Catholics and Hypnosis

Sue writes: “I have been struggling with anxiety disorder for three years after illness and a breakdown. I am getting much better, but have some hard work ahead of me. However, I rightfully lost faith in my last therapist and had to find a new one. Sadly, I do not have access to a Catholic therapist in my area. I had to start seeing a new secular therapist this past month. I have been making good strides, but he likes to use a form of hypnosis in order to open my mind and feed some positive thoughts. I told him I do not feel comfortable with hypnosis due to my faith. He has done some guided hypnosis on me and I feel so clear headed after, but after discovering he has been doing hypnosis, I have become leery of it. I do not want to be misled and have found various opinions on the subject in the Catholic circle. What should I do?”

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Joyce Meyer’s Feel Good Religion

MH writes: “I have a very good friend that absolutely adores Joyce Myers.  Am I right to say she’s another prosperity gospel teacher?  I’ve heard some of her talks before, and the only thing I can discern, is that as a Protestant, she interprets Scripture differently from us Catholics, which I know is to be expected.  She speaks on topics that one could easily relate to; such as, how it’s wrong to talk about others behind their back.   Is it okay to listen to her, if I remember that her interpretation of scripture is wrong? Or is there more I should know so as to not listen to her?”

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Asyra Machines Can’t Diagnose Anything

KC writes: “I was just seen by a naturopath at a holistic store and she used the Asyra machine. She told me that this machine was approved by the FDA in detecting illnesses. She said that this machine has been used since the 1970’s and is recognized by licensed doctors in Europe. Is this information correct? Finding many conflicting reports online.”

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Does Your Pineal Gland Need Cleaning?

Fontana della Pigna in Rome (image courtesy of Wknight94 at Wikicommons)

TM writes: “Please talk about decalcification of pineal gland. It seems like a good and healthy thing to do. However there is a lot of connection to opening up third eye, etc. There is also a lot of symbolism [associated with the pineal gland] with Pinecones within the Vatican. Please go into depth about this topic. If I can feel better by flossing my teeth, avoiding fluoride, and eating natural foods to decalcify my pineal gland, that sounds like something I would like to do. Obviously I do not want to mess around with anything that is occult or new age.”

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Pharmaceuticals Found in “Natural” Brain Boosting Supplements

If you’re looking to boost your memory and brain power naturally, you may be disappointed to know that a new study has found that 10 popular “brain boosting” supplements not only contain pharmaceuticals, but in dosage levels that could be dangerous.

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Is Gestalt Therapy Okay for Christians?

BA writes: “A friend of mine is training to be a gestalt therapist. Can you clarify if this is new age and if so, why?”

Gestalt therapy is a form of humanistic therapy which is a “mental health approach that emphasizes the importance of being your true self in order to lead the most fulfilling life.” Because the New Age is totally “self” centered, some of the practices used in this therapy, such as dream work, can be associated with New Age philosophies which may be introduced by practitioners. Read the rest…