Past-life hypnosis ban in Israel

by Roy Stemman

Authorised hypnotherapists whose work is recognised by Israel’s Health Ministry have been banned from exploring their patients’ past lives. The Advisory Committee on the Law on Hypnosis has made the ruling following complaints that some clients had suffered serious emotional damage through reincarnation hypnosis sessions.

The ban does not affect unauthorised hypnotists, in line with the Health Ministry’s decision to allow various alternative treatments that are not recognised as therapeutic by modern medicine.

Commenting on the restriction, which was announced in Israel’s oldest newspaper, Haaretz (24 July, 2009), Dr Alex Aviv of the Abarbanel Mental Health Centre in Bat Yam, who heads the advisory committee, argued that hypnosis and reincarnation had nothing to do with one another.

“This is a mystical practice for people who believe in reincarnation,” he explained. “We’ve seen a number of cases where practitioners tried to perform this on patients and things went bad.”

He did not say whether the committee examined any cases where patients had a positive outcome from hypnotic regression to an apparent past life.

The newspaper said discussion on past-life regression therapy began two years ago within the ministry and ended with “an explicit ban on offering the practice, or for hypnotists to present themselves as experts in the field.”

One of the cases cited involved a 23-year-old man who suffered depression after breaking up with his girlfriend. The psychologist treating him suggested that an event in a past life might now be making it difficult for him to let go of his partner and offered to hypnotise him.

The regression session went wrong when the man became emotionally stuck in an experience which made him feel he was enclosed in a coffin, leaving him suffering repeated panic attacks and respiratory problems after he returned to a normal conscious state.

Haaretz did, however, quote a supporter of regression therapy, Dr Lianna Sofer, who said that correcting problems which began in a previous life could be beneficial in this life. She had, for example,

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I am a real student of Past-lives and I feel this is basically fascism, what someone in Isreal should do is shut up about it and enjoy their regression.

Past life regression is not a friggin game.

When I said enjoy their regression, I did not mean do it 'for a laugh' but I meant it in a way of enjoy the regression so they can learn who they really are and they can enjoy their current lives. This is usually a result of a great regression.
sorry for the misunderstanding.:o

I've never had this done or attempted it to any degree so I can't speak from first hand experience. Although, during certain times of my life, I am certain that I was an african american woman living in New York city in the 1970's. So it would be interesting to pursue further.

Though, in the case of this being banned in Israel, no surprise really. They are a Jewish nation. Thats it. Jews don't dig anything but Judaism and Judaism hates things like past life regression and anything bearing even the slightest resemblance to witchcraft or the like. They can't even get along with other monotheists!

Saying that "things can end badly" is a crap answer. ANYTHING can end badly. Do we ban EVERYTHING? Most likely we should just kill ourselves now before anything else can get us. For the love of god, you MUST serve in the Israeli army when you are 18. The ARMY! Where you can be killed, wounded, or crippled for the rest of your life. But past life regression is to dangerous? Please.....obviously religious bias here dressed up as political concern.

Very interesting that you had a experience as a African american woman in the 1970's.:cool:
Remember all religions are like this, not just Judaism what about Islam. In Arabic nations, to even talk about it is suicide.
As an occultist I have no respect for any religion because this is a way the elite control the masses.