``Use, but don't abuse (too much).''
-------------------------------------------------------
From: morgan@nexus.dec.com (DTN 522-5565)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc,talk.religion.newage
Subject: Religious and political brainwashing, part 1
Date: 10 Sep 88 19:14:11 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
THE BATTLE FOR YOUR MIND, by Dick Sutphen -- 22.2 KB
Persuasion & Brainwashing Techniques Being Used On The Public Today
SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
The Birth of Conversion/Brainwashing in Christian Revivalism in 1735.
The Pavlovian explanation of the three brain phases. Born-again
preachers: Step-by-Step, how they conduct a revival and the expected
physiological results. The "voice roll" technique used by preachers,
lawyers and hypnotists. New trance-inducing churches. The 6 steps to
conversion. The decognition process. Thought-stopping techniques. The
"sell it by zealot" technique. True believers and mass movements.
Persuasion techniques: "Yes set," "Imbedded Commands," "Shock and
Confusion," and the "Interspersal Technique." Subliminals. Vibrato and
ELF waves. Inducing trance with vibrational sound. Even professional
observers will be "possessed" at charismatic gatherings. The "only
hope" technique to attend and not be converted. Non-detectable
Neurophone programming through the skin. The medium for mass take-over.
I'm Dick Sutphen and this tape is a studio-recorded, expanded
version of a talk I delivered at the World Congress of Professional
Hypnotists Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. Although the tape carries a
copyright to protect it from unlawful duplication for sale by other
companies, in this case, I invite individuals to make copies and give
them to friends or anyone in a position to communicate this
information.
Although I've been interviewed about the subject on many local and
regional radio and TV talk shows, large-scale mass communication
appears to be blocked, since it could result in suspicion or
investigation of the very media presenting it or the sponsors that
support the media. Some government agencies do not want this
information generally known. Nor do the Born-Again Christian movement,
cults, and many human-potential trainings.
Everything I will relate only exposes the surface of the problem. I
don't know how the misuse of these techniques can be stopped. I don't
think it is possible to legislate against that which often cannot be
detected; and if those who legislate are using these techniques, there
is little hope of affecting laws to govern usage. I do know that the
first step to initiate change is to generate interest. In this case,
that will probably only result from an underground effort.
In talking about this subject, I am talking about my own business.
I know it, and I know how effective it can be. I produce hypnosis and
subliminal tapes and, in some of my seminars, I use conversion tactics
to assist participants to become independent and self-sufficient. But,
anytime I use these techniques, I point out that I am using them, and
those attending have a choice to participate or not. They also know
what the desired result of participation will be.
So, to begin, I want to state the most basic of all facts about
brainwashing: IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF MAN, NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN
BRAINWASHED AND REALIZED, OR BELIEVED, THAT HE HAD BEEN BRAINWASHED.
Those who have been brainwashed will usually passionately defend their
manipulators, claiming they have simply been "shown the light" . . .
or have been transformed in miraculous ways.
The Birth of Conversion
CONVERSION is a "nice" word for BRAINWASHING . . . and any study of
brainwashing has to begin with a study of Christian revivalism in
eighteenth century America. Apparently, Jonathan Edwards accidentally
discovered the techniques during a religious crusade in 1735 in
Northampton, Massachusetts. By inducing guilt and acute apprehension
and by increasing the tension, the "sinners" attending his revival
meetings would break down and completely submit. Technically, what
Edwards was doing was creating conditions that wipe the brain slate
clean so that the mind accepts new programming. The problem
was that the new input was negative. He would tell them, "You're a
sinner! You're destined for hell!"
As a result, one person committed suicide and another attempted
suicide. And the neighbors of the suicidal converts related that they,
too, were affected so deeply that, although they had found "eternal
salvation," they were obsessed with a diabolical temptation to end
their own lives.
Once a preacher, cult leader, manipulator or authority figure
creates the brain phase to wipe the brain-slate clean, his subjects are
wide open. New input, in the form of suggestion, can be substituted for
their previous ideas. Because Edwards didn't turn his message positive
until the end of the revival, many accepted the negative suggestions
and acted, or desired to act, upon them.
Charles J. Finney was another Christian revivalist who used the
same techniques four years later in mass religious conversions in New
York. The techniques are still being used today by Christian
revivalists, cults, human-potential trainings, some business rallies,
and the United States Armed Services . . . to name just a few.
Let me point out here that I don't think most revivalist preachers
realize or know they are using brainwashing techniques. Edwards simply
stumbled upon a technique that really worked, and others copied it and
have continued to copy it for over two hundred years. And the more
sophisticated our knowledge and technology become, the more effective
the conversion. I feel strongly that this is one of the major reasons
for the increasing rise in Christian fundamentalism, especially the
televised variety, while most of the orthodox religions are declining.
The Three Brain Phases
The Christians may have been the first to successfully formulate
brainwashing, but we have to look to Pavlov, the Russian scientist, for
a technical explanation. In the early 1900s, his work with animals
opened the door to further investigations with humans. After the
revolution in Russia, Lenin was quick to see the potential of applying
Pavlov's research to his own ends.
Three distinct and progressive states of transmarginal inhibition
were identified by Pavlov. The first is the EQUIVALENT phase, in which
the brain gives the same response to both strong and weak stimuli. The
second is the PARADOXICAL phase, in which the brain responds more
actively to weak stimuli than to strong. And the third is the ULTRA-
PARADOXICAL phase, in which conditioned responses and behavior patterns
turn from positive to negative or from negative to positive.
With the progression through each phase, the degree of conversion
becomes more effective and complete. The way to achieve conversion are
many and varied, but the usual first step in religious or political
brainwashing is to work on the emotions of an individual or group until
they reach an abnormal level of anger, fear, excitement, or nervous
tension.
The progressive result of this mental condition is to impair
judgement and increase suggestibility. The more this condition can be
maintained or intensified, the more it compounds. Once catharsis, or
the first brain phase, is reached, the complete mental takeover becomes
easier. Existing mental programming can be replaced with new patterns
of thinking and behavior.
Other often-used physiological weapons to modify normal brain
functions are fasting, radical or high sugar diets, physical
discomforts, regulation of breathing, mantra chanting in meditation,
the disclosure of awesome mysteries, special lighting and sound
effects, programed response to incense, or intoxicating drugs.
The same results can be obtained in contemporary psychiatric
treatment by electric shock treatments and even by purposely lowering a
person's blood sugar level with insulin injections.
Before I talk about exactly how some of the techniques are applied,
I want to point out that hypnosis and conversion tactics are two
distinctly different things--and that conversion techniques are far
more powerful. However, the two are often mixed . . . with powerful
results.
How Revivalist Preachers Work
If you'd like to see a revivalist preacher at work, there are
probably several in your city. Go to the church or tent early and sit
in the rear, about three-quarters of the way back. Most likely
repetitive music will be played while the people come in for the
service. A repetitive beat, ideally ranging from 45 to 72 beats per
minute (a rhythm close to the beat of the human heart), is very
hypnotic and can generate an eyes-open altered state of consciousness
in a very high percentage of people. And, once you are in an alpha
state, you are at least 25 times as suggestible as you would be in full
beta consciousness. The music is probably the same for every service,
or incorporates the same beat, and many of the people will go into an
altered state almost immediately upon entering the sanctuary.
Subconsciously, they recall their state of mind from previous services
and respond according to the post-hypnotic programming.
Watch the people waiting for the service to begin. Many will
exhibit external signs of trance--body relaxation and slightly dilated
eyes. Often, they begin swaying back and forth with their hands in the
air while sitting in their chairs. Next, the assistant pastor will
probably come out. He usually speaks with a pretty good "voice roll."
Voice Roll Technique
A "voice roll" is a patterned, paced style used by hypnotists when
inducing a trance. It is also used by many lawyers, several of whom are
highly trained hypnotists, when they desire to entrench a point firmly
in the minds of the jurors. A voice roll can sound as if the speaker
were talking to the beat of a metronome or it may sound as though he
were emphasizing every word in a monotonous, patterned style. The words
will usually be delivered at the rate of 45 to 60 beats per minute,
maximizing the hypnotic effect.
Now the assistant pastor begins the "build-up" process. He induces
an altered state of consciousness and/or begins to generate the
excitement and the expectations of the audience. Next, a group of young
women in "sweet and pure" chiffon dresses might come out to sing a
song. Gospel songs are great for building excitement and INVOLVEMENT.
In the middle of the song, one of the girls might be "smitten by the
spirit" and fall down or react as if possessed by the Holy Spirit. This
very effectively increases the intensity in the room. At this point,
hypnosis and conversion tactics are being mixed. And the result is the
audience's attention span is now totally focused upon the communication
while the environment becomes more exciting or tense.
Right about this time, when an eyes-open mass-induced alpha mental
state has been achieved, they will usually pass the collection plate or
basket. In the background, a 45-beat-per-minute voice roll from the
assistant preacher might exhort, "Give to God . . . Give to God . . .
Give to God . . ." And the audience does give. God may not get the
money, but his already wealthy representative will.
Next, the fire-and-brimstone preacher will come out. He induces
fear and increases the tension by talking about "the devil," "going to
hell," or the forthcoming Armegeddon.
In the last such rally I attended, the preacher talked about the
blood that would soon be running out of every faucet in the land. He
was also obsessed with a "bloody axe of God," which everyone had seen
hanging above the pulpit the previous week. I have no doubt that
everyone saw it--the power of suggestion given to hundreds of people in
hypnosis assures that at least 10 to 25 percent would see whatever he
suggested they see.
In most revivalist gatherings, "testifying" or "witnessing" usually
follows the fear-based sermon. People from the audience come up on
stage and relate their stories. "I was crippled and now I can walk!" "I
had arthritis and now it's gone!" It is a psychological manipulation
that works. After listening to numerous case histories of miraculous
healings, the average guy in the audience with a minor problem is sure
he can be healed. The room is charged with fear, guilt, intense
excitement, and expectations.
Now those who want to be healed are frequently lined up around the
edge of the room, or they are told to come down to the front. The
preacher might touch them on the head firmly and scream, "Be healed!"
This releases the psychic energy and, for many, catharsis results.
Catharsis is a purging of repressed emotions. Individuals might cry,
fall down or even go into spasms. And if catharsis is effected, they
stand a chance of being healed. In catharsis (one of the three brain
phases mentioned earlier), the brain-slate is temporarily wiped clean
and the new suggestion is accepted.
For some, the healing may be permanent. For many, it will last four
days to a week, which is, incidentally, how long a hypnotic suggestion
given to a somnambulistic subject will usually last. Even if the
healing doesn't last, if they come back every week, the power of
suggestion may continually override the problem . . . or sometimes,
sadly, it can mask a physical problem which could prove to be very
detrimental to the individual in the long run.
I'm not saying that legitimate healings do not take place. They do.
Maybe the individual was ready to let go of the negativity that caused
the problem in the first place; maybe it was the work of God. Yet I
contend that it can be explained with existing knowledge of brain/mind
function.
The techniques and staging will vary from church to church. Many
use "speaking in tongues" to generate catharsis in some while the
spectacle creates intense excitement in the observers.
The use of hypnotic techniques by religions is sophisticated, and
professionals are assuring that they become even more effective. A man
in Los Angeles is designing, building, and reworking a lot of churches
around the country. He tells ministers what they need and how to use
it. This man's track record indicates that the congregation and the
monetary income will double if the minister follows his instructions.
He admits that about 80 percent of his efforts are in the sound system
and lighting.
Powerful sound and the proper use of lighting are of primary
importance in inducing an altered state of consciousness--I've been
using them for years in my own seminars. However, my participants are
fully aware of the process and what they can expect as a result of
their participation.
Six Conversion Techniques
Cults and human-potential organizations are always looking for new
converts. To attain them, they must also create a brain-phase. And they
often need to do it within a short space of time--a weekend, or maybe
even a day. The following are the six primary techniques used to
generate the conversion. The meeting or training takes place in an
area where participants are cut off from the outside world. This may be
any place: a private home, a remote or rural setting, or even a hotel
ballroom where the participants are allowed only limited bathroom
usage. In human-potential trainings, the controllers will give a
lengthy talk about the importance of "keeping agreements" in life. The
participants are told that if they don't keep agreements, their life
will never work. It's a good idea to keep agreements, but the
controllers are subverting a positive human value for selfish purposes.
The participants vow to themselves and their trainer that they will
keep their agreements. Anyone who does not will be intimidated into
agreement or forced to leave. The next step is to agree to complete
training, thus assuring a high percentage of conversions for the
organizations. They will USUALLY have to agree not to take drugs,
smoke, and sometimes not to eat . . . or they are given such short
meal breaks that it creates tension. The real reason for the agreements
is to alter internal chemistry, which generates anxiety and hopefully
causes at least a slight malfunction of the nervous system, which in
turn increases the conversion potential.
Before the gathering is complete, the agreements will be used to
ensure that the new converts go out and find new participants. They are
intimidated into agreeing to do so before they leave. Since the
importance of keeping agreements is so high on their priority list, the
converts will twist the arms of everyone they know, attempting to talk
them into attending a free introductory session offered at a future
date by the organization. The new converts are zealots. In fact, the
inside term for merchandising the largest and most successful human-
potential training is, "sell it by zealot!"
At least a million people are graduates and a good percentage have
been left with a mental activation button that assures their future
loyalty and assistance if the guru figure or organization calls. Think
about the potential political implications of hundreds of thousands of
zealots programed to campaign for their guru.
Be wary of an organization of this type that offers follow-up
sessions after the seminar. Follow-up sessions might be weekly meetings
or inexpensive seminars given on a regular basis which the organization
will attempt to talk you into taking--or any regularly scheduled event
used to maintain control. As the early Christian revivalists found,
long-term control is dependent upon a good follow-up system.
Alright. Now, let's look at the second tip-off that indicates
conversion tactics are being used. A schedule is maintained that causes
physical and mental fatigue. This is primarily accomplished by long
hours in which the participants are given no opportunity for relaxation
or reflection.
The third tip-off: techniques used to increase the tension in the
room or environment.
Number four: Uncertainty. I could spend hours relating various
techniques to increase tension and generate uncertainty. Basically, the
participants are concerned about being "put on the spot" or encountered
by the trainers, guilt feelings are played upon, participants are
tempted to verbally relate their innermost secrets to the other
participants or forced to take part in activities that emphasize
removing their masks. One of the most successful human-potential
seminars forces the participants to stand on a stage in front of the
entire audience while being verbally attacked by the trainers. A public
opinion poll, conducted a few years ago, showed that the number one
most-fearful situation an individual could encounter is to speak to an
audience. It ranked above window washing outside the 85th floor of an
office building. So you can imagine the fear and tension this situation
generates within the participants. Many faint, but most cope with the
stress by mentally going away. They literally go into an alpha state,
which automatically makes them many times as suggestible as they
normally are. And another loop of the downward spiral into conversion
is successfully effected.
The fifth clue that conversion tactics are being used is the
introduction of jargon--new terms that have meaning only to the
"insiders" who participate. Vicious language is also frequently used,
purposely, to make participants uncomfortable.
The final tip-off is that there is no humor in the communications .
. . at least until the participants are converted. Then, merry-making
and humor are highly desirable as symbols of the new joy the
participants have supposedly "found."
I'm not saying that good does not result from participation in such
gatherings. It can and does. But I contend it is important for people
to know what has happened and to be aware that continual involvement
may not be in their best interest.
Over the years, I've conducted professional seminars to teach
people to be hypnotists, trainers, and counselors. I've had many of
those who conduct trainings and rallies come to me and say, "I'm here
because I know that what I'm doing works, but I don't know why." After
showing them how and why, many have gotten out of the business or have
decided to approach it differently or in a much more loving and
supportive manner.
Many of these trainers have become personal friends, and it scares
us all to have experienced the power of one person with a microphone
and a room full of people. Add a little charisma and you can count on a
high percentage of conversions. The sad truth is that a high percentage
of people want to give away their power--they are true "believers"!
Cult gatherings or human-potential trainings are an ideal
environment to observe first-hand what is technically called the
"Stockholm Syndrome." This is a situation in which those who are
intimidated, controlled, or made to suffer, begin to love, admire, and
even sometimes sexually desire their controllers or captors.
But let me inject a word of warning here: If you think you can
attend such gatherings and not be affected, you are probably wrong. A
perfect example is the case of a woman who went to Haiti on a
Guggenheim Fellowship to study Haitian Voodoo. In her report, she
related how the music eventually induced uncontrollable bodily movement
and an altered state of consciousness. Although she understood the
process and thought herself above it, when she began to feel herself
become vulnerable to the music, she attempted to fight it and turned
away. Anger or resistance almost always assures conversion. A few
moments later she was possessed by the music and began dancing in a
trance around the Voodoo meeting house. A brain phase had been induced
by the music and excitement, and she awoke feeling reborn. The only
hope of attending such gatherings without being affected is to be a
Buddha and allow no positive or negative emotions to surface. Few
people are capable of such detachment.
Before I go on, let's go back to the six tip-offs to conversion. I
want to mention the United States Government and military boot camp.
The Marine Corps talks about breaking men down before "rebuilding" them
as new men--as marines! Well, that is exactly what they do, the same
way a cult breaks its people down and rebuilds them as happy flower
sellers on your local street corner. Every one of the six conversion
techniques are used in boot camp. Considering the needs of the
military, I'm not making a judgement as to whether that is good
or bad. IT IS A FACT that the men are effectively brainwashed. Those
who won't submit must be discharged or spend much of their time in the
brig.
Decognition Process
Once the initial conversion is effected, cults, armed services, and
similar groups cannot have cynicism among their members. Members must
respond to commands and do as they are told, otherwise they are
dangerous to the organizational control. This is normally accomplished
in a three step Decognition Process.
Step One is ALERTNESS REDUCTION: The controllers cause the nervous
system to malfunction, making it difficult to distinguish between
fantasy and reality. This can be accomplished in several ways. POOR
DIET is one; watch out for Brownies and Koolaid. The sugar throws the
nervous system off. More subtle is the "SPIRITUAL DIET" used by many
cults. They eat only vegetables and fruits; without the grounding of
grains, nuts, seeds, dairy products, fish or meat, an individual
becomes mentally "spacey." INADEQUATE SLEEP is another primary way to
reduce alertness, especially when combined with long hours of work or
intense physical activity. Also, being bombarded with intense and
unique experiences achieves the same result.
Step Two is PROGRAMED CONFUSION: You are mentally assaulted while
your alertness is being reduced as in Step One. This is accomplished
with a deluge of new information, lectures, discussion groups,
encounters or one-to-one processing, which usually amounts to the
controller bombarding the individual with questions. During this phase
of decognition, reality and illusion often merge and perverted logic is
likely to be accepted.
Step Three is THOUGHT STOPPING: Techniques are used to cause the
mind to go "flat." These are altered-state-of-consciousness techniques
that initially induce calmness by giving the mind something simple to
deal with and focusing awareness. The continued use brings on a feeling
of elation and eventually hallucination. The result is the reduction of
thought and eventually, if used long enough, the cessation of all
thought and withdrawal from everyone and everything except that which
the controllers direct. The takeover is then complete. It is important
to be aware that when members or participants are instructed to use
"thought-stopping" techniques, they are told that they will benefit by
so doing: they will become "better soldiers" or "find enlightenment."
There are three primary techniques used for thought stopping. The
first is MARCHING: the thump, thump, thump beat literally generates
self-hypnosis and thus great susceptibility to suggestion.
The second thought stopping technique is MEDITATION. If you spend
an hour to an hour and a half a day in meditation, after a few weeks,
there is a great probability that you will not return to full beta
consciousness. You will remain in a fixed state of alpha for as long as
you continue to meditate. I'm not saying this is bad--if you do it
yourself. It may be very beneficial. But it is a fact that you are
causing your mind to go flat. I've worked with meditators on an EEG
machine and the results are conclusive: the more you meditate, the
flatter your mind becomes until, eventually and especially if used to
excess or in combination with decognition, all thought ceases. Some
spiritual groups see this as nirvana--which is bullshit. It is simply a
predictable physiological result. And if heaven on earth is non-
thinking and non-involvement, I really question why we are here.
The third thought-stopping technique is CHANTING, and often
chanting in meditation. "Speaking in tongues" could also be included in
this category.
All three-stopping techniques produce an altered state of
consciousness. This may be very good if YOU are controlling the
process, for you also control the input. I personally use at least one
self-hypnosis programming session every day and I know how beneficial
it is for me. But you need to know if you use these techniques to the
degree of remaining continually in alpha that, although you'll be very
mellow, you'll also be more suggestible.
True Believers & Mass Movements
Before ending this section on conversion, I want to talk about the
people who are most susceptible to it and about Mass Movements. I am
convinced that at least a third of the population is what Eric Hoffer
calls "true believers." They are joiners and followers . . . people who
want to give away their power. They look for answers, meaning, and
enlightenment outside themselves.
Hoffer, who wrote THE TRUE BELIEVER, a classic on mass movements,
says, "true believers are not intent on bolstering and advancing a
cherished self, but are those craving to be rid of unwanted self. They
are followers, not because of a desire for self-advancement, but
because it can satisfy their passion for self-renunciation!" Hoffer
also says that true believers "are eternally incomplete and eternally
insecure"!
I know this from my own experience. In my years of communicating
concepts and conducting trainings, I have run into them again and
again. All I can do is attempt to show them that the only thing to seek
is the True Self within. Their personal answers are to be found there
and there alone. I communicate that the basics of spirituality are
self-responsibility and self-actualization. But most of the true
believers just tell me that I'm not spiritual and go looking for
someone who will give them the dogma and structure they desire. Never
underestimate the potential danger of these people. They can easily be
molded into fanatics who will gladly work and die for their holy cause.
It is a substitute for their lost faith in themselves and offers them
as a substitute for individual hope. The Moral Majority is made up of
true believers. All cults are composed of true believers. You'll find
them in politics, churches, businesses, and social cause groups. They
are the fanatics in these organizations.
Mass Movements will usually have a charismatic leader. The
followers want to convert others to their way of living or impose a new
way of life--if necessary, by legislating laws forcing others to their
view, as evidenced by the activities of the Moral Majority. This means
enforcement by guns or punishment, for that is the bottomline in law
enforcement.
A common hatred, enemy, or devil is essential to the success of a
mass movement. The Born-Again Christians have Satan himself, but that
isn't enough--they've added the occult, the New Age thinkers and,
lately, all those who oppose their integration of church and politics,
as evidenced in their political reelection campaigns against those who
oppose their views. In revolutions, the devil is usually the ruling
power or aristocracy. Some human-potential movements are far too clever
to ask their graduates to join anything, thus labeling themselves as a
cult--but, if you look closely, you'll find that their devil is anyone
and everyone who hasn't taken their training. There are mass movements
without devils but they seldom attain major status. The True Believers
are mentally unbalanced or insecure people, or those without hope or
friends. People don't look for allies when they love, but they do when
they hate or become obsessed with a cause. And those who desire a new
life and a new order feel the old ways must be eliminated before the
new order can be built.
Persuasion Techniques
Persuasion isn't technically brainwashing but it is the
manipulation of the human mind by another individual, without the
manipulated party being aware what caused his opinion shift. I only
have time to very basically introduce you to a few of the thousands of
techniques in use today, but the basis of persuasion is always to
access your RIGHT BRAIN. The left half of your brain is analytical and
rational. The right side is creative and imaginative. That is overly
simplified but it makes my point. So, the idea is to distract the left
brain and keep it busy. Ideally, the persuader generates an eyes-open
altered state of consciousness, causing you to shift from beta
awareness into alpha; this can be measured on an EEG machine.
First, let me give you an example of distracting the left brain.
Politicians use these powerful techniques all the time; lawyers use
many variations which, I've been told, they call "tightening the
noose."
Assume for a moment that you are watching a politician give a
speech. First, he might generate what is called a "YES SET." These are
statements that will cause listeners to agree; they might even
unknowingly nod their heads in agreement. Next come the TRUISMS. These
are usually facts that could be debated but, once the politician has
his audience agreeing, the odds are in the politician's favor that the
audience won't stop to think for themselves, thus continuing to agree.
Last comes the SUGGESTION. This is what the politician wants you to do
and, since you have been agreeing all along, you could be persuaded to
accept the suggestion. Now, if you'll listen closely to my political
speech, you'll find that the first three are the "yes set," the next
three are truisms and the last is the suggestion.
"Ladies and gentlemen: are you angry about high food prices? Are
you tired of astronomical gas prices? Are you sick of out-of-control
inflation? Well, you know the Other Party allowed 18 percent inflation
last year; you know crime has increased 50 percent nationwide in the
last 12 months, and you know your paycheck hardly covers your expenses
any more. Well, the answer to resolving these problems is to elect me,
John Jones, to the U.S. Senate."
And I think you've heard all that before. But you might also watch
for what are called Imbedded Commands. As an example: On key words, the
speaker would make a gesture with his left hand, which research has
shown is more apt to access your right brain. Today's media-oriented
politicians and spellbinders are often carefully trained by a whole new
breed of specialist who are using every trick in the book--both old and
new--to manipulate you into accepting their candidate.
The concepts and techniques of Neuro-Linguistics are so heavily
protected that I found out the hard way that to even talk about them
publicly or in print results in threatened legal action. Yet Neuro-
Linguistic training is readily available to anyone willing to devote
the time and pay the price. It is some of the most subtle and powerful
manipulation I have yet been exposed to. A good friend who recently
attended a two-week seminar on Neuro-Linguistics found that many of
those she talked to during the breaks were government people.
Another technique that I'm just learning about is unbelievably
slippery; it is called an INTERSPERSAL TECHNIQUE and the idea is to say
one thing with words but plant a subconscious impression of something
else in the minds of the listeners and/or watchers.
Let me give you an example: Assume you are watching a television
commentator make the following statement: SENATOR JOHNSON is assisting
local authorities to clear up the stupid mistakes of companies
contributing to the nuclear waste problems." It sounds like a statement
of fact, but, if the speaker emphasizes the right word, and especially
if he makes the proper hand gestures on the key words, you could be
left with the subconscious impression that Senator Johnson is stupid.
That was the subliminal goal of the statement and the speaker cannot be
called to account for anything.
Persuasion techniques are also frequently used on a much smaller
scale with just as much effectiveness. The insurance salesman knows his
pitch is likely to be much more effective if he can get you to
visualize something in your mind. This is right-brain communication.
For instance, he might pause in his conversation, look slowly around
your livingroom and say, "Can you just imagine this beautiful home
burning to the ground?" Of course you can! It is one of your
unconscious fears and, when he forces you to visualize it, you are more
likely to be manipulated into signing his insurance policy.
The Hare Krishnas, operating in every airport, use what I call
SHOCK AND CONFUSION techniques to distract the left brain and
communicate directly with the right brain. While waiting for a plane, I
once watched one operate for over an hour. He had a technique of almost
jumping in front of someone. Initially, his voice was loud then
dropped as he made his pitch to take a book and contribute money to the
cause. Usually, when people are shocked, they immediately withdraw. In
this case they were shocked by the strange appearance, sudden
materialization and loud voice of the Hare Krishna devotee. In other
words, the people went into an alpha state for security because they
didn't want to confront the reality before them. In alpha, they were
highly suggestible so they responded to the suggestion of taking the
book; the moment they took the book, they felt guilty and responded to
the second suggestion: give money. We are all conditioned that if
someone gives us something, we have to give them something in return--
in that case, it was money. While watching this hustler, I was close
enough to notice that many of the people he stopped
exhibited an outward sign of alpha--their eyes were actually dilated.
Subliminal Programming
Subliminals are hidden suggestions that only your subconscious
perceives. They can be audio, hidden behind music, or visual,
airbrushed into a picture, flashed on a screen so fast that you don't
consciously see them, or cleverly incorporated into a picture or
design.
Most audio subliminal reprograming tapes offer verbal suggestions
recorded at a low volume. I question the efficacy of this technique--if
subliminals are not perceptible, they cannot be effective, and
subliminals recorded below the audible threshold are therefore useless.
The oldest audio subliminal technique uses a voice that follows the
volume of the music so subliminals are impossible to detect without a
parametric equalizer. But this technique is patented and, when I wanted
to develop my own line of subliminal audiocassettes, negotiations with
the patent holder proved to be unsatisfactory. My attorney obtained
copies of the patents which I gave to some talented Hollywood sound
engineers, asking them to create a new technique. They found a way to
psycho-acoustically modify and synthesize the suggestions so that they
are projected in the same chord and frequency as the music, thus giving
them the effect of being part of the music. But we found that in using
this technique, there is no way to reduce various frequencies to detect
the subliminals. In other words, although the suggestions are being
heard by the subconscious mind, they cannot be monitored with even the
most sophisticated equipment.
If we were able to come up with this technique as easily as we did,
I can only imagine how sophisticated the technology has become, with
unlimited government or advertising funding. And I shudder to think
about the propaganda and commercial manipulation that we are exposed to
on a daily basis. There is simply no way to know what is behind the
music you hear. It may even be possible to hide a second voice behind
the voice to which you are listening. The series by Wilson Bryan Key,
Ph.D., on subliminals in advertising and political campaigns well
documents the misuse in many areas, especially printed advertising in
newspapers, magazines, and posters.
The big question about subliminals is: do they work? And I
guarantee you they do. Not only from the response of those who have
used my tapes, but from the results of such programs as the subliminals
behind the music in department stores. Supposedly, the only message is
instructions to not steal: one East Coast department store chain
reported a 37 percent reduction in thefts in the first nine months of
testing.
A 1984 article in the technical newsletter, "Brain-Mind Bulletin,"
states that as much as 99 percent of our cognitive activity may be
"non-conscious," according to the director of the Laboratory for
Cognitive Psychophysiology at the University of Illinois. The lengthy
report ends with the statement, "these findings support the use of
subliminal approaches such as taped suggestions for weight loss and the
therapeutic use of hypnosis and Neuro-Linguistic Programming."
Mass Misuse
I could relate many stories that support subliminal programming,
but I'd rather use my time to make you aware of even more subtle uses
of such programming.
I have personally experienced sitting in a Los Angeles auditorium
with over ten thousand people who were gathered to listen to a current
charismatic figure. Twenty minutes after entering the auditorium, I
became aware that I was going in and out of an altered state. Those
accompanying me experienced the same thing. Since it is our business,
we were aware of what was happening, but those around us were not. By
careful observation, what appeared to be spontaneous demonstrations
were, in fact, artful manipulations. The only way I could figure that
the eyes-open trance had been induced was that a 6- to 7-cycle-per-
second vibration was being piped into the room behind the air
conditioner sound. That particular vibration generates alpha, which
would render the audience highly susceptible. Ten to 25 percent of the
population is capable of a somnambulistic level of altered states of
consciousness; for these people, the suggestions of the speaker, if
non-threatening, could potentially be accepted as "commands."
Vibrato
This leads to the mention of VIBRATO. Vibrato is the tremulous
effect imparted in some vocal or instrumental music, and the cyle-per-
second range causes people to go into an altered state of
consciousness. At one period of English history, singers whose voices
contained pronounced vibrato were not allowed to perform publicly
because listeners would go into an altered state and have fantasies,
often sexual in nature.
People who attend opera or enjoy listening to singers like Mario
Lanza are familiar with this altered state induced by the performers.
ELFs
Now, let's carry this awareness a little farther. There are also
inaudible ELFs (extra-low frequency waves). These are electromagnetic
in nature. One of the primary uses of ELFs is to communicate with our
submarines. Dr. Andrija Puharich, a highly respected researcher, in an
attempt to warn U.S. officials about Russian use of ELFs, set up an
experiment. Volunteers were wired so their brain waves could be
measured on an EEG. They were sealed in a metal room that could not be
penetrated by a normal signal.
Puharich then beamed ELF waves at the volunteers. ELFs go right
through the earth and, of course, right through metal walls. Those
inside couldn't know if the signal was or was not being sent. And
Puharich watched the reactions on the technical equipment: 30 percent
of those inside the room were taken over by the ELF signal in six to
ten seconds.
When I say "taken over," I mean that their behavior followed the
changes anticipated at very precise frequencies. Waves below 6 cycles
per second caused the subjects to become very emotionally upset, and
even disrupted bodily functions. At 8.2 cycles, they felt very high...
an elevated feeling, as though they had been in masterful meditation,
learned over a period of years. Eleven to 11.3 cycles induced waves of
depressed agitation leading to riotous behavior.
The Neurophone
Dr. Patrick Flanagan is a personal friend of mine. In the early
1960s, as a teenager, Pat was listed as one of the top scientists in
the world by "Life" magazine. Among his many inventions was a device he
called the Neurophone--an electronic instrument that can successfully
program suggestions directly through contact with the skin. When he
attempted to patent the device, the government demanded that he prove
it worked. When he did, the National Security Agency confiscated the
neurophone. It took Pat two years of legal battle to get his invention
back.
In using the device, you don't hear or see a thing; it is applied
to the skin, which Pat claims is the source of special senses. The skin
contains more sensors for heat, touch, pain, vibration, and electrical
fields than any other part of the human anatomy.
In one of his recent tests, Pat conducted two identical seminars
for a military audience--one seminar one night and one the next night,
because the size of the room was not large enough to accommodate all of
them at one time. When the first group proved to be very cool and
unwilling to respond, Patrick spent the next day making a special tape
to play at the second seminar. The tape instructed the audience to be
extremely warm and responsive and for their hands to become "tingly."
The tape was played through the neurophone, which was connected to a
wire he placed along the ceiling of the room. There were no speakers,
so no sound could be heard, yet the message was successfully
transmitted from that wire directly into the brains of the audience.
They were warm and receptive, their hands tingled and they responded,
according to programming, in other ways that I cannot mention here.
The more we find out about how human beings work through today's
highly advanced technological research, the more we learn to control
human beings. And what probably scares me the most is that the medium
for takeover is already in place! The television set in your livingroom
and bedroom is doing a lot more than just entertaining you.
Before I continue, let me point out something else about an altered
state of consciousness. When you go into an altered state, you transfer
into right brain, which results in the internal release of the body's
own opiates: enkephalins and Beta-endorphins, chemically almost
identical to opium. In other words, it feels good . . . and you want to
come back for more.
Recent tests by researcher Herbert Krugman showed that, while
viewers were watching TV, right-brain activity outnumbered left-brain
activity by a ratio of two to one. Put more simply, the viewers were in
an altered state . . . in trance more often than not. They were getting
their Beta-endorphin "fix."
To measure attention spans, psychophysiologist Thomas Mulholland of
the Veterans Hospital in Bedford, Massachusetts, attached young viewers
to an EEG machine that was wired to shut the TV set off whenever the
children's brains produced a majority of alpha waves. Although the
children were told to concentrate, only a few could keep the set on for
more than 30 seconds!
Most viewers are already hypnotized. To deepen the trance is easy.
One simple way is to place a blank, black frame every 32 frames in the
film that is being projected. This creates a 45-beat-per-minute
pulsation perceived only by the subconscious mind--the ideal pace to
generate deep hypnosis.
The commercials or suggestions presented following this alpha-
inducing broadcast are much more likely to be accepted by the viewer.
The high percentage of the viewing audience that has somnambulistic-
depth ability could very well accept the suggestions as commands--as
long as those commands did not ask the viewer to do something contrary
to his morals, religion, or self-preservation.
The medium for takeover is here. By the age of 16, children have
spent 10,000 to 15,000 hours watching television--that is more time
than they spend n school! In the average home, the TV set is on for six
hours and 44 minutes per day--an increase of nine minutes from last
year and three times the average rate of increase during the 1970s.
It obviously isn't getting better . . . we are rapidly moving into
an alpha-level world--very possibly the Orwellian world of "1984"--
placid, glassy-eyed, and responding obediently to instructions.
A research project by Jacob Jacoby, a Purdue University
psychologist, found that of 2,700 people tested, 90 percent
misunderstood even such simple viewing fare as commercials and "Barnaby
Jones." Only minutes after watching, the typical viewer missed 23 to 36
percent of the questions about what he or she had seen. Of course they
did--they were going in and out of trance! If you go into a deep
trance, you must be instructed to remember--otherwise you automatically
forget.
I have just touched the tip of the iceberg. When you start to
combine subliminal messages behind the music, subliminal visuals
projected on the screen, hypnotically produced visual effects,
sustained musical beats at a trance-inducing pace . . . you have
extremely effective brainwashing. Every hour that you spend watching
the TV set you become more conditioned. And, in case you thought there
was a law against any of these things, guess again. There isn't! There
are a lot of powerful people who obviously prefer things exactly the
way they are. Maybe they have plans for us?
______________________________________________________________________________
Everyone intelligent knows and understands that I am completely and utterly
unable to speak for Digital in matters of personal conviction.
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"All ages before ours believed in gods of some form or other. Only an
unparalleled impoverishment in symbolism could enable us to rediscover
the gods as psychic factors, which is to say, as archetypes of the
unconscious. No doubt this discovery is hardly credible as yet."
_The_Intergration_of_the_Personality_
Carl Gustav Jung, (1939)
