Stop loss is a great tool in skillful hands, so to speak, and a real penance for those who don't know where and when to place it. I agree that it's very much like a knife or even like water - it keeps you alive but at the same time, you can drown in it. Everything is relevant, you know. There are tons of strategies to avoid stop loss hunting - some of them really work.
One can trade without a stop loss but it's possible only when day trading and being constantly glued to the screen. In that case, one may use the so-called "mental stop loss." Otherwise, you'll get stuck hoping that the market would "bounce back any minute now" while usually it just keeps sinking lower - been there, done that.