Hmm, I thought I'd written the limitation right in there -- that the untrained or weaker practitioners were at risk of finding themselves inadvertently absorbing too much of the victim's mind and thoughts, and gradually finding themselves going insane because of it. Perhaps the point I'm not making clear is that just because he knows these spells does not mean he is completely competent in using them to their fullest extent. Like another language -- there is a distinct difference between having a grasp of it and being fluent.

And I understand your hesitancy in regards to mind control -- I would be leery as well . But to clarify, this is not mind control, rather, it is manipulation on a very minor scale. The strike that goes awry, the arrow that just barely misses, so on and so forth. He cannot directly force anyone to do something -- he is still too much a novice for that.