is there a catholic way to to safely open wounds of the mind without setting the wrong thoughts in place.

I have seen friends turn to alcohol and it certainly allows them to open up. Down side is the method is badly inaccurate and rarely targets the problem. In some of the rare cases where a meaningful discussion is achieved the alcohol acts as a negative agent in that the help given is neither heeded or remembered.

Cheers Mike 🙂
 
I see a Catholic therapist and I am also on several medications for my problems. The thing is it will hurt and it’s supposed to hurt. But if you join your sufferings, mental and physical to His then your suffering is not in vain and it makes you better and stronger. And you can offer your suffering for a specific intention. I frequently do that and I am copmforted tyhat I am suffering so that someone else might benefit, whether it be souls in mortal sin or souls in purgatory or someone who is sick or sorrowing or whatever. And Christ promised we would suffer. But there will be an end eventually. Keep in prayer as much as possible.
 
It is my understanding that hypnosis may be used by, or obtained from, a skilled professional - physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, etc - for treatment of bodily or mental ills. I think there may be a requirement for proper monitoring of the process and limitations on the degree of control exercised by the hypnotist.
 
I am so glad to hear this as I was very worried. I have had a complete personality change in the last eight months where my mind just does not stop.

Not a bad thing I like this change in me, I have all the signs of autism that is noted in asperger’s syndrome and after asking around have been assure there is a little compulsiveness of asperger’s in all of us at times.

With all the wonderful advances in medicine and our Lord Jesus is the greatest healer, the idea that we had fallen away from helping to considering suffering needlessly would surely pull our minds from God to self absorbed. I am guilty of that self absorbed in large portions almost being fully self absorbed and wish I could focus better on my Heavenly Father through Jesus and the Holy Spirit to be a better catholic.

I left being a born again, so I strayed as this is the one church I have found beautiful tolerance in for all of our fellow humanity.

My mania is that I see the full shape of the universe and understand gravity as different to science in such a way it links to most of the odd theories. I figured it should if science had gotten it wrong, link up with all the odd things that are hard to fudge with math.

I have meditated and seen a psychiatristfor my fears that a black hole will swallow the earth. Don’t read scientific magazines if you are the least bit fearful that is all I have to say.

Cheers Mike 🙂
 
Depressable said:
What if I wanted to undergo therapy and hypnosis to help me to forget something, while helping me to remember the lesson I learned? I think a lot of big problems I have today, including sinful habits and leanings, come from several memories of mistakes I’ve made. I have heard that it’s remotely possible to forget things through hypnosis. Would the Church say this is a sin?

What about hypnosis to just help me overcome the negative consequences of my memories, and make those consequences non-existence, such as the sinful tendencies that they’ve caused? Would that at least be permitted by the Church or do I have to just tough it out?

I am desperate! Thanks!
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NO to hypnosis!
 
According to the statement below found on the Vatican website, hypnosis compromises who we are in God
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Who says this?

Why?

When I was at university a fellow student [of Psychology], himself already in practice, asked me if I would be willing to under-go hypnosis [as I did not believe it was possible unless one consents to it]. The experiment did not work. He could not induce a hynotic trance. I was not really trying to oppose him.

That convinced me beyond all doubt that it is largely psychomatic: whether it works dependent on whether one wants to be hynotised.

I remain unconvinced that it is possible to induce involuntary hypnosis whereby the hypnotised is not consciously able to repress it or voluntarily come out of a hynotic state. 😉
 
Depressable said:
What if I wanted to undergo therapy and hypnosis to help me to forget something, while helping me to remember the lesson I learned? I think a lot of big problems I have today, including sinful habits and leanings, come from several memories of mistakes I’ve made. I have heard that it’s remotely possible to forget things through hypnosis. Would the Church say this is a sin?

What about hypnosis to just help me overcome the negative consequences of my memories, and make those consequences non-existence, such as the sinful tendencies that they’ve caused? Would that at least be permitted by the Church or do I have to just tough it out?

I am desperate! Thanks!
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As gallo said, the hypnosis scene has all sorts of undesireable New Agey associations with it. There might be a germ of a real phenomenon there that might even have some therapeutic potential, but the whole thing is so wrapped up in ideas about actualising self-potential and finding self-fulfilment through examining inner states that it is very dangerous.

It is unlikely to be the solution to any of the problems you have mentioned and could very easily make things worse.
 
Cari posted:
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Re: Is Hypnosis okay?
Check this site out:
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I checked out the site. I am still unconvinced that hypnosis deprives one of one’s freewill unless one consents.

I do believe it is possible to obtain access to repressed material not advisable because the mind/brain represses material to ensure our mental health, I am sorry but I just do not believe that hypnosis really works.

I believe the human mind/brain is too powerful to be suppressed by hypnosis. I was challenged by a hypnotist who tried to prove me wrong and he failed to induce a hypnotic trance.

I am convinced hypnosis is more to do with the mind state of the candidate to be hypnotised than any ‘magical’ powers of hypnotists. I suggest hypnosis is auto-suggestion. 😉
 
Sixtus said:
I checked out the site. I am still unconvinced that hypnosis deprives one of one’s freewill unless one consents.

I do believe it is possible to obtain access to repressed material [not advisable because the mind/brain represses material to ensure our mental health, I am sorry but I just do not believe that hypnosis really works.

I believe the human mind/brain is too powerful to be suppressed by hypnosis. I was challenged by a hypnotist who tried to prove me wrong and he failed to induce a hypnotic trance.

I am convinced hypnosis is more to do with the mind state of the candidate to be hypnotised than any ‘magical’ powers of hypnotists. I suggest hypnosis is auto-suggestion. 😉
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To work with or around the brain is a very important area and we need to be clear on that absolutely. It should not be open to interpretation.

There needs to be clear guidelines and consent just as there is with major surgery. I like the idea of a dependable witness present for moral guideance. It goes well to put hypnosis beyond the untrained and is clear about us not submitting our God given mind to another’s will for entertainment.

Just as the right to life has profound impact on Catholic living so to the right to good Catholic living needs to be clearly guided.

Cheers Mike 🙂

note edited due spelling mistake
[/quote]
 
Sixtus said:
I checked out the site. I am still unconvinced that hypnosis deprives one of one’s freewill unless one consents.
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I personally have no opinion on how/if/why hypnosis works. I was just looking for the Church’s stance on the subject. 😉
 
clear about us not submitting our God given mind to another’s will for entertainment.
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I think there is a lot of paranoia around hypnosis.

Arguably any drugs can alter mind/brain consciousness. Interogation techneques also use more cruel forms of pseudo-hypnosis.

As I said, I am totally unconvinced hypnosis works unless one wants to be hypnotised. I think it should be kept in perspective, seen for what it is and not seen for what it is not. 😛
 
Sixtus said:
. . .
As I said, I am totally unconvinced hypnosis works unless one wants to be hypnotised. I think it should be kept in perspective, seen for what it is and not seen for what it is not. 😛
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I was once told by a hypnotist that some people are easy to hypnotize, some difficult, and some cannot be hypnotized. He was very doubtful of these acts where a volunteer from the audience is hypnotized.
 
A hypnotist came to my grad night, and hypnotised a bunch of kids. He then made them do some very moraly unacceptable stuff (told them they were strippers, or watching porn)…it was very disturbing, especialy since alot of the kids were under 18 and all… it was just not right.
 
Basically, hypnosis is ok.

HOWEVER, it is a powerful therapeutic tool and not to be used for recreation; accordingly, “stage hypnosis” is, in my opinion, a mis-use of a valuable therapeutic technique.

At least two popes have issued statements to the effect that hypnosis is to be used carefully.

You need to find someone who is experienced and has extensive credentials … not someone merely trained in trance induction. Once a client is in a trance state, it is critical that the suggestions that are imparted be very carefully worded.

In the case of dealing with trauma (mental or physical), I recommend the use of EMI (Eye Movement Integration) which has been demonstrated to effectively treat these issues.

EMI was developed by Ron Klein in Silver Spring, Maryland and his Web site can provide sources for referrals.

Interested persons can also research the work done by Robert Dilts in eye movement therapies.

I’ll post some links.

In the meanwhile, do a search here on CAF for “hypnosis masetti” for some of my earlier posts.
 
Here is a course description of a program to be taught in August 2007 by Ron Klein on EMI (Eye Movement Integration).

Visit this link and for the specific description, scroll down to the second one on the list.

ngh.net/pre-convention.shtml

This link is for the course that Mr. Klein will be teaching in Boston at the pre-convention instructional period preceeding the National Guild of Hypnotists annual meeting.
 
Here is another link I did a google search for “ron klein emi”]; this one is for the EMI course that he teaches in Maryland.

ahtainc.com/index_files/Page393.htm

I am specifically posting these links so interested persons can get an appreciation that there are useful therapeutic techniques and what is involved.

Care needs to be exercised and the therapist needs to be highly experienced and not some someone who enjoys merely performing entertainment on stage.

In general, where any sort of negative thoughts are involved, care needs to be exercised. Do the research first. And the process should involve employing a dissociated state to avoid reliving the events. Recreating the pain over and over (in the associated state) is not the way to deal with the situation.

And here is a link to Ron Klein’s Web page.

ahtainc.com/index.htm

Please feel free to PM me if there are any questions.
 
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