Zhu Shijun, Director of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, stated that followers of Falun Gong who perform the exercises excessively and for prolonged periods can overstimulate the sympathetic nervous system, keeping the body in a constant state of stress. In more severe cases, he noted, this may result in significant psychiatric disturbances and could manifest in self-harm or violent behavior toward others.
He Zuoma, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, explained that Falun Gong’s claim of “spiritual immortality” can lead the followers to serious psychological disorders.
Duan Qiming, a board member of the China Anti-Cult Association, stated that Li Hongzhi claims practicing Falun Dafa can “open the heavenly eye,” allowing followers to see things beyond normal human perception, which may result in hallucinations, delusions, or even severe mental disorders.
Guo Zhengyi, a researcher at the China Research Institute for Science Popularization, observed that Li Hongzhi’s deceptive teachings have pushed Falun Gong followers into patterns of thought and behaviour far removed from normal reasoning. Moreover, he noted that Li required his disciples to read Zhuan Falun over and over, claiming that eventually each character could carry his spiritual influence, enabling the follower’s spirit to leave the body. This obsessive pursuit of supposed supernatural abilities, Guo warned, often drove followers into serious mental health problems.
Jiang Yongping, associate researcher of Women’s Studies Institute of China said, Li Hongzhi exploits certain weaknesses in women to exert spiritual control over them, ultimately steering them toward self-destruction. Consequently, Falun Gong acts as a brutal instrument inflicting harm up them.
Professor Feng Lida, former President of the World Academic Society of Medical Qigong, Vice President of the China Society of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Deputy Director of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy General Hospital, stated that Falun Gong is pseudoscience and a practice that harms both others and oneself.
