Surely no one would choose to be brainwashed if he or she knew what was happening. Yet many unsuspecting people have fallen prey to groups using mental manipulation to gain control over them. Whether subtle or blatant, brainwashing robs an individual of moral sense and self-control through aggressive presentation of some mortal thought system.
In addition to this group-oriented brainwashing, the growing teaching of hypnotism for ostensibly therapeutic purposes may provide unscrupulous or naive learners with negative skills that further endanger our mental environment. Whether the mental manipulation is intended benevolently or not, it is a shocking invasion of privacy.
Instead of being stunned into apathy by this evil, we need to defend ourselves prayerfully against it. Obedience to Mrs. Eddy's provision in the Manual of The Mother Church for daily defense against aggressive mental suggestion would abort attempts at mental control. In fact, our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, stated this provision as a duty for every member of this Church.
See Man., Art. VIII, Sect. 6;
