Hypnotherapy and Halacha

Question

I would like to know whether it is halachikally okay for me to work on past lives with an astrologer and/or hypnotherapist?

I’m dealing with a lot of trauma and always had many intuitions of my neshama of which I am terribly curious about. I also would like to shed some light on what my purpose on this world is and grow accordingly.

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    My feeling is one should not use hypnotherapy if it is to explore previous existences. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, one of the foremost authorities in Jewish Law, writes in Iggros Moshe Yoreh Deah 3:44 that it is permitted to allow oneself to be hypnotized for a medical benefit such as to overcome depression. He adds that it is only permitted when there is no concern that the hypnotist will suggest to their patient that they violate Jewish Law.

    However, Rabbi Feinstein does not look favorably on hypnotherapy unless performed for a medical benefit. Rabbi Feinstein regards being in a hypnotic state as being inherently degrading. And, despite the fact that the person being hypnotized is not transgressing a specific prohibition, Rabbi Feinstein refers to it as “reicha d’issura” – as having a trace of a prohibition.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team