Is Hypnotherapy allowed?

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sheri

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Hi, I am a compulsive overeater and I have nervous ticks. It is very embarrassing. I was looking into ways to control these (especially the ticks) and I read where hypnotherapy is very successful. Do you know how the Church feels about hypnotherapy officially? Thank you for your help. Sheri
 
It is my understanding that hypnotherapy is allowed under certain conditions. First, care has to be taken that free will is respected. Second, at no time should the person be subjected to challenges to their dignity. Third, it must be used for the intended theopy, no past life regression and all of that ****.
 
Hypnotherapy is permitted and it works for lots of stuff.
I had one hypnotherapy session to eliminate salting my food; haven’t touched a salt shaker for personal use in years.
Hypnotherapy is not unconsciousness and it isn’t sleep and it isnn’t mind control. You cannot be hypnotised into doing or believing anything you do not want to do and do not want to believe. You are aware of everything that happens during the session. If an unethical hypnotists were to try to give you a suggestion you did not want, you would reject it and probably break out of the hypnotic state.
It’s not easy,; usually you have to self-hypnotize yourself for several weeks to make the process really work, but it can be really remarkable.
Good luck
 
I don’t recall where I read this, but my understanding is that the church considers hypnosis an extreme measure which should only be attempted in extreme circumstances, such as when a person’s health is at great risk, or all other methods to curve a grievous sinful behavior have failed.

The reason is that although it has shown to be effective, it involves manipulation of the gift of free will, which may have various effects we are not aware of or cannot control. Similar to excessive use of alcohal, it can also be viewed as unnaturally altering body behavior for a desired effect, and therefore can similarly be abused.
 
This is what happens in a hypnotherapy session:
If you haven’t already discussed how the session is supposed to help you, you discuss it with the hypnotist. E.g., reduce eating. She helps you formulate the message you want to tell yourself.
Then she has you do some relaxation exercises.
You are in a comfortable chair, your eyes are closed, you do a couple of deep relaxation breaths. You do muscle relaxation: head, face,jaws, neck, etc, etc. Mixed with that is the recurring e message you are more and more relaxed.
Then she has you do some type of count-down exercise and reminds you that with every increment you are getting more relaxed. Sometimes the countdown is the alphabet, sometimes something else. Then there is usually some type of imaginary step climbing; each step brings more relaxation. Then you imagine yourself in a comfortable place, you are very relaxed. Then she has you visualise being successful: passing by food; taking small portions and being satisfied; drinking lots of water, all the things you wanted to tellyourself. She helps you visualize them. Then she slowly brings you out of this complete relaxation and you open your eyes.
At all times you are aware of what is going on. Your critical faculties are at work; if something sounds wrong in a non-hypnotic state, it sounds wrong under hypnosis. Hypnosis doesn’t work if you don’t want it to .
Free will is not an issue; only in comic books can someone be hypontised to do what they don’t want to do.

Some people hypnotize easier than others, but it only ever works if you want it to.

There are some goofy practioners, just like there are goofy chiropracters. You can find plenty that have alternate spiritualities. But there are Catholic ones and plain old practical ones as well. Find one without some spiritual agenda, and you’ll do well.

I suggest that other posters inform themselves on the subject rather than relying on assumptions and rumors.
 
The vatican mentions hypnosis briefly in the following rather long document, seemingly frowning upon it:

vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_20030203_new-age_en.html

I didn’t mean to say that you lose your control or moral will during a hypnosis session, I’m well aware of that. The issue is that we are treating the divine gift of free will as a toy stating, “I don’t like who I am, I’m going to go to an appointment today and change that.”

Instead of being changed for the better through sacrifice, conversion, and prayer through God, we rely on man and ourselves to change us.
 
With all due respect, the authors of this provisonal report do not exhibit any credible knowledge of hypnotism, and mantras.

They are not in any way attempts to control or achieve mystical states.

I hope the authors smarten up before they publish that rubbish as final.

A theoretical premise of hypnosis – and you don’t have to accept the theory for the practice to work and vice versa – is that we engage in stuff like overeating because somehow, somewhere , the message was given to us that we need something, in this case excessive food, in order to be happy. The goal of hypnosis is to replace that irrational message with a rational one, for instance: I will be fine with just moderate meals. In that respect, it is not so different than cognitive therapy.

Hypnosis certainly, and the use of tm frequently, doesn’t make claims about the supernatural. It is just a way for you to get control of yourself so you can give yourself to God. You can’t give what you don’t own.
 
Interesting, that you would try to sneak transcendental meditation in there with hypnotherapy. TM is without a doubt “New Age,” and a form of yoga, that is spiritual in nature. I highly recommend you listen to this clip by Fr. Mitch Pacwa. I would like to know your response to this.

ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/Searchprog.asp?T1=transcendental+meditation

TM & Catholicism are like oil and water. They do not belong together.
 
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