NOVEMBER 1998, VOLUME 26, NUMBER 2, Abstract 2
NOT THE STATE, BUT THE TERRITORY
John H. Court, Tabor College
With the current growth of interest in spirituality, the interface between hypnosis and religious practices takes on new significance. Cautions have traditionally been expressed about the hypnotic state, with fears about control and willpower. While developments in the ethical use of hypnosis make such concerns less pressing, there remain significant paradigm issues which are being explored in the literature. These include pursuit of the age-old-question, “Who are the legitimate healers in a society?” The territory of the church and the territory of the clinic are not entirely separate, so issues arise regarding the relative authority of practitioners to intervene in people’s lives, and what such interventions should look like. Many Christians who might benefit from hypnosis have been warned to be totally against it. Evidence will be brought forward to challenge this and make it safer to look to therapeutic hypnosis without compromising beliefs.