Hypnotism--Bad or Good? (Poll) (experience, Satan, science)

[Bishka]

So is it bad or good? Of Satan or God? All opinions, thoughts, feelings welcome!

[dawny0826]

Although I've had no first hand experience with hypnosis and my opinion may be different if I actually had first hand experience...

I can honestly say that all of the people I've encountered who have utilized hypnosis for things like cigarette smoking (quitting) and weight loss have had success with it.

I'm sure there are horror stories and I wouldn't be surprised if there are high failure rates...I just haven't heard about them (yet)...

I don't know if it's good or bad, to be honest...I voted good...but you know...

[Bishka]

So what is your feeling that Satan may be able to influence you during hynosis?

[evearael]

Since I have trust issues, I voted bad. That is an obscene amount of control to give some one, especially a stranger... not something I would do unless the circumstances were really dire. If other people feel comfortable with it, that's great, but it's just scary to me.

[Bishka]

Originally Posted by evearael

Since I have trust issues, I voted bad. That is an obscene amount of control to give some one, especially a stranger... not something I would do unless the circumstances were really dire. If other people feel comfortable with it, that's great, but it's just scary to me.

I agree, this reminds me of somehting that happened about two years ago, and it is still happening on my campus. There is this man who calls up and says he's doing a pyschology project on hypnotism, he actually starts to hypnotise you over the phone. The police haven't found out who he is and he hasn't done anything bad, but it is scary, I had him call me, and I went along with it until I started feeling a bit weird, then I hung up on him.

[dawny0826]

Originally Posted by beckysoup61

So what is your feeling that Satan may be able to influence you during hynosis?

Satan can influence you at anytime...you don't have to be under hypnosis.

I'd say it probably depends on where your heart is at and what your intent is when you undergo hypnosis. I'd imagine that there may be a certain degree of vulnerability when you're under but if you're heart is in the right place and your focus is on God's will for your life...you have power (even under hypnosis) to overcome any of Satan's weak attempts to get to you.

[MaddLlama]

There's no other option!
Hypnotism is just junk science. There are a lot of different things that are called hypnotism, but from a medical/scientific standpoint there is no such thing as hypnotism.
I suppose I would have to vote bad simply because of all the money people dish out of hypnotherapy and the like.

[dawny0826]

Originally Posted by MaddLlama

There's no other option!
Hypnotism is just junk science. There are a lot of different things that are called hypnotism, but from a medical/scientific standpoint there is no such thing as hypnotism.
I suppose I would have to vote bad simply because of all the money people dish out of hypnotherapy and the like.

I don't know enough about it to make a claim that it isn't junk science...but I'm curious how you explain the successes.

[MaddLlama]

There are two ways to get a sucess through hypnotherapy - first of all if you have invested yourself so much in a therapy then of course you're going to believe it works. It's a sugar pill, a placebo. Or, people are just lying. I had one woman tell me that she went up a whole bra cup size after taking months of "make your breasts grow through hypnotherapy". Besides, with a lot of hypnotherapy treatments (like weight loss and quitting smoking), hypnotherapists admit that you can't succeed with the treatment unless you're already self motivated. So, that means you're paying money to have someone tell you to do something you could have done by yourself.

In "stage hypnosis" you never really give up control. Basically all it is is one person agreeing to do the stupid things that another person tells them. When a hypnotist says "when I snap my fingers you'll think you're a chicken", the person who is supposedly hypnotised will know that they're not a chicken, but pretend that they are one. Power of suggestion is the only power behind it.

[EnhancedSpirit]

It depends on the intention. I think hypnosis can be used in positive ways, but it can also be used to harm, or control a situation or a person. I can't vote one way or the other.