Oasis of Truth Home Page The Criminal Mind: A Biblical Perspective The RELIGION of Psychology and the Dangers of Hypnotic Induction Resident in all forms of Psychology and Psychotherapy

Hypnotic Psychotherapy in the Identification of Core Emotional Issues. Journal of Heart Centered Therapies, Spring, 2000, by Constance Spencer “Then Pharaoh called his wise men and the sorcerers:...the magicians of Egypt...with their enchantments...but Aaron’s rod (God’s Word) swallowed up their rods (their evil sorcery)” (Exodus 7:11-12). Additional sources: * Possible Dangers and Complications in Treatments Using Hypnosis, by Maurice Kouguell, Ph. D., BCETS. * HYPNOSIS (Dissertation and Biblical Response), by James K. Walker, Watchman Fellowship, Inc., Authority on cult/criminal mind control methodologies and consultant to law enforcement agencies nation wide. * Hypnosis: Christian or Occult? Hypnosis and the Christian, Martin & Deidre Bobgan, Bethany House Publishers, 1984. Revised, 2001 Hypnosis: Medical, Scientific or Occultic? * New England Institute for Neuro Linguistic Programming, literature, brochures. Promotes and teaches Ericksonian indirect, conversational hypnotic induction easily integrated (without the knowledge or consent of the subject) into ANY kind of discourse or counseling. NEINLP recommended reading: Frogs Into Princes, Trance Formations, Magic Demystified, Meta-Cation, Reframing, Practical Magic, Patterns of Hypnotic Techniques. (* Please note also that some information was obtained from a Seventh Day Adventist members page. It appears that NLP and Ericksonian hypnosis is saturating their church structure. This should not, in any way, shape or form, however, be construed as agreement with the doctrine. The sabbath is NOT a DAY - it is a PERSON - JESUS CHRIST.) Hypnotic Psycho-therapy, Constance Spencer, excerpts: The intent is to show that the common core issues can be elicited and be identified in a single session and reprocessed in the posthypnotic trance-state. Pavlov and others coined the term defensive reaction for a cluster of innate reflexive responses to environmental threat (van der Kolk, 1991). There is a regressive shame that can be evoked by the exercise of authority... Resolution may not be total in a single session, but the overcoming of resistance is often quite successful... The hypnotic psychotherapy techniques explored in this study will be shown to access rapidly (dangerously?) these core issues. The integration of the reprocessed memories was done utilizing the post-hypnotic interview process... Clients often reenter the hypnotic trance, in the post-hypnotic phase... Hypnosis is an artificially induced trance state (note: dissociation) characterized by heightened suggestibility. Emile Coue' (1923) polarized the laws of concentrated attention and of dominant effect. He was specific regarding the end result of a hypnotic suggestion. (Kroger, 1977). Hypnosis recognizes and utilizes direct and indirect suggestions. Direct suggestions are, for example, assumptions that something will happen (Edgette & Edgette, 1995). Persons in a trance state tend to narrowly focus their attention. As a result of this focus they may be able (or forced) to suspend critical judgment and can become highly suggestible (Kroger 1977). Ericksonian techniques, for example, emphasize the resourcefulness within the client... When trances are elicited, they are still a result of ideas, associations, mental processes, and understandings already existing and simply aroused within the client (Haley, 1973). The trance-state can be induced in many ways...Today's theories and fashion, however, generally favor a conversational manner,(Murphy 1992) People in a trance state may feel as if their reactions are involuntary. Their suggestibility makes them highly responsive to guidance and particularly inclined to comply with direction and requests from the hypnotic guide...Through cathartic (note: emotional charged) flooding (note: cognitive confusion and overload)... the trance-state, immediate access to the identified problem can be accomplished... Humans continually construct an overall model or schema of the world around them (Antrobus, 1970). Believed to be state dependent... memory is not based solely on their cognitive abilities. Rather, memory is a neurological process that everyone creates unconsciously. Automatic processing and selectivity are necessary cognitive functions that keep us from overloading with too much information (Antrobus, 1970).... there is most certainly a point of automatic processing that is both conscious and subconscious. Most processing of sensory input occurs outside of normal consciousness, with only novel, significant, or threatening information being selectively passed on to the neocortex for further attention (van der Kolk, 1991). Extreme stress is accompanied by the release of endogenous neurohormones... Both very high and very low levels of norepinephrine activity in the central nervous system (CNS) interfere with memory storage (van der Kolk, 1994). The limbic system is believed to be the part of the CNS that maintains and guides the emotions and resulting behavior necessary for self-preservation (MacLean, 1985). The hypothalamus and pituitary gland are intimately connected to the limbic system and influence other glands and dominate the endocrine system. The limbic system is the area of the brain that is critically involved in storage and retrieval of memories (van der Kolk, 1991). The mood-altering qualities of endocrine imbalances give us an important hint about the connection of the limbic system with states of mind (Sagan, 1977). Hypnotic phenomena that are common automatic responses in traumatized people include amnesia, hypermnesia, dissociation (Edgette & Edgette, 1995). There is a divergence of opinion as to the role of hypnosis in on-going psychotherapy (I’ll say). Because of the relative vulnerability of people in a trance-state, and probable dissociative amnesia for part or for all the hypnotic session, it is important that the individual enter the state only in a trusting, nurturing environment. At times clients are reluctant to work with the conflicted emotions that emerge in treatment. The client simultaneously seeks to avoid re-experiencing painful conflicts...(note: could it also be an automatic, subconscious self preservation response to being inducted without their knowledge or consent?) The experience of a traumatic event... is generally followed by recurrent nightmares, rumination on thoughts around the event, and intense reactions to symbolic reminders of the trauma (Briere, 1992). In this state of dissociation there is a lack of integration of knowledge, memory, and voluntary control which is expressed as a feeling of unreality and a change in the sense of self (Holmes, 1994). Shapiro (1995) believes when trauma occurs it appears to get locked into the nervous system and often gets triggered by a variety of reminders and is responsible for the clients' frequent feelings of helplessness, fear, hopelessness, etc. PTSD sufferers have an inability to integrate memories of the trauma and tend to get mired in a continuous reliving of the past, which is mirrored perceptually by the misinterpretation of innocuous (note: or implanted?) stimuli, such as unexpected noises, as potential threats (van der Kolk, 1991). Memory retrieval has been recognized as state dependent and emotionally charged. DISSOCIATION (trance state) Dissociation is a natural part of our daily lives (Edgette & Edgette, 1995). Dissociation is a mental mechanism that can be used (note: or influenced?) productively as well as counterproductively. The important thing to remember is that if we were fully alert and attending to every move at all times we would not be able to function beyond focusing on each motion (Edgette & Edgette, 1995). Dissociation refers to one part of a person's experience (mental or physical) functioning distinctly and independently from another part (Edgette & Edgette, 1995). In a sense, the state of dissociation is an altered state similar to dreaming in that one; can see oneself performing various activities (Kroger, 1977). All altered states of consciousness are related, especially the various types of meditative states and the relaxation response. One way to explain the sum of the powerful effects of hypnosis is to regard the hypnotic trance-state as one of dissociation. "Dissociative trance involves narrowing of awareness of immediate surroundings or stereotyped behaviors or movements that are experienced as being beyond one's control" (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed., 1994. American Psychological Association: Washington, D.C.) (hereafter referred to as DSM IV). In this state there is a lack of integration of knowledge, memory, and voluntary control which is expressed as a feeling of unreality and a change in the sense of self. The cognitive process is suspended as the subconscious comes to dominate the focus. In a threatening situation a person automatically shifts into the utilization of defense mechanisms as a self-preservation takes place. (Note: Could this self preservation mechanism be intentionally provoked?) Dissociation refers to the inherent ability of a person to detach from the here and now immediate environment (Kroger, 1977). It is possible for a person to be totally dissociated and still retain the capacity to function adequately (Kroger, 1977). Depersonalization Disorder is a persistent or recurrent experience of feeling detached from, as if one is an outside observer of one's mental processes or body (note: this is a harmful, dissociative trance state, which is spirutual in origin) (APA, 1994). During the depersonalization experience, reality testing remains intact. Dissociative Disorder not otherwise specified is included for disorders that don't meet the above criteria specifically enough. Experts agree that autohypnotic phenomena may play an important role in the etiology and structure of this disorder (note: perhaps causing or aggravating it?). They also agree these patients frequently enter trance states even when the therapist has not performed any hypnotic induction procedure (APA, 1980). Any behavior that produced regret of any kind... is a candidate for sudden retrieval of guilt and shame feelings which can be overwhelming (Tomkins, 1963). The client is informed (note: hopefully) of a safety signal that will allow them to both consciously and subconsciously stop (contain) the feelings they are experiencing if they want to...(and)...keep a safety barrier around their psyche (note: soul) a technique which is similar to techniques used in EMDR... The hypnotic psychotherapy process has several steps, including induction... The client is initially interviewed and the focus of the therapy (note: evidently optional) is discussed and chosen. The technique of associating is begun at this point: the reconstruction of the clients' memories ... The recognition and identification of the feeling that triggers the memory (anger, fear, guilt, shame, loneliness, hurt) is then re-experienced....Pronounced physical sensations can be associated with negative cognitions. Commonly a person will experience a sinking feeling in their stomach, or tightness in their chest. People generally locate an uneasy feeling in the torso area of their body while assessing physiologically. This reoccurring abreacting or catharting allows the client to identify the origin of the feeling and express it in various ways. ...Intense feelings are experienced when triggered by a memory and anchored. "A stimulus which is linked to and triggers a physiological state is called an anchor in Neuro-Linguistic Programming" (NLP), (O'Connor & Seymour, 1990). Our minds automatically link experiences. It is the way we give meaning to what we do. There are several types of sensory triggers that anchor feelings. A positive visual trigger would be a favorite photograph that has anchored a specific feeling. A negative auditory trigger might be a police siren behind you. An anchor can be anything that accesses an emotional state. The client is taught to anchor this positive feeling (similar to NLP) in the final step as a replacement for the initial negative feeling/belief... This process of cathartic flooding may bring insight into the core issue, initial experience. (What if this step is skipped?....if coupled with negative suggestion, could lead to anti-social, emotional ‘venting’/negative behavior/self-preservation, uncooperativeness). New, more adaptive coping is experienced by the client as they reprocess their core issue/s, and then utilized upon completion of the initial session. The client is able to acknowledge their feelings and beliefs and re-evaluate the rationale behind them. The ego strengthening at various stages throughout the session enable,; the client to consciously adopt new personality constructs while challenging the old. The progressive emergence of the adult perspective replaces the earlier, often childhood perspective. Several therapeutic interventions are utilized during the Hypno-Behavioral session and they include: Gestalt (to experience how it is to relate with the present mature adult ego strength), Transactional Analysis (Adult, Parent, Child), Guided imagery (induction), relaxation, and Cognitive Behavioral (affirmation suggestions). Hypnotic psychotherapy used in this study has been performed using one standard script and incorporating three specific traditional (Transactional Analysis, Gestalt, Cognitive/Behavioral) psychotherapeutic interventions. Following specific steps, varying somewhat from one client to the next, can provide a safe, quick, and controllable approach to the core issues most common to these clients. The script for the therapy sessions' has approximately one dozen steps that are performed in a sequential fashion as follows: 1) Hypnosis induction utilizing an eye fixation on the ceiling or the wall (or the practitioner). This technique utilizes the direct suggestion after fixation of: "Just allow your eyelids to close down now and let yourself go deeper and deeper into relaxation." 2) Deepening technique: This step is an indirect suggestion. Most hypnotherapists... give the client an open personal choice... The safe place is a personal fantasy refuge that creates a feeling of calm and safety. Occasionally a client will have difficulties imagining a safe place and can be prompted to imagine their own "Garden of Eden". (Complete with resident Ericksonian Serpent) ____________________________________________ How Hypnotic Induction Works 1.) Indirect Hypnotherapy, developed by Milton Erickson, embeds hypnotic induction techniques into conversation/communication/counseling without the knowledge or consent of the subject. 2.) Conversational induction techniques are employed (those that illicit strong emotions are the most effective). Through the introduction of selected stimuli, critical thinking is confused, overloaded and tends to shut down as a safety mechanism, which brings the subconscious to the forefront. 3.) This induction produces an altered state, (also called dissociation and trance state) in the subject. Explanation: Our normal state has critical, logical thinking at the forefront and automated responses (subconscious) in the background. Examples of subconscious or automatic responses would be breathing and our automatic, ingrained response to certain environmental stimuli. Normal State Critical Thinking-Subconscious/AutoResponse (Forefront) (Suppressed) In a Dissociated state, this is reversed: Dissociated Trance State Subconscious/AutoResponse - Critical Thinking (Forefront) (Suppressed) 4.) Once this Dissociated State has been achieved, the practitioner then implants suggestions into the subconscious/automated response system which tend to become concrete in the mind of the victim. 5.) These suggestions can be negative and destructive (for the Christian, hypnosis is evil and always destructive), and anchored to stimuli selected by the practitioner - which can result in automated which would be, to a certain degree, involuntary responses and behavior. For the Christian who believes, rightly so, that each person is accountable to God, regardless, this process needs to be recognized and stopped early. 6.) And all of this can take place without the victim ever knowing or understanding what or how it happened. “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field...” (Genesis 3:1). The above process is exactly what the serpent used to deceive Eve. Right on target. Keys to Recognition Some readers will want insight into how they operate in order that they may recognize “casual conversation hypnosis” when someone starts to use it on them. The next section provides you with early-warning danger signals when conversational hypnotism is underway. When a friend has a gab session with you over coffee, it does not result in major emotional psychological changes within you for months afterwards. Why does it happen when Ericksonian experts do it? It is not so much the stimuli, as it is the medium, for Mesmer’s “Animal Magnetism” is nothing more or less than plain, simple evil. In their own words: “If you ask the people who were up here for demonstration purposes, my guess is they would assign very little responsibility to us for the changes that occurred in them-much less than they would in traditional content-oriented therapy. That's one of the advantages of secret therapy. The use of metaphor is a whole set of advanced patterns which is associated with what we've done so far. You can learn about those in David Gordon's excellent book, Therapeutic Metaphors...Clients are usually bewildered or infuriated by paying me money to listen to stories. But the changes they want occur anyway. . You do things so covertly (stealthily) that they don't have the faintest idea what you are doing. .” “Is there anybody here who has been to see Milton Erickson? He told you stories, right? Did you find that six months, eight months, or a year later you were going through changes that were somehow associated with those stories that he was telling? Man: Yes. That's the typical report. Six months later people suddenly notice they've changed and they don't have any idea how that happened, and then they get a memory of Milton talking about the farm up in Wisconsin or something. When you were with Erickson did you have the experience of being slightly disoriented, fascinated and entranced by the man's language? Man: I was bored. Milton uses boredom as one of his major weapons. If Milton were here, one thing he might do is bore you to tears. So you'd all drift off into daydreams and then he has you. . We have, during these days (in this seminar) together, succeeded brilliantly in completely overwhelming your conscious resources. This was a deliberate move on our part, understanding as we do that most learning and change takes place at the unconscious level. . so that, in the days and weeks and months to come, you can discover yourself doing things that you didn't know you learned about here” (Frogs into Princes, pp. 134-135). “When you were with Erickson did you have the experience of being slightly disoriented, fascinated and entranced by the man's language? . . [He] uses boredom.” The boredom opens to the operator a door, since the mind is switched out of thinking gear. “Did you have the experience of being slightly disoriented, fascinated and entranced by the man's language?” That, and the boredom, may be a key to help identify the presence of an Ericksonian situation. A second, more advanced Ericksonian book is entitled Trance-formations: Neuro-Linguistic Programming and the Structure of Hypnosis, and was written by the authors of Frogs Into Princes. “Hypnosis should not be difficult or unnatural. It should be the most natural thing in the world” (John Grinder and Richard Bandler, Trance-formations: Neuro-Linguistic Programming and the Structure of Hypnosis, p. 19). If an Ericksonian interview appears to be underway, get out of there! Do not dally around. Do not linger because of curiosity. Do not have smug confidence that you are safe in lingering near such a danger. “They sit down and say ‘Go ahead and try to hypnotize me.’ And I say, ‘I can't hypnotize you.’ They say, ‘Well, go ahead and try.’ I say, ‘I can't do it. There's nothing I can do; if I decided to force you to keep your eyes open, that would make you keep your eyes open. I'll try. Keep your eyes wide open! Stay totally alert! Everything you do will make you stay right here and right now!’ “Then they resist me right into a trance! The principle I was using was simply noticing the response of the person in front of me, and providing him with a context that he could respond to appropriately in a way that was natural for him” (Trance-formations, pp. 13-14). So he begins by authoritatively commanding him to do what he is already doing. Pray for help. If you have no choice but to remain, meet them with the Word of God. The operator's objective is to put you into a dissociated trance, and change your thinking and your behavior. Yet, normally, more subtle methods are used to do it without one's realizing it. “Natural transitions lead people into an altered [trance] state without jarring them” ( Trance-formations, p. 11). “NLP is an explicit and powerful model of human experience and communication. Using the principles of NLP, it is possible to describe any human activity in a detailed way that allows you to make many deep and lasting changes quickly and easily” (Trance-formations, pp i-ii). The technique is based on hooking a person while he is relaxed and not expecting what is taking place. “We're going to study what's called Ericksonian hypnosis, after Milton H. Erickson. Ericksonian hypnosis means developing the skills of a hypnotist so well that you can put someone into a trance in a conversation in which the word hypnosis is never mentioned” (Trance-formations, p. 13). It is not the subject but the Ericksonian operator who decides the changes to be made. “You can create a situation in which all they have (or can) to do is respond - the one thing people do all the time, and they do best” (Note: what if the operator stimulates negative responses?) (Trance-formations, p. 30). “Your job in doing hypnosis is to notice what people respond to naturally” (Trance-formations, p. 13). First, the operator mimics you: your breathing, your posture, your tones, or your words, in order to emotionally catch you. “One thing I've noticed is that people are more apt to respond easily when they're in a state that hypnotists call rapport. Rapport seems to be built on matching behaviors. Disagreeing with people won't establish rapport . . If you gauge the tempo of your voice to the rate of their breathing, if you blink at the same rate that they're nodding, if you rock at the same rate that they're rocking, and if you say things which must in fact be the case, or things that you notice are the case, you will build rapport. . We call this kind of matching ‘pacing.’” (Trance-formations, p.14). When necessary, the operator distracts the listener's attention, and then confuses the subject. "When you use the confusion technique, you do not build in meaningful transitions. You indicate a sort of mild confusion in people, and then you begin natural transitions (to a hypnotic state more receptive to suggestions) from that point” (Trance-formations, p. 11). "You can use any complicated task (anything which will distract or overload cognitive critical thinking) to occupy a person and distract his consciousness while you disorient him” (Trance-formations, p. 82). The simplest way to do that is for the operator to use whatever stimuli will put the subject into a different frame of mind, a partially “altered state.” Then, while he is occupied with it, the operator overloads his mind with suggestions. That disorients him, and he slips more easily into a trance and is susceptible to the changed behaviors suggested to him (what if the suggested behaviors/stimuli are negative?). “If you can interrupt somebody else's altered state, the one that they need to perform well...you may be able to beat them” (Trance-Formations, p. 79). The emphasis, with these men, is reaching the unconscious and changing it in accordance with the way they think it should be changed. “Look, I'm not talking to your conscious mind. I'm talking to the part of you responsible for this pattern of behavior. It's going to run the show. I'm going to serve as its consultant . . I want to go directly to the part of Dick which is controlling his behavior at the unconscious level” (Frogs to Princes, p. 140). It is unscriptural to let another man control our mind, or for us to seek to control the mind of another, through suggestion, deception or any other means. Have nothing to do with people involved in that kind of activity. In the above quotation the operator explains that he is saying something to the unconscious mind. When he speaks to it, what is he saying? What is his purpose; his objective? What changes is he trying to produce in the client? In pacing and mirroring, the operator (the hypnotist: the one hypnotically fulfilling his objectives through your behavior) mirrors your expressions, voice, and posture as much as possible, so that he can get you to do what he wants (page 79-81). “When you join someone else's reality by pacing them, that gives you rapport and (their) trust and puts you in a position to utilize their reality in ways to change it” (Frogs into Princes, P. 81). This is straight stimulus-response conditioning. Does the name Pavlov ring a bell? Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner pioneered “behavioral conditioning”. Their concept was based on the evolutionary theory that people are only animals and can be trained like animals. Conditioning is a Satanic pseudo-science that Christians should avoid completely. “We are being very obvious and exaggerated in our movements as we are anchoring here because we want you to observe the process and learn as the changes occur. If we had brought Linda up here and anchored her...with voice tonalities, you'd have no idea what we did. The more covert (secretive) you are, the better off you will be in your private practice” (Frogs into Princes. page 91). “We don't ordinarily create new personal histories for people anymore. We have spent three hours doing it. And we have done it fifteen minutes a week for six weeks, and we trained somebody to do time distortion once, and did it in about four minutes. We programmed another person to do it each night as they dreamed. We literally installed, in a somnambulistic trance (a sleep-like trance, but not lying down while in it), a dream generator, that would generate the requisite personal history, and have her (Note: “total?”) recall this in the waking state the next day, each day” (Frogs into Princes, page 101). “The same patterns that you can use to change somebody quickly and unconsciously, can be used to hook them and keep them as patients. That's a strange (how about: “unethical, illegal and immoral”) thing about (this) therapy:” (Frogs into Princes, page 102). “I think that it is important to study official hypnosis if you are going to be a professional communicator. It has some of the most interesting phenomena about people available in it. One of the most fascinating things you will discover once you are fully competent in using the ritualistic notions of traditional hypnosis, is that you'll never have to do it again. A training program in hypnosis is not for your clients. It's for you . . You will also discover that most of the techniques in different types of psychotherapy are nothing more than hypnotic phenomena” (Frogs into Princes, p. 100). Both LEAD and NEINLP courses are founded on Ericksonian casual-conversation hypnosis. As a result, emotional and thinking changes occur in ways the operator wanted those changes to occur, and without the knowledge or consent of the subject. If you place yourself before such men, your thinking may change also. You see, not only is the client deceived into trance control and changes, but the hypnotizer is deceived into thinking he is in command of the situation. He is being used also, for the Word of God declares all sorcery and divination is of Satanic origin. Submission and obedience to God is the real issue. Give your mind to the Lord Jesus Christ and to obedience to His Word. He alone is to rule in your life. After the captivated leave the medium, the trance factor can continue on for weeks or months thereafter. "Did you find that six months, eight months, or a year later, you were going through changes...?" Ibid. “You go in and out of various levels of consciousness throughout every day. Hypnosis is the skilled and directed use of this naturally occurring state. Dr. Milton Erickson. . showed us how to use hypnosis to better meet therapeutic goals. He taught that we can communicate with the whole person by utilizing conscious and unconscious levels. Dr. Erickson also taught us how to utilize and bypass client resistance by embedding therapeutic (a subjective term) interventions in seemingly casual conversation” (NEINLP brochure). Remember this important point: The Ericksonian hypnotists want to reach you and affect you when you are in low gear, when your mind is randomly in somewhat disconnected thought, when it is not at high alert. The plan is to use lectures that you listen to or a personal conversation with you to achieve this objective. Let’s now turn our attention to those “casual conversations”. How can you gain the victory when an Ericksonian specialist comes knocking? In casual conversation contacts, their methods work because the person tacitly gives his/her assent. 1.) He is willing (or compelled) to remain in the same room with the operator. 2.) He is willing to engage in casual conversation with the operator (Avoid casual conversation as much as possible. Get to the point, use the Word of God, and then get out. 3.) He is willing (or compelled) to let the operator decide what they will talk about. 4.) He is willing to think about something distant or past because the operator has asked (or told) him to. 5.) He is willing (or unknowing and un-consenting) to consider distracting and overload issues, which the operator suggests, instead of ignoring them. 6.) Thus he is willing (or compelled) to let the operator lead, while he follows. If, in a conversation, you recognize Ericksonian elements, remove yourself as soon as possible. In summary, here is the way to deal with the situation: 1.) Pray regularly for discernment and wisdom to recognize such a situation when you eventually find yourself in it. 2.) When it arrives, pray for protection, and rely totally on the Grace of God which comes through faith in the atonement of Christ. 3.) Take immediate action to get away from the hypnotist's presence as soon as possible, especially if it is a casual conversation. Scripture commands that we understand, recognize and reject evil, but Christians must never participate in that evil. Hypnotic Psychotherapy is clearly occult, and forbidden by God. 4.) With one silent prayer of faith in Jesus Name, we can deprive the operator of the medium. As Christians, we have no control or authority over other human beings, but Jesus did give us authority over all of the spiritual powers of darkness. “I beheld Satan fall as lightening from heaven. Behold, I give to you power...over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:18-19). “And I will give to you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven: and whatsoever (speaks of evil, oppressive powers) you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth (the power of God) shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). Concluding Observations As we learned earlier in this study, in their book, Frogs Into Princes, Richard Bandler and John Grinder clearly state and successfully demonstrate that this inward-turning/introverting to think about oneself is the ideal way to place hypnotic suggestions into people's minds. They explain that, when such a person is so introspectively deep in thought, it is quite easy to carry him/her on into a hypnotic trance casually, without the subject recognizing that it is occurring. They also show that this state of being can be used to implant in the subject hypnotic decisions, behaviors, fears, and likes that the subject himself did not originate. We have observed that Ericksonian hypnosis is based on getting people to follow the lead of the operator. He tells them what to do and they do it. In some respects, that is the most dangerous aspect of the introspective meditations. The most subtle of Satan’s nefarious works is done through the implanting of thoughts directly into the mind. In counseling sessions, to the amazement of counselors, powerful memories flood the mind. Long buried sorrows, fears and angers come to the surface. At this point, incredible damage has already been done, and only Christ can heal it. In 1983, Time magazine published an article on Neuro-Linguistic Programming. It mentioned that John Grinder, one of the pioneers of NLP, had gone into semi-retirement as an Eastern guru and, on at least one occasion, had used Ericksonian self-hypnosis to enable him to walk on hot coals without being burned: “Hypnosis, self-help, linguistics, and nonverbal communication may seem like unrelated items in a therapeutic grab bag. Nonetheless, all are essential components of a fast-growing therapy (try Sorcery) with the jaw-breaking title: Neuro- Linguistic Programming” ( Time Magazine, December 18, 1983). It is impossible to investigate mental health procedures without encountering the name and beliefs of Sigmund Freud. This Viennese Jewish Medical doctor was the father of Psychoanalysis. He taught that memories stored in the subconscious mind influenced a person's mental life. He believed that mental illness resulting from such memories could be cured by psychoanalysis, which brought the memories into consciousness (World Book. Volume F. Page 456,1972 Edition). In other words, Freud taught that buried memories had to be exhumed in order to heal the emotionally disturbed. To him suppressed memories were a primary source of mental and emotional distress. His views (Freudian folly) are widely accepted by mental health professionals and sadly, by much of the mainstream church. Instead of strongly rebuking Simon the Sorcerer as did the Apostle Peter (Acts 8:18-23), many churches invite him to speak in their pulpits! Any form of suggestion, is in reality deception. And all forms of deception are soundly condemned by the Word of God. No one doubts that the home climate of childhood has a powerful effect on a person's entire mental and emotional life. Does the evil of the past have to be dredged up for the healing or treatment of current mental or emotional distress? Freud said “Yes”, Christianity says, “No”. Lastly, psychotherapy is senseless in that it is self-perpetuating. Just one example, of the myriad that can be offered, is the diagnostic criteria (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth Edition. Copyright 1994 American Psychiatric Association) for Depersonalization Disorder, (300.6): “Persistent or recurrent experiences of feeling detached from, and as if one is an outside observer of, one’s mental processes or body (e.g., feeling like one is in a dream)”. Read that definition closely again. Now read this definition of Hypnotic Psychotherapy from Hypnotic Psychotherapy in the Identification of Core Emotional Issues, by Constance Spencer: “One way to explain the sum of powerful effects of hypnosis is to regard the hypnotic trance-state as one of dissociation”. All forms of psychotherapy employ some form of hypnotic induction, and actually create a dissociated trance-state. This begs the question: “Where is the logic in creating/inducing dissociation as a means of treating and curing dissociation?” This is equivalent to creating cancer in a patient in order to treat that cancer! __________________________________ Possible Dangers and Complications (In Treatments using Hypnosis) By Maurice Kouguell, Ph.D., BCETS Is hypnosis in any way dangerous? The following is a presentation of the review of the literature and reported individual cases. The reader will have to decide what conclusions to draw from the following study. The literature points out some complications that can arise from the use of hypnosis and it seems that all established writers and researchers do suggest the importance of the knowledge of the working of the mind and applying the rule - THAT IF A PERSON CANNOT TREAT A PROBLEM WITH NON-HYPNOTIC TECHNIQUES, HE SHOULD NOT TREAT IT WITH HYPNOSIS. This is taken from 'Clinical Hypnosis' by Crasilneck and Halls, one of the standard recognized textbooks on hypnosis. The same authors report also that hypnosis can be dangerous not only to the client but also to the operator and to hypnosis itself. Dangers and Complications of Hypnosis While the hypnotic trance itself may occur comfortably and easily, Dr. Thurman Moct reports complications occurring: 1.Following amateur hypnosis 2.When a symptom is removed by a direct command 3.When hypnosis is used in the treatment of a condition that the hypnotist is not trained to treat without the use of hypnosis 4.When an inadvertent post hypnotic suggestion has been given To take this further, in "Hypnosis Complication, Risks and Prevention," a research article by MacHovec, in The American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 1988, he lists about 50 complications associated with hypnosis and reports that this is only a partial list. The author grouped the complications into five categories: 1.The psychotic symptoms or acute panic attacks 2.Depression with the possibility of suicidal behavior 3.Symptom substitution 4.Symptoms resulting from inadvertent suggestions 5.Masking physical pathology. Dr. Mac Hovec defines hypnotic complications as "unexpected unwanted thoughts, feelings or behaviors during or after hypnosis which are inconsistent with agreed goals and interfere with the hypnotic process by impairing optimal mental functioning with no prior incidents or history of similar mental or physical symptoms." Summary list of complications associated with hypnosis: anergia, fatigue, antisocial acting out, anxiety, panic attacks, attention deficit, body/self-image distortions. comprehension/concentration loss, confusion, coping skills, impaired decompensation, psychotic-like delusional thinking, depersonalization, depression, de-realization, dizziness, dreams, drowsiness, excessive sleep, fainting, fear of fearfulness, guilt, headache, histrionic reactions, identity crisis, insomnia, irritability, medical emergencies, memory impairment, distorted or misunderstood suggestions, nausea, vomiting, obsessive ruminations, over-dependency, personality change, phobic aversion, physical discomfort, injury, psychomotor retardation, psychosis, regressed behaviors, sexual acting out, sexual dysfunction, spontaneous trance, stiffness, arm or neck stress, lowered threshold, stupor, symptom substitution, tactile hallucinations, traumatic recall, tremors, or uncontrolled weeping. The same researcher described risk factors as most frequently involving repressed materials or unconscious needs; personality dynamics such as resistance, regression, secondary gains, misunderstood suggestions, attitudes and expectations. He also adds the risk factor to the hypnotist, which he describes as falling into two categories: 1.Professional risk factors related to a deficiency or weakness in education, training or knowledge, skill, ability or experience, which impair judgment or proficiency. 2.Theoretical bias which limits awareness of other factors or dynamics. Kleinhauz, M and Beren, B., in an article entitled "Misuse of Hypnosis: A Factor in Psychopathology," published in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, talk about a client who came for smoke ending and became extremely agitated and depressed and experienced suicidal thoughts. In my own practice, and I have mentioned this at some of my workshops, I had worked with a man who came for smoke cessation and after he was relieved from the habit, he went into a severe depression. He was one of the cases that prompted my own feeling about the importance of an assessment prior to any hypnotic protocol. Kieinhauz and Eli, reported four cases of "deleterious effects of hypnosis used in the dental setting." The first was a woman successfully treated with dental hypnosis for removal of apprehension and analgesia. She asked her dentist to use hypnosis to help her stop smoking and she too developed in a very short time an anxiety-depressive reaction with obsessive thoughts and was unable to cope with everyday activities. The second one, a woman with dental phobia preventing dental treatment for ten years, received five sessions of relaxation and anxiety reduction. Finally she decided to begin dental work and "although the patient was in deep relaxation and showed no tension whatsoever, the moment local anesthetic injection was attempted she manifested a spontaneous abreaction with uncontrollable weeping and hyperventilation." The third case was a woman treated in four sessions for dental phobia. it was suggested to her that her "unusual good hypnotic response would occur whenever she would come for dental treatment." She arrived at the next session feeling confused; she felt in a trance from the time that she left her house. She was responding literally to "the precise suggestion given so her the week before." The suggestion was changed to "the moment that she sat in the dental chair" and there were no further incidents. The fourth case was a young woman treated with dental hypnosis for analgesia because of hypersensitivity to local anesthetics. She reported "feeling dizzy riding her motorcycle home" and it became apparent that the de-hypnotization was too quick and incomplete. In the literature, authorities have been urging caution in the use of hypnosis for over 100 years. As far beck as 1887, Bjornstrorn cautioned of the possible injuries and fatal effects. Janet, one of the forefathers of hypnosis, in 1925, recommended that "awakening should be postponed if a morbid symptom of any sort should intervene during the hypnotic state." Weitzenhoffer warned about special care in avoiding the adverse effects of hypnosis and related those to the "competency and integrity of the practitioner". In 1961, Meares expressed concern about premature termination. Also, Weizenhoffer warned against inappropriate symptom removal "before symptoms are suggested away some of the functions they serve should be determined." Side Effects of Hypnotism Numerous mild side effects occur during a hypnotic induction and at times these mild reactions might also occur following a post hypnotic suggestion. Dr.Thurman Mott reports "numerous mild side effects occur during induction's." These are usually not reported and have not been studied systematically, however, although they do occur usually during the first induction, they might be expected to reoccur with psychiatric patients. The most common of these side effects during the induction could be the increase of anxiety frequently related to fears of loss of control and excessive crying and sobbing. At times patients feel dizzy and develop various degrees of nausea during the induction. Spontaneous regression to a traumatic event or period of life, although rare, does happen. In my own practice, one of my clients during an interview, went into trance with her eyes open and relived spontaneously an earlier sex abuse experience. Most of the side effects can usually be alleviated quickly by discontinuing the induction or by proceeding with the induction and usually the side effects will disappear as the hypnotic state deepens. An appropriate technique should be applied. The concern of symptom substitution was one danger of hypnosis reported by many practitioners. Symptom substitution currently, because of the better training of hypnotists, has been replaced by symptom modification, which then permits the patient so retain the symptom if it is dynamically important to do so. Inadvertent Suggestions Patients under hypnosis tend to accept suggestions concretely, if not literally and this might result in adverse reactions which may come as a surprise to the therapist. For instance, Crasilneck and Hall in their text Clinical Hypnosis: Principles and Applications, discuss the case of a burned patient. While working on improving the patient's nutrition, the patient was given the suggestion that he could eat everything on his plate. One day the patient became ill and vomited on his plate and was later discovered eating the vomitus. Masking physical pathology could be a very delicate outcome of hypnosis where the patient has pain because of a physical condition and is now completely controlled by hypnosis. The reason for the physical discomfort is now totally overlooked thus creating other problems. Dr. Fromm, in her book Values in Hypnotherapy: Theory, Practice and Research, describes hypnosis as a state of decreased vigilance resulting in a vulnerability which involves dangers if a patient is in the hands of a poorly trained incompetent therapist using hypnosis". She states, "Most of the complications related to hypnosis occur when hypnosis is misused and these complications ma be prevented by the following: 1. Hypnosis should be performed by a trained person 2. Avoid authoritarian symptom removal 3. Use uncovering techniques cautiously in borderline or psychotic patients. Hypnosis may be a useful technique with severely disturbed patients but should be used only by well-trained therapists. 4. Never use hypnosis to treat a condition that you would not be qualified to treat without hypnosis. Hypnosis has the potential of facilitating treatment in many clinical areas. 5. Accurate diagnosis is necessary for treatment to be started. 6.It is a myth that hypnosis is not a beneficial intervention with psychotic or borderline patients, however certain guidelines and caution should be observed. These are patients have fear of loss of control; fear of closeness and fear of giving up their negative self-Images. It is important In working with such a population to use hypnosis In a manner that facilitates feelings of self-efficacy and self-control." Hypnosis must be used permissively, allowing patients to determine when hypnotherapy is used. God’s Behavior Modification Model 100-percent pure didactic thesis 1.) God’s Word declares what is absolutely right, and what is absolutely wrong. 2.) God requires man to conform to His Word: “Not by (human) might, nor by (human) power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). 3.) The Bible commands man to place his faith, not in his own efforts (the law of works), but in the atonement of Christ (the law of faith) (Ephesians 2:20,21). 4.) God promises in His Word, that when men place all of their faith in the atonement of Christ, that He will, by His Spirit, conform their lives to His Word. God does this by using His power to destroy the old model of sin, and build God’s Model - the character of His Son, Jesus Christ. (..”to be conformed to the image of His Son...” Romans 8:29). 5.) When men place all faith for victory over evil in the atonement of Christ, and allow God to conform their behavior to the Word of God, which is the image of His Son, Jesus Christ (“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...” John 1:14), then men no longer practice sin. This model requires all internal subjective experience, perceptions, feelings and thinking to be in total subjection and conformity to God’s Word. It is not the way a person feels that determines behavior, but it is rather what one believes that ultimately determines behavior. “The just shall live by faith” and “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness” (Ephesians 3:6,11). If a man believes God correctly, then God brings all other elements of his being into conformity to the Word of God. Let The Work of This House of God Alone In the Old Testament, under the old covenant, the House of God was a temple made with hands, the Jewish Temple. Everything in that temple was a type of the One who was to come. After Christ came and paid the price for sin, this provided the legal means by which God could dwell, not in a temple made with hands, but it paved the way for God to dwell in the hearts of men. Today, through faith in Christ, God’s temple, or house, is in the hearts of men, who accept the atonement of Christ by faith. God destroys the old model of sin, and builds His House (the character of Christ) in the hearts and souls (psyche) of men: “And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? for you are the temple of the living God: as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk (live/abide) in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them (give your life completely to Jesus), and be separate, says the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing (renounce all sin, and, by extension, criminal acts); and I will receive you, And will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (II Corinthians 6:16-18). This results in victory and great joy (being freed from inner evil as God destroys it and builds His House in us). Ezra 3:12,13 is an example of this: “But many...wept with a loud voice (because the House was in ruins); and many shouted aloud for joy (that it was being rebuilt)(a picture of deep sorrow over the past, yet joy of future hope):...for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the noise was heard afar off”. “Now when the adversaries heard...that the children of the captivity (a type of former captivity to sin) built the temple (house) to the Lord God...Then they came...and said to them, Let us build with you (the heathen wanted to use man’s methods to help build God’s House)...” (Ezra 4:2). “But (God’s People)...said to them, You have nothing to do with us to build a house to our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God...as...the king...has commanded us” (the authority over them had already given permission to build God’s house God’s way) (Ezra 4:3). “Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah (God’s People), and troubled them in building. And hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose...” (Ezra 4:4). “But the eye of their God was upon (God’s People)...that they (the wicked counselors) could not cause them to cease” (Ezra 5:5). The counselors then wrote a letter to the king: “They sent a letter to him (the king), wherein was written thus...Now if it seems good to the king, let there be a search made (in the official records)...whether it be so, that a decree was made...to build this house of God...” (Ezra 5:7,17). “...and search was made in the house of the rolls (books, official records)...And there was found...a roll, and therein was a record thus written:...the king made a decree...Let the house be built... Now therefore...be you far from there:...Let the work of this house of God alone... the God that has caused His Name to dwell there destroy all...that shall put their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God.” (Ezra 6:1,2,3,7,11,12). Purification and Promise; A Scriptural Journey (Heat and Pressure Purifies Faith) Jesus never promised that the Cross (the good fight of faith) would not get heavy, and the hill would not be hard to climb. He never offered our victories without fighting (the good fight of faith), but He said help would always come in time. So, remember when your standing in the Valley of Decision, and the Adversary says “give in” (just give up and quit). NO! Just hold on, our Lord will show up, and He will take you through the fire again! I know that in myself, that I would surely perish, but if I hold the mighty Hand of God, and take the shield of faith (in Christ and Him Crucified), God will never fail to bring victory. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil (which is manifested through his wicked, deceitful servants). For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take to yourself the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (the belt to which all other armor attaches) with Truth (total faith and reliance in the atonement of Christ), and having on the breastplate of righteousness (Christ’s perfection and standing freely credited to all who trust solely in Christ’s atonement). And your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace (to march forward declaring the Gospel of Peace with God, through faith in Christ). Above all, taking the shield of faith (anchored in Christ and Him Crucified), with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the Helmet of Salvation (renewing of the mind by the power of God), and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching with all perseverence and supplication...” (Ephesians 6:10-18). Jeremiah 17:5&7 “Thus says the Lord; Cursed be the man who trusts in man (mans ways to beat sin), and who makes the flesh (mans ways) his arm (strength), and who’s heart departs from the Lord. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and who’s hope the Lord is.” Promise Book of Psalms 1-12 “Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly...O you sons of men, how long will you turn my glory (deliverance from evil through Christ) into shame? But know that the Lord has set apart him that is godly for Himself: the Lord will hear when I call to Him. You (Lord) hate all workers of iniquity...the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man...Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies...let them fall by their own counsels...for they have rebelled against you. God judges the righteous, and He is angry with the wicked every day...he made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his unjust, oppressive dealing shall come down upon the top of his own head. The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made; in the net which they hid is their own foot taken...let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined. For the oppression of the depressed, for the sighing of the destitute, now I will arise, says the Lord, I will set him in safety from him that puffs at him.” Isaiah 57:15-21 “For thus says the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. For I will not contend forever, neither will I always be furious:...For the iniquity of his covetousness I was furious, and smote him: I hid myself, and was furious, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart (sincerely but stubbornly and ignorantly trying to beat sin in his own strength). I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts to him and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, Peace to him that is afar off...and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the troubled sea...there is no peace, says my God, to the wicked.” Isaiah 58:1,12 “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression...And they that shall be (helped) of you will build the old waste places (wrecked lives):... and you will be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of (good) paths to dwell in.” Isaiah 54:2,7,8,13-17 “Enlarge the place of your tent...For a small moment have I forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you. In a little wrath I hid my face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on you, says the Lord your Redeemer. And all your children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established: you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear: and for terror; for it shall not come near you.” “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts...The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former...I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labors of your hands; yet you turned not to me says the Lord. Consider now from this day upward...from this day will I bless you” (Haggai 2:8,9,17-19). I Samuel 17:42-50 (42) “And when the philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him:... (44) And the philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field (‘I will destroy you’) (45) Then David said to the philistine, you come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: But I come to you in the name of the Lord...whom you have defied. (46) This day will the Lord deliver you into my hand; and I will smite you, and take your head (evil mind) from you...that all the earth may know that there is a God... (47) And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s... (48) And it came to pass, when the philistine arose, and came to meet David, that David hasted (charged), and ran toward the army to meet the philistine. (49) And David put his hand in his bag, and took out a stone (a type of Christ), and smote the philistine in his forehead (the enemies evil mind), that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. (50) So David prevailed over the philistine with a sling (faith) and with a stone (Christ), and smote the philistine, and slew him...” “Therefore be imitators of God, as dear children:...For you are the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus...BEHOLD, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world does not know us, because it didn’t know him (Jesus)...But as many (‘whosoever will’) as received Him (Jesus and His atonement, by faith), to them he gave the privilege of becoming the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (Eph 6:1,Gal 3:26, I John 3:1, John 1:12). Isaiah 43:1 “But now thus says the Lord that created you...Fear not: for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name; you are mine.” “Behold, I have taken out of your hand the cup of trembling...But I will give it into the hand of them that afflict you”(Isaiah 51:22,23). Jeremiah 15:20-21; 16:21 “And I will make you to this people a fenced, brazen (steel) wall: and they shall fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you: for I am with you to save you and to deliver you, says the Lord. And I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you out of the hand of the terrible. I will cause them to know my hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is The Lord...(JEHOVAH)” Hypnosis* Christian or Occult? - In these days of supposed great stress and strain, hypnosis claims to offer relief for the masses. Hypnosis has become the therapeutic tool health professionals are pulling out of the bag to battle smoking and weight problems; manage anxiety, fears, and phobias; relieve pain; overcome depression; improve a person's sex life; cure maladies such as asthma and hayfever; undergo chemotherapy without nausea; prompt injuries to heal more quickly; and improve grades. Otherwise legitimate medical doctors use hypnosis as part of the healing process to reduce the side effects from drugs, to help speed patient recovery, and reduce post-operative discomfort. Dentists are using hypnotic techniques in conjunction with nitrous oxide to relax patients, minimize pain and bleeding, and control patient gas reflex during procedures. The sad part of it all is that even some unsuspecting Christians are willing to "try it." A 1992 newspaper ad placed by a "Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist" (there is even an "American Society for Clinical Hypnosis") made some amazing statements that indicate just how unbiblical (i.e., New Age) the technique of hypnosis is: "Hypnosis is the most effective method of changing the way you think, feel and act. When you align your subconscious mind -- your inner voice -- with your conscious mind, you erase conflicting beliefs that hold you back. You can then move forward, without sabotaging yourself. Clinical hypnotic techniques guide you to a relaxed, peaceful state of mind. You remain in total control while learning how to use the power of your full mind to create a strong desire to accomplish your goal. You can change your life." - Hypnosis is nothing new. It has been used for thousands of years by witchdoctors, spirit mediums, shamans, Hindus, Buddhists, and yogis. But the increasing popularity of hypnosis for healing in the secular world has influenced many in the professing church to accept hypnosis as a means of treatment. Both non-Christian and professing Christian medical doctors, dentists, psychiatrists, and psychologists are recommending and using hypnosis. Although a hypnotist may encourage only a light or medium trance, he cannot prevent a hypnotized subject from spontaneously plunging into the danger zone, which may include a sense of separation from the body, seeming clairvoyance, hallucination, mystical states similar to those described by Eastern mystics, and even what hypnotism researcher Ernest Hilgard describes as "demonic possession." We would argue that hypnosis is occultic at any trance level, but at its deeper levels, hypnosis is unmistakably occult. - There is some controversy as to whether or not a hypnotist can cause a person to do something against his will. Many hypnotists say categorically that the will cannot be violated. However, the evidence is otherwise. Hypnosis heightens a person's suggestibility to the point that the subject will believe almost anything the hypnotist tells him -- even to the point of hallucinating at the hypnotist's suggestion. During hypnosis, a person's critical abilities are reduced in such a way as to create what has been called a "trance logic" that undiscerningly accepts what would normally seem irrational, illogical, and incompatible. Because almost anything can be made to seem plausible to someone in the trance state, it is possible for a hypnotized person to act against his will -- to do what he would not do outside of the hypnotic state. Hypnosis bypasses the will by placing personal responsibility outside of objective, rational, critical choice. With normal evaluating abilities submerged, suggestibility heightened, and rational restraint reduced, the will is seriously hampered and is, at the very least, capable of being violated. - One popular use of hypnosis has been that of searching the memory by "going back into childhood." Some patients even describe experiencing what they believe to be their life in the womb and subsequent birth. (This is impossible, however, because of the neurological, scientific fact that the myelin sheathing is too underdeveloped in the prenatal, natal, and early postnatal brain to store such memories.) Still others describe some sort of disembodied state and then what they identify as past lives and former identities. How much of this is created by heightened suggestibility, unrestrained imagination, trance hallucination, or demonic intervention cannot be determined. Furthermore, the Bible clearly contradicts past lives and reincarnation -- "It is appointed unto man once to die" (Heb. 9:27). Hypnosis is not even reliable with recent recall. What is "remembered" under hypnosis has often been created, reconstructed, or enhanced during the state of heightened suggestibility. Research indicates that after hypnosis, a person is unable to distinguish between a true recollection and what he imagined or created under the heightened suggestibility. Hypnosis is just as likely to bring forth false impressions as true accounts of past events. (Individuals can and do lie under hypnosis!) Hypnosis is thus more likely to contaminate the memory than to help a person remember what really happened. Besides past life hypnotic therapy, some practitioners are doing future life hypnotic therapy. The hypnotized person supposedly sees future events, solves murders, reveals the future fates of well-known personalities, etc. One involved in this hypnotic time travel must ask himself, "Where is the line of demarcation between the demonic and the divine, between the realm of Satan and Science? At what point does the door of darkness open and the devil gain a foothold?" - In today's landscape of promises for self-fulfillment, self-mastery, personal well-being, and quick fixes for problems of living, one could easily find oneself in an environment conducive to hypnosis. One such environment would be the regression into childhood memories (see above). Another would be in Large Group Awareness Training. The Forum (formerly est), Life Spring, and Momentus are the names of some of the more well-known large-group training seminars that promise life-transforming results. Using many of the ideas and techniques of the encounter movement, such group sessions attempt to alter participants' present way of thinking (mind set, world view, personal faith, etc.) through intense personal and group experiences. Some have marathon meetings that last numerous hours and take advantage of fatigue working together with much repetition, group pressure, and various psychological techniques, some of which attack personal belief systems and cause mental confusion. The confusion technique, which is also a hypnotic device, may be used to disorient the subject to make him more responsive to cues. Michael Yapko says: "In the confusion technique, you give a person more information than they could possibly keep up with, you get them to question everything, you make them feel uncertain as a way of building up their motivation to attain certainty." While hypnosis may not be intended or admitted in such large group training sessions, the possibility is very strong for participants to experience hypnotic suggestion, dissociation, and impaired personal judgment. (Other activities and settings where hypnosis may occur also include: music, church services, prayer and meditation, medical offices, and self-help tapes.) - Since some doctors and many psychologists use hypnosis, most believe that hypnosis is medical and, therefore, scientific. The label "medical" before the word hypnosis makes hypnosis seem benevolent and safe. Even some well-known professing Christians (e.g., the late Walter Martin of CRI, and Josh McDowell & John Stewart in their book Understanding the Occult) allege that hypnosis can be helpful if practiced by medical doctors whose intent is good rather than evil. However, Donald Hebb says in "Psychology Today/The State of the Science" that "hypnosis has persistently lacked satisfactory explanation." At the present time, there is no agreed-upon scientific explanation of exactly what hypnosis is. Psychiatry professor Thomas Szasz describes hypnosis as the therapy of "a fake science." We cannot call hypnosis a science, but we can say that it has been an integral part of the occult for thousands of years. (Although hypnosis has been investigated by scientific means, and there are some measurable criteria concerning the trance itself, hypnosis is not a science.) No one knows exactly how hypnosis "works," other than the obvious "placebo effect" -- the successful use of "false feedback" in the same manner that feedback is used in the occult techniques common to acupuncture, biofeedback, and psychotherapy. But compounding the word hypnosis with the word therapy does not lift the practice from the occult to the scientific. The white coat may be a more respectable garb than feathers and face paint, but the basics are the same. Hypnosis is hypnosis, whether it is called medical hypnosis, hypnotherapy, autosuggestion, or anything else. Hypnosis in the hands of a medical doctor is as scientific as a dowsing rod in the hands of a civil engineer. Trances brought about through medical doctors are not significantly different from occultic hypnosis. In their text on hypnosis, which is used in medical schools, two well-known researchers state categorically: "The reader should not be confused by the supposed differences between hypnosis, Zen, Yoga, and other Eastern healing methodologies. Although the rituals for each differs, they are fundamentally the same." E. Fuller Torrey, a research psychiatrist, aligns hypnotic techniques with witchcraft. He also says, "Hypnosis is one aspect of the yoga techniques of therapeutic meditation." Medical doctor William Kroger states, "The fundamental principles of Yoga are, in many respects, similar to those of hypnosis." To protect the scientific label for hypnosis he declares, "Yoga is not considered a religion, but rather a 'science' to achieve mastery of the mind and cure physical and emotional sickness." Then he makes a strange confession, "There are many systems to Yoga, but the central aim -- union with God -- is common to all of them and is the method by which it achieves cure." Obviously then, just because hypnosis is used by medical doctors does not mean that it is free of its occult nature. More and more medical practitioners are being influenced by ancient, occult medical practices. The holistic healing movement has successfully wed Western medicine to Eastern mysticism. We then raise the following questions about the use of hypnosis by a medical doctor: How can one tell the long-range spiritual effect of even a well-meaning medical doctor's use of hypnosis on a Christian patient? Would an M.D. with an anti-Christian or occult bias in any way affect a Christian through trance treatment? How about the use of a medical hypnotherapist who belongs to the Satanist church? What about an M.D. hypnotherapist who uses past or future lives therapy as a means of mental-emotional or physical relief? These and other questions need to be answered before subjecting oneself to such treatment, even, and especially, in the hands of a medical doctor or psychologist. - Those who might feel a bit nervous about being hypnotized by another often tend to feel safe with self-hypnosis. (Although those in a self-induced hypnotic trance may gain a certain amount of control and exercise some degree of choice, they, nevertheless, do not retain their normal means of evaluation of reality and rational restraint.) Teachers of self-hypnosis will generally try to assure people that hypnosis is simply focused attention, increased concentration, relaxation, visualization, and imagination. Yet such activities are precisely the useful means of going into the trance. Furthermore, they continue on at a different level during the trance. By imagining one is leaving his body, one may move into the trance with the kind of hallucination and trance logic of really seeming to be out of the body. A medical doctor, teaching a class in self-hypnosis, instructed his students to go into a hypnotic trance, leave their bodies, and then go back in to explore various parts of the body. All of this was for the purpose of self-diagnosis and self-healing. Occultist Edgar Cayce also used self-hypnosis to diagnose disease and prescribe treatment. Therefore, self-hypnosis can be as occult and demonic an activity as a trance directed by a hypnotist. - One researcher makes some interesting observations concerning why he would classify hypnosis as part of the occult (Peace, Prosperity, and the Coming Holocaust, pp. 119-120): "One reason for calling hypnotherapy a religious ritual is the fact that it produces mysterious effects that leave any investigator who approaches it as science thoroughly puzzled: (1) under hypnosis administered by psychiatrists, persons who have never had any contact with UFOs can be stimulated to 'remember' UFO abductions that conform in detail to those described by supposed genuine abductees; (2) hypnosis also leads to spontaneous 'memories' of past and future lives, about one-fifth involving existence on other planets; (3) hypnotic trance also duplicates the experiences common under the stimulation of psychedelic drugs, TM, and other forms of Yoga and Eastern meditation; (4) hypnosis also creates spontaneous psychic powers, clairvoyance, out-of-body experiences, and the whole range of occult phenomena; and (5) the experience of so-called clinical death is also produced under hypnosis. "Two conclusions that most investigators find very distasteful seem nevertheless to be inescapable: (1) there is a common source behind all occult phenomena, including UFOs, that seems to be intelligently and deliberately orchestrating a clever deception for its own purposes; and (2) hypnosis, or the power of suggestion, is at the very heart of this scheme" The connection between hypnosis and Eastern mysticism is clear. At varying depths of the hypnotic trance, patients describe experiences that are identical to the cosmic consciousness and self-realization induced by yogic trance. They experience first of all a deep peace, then detachment from the body, then release from identity with one's own small self to merge with the universe, and the feeling that they are everything and have no limitation upon what they can experience or become: i.e., God-consciousness "in which time, space, and ego are supposedly transcended, leaving pure awareness of the primal nothingness from which all manifested creation comes." - Hypnosis began as part of the occult and false religion. The Bible speaks out strongly against all practices of false religion and the occult. God desires His people to turn to Him in need, not to those who practice sorcery, divination, or enchantment. He warns His people about following after mediums, wizards, enchanters, charmers, and those who have a familiar spirit (Deut. 18:9-14). Hypnosis, as it is practiced today, may very well be the same as what is identified as "enchantment" in the Bible (Lev. 19:26 KJV). In hypnotism, faith is shifted from God and His Word to the hypnotist and his technique. God speaks to people through the conscious, rational mind. He commands individuals as creatures who make conscious, volitional choices. He sent His Holy Spirit to indwell Christians to enable them to trust and obey Him through love and conscious choice. Hypnosis, on the other hand, operates on the basis of imagination, illusion, hallucination, and deception. Jesus warned His followers about deception. After a person has opened his mind to deception through hypnosis, he may become even more vulnerable to other forms of spiritual deception. Hypnosis can generate Satan's counterfeits of true religious exercise. If hypnosis generates any form of faith and worship not directed toward the God of the Bible, any person who subjects himself to hypnotism may be playing the harlot in the spiritual realm. (See Lev. 19:26,31; 20:6,27; Deut. 18:9-14; 2 Ki 21:6; 2 Chron. 33:6; Isa. 47:9-13; Jer. 27:9.) - Hypnotism is demonic at its worst and potentially dangerous at its best. At its worst, it opens an individual to psychic experiences and satanic possession. When mediums go into hypnotic trances and contact the "dead," when clairvoyants reveal information which they could not possibly know, when fortunetellers through self-hypnosis reveal the future, Satan is most certainly at work. Are people in the church being enticed to enter the twilight zone of the occult because hypnosis is now called "science" and "medicine"? Let those who call the occult "science" tell us what the difference is between medical and occultic hypnosis. And let those Christians who call it "scientific" explain why they also recommend that it be performed only by a Christian. If hypnosis is science indeed, why the added requirement of Christianity for the practitioner? There is a scarcity of adequate long-term studies of those who have been hypnotized. And there have been none which have examined the effect on the individual's resulting faith or interest in the occult. Before hypnotism becomes the new panacea from the pulpit, followed by a plethora of books on the subject, its claims, methods, and long-term results should be considered. Arthur Shapiro has said, "One man's religion is another man's superstition and one man's magic is another man's science." Hypnosis has become "scientific" and "medical" for some Christians with little proof of its validity, longevity of its results, or understanding of its nature. Because hypnosis has always been an integral part of the occult, because it is not a science, because of its known harmful effects, and because of its potential for spiritual deception, the wise Christian will completely avoid it, even for "medical" purposes. It is obvious that hypnosis is lethal if used for evil purposes. However, we contend that hypnosis is potentially lethal for whatever purpose it is used. The moment one surrenders himself to the doorway of the occult, even in the halls of "science" and "medicine," he is vulnerable to the powers of darkness. Autobiographical summary of the Christians internal subjective experience: “But God, who is rich in mercy” (Eph.2:4). Jesus Saves (brings forgiveness, deliverance and victory over all sin) Jesus Heals (emotionally, physically and spiritually) Jesus Baptizes in the Holy Spirit Jesus Christ is Coming Again “And they overcame him (satan and sin) by the Blood of the Lamb (the Cross of Christ), and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death” (Revelation 12:11). Higher Learning “The Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary (beaten down by sin): he awakens me morning by morning, he awakens my ear to hear as the learned. The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back (didn’t quit). I gave my back to the smiters...I hid not my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help me (in Christ); therefore I won’t be confounded: Therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed. He is near that justifies me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is my adversary? let him come near to me. Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they will wax old as a garment; the moth will eat them up” (Isaiah 50:4-9). “What do you imagine against the Lord? He will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time. There is one come out of you, that imagines evil against the Lord, a wicked counsellor. For now I will break his yoke from off you, and will burst your bonds in sunder” (Nahum 1:9,11,13). GRACE I know how D.L. Moody felt on the day he ran through Wall Street in NYC crying “GRACE! GRACE! GRACE!!!!” Grace cannot be learned, it must be revealed to us by God: GRACE All self effort, striving and flesh must die. Until we finally cry, with the prophet Isaiah and brother John Bunyan: “UNDONE!! UNDONE!! I AM UNDONE!!” Only then, into the black darkness of despair and self-loathing, does the Lord whisper: “My grace is sufficient for you” Lord! I must have your Grace! But doubt then whispers: “Yes, it is true. But will He grant His grace to a wretch like YOU?” Through the blackness, I have heard in my spirit the whispered reply: “Yes, I WILL... I ALREADY HAVE.” And the light shines in the darkness... The CROSS and shed BLOOD of Christ=GRACE!! Freely and generously given by God to all who come to Him through faith in the atonement of Christ! Without money and without price; the indecsribable GIFT! “My strength is made perfect in your weaknes". "Therefore being justified by FAITH, we have peace with God THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: BY WHOM we have access BY FAITH into THIS GRACE wherein we STAND, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:1,2). The Anchor holds. God is an Accountant (A Jewish accountant) Excerpt: God's Cure for Crime, by Marty Wilson Man’s system of justice, civil government, is a type or model of God’s justice system; the justice system of the Kingdom of Heaven. God’s justice system is far more stringent than man’s. For man’s justice system only penalizes unlawful actions; for doing evil acts, but not for desiring or thinking evil. God’s justice system prohibits not just unlawful actions, but also unlawful words, thoughts and desires. God requires that man not even desire to commit evil. Jesus said: “But I say to you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer” (I John 3:15). This principle applies to all evil desires. God pronounces sentence with the same severity upon evil thoughts and desires as He does upon evil acts. Mankind erroneously assumes that because God’s judgment is not executed immediately upon inner evil thoughts and desires (no lighting strikes), that God is ‘ok’ with it or winks at it. This is a fatal assumption. “Because (God’s) sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily (immediately), therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11). The truth is that God’s fury burns against sin and evil constantly: “...God is angry with the wicked every day” (Psalms 7:11). God’s standard of justice and holiness is absolute, spotless perfection. God cannot condone or overlook even the merest wisp or spec of sin/evil/crime in thought, word or deed. “I the Lord search the heart, I try (test) the reins (inner being), even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:10). God must judge all sin to maintain order in the universe, just as for there to be order, safety and peace in society, there must be penalties for crime and the enforcement of law. God warns mankind that each person is individually accountable to Him, and that every single evil thought, word and deed will be brought into judgment. Inner desires and thoughts (Matthew 5:28), words: “But I say to you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36,37). “So that every one of us shall give an account of himself to God...that every mouth may be stopped (in response to excuses offered, God is going to say: ‘Shut Up!’), and all the world become guilty before God and subject to the judgment of God” (Romans 14:12, 3:19). This is a sobering realization. God is a meticulously thorough Jewish accountant. We persuade Men “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men...” (II Corinthians 5:11). Persuade them of what? Persuade them of the certainty of accountability to God, and to preach the message that God’s wrath against sin was poured out on Christ for them, and that if they do not accept by faith God’s legal work to deliver, that God’s wrath will come upon themselves! “Much more then, being now justified by his (Jesus) blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (faith in what He God did for us) (Romans 5:9). Every single human being old enough to understand right from wrong is guilty of breaking God’s laws. And one, single infraction of God’s law is enough to bring judgment: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend (break it) in one point (break it just one time), he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). God’s standard is absolute perfection - and He will accept nothing less. Say a man is guilty of robbery, but at sentencing argues with the judge: “Yeah, your honor, but I never murdered anyone, never committed perjury, extortion, a drug violation and have never, ever received a speeding ticket!” So what. He is a lawbreaker. And if such an argument would get us absolutely nowhere with an earthly judge - what makes us think it will get us anywhere with God? God’s Mercy This leaves the whole human race open to the wrath and judgment of God - which God must execute to maintain order and justice in the universe. But wait, God is not only the God of perfect justice and holiness - He is also the God of perfect Mercy and Love. “For God so loved the world” (the whole human race) (John 3:16). After being compelled to pronounce a sentence which it was impossible for mankind to pay, the Supreme Court Judge of the Universe laid down His heavenly gavel, laid aside His robe and glory, stepped down and became a man (Jesus Christ), lived a perfect, sinless, spotlessly perfect life as a man (yet never ceasing to be God), and died on the Cross for us, taking His own wrath upon Himself that we might be saved! He rose from the grave on the third day (sin is what holds mankind in the grave) because He was sinless and therefore death could not hold Him! And he said, to whosoever will believe: “Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more (His work on the Cross would be finished); but you see me (by faith): because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19). The Way Mankind cannot obey God’s law (upon which mans laws are based), through his own feverish effort, willpower or rehabilitation therapy’s. God has made a way, one way, for the demands of His heavenly justice to be legally satisfied. It is the law of Grace, through faith in the only legal means God has provided - faith in the finished work and atonement of Christ. “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes” (Romans 10:4). “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus (by faith in his atonement), who walk not after the flesh, but after the (God’s) Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law (God’s moral law) could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh (it cannot be kept through human effort), God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh (Jesus), and (a sacrifice) for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. That the righteousness of the (God’s) law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh (human effort), but after the Spirit (faith in Christ)...Therefore as by the offence of one (Adam) judgment (God’s judgment) came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one (Jesus) the free gift came upon all men to justification and life” (Romans 8:1-4, 5:18). Upon faith in the atonement of Christ, God not only blots out our sin: “...their sins and iniquities I will remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12) but based on faith in Christ’s atonement, He justifies us (credits Christ’s perfection to our account and legally declares our position before Him perfect), but God then goes to work in us to bring our condition closer and closer to our position. This is called sanctification, it is a lifelong process, and it is: God’s Behavior Modification Model 100percent pure didactic thesis 1.) God’s Word declares what is absolutely right, and what is absolutely wrong. 2.) God requires man to conform to His Word: “Not by (human) might, nor by (human) power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6). 3.) The Bible commands man to place his faith, not in his own efforts (the law of works), but in the atonement of Christ (the law of faith) (Ephesians 2:20,21). 4.) God promises in His Word, that when men place all of their faith in the atonement of Christ, that He will, by His Spirit, conform their lives to His Word. God does this by using His power to destroy the old model of sin, and build God’s Model - the character of His Son, Jesus Christ. (..”to be conformed to the image of His Son...” (Romans 8:29). 5.) When men place all faith for victory over evil in the atonement of Christ, and allow God to conform their behavior to the Word of God, which is the image of His Son, Jesus Christ (“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...” John 1:14), then men no longer commit crimes. This model requires all internal subjective experience, perceptions, feelings and thinking to be in total subjection and conformity to God’s Word. It is not the way a person feels that determines behavior, but it is rather what one believes that ultimately determines behavior. “The just shall live by faith” and “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness” (Ephesians 3:6,11). If a man believes God correctly, then God brings all other elements of his being into conformity to the Word of God. Before God implements this model, there is something which first must take place, and that is - Repentance. 1.) “He that covers his sins (tries to hide them) will not prosper, but whosoever confesses (admits them) and forsakes (turns away from) them shall have (God’s) mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). “If we say that we haven not sinned, we make him (God) a liar, and His Word is not in us” (I John 1:10). “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1,2). “If I regard (hold onto) iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalms 66:18). These verses of scripture make one thing demanded by God crystal clear - Personal Responsibility! 2.) “If we confess (admit and turn away/reject) our sins, He is faithful and just (legally justified in doing so because of Christ’s atonement) to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us (work victory over the sin in us) from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). Conflicting Models God’s model of behavior modification and that of modern psychotherapy are diametrically opposed to one another in several ways. Attempting to employ both at the same time is the equivalent of trying to mix oil and water. Psychology/psychotherapy tends to view the acceptance of God’s forgiveness, cleansing and victory over sin as denial. But God’s model first requires confession (admission) and repentance (rejecting) of that sin/evil/crime, and only then is forgiveness, cleansing and victory bestowed by God. Secondly, God’s model only requires this confession and repentance once. Freudian psychotherapy (Freud was an atheist and a sexual pervert) operates from the premise that past hurts, evils and emotional trauma must be dredged up and relived in order for emotional and spiritual healing to take place. And modern psychotherapy/psychological behavior modification often treats the Biblical Model of forgiveness, cleansing, victory and healing of the past through Christ as denial, due to the resistance to reliving the past. Speaking in detail of past sins and hurts (after they have been confessed and forsaken by the subject) as a treatment, is a sin against the atonement of Christ, in that it in effect says: “God’s sacrifice for me, and the legal means He provided for victory, was not enough, I have to also relive it in order to be healed”. The Biblical Model does not deny that sin was committed, but offers hope in that after the sin has been confessed (admitted) turned away from (repented of) Christ offers complete forgiveness, cleansing and victory over that sin: “For sin shall not have dominion over you” (Romans 6:14). The Biblical and Psychotherapy Models agree in that the sin/evil/crime must be repented of and confessed. But they differ in that the Biblical model requires this only once, and then declares: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended (I have not arrived at the place where the potential to sin no longer exists): but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are before, I press toward...Jesus Christ (I keep trusting in the Grace of God through faith in Christ)” (Philippians 3:13-14). The Biblical Model does not label it a sin to admit one has sinned in the past and that Christ was sought for victory over it. But it does prohibit reliving the repugnant details of sins committed: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose (reprove, condemn evil) them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret” (Ephesians 5:11-12). A good case can be made that reliving past hurts and trauma’s can actually cause destructive forms of guilt, shame, depression, hopelessness and suicidal impulses. God’s Word defines this difference between healthy and destructive remorse: “Now do not rejoice that you were made sorry (we should be severely sorry and remorseful for any wrongs we commit, and rightly so), but that your sorrow led to repentance: for you were made sorry in a godly way. For godly sorrow works repentance (a rejection of the evil/crime) to salvation (turning to Christ for victory over it) not to be repented of (this form of remorse should not be rejected): but the sorrow of the world (hopelessness) works death (leads to unbelief, depression and suicidal thoughts)” (II Corinthians 7:9,10). When psychotherapy is employed upon the psyche/soul of the Christian, it destroys faith in Christ. An example being the contention of psychology that the Biblical position of God’s forgiveness of sin is a form of denial. Man-centered psychology/psychotherapy, confronted with this, often employs psychotherapy in order to break down this perceived denial (which is actually faith in Christ and obedience to God’s model) in order to rebuild the belief system of the psychotherapy model. This is destructive to faith in Christ. When this occurs, God in effect, responds with the command: “Let the work of this house of God alone” (Ezra 6:7). The atheist, Albert Elliss, labels Christianity as a pathological sign of mental illness. The core of Christianity is faith in Christ and obedience to the primary command of Christ: “Jesus said to him: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law...” (Matthew 22:37-40). An opinion, that labels loving God and ones fellow man, as pathological - is pathological in it’s origin. Christianity has been called repugnant and gory. But God having to become a man, and then suffering and shedding His own sinless blood on the Cross, to redeem us from sin, is a sobering reminder of the absolute awfulness, horribleness and destructiveness of sin. Sin is that inward capacity for evil residing in all mankind (the sin nature). But we have the testimonies of untold millions of formerly sinful men and women throughout human history, changed by the power of God, to prove that: “The Truth, it remains. And it will never, never change, The blood of Christ still sets men free!” Home