Hypnosis, also referred to as hypnotherapy or hypnotic suggestion, is a trance-like state in which you have heightened focus, concentration and inner absorption. When you’re under hypnosis, you usually feel calm and relaxed, and you can concentrate intensely on a specific thought, memory, feeling or sensation while blocking out distractions.<\/p>\n
Under hypnosis, you’re more open than usual to suggestions, and this can be used to modify your perceptions, behavior, sensations and emotions. Therapeutic hypnosis is used to improve your health and well-being and is different from so-called stage hypnosis used by entertainers. Although you’re more open to suggestion during therapeutic hypnosis, your free will remains intact and you don’t lose control over your behavior.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Thus, hypnosis is getting a person to closely focus on a thought to the exclusion of all else. A hypnotized person will not do what he thinks is wrong, but he may be open to suggestions to do things that he normally would find embarrassing because he isn’t aware of his surroundings. Hypnotism is used medically to get a person to focus on a suggestion so strongly that the person accepts it as their own idea, such as no longer wanting to smoke or being satisfied with less food. It isn’t a perfect solution as suggestions wear off over time.<\/p>\n
Obviously, being open to suggestions can be dangerous if what is being suggested is morally wrong and the person has a weakness in that area. Being open to suggestions is also the reason hypnosis is not useful in trying to bring to light past memories. The hypnotized person wants to follow the suggestion so strongly that a false idea will be presented if a true one is not available. Since the person is focusing on it, it becomes hard to distinguish the idea from being his own, so he can become convinced of a “fact” that never existed because it is in his memory.<\/p>\n
By itself, hypnosis is neither right nor wrong. If a person believes it gives him power over another, then it becomes wrong for him because he ascribes special powers to himself. It can be used wrongly to plant improper thoughts or cause a person to believe something that is not true. But when used responsibly by someone for a useful purpose, I know of no reason scripturally to condemn it.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Is hypnosis wrong, or does it depend on the environment and person doing it? Why is it wrong for a spirit-filled Christian? Answer: Hypnosis, as defined by the\u00a0Mayo Clinic\u00a0is: Hypnosis, also referred to as hypnotherapy or hypnotic suggestion, is a trance-like state in which you have heightened focus, concentration and inner absorption. When you’re…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[1278],"class_list":["post-29089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-hypnosis"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5941,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/reincarnation\/","url_meta":{"origin":29089,"position":0},"title":"Reincarnation","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 4, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Job 14:1-15 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Death is an event that puzzles many people. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We know it is a step that we all must take - Ecclesiastes 8:8 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is an appointment that we must keep - Hebrews 9:27 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Not that people don\u2019t try. The finality of death\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43183,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/isnt-it-wrong-to-use-passages-from-the-kings-to-help-define-a-word-in-job\/","url_meta":{"origin":29089,"position":1},"title":"Isn’t it wrong to use passages from the Kings to help define a word in Job?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Dear sir, I happened onto your website in search of a definition of the intent of the word \"curse\" as used in Job. I do have a question for you. If the book of Job was written before the Levitical priesthood was established, which would explain why Job, himself,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16902,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-cigar-smoking-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":29089,"position":2},"title":"Is cigar smoking wrong?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 30, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I saw\u00a0your articles on smoking. I have always believed heavy smoking is bad when it is something done constantly. Actually I hate cigarettes and the only time I do smoke is about three times a year. I have a cigar with one of my best friends as we sit\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35890,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-getting-a-breast-augmentation-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":29089,"position":3},"title":"Is getting a breast augmentation wrong?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 17, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I want to get breast augmentation. Please help me. Is it wrong. Answer: Breast augmentation for a woman falls under the realm of cosmetic surgery. Such surgery is most often used to correct damage from injuries or diseases. For example, burns or cancer. As a way of restoring the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":68113,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-celebrating-diversity-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":29089,"position":4},"title":"Is celebrating diversity wrong?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good morning, I am a Resident Assistant at my college. Part of my job is doing programming for celebrating different cultures with programs such as Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Arab Culture Month, etc. I just recently read your statement on Black Lives Matter, and I was wondering\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55546,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-does-matthew-quote-zechariah-but-attributes-it-to-jeremiah\/","url_meta":{"origin":29089,"position":5},"title":"Why does Matthew quote Zechariah but attributes it to Jeremiah?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello brother, I have a question about Matthew 27:9. A brother from church pointed out this verse where it says that it references Jeremiah, but I can't find that reference anywhere. 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Answer: \"Then that which was spoken\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29089\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}