[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference hydra::dejavu

Title:Psychic Phenomena
Notice:Please read note 1.0-1.* before writing
Moderator:JARETH::PAINTER
Created:Wed Jan 22 1986
Last Modified:Tue May 27 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2143
Total number of notes:41773

274.0. "Question" by SNICKR::SSMITH () Mon Jan 05 1987 15:28

    I have seen many references here about the House of Zodiac, Shoppers
    World, Framinghan. Most, if not all, are good.
    
    I was in there not too long ago, and was looking at cassette tapes
    with subliminal messages of all sorts. Has anyone ever tried these,
    or know of anyone who has, and if so, what is your opinion?????
    
    
    Steve
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
274.1I've tried themMSTIME::RABKEMon Jan 05 1987 16:1922
    
    
    Being the compulsive eater that I tend to be, I tried one of Steve
    Halpren's  dieting tapes.  I have partially succes with it.  It
    does help me eat less, reduces the stress so I was not reacting
    to that but I had to play it when I first got home & sometimes again
    in the evening.  I have a friend that used the same tape and had
    more success with it.
    
    I've tried several types of tapes, guided visualizaton, hypnotherapy,
    and this.  I would plase this after the two other types.  The only
    benefit over the other two is that I can listen to it while I do
    another quiet activity - exercise, do dishes, etc.

    One thing that you may want to check is the text of the messages
    & make sure that they are ones that you want to hear.  I am NOT
    saying that you can be programmed to do something you don't want
    to do by these tapes.  But it made it more meaningful to me to be
    able to repeat the messages during the day (like affirmations).
    
    
    Jayna
274.2AnswerINK::KALLISSupport Hallowe'enMon Jan 05 1987 16:2317
    You're actually asking two questions: one on subliminals; one on
    those sold at House of Zodiac.
    
    I've tried a subliminal with some success; I got it from Sutphin's
    outfit rather than HOZ, though.  Those that were available from
    HOZ use "natural sounds" (such as surf breaking) to mask the
    subliminals; the one I used had music as the mask.  I think it's
    easier to listen to music than, say, to ocean noises.  My wife tried a
    surf-breaking one designed to help stop smoking.  She got bored
    after 5 minutes, so the investment went down the tubes.
    
    Note: _Ethical_ sublimimal publishers will supply you with a listing
    of the subliminal messages (sometimes is a sealed enverl ope for
    later perusal).  I'd be very suspicious of using a subliminal; without
    such a listing available.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr,
274.4EFFECTIVE?GRECO::MISTOVICHTue Jan 06 1987 15:345
274.5Knowing and becomingPBSVAX::COOPERTopher CooperTue Jan 06 1987 16:0742
    Some subliminals seem to work well for some people some of the time.
    Nobody really known why one works and another fails, or why one
    works for one person and not for another, or why it will work sometimes
    for someone but not at othertimes for the same person.
    
    Much of the experimental literature on subliminals concerns
    non-specific messages added to other forms of therapy.  By far the
    most commonly used, for historical reasons, is "Mommy and I are
    One".  Many experiments show better "outcomes" for various therapies,
    including stress reduction and habit-breaking, when there are sessions
    which present this message.  On the other hand other very similar
    experiments have failed to show any effect at all.
    
    My impression is that the concensus among psychologists who "believe"
    in the potential of subliminals is that knowledge of the message
    is irrelevant.  I suspect that the situation is similar to hypnosis.
    In my experience, the effect of whether or not the "subject"
    consciously remembers a post-hypnotic suggestion is:
    
    	1) For a "long-term" post-hypnotic suggestion, which is what
    	   is theraputically useful, amnesia makes the "start-up" of
    	   the suggestion a bit smoother.
    
    	2) In the long term, however, it makes no difference.
    
    	3) For a "short-term" post-hypnotic suggestion, something which
    	   will set up "cognitive disonance" amnesia can be quite helpful,
    	   but won't make the suggestion last significantly longer.
    
    In other words, knowing the "suggestion", whether hypnotic or
    subliminal probably doesn't make a lot of difference in the long
    term outcome of anything which is going to "work" anyway.  Bad messages
    will be rejected in the long term but may cause some stress and
    discomfort in the short term -- unless they reinforce a bad habit
    you already have.  A suggestion that you "drink like a fish" might
    have bad consequences to an alchoholic but would have only a short
    term effect, at most, on a non-alchoholic.  Overall, I would say
    that you should make sure that someone you trust knows what's on
    the tape.  If you check it yourself, I doubt if it will make any
    difference in the long term.
    
    				Topher