If you listened to the video on my website, you know my story about how I got interested in doing hypnosis/hypnotherapy for a living. I was introduced to it by my brother who quit smoking after 1 session and decided to start a small side business helping others. I was not interested in the path he was taking. We were Catholic and I believed it was going against our faith. In my ignorance I would pray for him thinking he was beginning to do the work of Satan, this was something way out of my comfort zone, for a couple of years I refused to hear him out. However, over time I allowed him to educate me, after what I had heard, I began allowing him to work with me. One of the convincers was that Hypnosis was approved by the Catholic Church in the '50s as well as the American Medical Association to aid in healing. As I started my business over 25 years ago, people were a lot like I was, not believing in Hypnosis they would throw away my business cards as I would walk away from them. Some were afraid to look at me in the eyes, as if I had control over them, or doing something to them, a lot of others thought as I did, this was not something Christians should do. Again, to our ignorance, the name Hypnosis conjures up a lot of different thought processes, a lot of them are negative. They judged me as I judged my brother. I am sharing information from Rev. Paul Durbin Chaplain, Ph.D./Hypnotist in this and the second part of this blog. He said the first written recorded use is found in the book of Genesis 2:21-22. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to sleep very deeply, and while he was asleep, God removed one of the man’s ribs. Then God closed-up the man’s skin at the place where he took the rib. 22 The Lord God used the rib from the man to make a woman, and then he brought the woman to the man. (NCV) “God used Hypnosis as an anesthesia so that Adam felt no pain”. Chaplain W. Leo Peacock has a New Testament illustration in a paper he wrote “Religious Hypnosis and Personal Control”. He is making a point with his interpretation of Matthew’s account of Joseph’s dream concerning taking Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:20-25) Peacock writes that this is a clear description of an individual being hypnotized, while under hypnosis given a post-hypnotic-suggestions which he immediately acts as soon as he came out of the hypnotic state (trance). Laying on of Hands The practice of “laying on hands” in the bible uses techniques from Hypnosis. Acts 28:8 NCV 8 Publius’ father was sick with a fever and dysentery. [a] Paul went to him, prayed, and put his hands on the man and healed him. There is also a reference in the book of Acts (Acts 14:9-10) where an apostle looking into the eyes or gazing into the eyes resulting in healing. 9 As this man was listening to Paul speak, Paul looked straight at him and saw that he believed God could heal him. 10 So he cried out, “Stand up on your feet!” The man jumped up and began walking around. Rev. Paul Durban tells the story of 2 Roman Catholic Priest in the eighteen Century who used hypnosis to gain a reputation as a healer, Father Hell, and Father Gassner. Due to their influence, Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer played a significant role in the history of this industry. Father Gassner would those who wanted to be healed brought into a room and would tell them to wait. As they allowed their expectations to grow, Father Gassner would majestically enter the room, lower his cross on the head of the patient and command them to sleep. The patient would collapse and upon command would rise to praise God for Healing. Father Hell used hypnotic techniques and metal plates. He believed that illness occurred when the magnetism of the body was out of polarization. He would have his patients lie down and pass metal plates over them. His suggestions and the passing of the metal plates seemed to cure those who came to him for healing. This all leads to belief. In the more modern history of hypnosis is considered, to begin with, Franz Mesmer (1735-1815) was greatly influenced by Father's Gassner and Hell. Mesmer decided it was the metal in Father Gassner’s cross that caused cures as well as the religious significance of the cross. If the metal in the cross could bring cures, perhaps it could be used for healing. With this information and other experiments made by Father Hell in mind, Mesmer began to develop his theory of "Animal Magnetism.” In the middle 1800s, three doctors, Elliotson, Esdaile, and Braid, who coined the word “hypnosis” used hypnosis in their medical practice. Both Elliotson and Esdaile performed many surgeries with only hypnotic anesthesia, it has been reported that the mortality rate for major surgery was about 50%. There were several hundred people operated on by Esdaile (using hypnosis) mortality rate dropped to 5% and in none of the fatal cases was death an immediate outcome of the surgery. Dr. James Esdaile (1808-1859) wrote that (A) hypnosis is a natural God-given method is healing. (B) The power produced by the unconscious mind of one under hypnosis is similar both in quality, character, and degree with the power of the creator. (C) All men have within them special power given by God, the power of hypnosis—to direct their movement and provide for themselves. Doctors Mesmer, Elliotson, Esdaile were condemned by their fellow doctors for their uses of hypnosis. I remember reading some research on hypnosis and quitting smoking. The doctor said at the end of his research paper. There is not a lot of research on hypnosis, mainly because of the stigma that comes with it. He was incredibly surprised to see the results of his research and would continue to move forward learning and researching more. Please look for Part 2 of Christianity and Hypnosis for the more modern approach. You can also request another paper with more information and scriptures too along with both part 1 and part 2 .

Did you know that the American Cancer Society has it's National Great American Smoke Out campaign coming up here on the 19th of November? Goes on every year. Started out with a high school guidance counselor who asked people to quit smoking for a day, and the money that they saved from their cigarettes that they would put into a high school scholarship fund. Well, that was in the early '70s, and in the mid-'70s, the American Cancer Society took over the same premise and said, "Quit for a day," in the hopes that people will go for another day, and another day, and another day. What if you can quit in one day for life? That's what you do in my office. For most people, it's just one session. Let me tell you a few stories about some of the clients that have come in over the years. I've been doing this for 26 years. Many, many years ago, I had a man come into the office and his dad was passing away within the next week or two of lung cancer, and he didn't want to be going through what his dad had to go through. He came in to quit smoking. He quit. He brought three friends, and they quit smoking. They sent more people. More a hundred clients from that one referral, that one man losing his life because of the smoking habit. So, out of those referrals, they came from Dallas, they came from Chicago, they came from Belleville, Illinois. They came from northern Missouri, they came from southern Missouri. One man came up quit smoking. Actually, he left the office saying he, he didn't quit smoking, but he (laughs) never smoked again. So, about two weeks later, he comes back up from the- southern Missouri with a car full of friends saying, "Hey they all want to quit smoking", because he was able to quit smoking. Didn't even realize he quit it when he left the office. So funny. Then I had another lady who came in. Same story, with her mom was passing away within the next week or two as well. Before we started the session, she said to me, "You know, Karen," she says, "I just love the smell. I love the smell of cigarettes." And after the session, she told me, "You know what it is? I remember as a child my mom only had one cigarette a day and a cup of tea after she put us to bed. And so I would fall asleep every night to that smell of cigarettes." And when, she was able to let that thought process go, she was able to quit the smoking habit. I had a lady come in one time who had a chronic illness, and she was extremely sick, uh, m- in a lot of pain, and had gone to the hospital the week before, or that weekend before, and the doctor wouldn't admit her when he found out that she was a smoker. Said, "I'm not admitting you." So, she came to the office and we were able to get her to quit smoking so that she never, ever had to be in that position again. Earlier in the years, I heard cosmetic surgeons that requested people quit smoking prior to surgery, I think it was, like, six weeks out, so that they will be able to heal faster and heal better. And so nowadays, I have heard lots of different types of surgeons that are recommending that people quit smoking up front, really quickly, so that they can heal faster from the surgeries. I cannot tell you how many different stories that I could that I have of people, who just, just want to quit, you know? They love the smell, or they, or they don't love the smell. They loved that they could just sit down and take a break, or that annoyed them. They have problems with not getting enough air going up and down the stairs. Whatever the reason is, they will come in and quit smoking, again, one day for life, versus one day a year. What about that? Is that you? Let me ask you this question if you do smoke cigarettes. Out of the cigarettes that you smoke, one pack, two packs, three packs, how many do you actually enjoy, where you're really, really getting something from it? Sometimes people will say, "None." Sometimes people will say, "That first one in the morning." Sometimes people will say, "Three to five." Sometimes they'll say, "10." So, think about that. Five minutes to smoke, so three to five cigarettes a day, 15 to 25 minutes a day of enjoyment for a lifetime of what? So if you're interested in quitting smoking, if you're interested in letting this habit go, if you're interested in moving forward, give me a call, Karen Glavin, at Glavin Hypnotherapy+. My phone number's 314-285-5721. My website is www.glavinhypnotherapy.com, and I always like to say, when you come to Glavin Hypnotherapy, we're helping you bring back the joy into your life. Give me a call.