ancient history until the present. In his book on
the history of hypnosis, Maurice Tinterow says, “Probably
the early soothsayers and oracles relied largely
on the hypnotic state.”
The Bible does not treat occult
practices as harmless superstitions; neither does it
deny the authenticity or helpful effects of such practices.
However, there are strong warnings against all
that is associated with the occult. God desires His
people to come to Him with their needs rather than
turn to occult practitioners.
The Bible strongly speaks out against having anything
to do with those who involve themselves in the
occult because of the demonic power, influence, and
control. Occult activities were practiced by the nations
surrounding Israel during the time of Moses. Therefore
God explicitly warned His people against them:
Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither
shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times. . . .
Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither
seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the
Lord your God (Lev. 19:26, 31).
There shall not be found among you any one that
maketh his son or his daughter to pass through
the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of
times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or
a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a
necromancer. For all that do these things are an
abomination unto the Lord: and because of these
abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them
out from before thee (Deut. 18:10-12).
Because of the apparent occult nature of hypnosis
(which is more obvious in the deeper stages) and
because hypnosis is practiced by many who involve
themselves in other areas of the occult, Christians
would be wise to avoid hypnosis even for medical
purposes.
The words from the Old Testament which are translated
charmers and enchanters seem to indicate the
same kinds of persons whom we now call
hypnotherapists. Dave Hunt, author of The Cult Explosion2
and Occult Invasion3
and researcher in the
area of the occult as well as the cults, says:
From the Biblical standpoint, I believe that in such
places as Deuteronomy 18, when it speaks of
“charmers” and “enchanters,” the practice involved
anciently was exactly what has recently become
acceptable in medicine and psychiatry as hypno-
104 Hypnosis
sis. I believe this both from the ancient usage of
this word and from occult traditions.4
A Watchman Fellowship “Profile” says the following:
It is difficult to know if “charming” is a direct
reference to hypnosis as the evidence is somewhat
circumstantial. The Bible, however, is replete with
clear admonitions against involvement with the
occult (Leviticus 19:26; 2 Kings 21:6; Isaiah 47:9-
13; Acts 8:9-11). This would prohibit any Christian
association in those aspects of hypnosis that
directly relate to the occult (spiritualism, channeling,
past-life regression, divination, etc.).
There is general agreement that hypnotized
individuals are somewhat vulnerable to
uncritically accepting as true any suggestion given
by the hypnotist. This factor alone creates the
potential for misuse and deception. Some Christian
researchers go a step further warning that it
is possible for hypnotized subjects to be influenced
by voices other than that of the hypnotist. They
believe that in a trance state one is more susceptible
to demonic oppression or even possession—
especially if the subject has a history of occult
experimentation .
Hypnosis can be indirectly linked to biblical
admonitions against “charming.” It is historically
linked to pagan and occult practices. Even proponents
warn of the potential for misuse or unethical
application. These factors coupled with the
absence of a provable neutral, non-religious theory
The Bible and Hypnosis 105
of hypnosis make hypnosis a potentially dangerous
practice not recommended for Christians.5
Just because hypnosis has surfaced in medicine does
not mean that it is different from the ancient practices
of charmers and enchanters or from those which
have been used more recently by witchdoctors and
occult hypnotists. John Weldon and Zola Levitt say that
even “a strictly scientific approach toward occult
phenomena is insufficient protection against
demonism. The judgment of God does not distinguish
between scientific and nonscientific involvement with
powers alien to Him.”6
In various sections of Scripture, occult practices are
listed side by side, because although one activity may
differ from the next, the power source and the revealer
of “hidden knowledge” is the same: Satan. Enchanters,
sorcerers, wizards, charmers, consulters of familiar
spirits, necromancers, soothsayers, and observers
of times (astrologers) are grouped together as those to
avoid. See Lev. 19:26, 31, and 20:6, 27; Deut. 18:9-14; 2
Kings 21:6; 2 Chron. 33:6; Isa. 47:9-13; Jer. 27:9. A
singular word for those practicing the occult is used in
the New Testament: sorcerer.
All forms of the occult turn a person away from God
to self and to those spirits in opposition to God. That is
why God compares using sorcery to “playing the harlot.”
And the soul that turneth after such as have
familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring
after them, I will even set my face against that
soul, and will cut him off from among his people
(Lev. 20:6).
106 Hypnosis
Almighty God saw these practices as replacing
relationship with himself. He saw them as false religions
with false religious experiences.
As noted earlier, many who support hypnosis say
that religion uses hypnosis and that Christian experiences
involving prayer, meditation, confession, devotion,
and worship are actually forms of self-hypnosis.
Perhaps the reasons why hypnotists see these similarities
is that hypnosis generates Satan’s counterfeits
of true religious exercise. If indeed hypnosis involves
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.
In hypnotism faith is shifted to the hypnotist and
to the practice of hypnotism. In this state of increased
suggestibility, the individual opens his mind to
suggestions which might be otherwise rejected.
Obedience and even an eagerness to please the hypnotist
occur in many instances. The hypnotist takes the
place of priest or God and holds that place throughout
the trance until he either releases the subject or the
subject meets a “higher guide” within the trance. Some
persons remain locked into this relationship even after
the trance through post-hypnotic suggestion.
Psychology Today published an article titled “Hypnosis
may be hazardous,” which says:
A teenage girl with no history of psychological
problems was hypnotized on stage as part of a
show. Soon after leaving with her friends, she apparently
reentered the trance. No one could rouse
her. She had to be hospitalized and fed intravenously,
and took months to recover.
The Bible and Hypnosis 107
While such life-threatening emergencies stemming
from the use of hypnosis are rare, reports of
a wide range of unwanted aftereffects are on the
rise, according to psychologist Frank MacHovec,
who has been studying and treating hypnosis
casualties for 16 years. He estimates that 1 in 10
people who have been hypnotized will experience
some difficulties as a direct result.7
MacHovec reveals a variety of ways in which
hypnosis has been detrimental to individuals. However,
hypnosis is not only personally dangerous to
people; it is spiritually dangerous. An individual may
become vulnerable to occult powers when he is in a
state of heightened suggestion and distorted reality.
Many people do not realize their vulnerability to
hypnosis when it is used in other contexts. For instance,
in describing New Age mysticism used in training sessions
for business, Richard Watring says:
Most of the techniques described are either
tantamount to a hypnotic induction or their use
renders the individual more highly suggestible to
hypnotic induction. Most people know what
hypnosis is, but very few people know that the use
of affirmation, suggestology, neurolinguistic
programming, some forms of guided imagery, est
and est-type human potential seminars employ
some of the same dynamics as hypnosis.8
The Spiritual Counterfeits Project has revealed how
New Age thinking is dangerous to Christians. They
say:
108 Hypnosis
New Age thinking has been expressed in the
holistic health movement in two ways. One expression
strongly emphasizes consciousness-altering
techniques (such as Eastern forms of meditation,
visualization, and even out-of-body experiences).
Many spokespeople teach that healing occurs
spontaneously when one has an experience of oneness
with the universe through one of those
processes.
A second, more diversified, expression comes
from the belief that a universal “life energy”—
which is usually considered identical to what religions
call God—flows through all objects, both
living and inanimate.9
Notice how close this description matches experiences
in the hypnotic state. “Visualization,” “out-of-body
experiences,” and “an experience of oneness with the
universe” all occur in hypnosis. And, the “universal ‘life
energy’” is similar to Mesmer’s idea of “an invisible
fluid,” which he called “animal magnetism” and which
he considered to be an energy existing throughout
nature. Many of the New Age ingredients are in
hypnosis; all the warning signs are there.
Why Do Christians Use Hypnosis?
Since most hypnosis practitioners know that
hypnosis is an occult practice, why do professing Christians
use it? These professing Christian practitioners
give various reasons and justifications. We will look at
three examples. The first is from a Christian
hypnotherapist who wrote to us and said:
The Bible and Hypnosis 109
For 10 years I used hypnosis on thousands of
people dozens of times and failed to find it to be
satanic mind control, etc. Of course the occult use
hypnosis. They also use sex, money, cars, food, and
the Bible. All hypnosis is is a heightened state of
relaxation and suggestibility and an altered state
of consciousness.10
This sounds like the logical fallacy of false analogy.
The following is a textbook description of false analogy.
To recognize the fallacy of false analogy, look for
an argument that draws a conclusion about one
thing, event, or practice on the basis of its analogy
or resemblance to others. The fallacy occurs
when the analogy or resemblance is not sufficient
to warrant the conclusion, as when, for example,
the resemblance is not relevant to the possession
of the inferred feature or there are relevant
dissimilarities.11
The occult and Christian use of “sex, money, cars,
food, and the Bible” is in no way equivalent to both
groups using hypnosis. Also, hypnosis originated from
the occult and is an occult activity itself, which is not
true of “sex, money, cars, food, and the Bible.”
The second example comes from H. Newton Maloney,
a professor at Fuller Seminary. Maloney also uses the
logical fallacy of false analogy to justify his use of
hypnosis:
The ideal Christian response to God has consistently
been pictured as single minded devotion in
110 Hypnosis
which one puts aside the distractions of the world.
If hypnotists help persons achieve this skill they
are well within the spectrum of what true life is
all about. If one assumes that the optimal state of
mind would be that in which persons know what
they wanted and pursued it without distraction,
then the hypnotic state would be the norm rather
than the waking state in which persons either
deny their true selves or are unable to focus their
attention because of many distractions.12
Maloney uses similarities in language to justify using
an occult activity to worship or experience devotion to
God.
The third example is that of medical doctor George
Newbold, who says:
It is my belief that in a trance-state the mind
becomes more susceptible to spiritual influences—
again for good or ill. If this is so, then any medium
may lay himself or herself open to Satanic attack
by evil spirits. If Satan can utilize the trance in
this way we also have biblical evidence that God
does so as well.
In the Old Testament there are many examples
of how the Lord revealed Himself to the prophets
through visions. Balaam, for instance, “saw the
vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but
having his eyes open” (Num. 24:4). Similarly, in
the New Testament both Peter and Paul recount
how they fell into a trance while praying (Acts 11:5
and 22:17).13
The Bible and Hypnosis 111
Newbold equates hypnosis, an occult activity, with
a biblical vision and concludes that both Satan and
God can use the trance. One does not need a logic book
to figure out what’s wrong with his thinking. Newbold
admits:
The fear that hypnosis is somehow inseparable
from the practice of spiritualism and the occult
needs to be taken seriously. The reason for this
lies in the occurrence of so-called “paranormal”
phenomena during the state of trance which bears
a close resemblance to hypnosis.
If we exclude cases of fraud, nearly all spiritualistic
seances are conducted with a medium in
the peculiar psychological condition known as a
“trance” in which the participant is in a state of
altered consciousness and may appear to be acting
as an automaton during somnambulistic
episodes.14
Newbold fails to explain how such paranormal
experiences or demonic influence during hypnosis can
be avoided in medical hypnosis. Also, because of the
scarcity of long-term studies and the fact that many
individuals use self hypnosis with unexamined results,
no one really knows what happens to the faith and
belief systems of Christians who submit themselves
to hypnosis.
Demonic influence may not be clearly apparent in
many instances of hypnosis, but the mind has been
tampered with in discerning truth. There may indeed
be an opening or influence into other areas of the occult
and areas of deception. One of Jesus’ warnings about
the last days was spiritual deception. Satan is the
112 Hypnosis
master deceiver and if a person has opened his mind
to deception through hypnosis, he may be more
vulnerable to spiritual deception.
Hypnosis has been an integral part of the occult.
Therefore a Christian should not allow himself to be
hypnotized for any reason. The promises of help
through hypnosis are very similar to the promises of
help through other occultic healers. The Christian has
another spiritual means of help: the Lord God Himself!
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