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Original Title The Battle for Your Mind Persuasion and Brainwashing Techniques Being Used On The Public Today
1. Introduction
2. The Birth of Conversion: Brainwashing in Christian Revivalism in 1735.
3. The Three Brain Phases: The Pavlovian Explanation
4. How Revivalist Preachers Work
5. The "Voice Roll" Technique
6. The Build-up Process.: Inducing Altered States
7. Assured Continuation: Fleecing the Flock
8. Bonding by Fear and Suggestion
9. Testimony: Creating Community Spirit
10. Miracles
11. The Grey Area of Legitimacy
12. A Game in Which the Rules Keep Changing
13. Six Conversion Techniques
14. Isolation Intimidation, Deprivation and Indoctrination.
15. The "Sell It By Zealot" Technique.
16. Wearing Down Resistance
17. Increasing Tension
18. Introducing Uncertainty About IdentityJargon
19. Lack of Humor: No Release, No Resistance
20. Not Always a Bad Thing
21. Cults: A Captive Course in Stockholm Syndrome
22. The Only Hope of Immunity
23. The US Marines as a Brainwashing Cult
24. Steps in the Decognition Process
25. Alertness reduction
26. Programmed Confusion
27. Thought Stopping
28. Thought Stopping Techniques.
29. Marching
30. Meditation
31. Chanting
32. True believers and mass movements.
33. Persuasion techniques:
34. "Yes Set"
35. Embedded Commands
36. The Power of NLP
37. Interspersal Technique
38. Practical Examples
3 9. Shock and Confusion
40. Subliminal Programming
41. Does Subliminal Programming Work?
42. Mass Misuse of Subliminal Programming
43. Vibrato
44. Extra-low Frequency Vibrations (ELFs)
45. The Neurophone
46. Technological Tools for Mass Manipulation
47. In Closing...
Introduction
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:
Brainwashing in Christian Revivalism in 1735.
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 Pavlovian Explanation
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 towork on the emotions of an individual or
group until they reach an abnormal level of anger, fear, exitement, 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, programmed 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."
The "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.
The Build-up Process: Inducing Altered States
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.
Assured Continuation: Fleecing the Flock
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.
Bonding by Fear and Suggestion
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.
Testimony: Creating Community Spirit
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.
Miracles
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.
The Grey Area of Legitimacy
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.
A Game in Which the Rules Keep Changing
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 consciousnes--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.
Isolation Intimidation, Deprivation and Indoctrination
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.
The "Sell It By Zealot" Technique
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
programmed 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.
Wearing Down Resistance
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.
Increasing Tension
The third tip-off: techniques used to increase the tension
in the room or environment.
Introducing Uncertainty About Identity
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.
Jargon
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.
Lack of Humor: No Release, No Resistance
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."
Not Always a Bad Thing
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"!
Cults: A Captive Course in Stockholm Syndrome
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 Immunity
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.
The US Marines as a Brainwashing Cult
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.
Steps in the 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 as a three-step ˜
Decognition Process.
Alertness reduction
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.
Programmed Confusion
Step Two is programmed 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.
Thought Stopping
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."
Thought Stopping Techniques
Marching
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.
Meditation
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.
Chanting
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 and 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.
"Yes Set"
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."
Embedded Commands
And I think you've heard all that before. But you might also watch
for what are called embedded 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 Power of NLP
The concepts and techniques of Neuro-Linguistics [Programming]
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.
Interspersal Technique
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.
Practical Examples
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 [E.g. generates
emotions]. 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.
Shock and Confusion
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 reprogramming 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 of Subliminal Programming
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.
Extra-low Frequency Vibrations (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.
[note from Ken Adachi:: Joe
Vialls reported that the CIA and Air Force employed this technique using
large dish transmitters beaming down from the back cargo ramps of C135 cargo
planes to incite opposing tribal factions in Rwanda to become enraged and
engage in mindless slaughter and barbarism]
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 programm
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.
Technological Tools for Mass Manipulation
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.
In Closing
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...?
Modified for WWW distribution May 27/95 by Dynamic Living
Media
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