Religion, Meditation, MindBody Healing and Self-Hypnosis
There are always questions about whether self-hypnosis, meditation and mindbody healing are compatible with religious thought or practice, and if there are any problems or barriers.
Let me say that over the last quarter of a century, I have successfully and respectfully taught self-hypnosis, meditation and mindbody healing to priests, ministers, nuns, cantors, shamans, fundamentalists and followers of almost every religion in the world.
Specifically, followers of:
1. Christianity from the U.S., Europe, Africa and the Philippines.
2. Islam from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Russia and China.
3. Hinduism from India, Asia, Fiji, Bali, Australia, the U.S., England, France, Germany, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland
4. Buddhism from India, Sri Lanka, Asia, Indochina, Russia and Holland
5. Shinto from Japan
6. Sikhism from India, Australia,the U.S., Asia, England and Europe
7. Judaism from Israel, the U.S., South America, Mexico, Asia and Europe
8. Baha’i from the U.S., India, Vietnam, Kenya, the Philippines, Africa, Iran and Bolivia
9. Mormonism from the U.S., South America and Europe
In all those years, and with all those people, I have never encountered one religious objection to self-hypnosis, meditation or mindbody healing as I teach it. On the contrary, every single person, no matter what their religious background, has been able to master the skills of self-hypnosis, meditation as well as mindbody helaing and to benefit from their new learning.
You see, self-hypnosis and mindbody healing are processes that are quite familiar and comfortable to religious people. Much like prayer, meditation and self-hypnosis help you quiet your mind and focus deep inside, so that you can begin to get more closely in touch with your inner wisdom, your inner guide, your source, your spirit, your soul—that seed of well-being that is waiting to be nurtured into life. As you calm and center yourself with these approaches, you begin to hear more clearly what I like to call your loving and compassionate “inner Voice” that is the true source of all your health and happiness.
Self-hypnosis also has much in common with meditation. Both begin with breath work and mental imagery to help relax the mind and body, and focus inside. But there’s also a big difference. Meditation seeks specifically to bring a detached inner-awareness, while self-hypnosis is also actively goal-directed. In self-hypnosis, you tap into the power of your inner wisdom to achieve a desired life-goal, such as stress management, pain relief, mind-body healing—or weight-loss.
So, far from being at odds with religion, self-hypnosis as well as meditation and mindbody healing work hand-in-hand with all religions to bring about inner peace, unconditional love, and miraculous personal growth—from the inside out.
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Feel free to keep sharing your experiences, successes and questions.
I wrote this because of questions from religious people who are members of Kaiser Permanente and wanted to understand more about how religious beliefs are complementary and enhance mindbody healing.
With Acceptance,
Dr. Brian Alman
