Christianity and Hypnosis. A Christian and Hypnosis.

Summary.

Hypnosis is not mentioned in the Bible.
There is nothing in the Bible against Hypnosis.
Hypnosis is safe as practised by a trained Hypnotherapist, Hypnotist and/or Consulting Hypnotist.
Most Christian religions are ok with Hypnosis.
There is no verifiable and reliable information about demoniac possession caused by Hypnosis.
I’m a Christian and practice Hypnosis.

Some of the most often questions I get about Hypnosis and a Christian.

Is hypnosis dangerous for a Christian?

Should a Christian get involved in Hypnosis?

Should a Christian practice Hypnosis?

Is hypnosis witchcraft, divination or incantation?

Is it ok for a Christian to be hypnotized?

Is it true that Hypnosis opens to demoniac possession?

Is Hypnosis demonic corruption?

Let’s start by clarifying that I am a Christian, I’m a hypnotist, I practice hypnosis and self-hypnosis every single day.

What is Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a technique that take us to the hypnotic state. During the hypnotic state we bypass the Critical Faculty also called Critical Factor. We access the subconscious mind more easily and accept suggestions more easily.

Hypnosis is total and focused concentration. It is not an empty mind. It is not divination, it is not witchcraft.

Christians that are against hypnosis say …

Hypnosis is against the Bible … well, the word hypnosis does not exist in the Bible.

What hypnotherapists and hypnotists do during hypnosis is against the Bible.

There is nothing in the Bible against having your mind very concentrated or focused. And there is nothing in the Bible against accessing your subconscious. The fact is that we access our subconscious mind many times every single day.

If someone tells you that accessing your subconscious is bad, then you cannot drive, because when you drive, you access your subconscious.

Hypnosis is against the Bible because it is divination as mentioned in …

Deuteronomy 18:10-11 King James Version (KJV).

10 There shall not be found among you any one that make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that use divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.

11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

The problem here is that these Christian religions or Christians do not know what hypnosis is. They base their opinion in someone else’s opinion that probably saw a Stage Hypnosis show and do not understand how the show works and how our mind works.

Hypnosis as practiced by most Hypnotherapists, Hypnotists and Consulting Hypnotists is not divination, it is not charm, it is not incantation and absolutely hypnosis is not magic or witchcraft.

I realize that hypnosis specially in Stage Hypnosis, looks like magic, a special power, but it is not … it is the mind power of the hypnotized and therefore any volunteer can say no to a suggestion that he or she does not like.

Let’s clarify some points.

Stage Hypnosis is a show so the hypnotist makes it look like magic and special power.

I get asked … so How a person forget his name in Hypnosis? How a person gets her hands stuck to a table in Hypnosis? How a person see things that are not there or does not see things that are there?

It is a combination of 3 things … the ability of the hypnotist to guide you into the hypnotic state, your ability to access your subconscious and suggestion.

Not to make this too long … all the hypnotic phenomena happens thanks to your suggestibility … to your ability to access your subconscious and believe something as true.

To give you a very simple example … many smokers believe that smoking relaxes … and when they are under stressful situations they smoke and relax because their subconscious mind believes this to be true.

Of course this explanation is simplistic, there are more factors involved but the point is that if your subconscious mind believes something as true it makes it true.

If your subconscious mind believes your hand is stuck to the table … even if your conscious mind say “that’s not true … it is false”, it acts as if were true and you cannot unstuck your hand from the table.

Nothing magic here, no incantation, no demon helping the hypnotist, no demoniac possession here .. just the power of your mind.

Let me give you another example.

Some people that drink alcoholic beverages and smoke cigarettes, when they quit drinking they continue to smoke and they tell you … “quitting smoking is more difficult that quitting drinking”, which in reality is false, but because they believe is true, it gets more difficult to quit smoking.

Some Christians say … Hypnosis is a potential for occultism, Hypnosis is dangerous, Hypnosis opens your mind to demoniac possession.

Let’s answer here … everything can be dangerous … you can kill someone with a scalpel, which used by competent Doctor can save lives … you can promote immoral practices using the Bible, for example.

Slavery is accepted in the Bible … and some people that promote slavery say … “Slavery is accepted in the Bible”.

Exodus 21

21 “Now these are the rules that you shall set before them. 2 When you buy a Hebrew slave,[a] he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. 3 If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out alone. 5 But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.

Of course when the Bible was written slavery was accepted … we now do not accept slavery, and at the same time it all depends on the interpretation you give to the Bible in that point.

There is no scientific information about demoniac possession as a result of hypnosis. There is no scientific information about a person doing something against his or her moral principles as a result of being hypnotized. Of course they are videos and websites promoting false information but when you ask them for valid or reliable information, they do not have it. Or if you ask them to show credentials or verifiable resources, again they do not have them.

Hypnosis as any technique used by someone that does not have experience and training and does not know what he or she is doing can be dangerous. That’s the reality for any technique related to the mind.
The key here is … if you are going to try hypnosis … if you want to experience hypnosis you do not go with a person that watched a couple of hypnosis videos in youtube … you go to someone that has credentials, training and experience … the same way if you do with any other thing in life.

In reality Hypnosis is a very useful technique for a religious, a spiritual person … a Christian.

The Christian and Hypnosis. Why should a Christian use hypnosis?

Hypnosis is total concentration, total focus on something, a person or a goal. The hypnotic state allows a better connection with the subconscious, suggestions are accepted more easily and therefore the creation of positive changes.

Hypnosis is a technique that helps you focus your mind on something, someone, or a goal.

Some reasons why hypnosis can be useful for a Christian.

Contemplative prayer or Christian meditation is very similar to meditation, contemplation and self-hypnosis. Obviously they are not exactly the same, the techniques, procedures and the goals are different.

Hypnosis being a technique that teaches you how to enter total concentration helps you to enter into contemplation at the time of prayer to establish a better communication with God.

Do you need Hypnosis to communicate better with God?

No, absolutely not if you pray with devotion or use contemplative prayer or Christian Meditation.

That being said … Hypnosis being a technique that helps you understand how your mind works, it allows you to improve your communication skills as a human being and therefore your ability to love and be tolerant with other human beings.

Some people say … “Prayer is our means of communication with God. Intuition is God’s means of communication with us. ”

Hypnosis and self-hypnosis can help you pray with more faith and improve your intuition.

What I’m saying here is that Hypnosis as being a technique that teach you how to concentrate better, can help you to concentrate better when you pray.

If you are curios about Hypnosis, ideally look for a Health Care Professional that has training and experience in Hypnosis and he or she is a Christian.

If you concerned about Hypnosis but at the same time curious and would like to try it.

I always say … first consult your Doctor … consult with a Cristian that has experience with Hypnosis, not just with a person that tried once and decided against hypnosis.

Three reasons why some Christian leaders do not want their members to experience hypnosis.

The first one and more important … they do not know what Hypnosis is but they do not want to recognize their ignorance about the subject.

One of the main benefits of experiencing or practicing hypnosis is that you learn more how your mind works and therefore learn to defend yourself more efficiently when others want to control you.

For example, I have a friend who uses a lot of what is called Reverse Psychology, when you basically say the opposite of what you want, and interestingly many times she gets what she wants. It works, of course not all the time.

When learning hypnosis, or self-hypnosis or experiencing hypnosis we learn and understand better how our mind works and we can anticipate better when someone is trying to control us and trying to manipulate our beliefs.

For this reason, some religious leaders do not want you to learn how to defend yourself from their suggestions and therefore do not like the idea that you learn how your mind works and how to defend yourself.

Have you noticed that many religious leaders tell their followers … “Do not discuss religion with someone who contradicts what we believe. They want to confuse you. They are agents of the devil. ”

The reality is that they are afraid that you think for yourself. For the same reason they do not like you to practice self-hypnosis or hypnosis that teach you how your mind works and think for yourself.

Another reason is that when you really understand better hypnosis or self-hypnosis you realize that there is nothing demoniac or diabolical in it.

The whole point is Hypnosis is a technique. Used properly can help you a lot.

As a Christian if you have a very powerul and close relationship with God you do not need Hypnosis at all, but if you want to experience Hypnosis you can be sure there is nothing in the Bible againts it.

Again … I’m a Christian. I’m a Hypnotist. I practice Hypnosis and self-hypnosis every day … and the first and last thing I do during a day … I pray and thank God for my blessings.

Blessing and Profound Peace.

Olivier Hidalgo.
NLP Hypnosis Centre.
London, Ontario. Canada.