Hypnosis and Christianity: In Conflict?

Hypnosis and Christianity has been a problem for many years. Some Christian groups have objections to the use of hypnosis and speak out against it. Others find hypnosis and Christianity quite compatible.

To understand the potential conflict between hypnosis and Christianity we need to look briefly at hypnosis as well as what the Bible says. In this way we can finally determine whether there really is a conflict between hypnosis and Christianity or not.

Hypnosis and Christianity: What is Hypnosis?

The American Psychological Association indicates that “Hypnosis is a set of techniques designed to enhance concentration, minimize one’s usual distractions, and heighten responsiveness to suggestions to alter one’s thoughts, feelings, behavior, or physiological state.”

Hypnosis allows you to enhance your concentration on a particular task. This focused concentration allows you to perform a task more accurately with fewer mistakes. It allows you to perform at peak effectiveness.

Hypnosis helps you block out distractions. This can be important to anyone doing tasks where a momentary loss of concentration would lead to damaging results. Many people can benefit from reducing distractions in their lives. Many sports figures use hypnosis to improve their concentration on their individual tasks.

Heightened responsiveness to suggestions allow our thoughts and imaginations to create and play out scenes that help reveal memories of past events or picture how we could think and behave in the future.

We may, for example, play out past scenes in our mind when our mother hugged us and gave us a treat. From many of these experiences we began to associate love with eating snacks. For most people, this association is no longer helpful and leads to over eating and obesity. Further suggestions can help reduce or break this unhealthy association, allowing us to forgo eating as a way to recall loving relationships.

Hypnosis is, then, the techniques that allow enhanced concentration, blocking of distractions, and enhanced openness to suggestions. Just what are these techniques?

A hypnosis session is typically divided into the following segments:

• Induction: Although there are various techniques, a progressive relaxation if often used. Here, the subject is directed to concentrate on muscles groups from the head to the feet and visualize, and feel them relaxing.
• Deepening: Here the subject may walk down a staircase to a quiet, restful place. Each step deepens the relaxation.
• Suggestion: Here is subject is given suggestions related to a particular problem he are she is having. These suggestions may be to recall an earlier experience or may be new ways of thinking about a life situation.
• Awakening: Although hypnosis is not sleep, the subject is brought back to a fully awake and alert state.

Now that you understand something about hypnosis, it’s time to look at hypnosis and Christianity for potential conflicts.

Hypnosis and Christianity: What Does the Bible Say?

Some Christian groups use passages from the Bible to claim that hypnosis and Christianity are not compatible.

Hypnosis & Christianity: Can a Minister be a Hypnotist?

One popular passage is Deuteronomy 18:10, “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch.”

Here, they often take the work “enchanter” and associate it with a hypnotist.

But, the Online Hebrew Lexicon indicates that this word means “to practice divination, divine, observe signs, learn by experience, diligently observe, practice fortunetelling, take as an omen.”

Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon further gives the definition as “properly, to hiss, i.e. whisper a (magic) spell; generally, to prognosticate: — certainly, divine, enchanter, (use) enchantment, learn by experience, indeed, diligently observe.”

Most authorities associate this word with a snake charmer or augur who observes signs and tokens like the flight of birds. From these observations the augur makes predictions of the future.

This is far from what a hypnotist does and is a misapplication of the passage.

Another popular misconception of “enchanter” is that the hypnotist has “enchanted” or taken over the free will of the subject, making hypnosis and Christianity incompatible. Here, some groups use passages like:

• Romans 6:13,  “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.”
• Romans 6:16″  “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
• I Corinthians 6:12 “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”

It is easy for someone who knows only a little about hypnosis to think that a subject in hypnosis has given over their mind or free will to the hypnotist. This leads them to conclude that there is a real conflict between hypnosis and Christianity.

Let’s set the stage to understand better why some people believe this.

The modern history of hypnosis began with Franz Mesmer who in the late 1700s believed that magnetic forces pervaded the universe and had an effect on people. He believed that by using magnets he could influence or control the course of a disease or other trouble a patient was having.

A medical board investigated Mesmer’s “animal magnetism” found that these magnetic forces did not really exist. But, what they found actually happened was that the effects he produced were merely due to imagination.

It is easy to understand from this beginning how one could believe that a hypnotist exercises control over the subject. After all, Mesmer is the one who controlled and manipulated the magnets.

But, it was actually the subjects who used their own imaginations that brought about physical and emotional changes in their lives. And it is the hypnotist who guided the subjects to imagine certain things.

Why do we say the hypnotist “guided” the subject rather than “controlled” the subject?

It is always the subject who retains control. The subject allows the suggestions of the hypnotist to bring about relaxation and imagery. If suggestions made by the hypnotist go against the subject’s moral code, the subject could easily “awaken” from the hypnotic trance and terminate their relationship.

For this reason many say that all hypnosis is self hypnosis.

It is always the subject, himself or herself, who retains control.

OK. But, what about a stage hypnotist who controls the actions of members of the audience who volunteer to come on stage? Surely the stage hypnotist has control over the subjects and makes them quack like ducks or pretend to be playing basketball and other hilarious activities.

It’s just like a stage magician who fakes the audience into believing he actually saws a woman in two, produces bunnies from an empty top hat, or produces silk scarves from thin air. The stage hypnotist fools the audience into believing he exerts control over the minds of his volunteers. It is part of the show.

In fact, the audience members who volunteer know exactly what they are in for. The want to experience hypnosis and they want to cooperate with the hypnotist. They find no objection to flapping their arms and buzzing like bees all over the stage. It’s all part of a fascinating experience.

So, is there a real problem between hypnosis and Christianity?

No. Hypnosis helps people eliminate phobias, change unproductive associations, concentrate better, reduce chronic pain, reduce anxieties, stop smoking and many other things. It helps people function more effectively in society and relate better to others around them. Hypnosis and Christianity are compatible.

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “Training the body helps a little, but godly living helps in every way. Godly living has the promise of life now and in the world to come.” He also wrote “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Just as we physically eat and exercise to maintain a sound body, we can take advantage of hypnosis to help overcome unhealthy habits, emotions and thoughts to help produce a sound mind. Hypnosis and Christianity can work together toward that end.

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