Why is hypnosis sinful?

[AnneElizabeth]

I don’t care what any one “authority” on the subject of hypnosis says… there is something SICK and unnatural about it. Some sort of VIOLATION- like mental rape and/or abuse of trust- even if you are willing to have it done on you. OR rather, it is PLAYING with TRUST- and without trust you can’t have love. How would the hypnotee know what was about to occur? Why should anyone trust someone* that* much? Its touted like its a game and sadly most people see it as such (just like they do many of the gifts of life). There is such a thing as mind manipulation… ever hear of cults? We are not to open ourselves up THAT much or in THAT way to any person we just met. EVER.

Futurepriest21–You are going to trust a piece of paper on the ethics of hypnosis to keep people from using it maliciously? That’s just dumb to even TOUT that as to why its safe to hypnotise. Perhaps you are hypnotized yourself to believing fluffy nice thoughts that all those who show up to be trained have well meaning intentions. Evil does exist, you know. There will be wolves among the sheep.

The really sad thing is that I remember in grade school we would have assemblies in which there was a hypnotist there to preform… I guess its the same thing as those comic/hypnosis gigs. I can remember at least two of these assemblies in my school years. I remember some of the kids walking out and dismissing themselves as the assembly started. I did’nt know why they were leaving, and I asked some people around me and they said they were leaving for religious reasons. (ps. I did not go to a catholic school) I was alarmed then as to why they were leaving… I wish I knew then what I know now about the subject.

So the hypnotist had many kids come up on stage of their own free will to be hypnotized. He had them do silly things. I remember several kids in the audience being hypnotized to do the same silly things as well. That was creepy to me. I thought they were faking, but I talked to those who were around the person and they said they really were hypntised.

I feel sick to my stomach knowing this is going on still today most likely. There was never even a note to the parents notifying that there would be this sort of assembly. If I were a parent today and found out about this going on at my kid’s school, I would pull them from that school immediately.

 

[ktyak]

This may likely be my first and last post on the forum and I realise that since I dont have a history many people may discredit what I am about to say however I thought I’d put my hand up as someone who has recently been hypnotised.

I have in the last 2 weeks had 2 sessions of hypnosis combined with NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). Yesterday I had lunch with my very Catholic boyfriend and after talking him through what happened, he raised some concerns about whether this was against our religion. As a result I did a bit of a search and found this forum thread.

I went to hypnosis because I found it very difficult to not overreact to things in life and feel instant twangs of anger at things that were - objectively not personal or nasty. I wondered why this always was and never felt at peace, even after extensive prayer with my very very religious auntie. I thought I would give it a try. The hypnosis itself was a combination of conscious questions which relied on my “first/gut” response.

The part where I was “hypnotised” involved me closing my eyes and sitting on a couch and just answering questions, what is this memory, what are you feeling, do you realise that the old negative emotion of fear/anger/guilt etc doesnt need to be carried with you any longer type path of thinking. Its quite similar to guided meditation which I do in Yoga class however with much more specific address of issues.

During the hypnosis you are extremely aware of what you are doing and saying, it would be impossible to be (in the state I was in) taken advantage or to do something that was against my moral code. There were some things I didnt want to answer so I didnt so there is definitely choice for the hypnotised subject.

Since then I have felt much more peaceful and not reacted so harshly to things and a few close friends and family around me have told me they have noticed the change.

I’m not recommending it to anyone, I am merely here to say that in my experience, it was not as sinister as it is sometimes portrayed, but I do realise that this has tonnes to do with my hypnotherapist - Im sure there are some dodgy ones out there.

The other thing I’d like to say is that I am very relieved to find out it isnt sinful. It didnt feel evil at all, just very relaxing and the results are very liberating!

 

[Samson01]

Went to a hypnotherapist a few times and as I wasn’t a canidate of “deep hypnosis” it is hard for me to comment on that. I wasn’t able to do it because i would “relive” the trauma associated with it…Anyways, found nothing more then eye movement, body language type of stuff, found it boring and not very helpful in my case. Never heard it was sinful and even asked my parish priest before hand about it. Samson.

 

[Ceil-1]

I went to hypnosis because I found it very difficult to not overreact to things in life and feel instant twangs of anger at things that were - objectively not personal or nasty. I wondered why this always was and never felt at peace, even after extensive prayer with my very very religious auntie. I thought I would give it a try. The hypnosis itself was a combination of conscious questions which relied on my “first/gut” response.

The part where I was “hypnotised” involved me closing my eyes and sitting on a couch and just answering questions, what is this memory, what are you feeling, do you realise that the old negative emotion of fear/anger/guilt etc doesnt need to be carried with you any longer type path of thinking. Its quite similar to guided meditation which I do in Yoga class however with much more specific address of issues.

During the hypnosis you are extremely aware of what you are doing and saying, it would be impossible to be (in the state I was in) taken advantage or to do something that was against my moral code. There were some things I didnt want to answer so I didnt so there is definitely choice for the hypnotised subject.

Since then I have felt much more peaceful and not reacted so harshly to things and a few close friends and family around me have told me they have noticed the change.

I’m not recommending it to anyone, I am merely here to say that in my experience, it was not as sinister as it is sometimes portrayed, but I do realise that this has tonnes to do with my hypnotherapist - Im sure there are some dodgy ones out there.

The other thing I’d like to say is that I am very relieved to find out it isnt sinful. It didnt feel evil at all, just very relaxing and the results are very liberating!

Can you elaborate on the neuro linguistic programming? I’m not familiar with that term.

Maybe what you experienced was more like biofeedback techiniqe. Then again, perhaps hypnosis is an intense form of biofeedback. I can’t see a thing wrong with that.

 

[ktyak]

Can you elaborate on the neuro linguistic programming? I’m not familiar with that term.

Maybe what you experienced was more like biofeedback techiniqe. Then again, perhaps hypnosis is an intense form of biofeedback. I can’t see a thing wrong with that.

NLP is the stuff Anthony Robbins does. Sort of like “positive thoughts”