Does Islam Permit Hypnosis (Hypnotherapy)?

Some people adopt treatment through Hypnosis. During hypnosis, a trained hypnotist or hypnotherapist induces a state of intense concentration or focused attention. This is a guided process with verbal cues and repetition. The trance-like state a person enters may appear similar to sleep in many ways, but he is fully aware of what is going on. A person can attain self control through it, hence it is used to control cigarette addiction, mental diseases, insomnia, depression, etc.

Procedure Details

What typically happens during a hypnotic session?

According to the website of Cleveland Clinic, USA, There are four stages of hypnosis: induction, deepener, suggestions and emergence.

Induction

During this stage, you begin to relax, focus your attention and ignore distractions. Your hypnotherapist will guide you through this stage with specific techniques such as controlled breathing (breathing in over a count of seven, then breathing out over a count of 11), or progressive muscle relaxation (tensing muscles as you breathe in and relaxing muscles as you breathe out, then repeating in a certain order of muscle groups throughout your body) or focusing on a visual image.

Deepener

This stage continues the first stage, taking your relaxation and focus to a deeper level. This step often involves counting down or using similar descending imagery such as walking down stairs or slowly sinking deeper and deeper into a comfortable bed. These first two stages are aimed at easing your openness to suggestions.

Suggestions

This is the stage for actual change in experience, behaviour or perception. Your hypnotherapist will use imagery and carefully chosen language. The suggestions are usually symptom focused (to resolve a symptom) or exploratory (to explore experiences associated with the start of symptoms). Suggested changes may be in perception, sensation, emotion, memory, thought or behaviour.

Example: To quit smoking, you’ll learn to identify your triggers to want to smoke, learn positive ways to change, understand resources to effect change, disrupt your pattern, attach a better response, notice the difference and install the changed behaviour. You may be encouraged to see your “old” self with black lungs in a mirror behind you and see your “new” healthy self with clean lungs in a mirror in front. You’ll then be guided to choose which self you like and to walk toward that self.

Emergence

During this stage, you come out of hypnosis. Your hypnotist may use reverse deepeners, such as giving you the suggestions that you’re climbing up stairs or counting up.

Islamic guidelines on Hypnosis:

According to most scholars, it is permissible to use hypnotherapy for a Ja’iz (permissible) objective as long as the process doesn't involve anything contrary to Islamic values. Likewise, a Muslim may go to a non-Muslim hypnotist on the condition one is not made to do anything which is not allowed in Islam.

Mufti Ebrahim Desai of Darul Ifta, South Africa says:
“It is permissible to use hypnosis to aid one to quit smoking. One may go to a non-Muslim hypnotist on the condition one is not made to do anything which is contrary to Shariah.” (https://askimam.org/public/question_detail/15342)

Some scholars have issued fatwas that the issue of hypnosis is related to the use of the jinn or magic. If some one practices such a methodology to induce hypnosis then it will be Haram.

Also, if hypnosis is used as a kind of deception in agreement with some of the attendees, especially in public places, to eat people’s money unjustly and to earn fame, it would be Haram.

To summarise, If hypnotherapy is used as a means of cure and there is nothing contrary to Islam in the therapy, then it is permissible. If it is used for evil purposes, or involves prohibited things in the method, then it will be impermissible.