THE BATTLE FOR YOUR MIND, by Dick Sutphen — 22.2 KB
\nPersuasion & Brainwashing Techniques Being Used On The Public Today<\/p>\n
SUMMARY OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n
The Birth of Conversion\/Brainwashing in Christian Revivalism in 1735. The
\nPavlovian explanation of the three brain phases. Born-again preachers:
\nStep-by-Step, how they conduct a revival and the expected physiological
\nresults. The “voice roll” technique used by preachers, lawyers and hypnotists.
\nNew trance-inducing churches. The 6 steps to conversion. The decognition
\nprocess. Thought-stopping techniques. The “sell it by zealot” technique. True
\nbelievers and mass movements. Persuasion techniques: “Yes set,” “Imbedded
\nCommands,” “Shock and Confusion,” and the “Interspersal Technique.”
\nSubliminals. Vibrato and ELF waves. Inducing trance with vibrational sound.
\nEven professional observers will be “possessed” at charismatic gatherings. The
\n“only hope” technique to attend and not be converted. Non-detectable
\nNeurophone programming through the skin. The medium for mass take-over.<\/p>\n
I’m Dick Sutphen and this tape is a studio-recorded, expanded version of a
\ntalk I delivered at the World Congress of Professional Hypnotists Convention
\nin Las Vegas, Nevada. Although the tape carries a copyright to protect it from
\nunlawful duplication for sale by other companies, in this case, I invite
\nindividuals to make copies and give them to friends or anyone in a position to
\ncommunicate this information.
\n Although I’ve been interviewed about the subject on many local and
\nregional radio and TV talk shows, large-scale mass communication appears to be
\nblocked, since it could result in suspicion or investigation of the very media
\npresenting it or the sponsors that support the media. Some government agencies
\ndo not want this information generally known. Nor do the Born-Again Christian
\nmovement, cults, and many human-potential trainings.
\n Everything I will relate only exposes the surface of the problem. I don’t
\nknow how the misuse of these techniques can be stopped. I don’t think it is
\npossible to legislate against that which often cannot be detected; and if
\nthose who legislate are using these techniques, there is little hope of
\naffecting laws to govern usage. I do know that the first step to initiate
\nchange is to generate interest. In this case, that will probably only result
\nfrom an underground effort.
\n In talking about this subject, I am talking about my own business. I know
\nit, and I know how effective it can be. I produce hypnosis and subliminal
\ntapes and, in some of my seminars, I use conversion tactics to assist
\nparticipants to become independent and self-sufficient. But, anytime I use
\nthese techniques, I point out that I am using them, and those attending have a
\nchoice to participate or not. They also know what the desired result of
\nparticipation will be.
\n So, to begin, I want to state the most basic of all facts about
\nbrainwashing: IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF MAN, NO ONE HAS EVER BEEN BRAINWASHED
\nAND REALIZED, OR BELIEVED, THAT HE HAD BEEN BRAINWASHED. Those who have been
\nbrainwashed will usually passionately defend their manipulators, claiming they
\nhave simply been “shown the light” . . . or have been transformed in
\nmiraculous ways.<\/p>\n
The Birth of Conversion<\/p>\n
CONVERSION is a “nice” word for BRAINWASHING . . . and any study of
\nbrainwashing has to begin with a study of Christian revivalism in eighteenth
\ncentury America. Apparently, Jonathan Edwards accidentally discovered the
\ntechniques during a religious crusade in 1735 in Northampton, Massachusetts.
\nBy inducing guilt and acute apprehension and by increasing the tension, the
\n“sinners” attending his revival meetings would break down and completely
\nsubmit. Technically, what Edwards was doing was creating conditions that wipe
\nthe brain slate clean so that the mind accepts new programming. The problem
\nwas that the new input was negative. He would tell them, “You’re a sinner!
\nYou’re destined for hell!”
\n As a result, one person committed suicide and another attempted suicide.
\nAnd the neighbors of the suicidal converts related that they, too, were
\naffected so deeply that, although they had found “eternal salvation,” they
\nwere obsessed with a diabolical temptation to end their own lives.
\n Once a preacher, cult leader, manipulator or authority figure creates the
\nbrain phase to wipe the brain-slate clean, his subjects are wide open. New
\ninput, in the form of suggestion, can be substituted for their previous ideas.
\nBecause Edwards didn’t turn his message positive until the end of the revival,
\nmany accepted the negative suggestions and acted, or desired to act, upon
\nthem.
\n Charles J. Finney was another Christian revivalist who used the same
\ntechniques four years later in mass religious conversions in New York. The
\ntechniques are still being used today by Christian revivalists, cults,
\nhuman-potential trainings, some business rallies, and the United States Armed
\nServices . . . to name just a few.
\n Let me point out here that I don’t think most revivalist preachers realize
\nor know they are using brainwashing techniques. Edwards simply stumbled upon a
\ntechnique that really worked, and others copied it and have continued to copy
\nit for over two hundred years. And the more sophisticated our knowledge and
\ntechnology become, the more effective the conversion. I feel strongly that
\nthis is one of the major reasons for the increasing rise in Christian
\nfundamentalism, especially the televised variety, while most of the orthodox
\nreligions are declining.<\/p>\n
The Three Brain Phases<\/p>\n
The Christians may have been the first to successfully formulate
\nbrainwashing, but we have to look to Pavlov, the Russian scientist, for a
\ntechnical explanation. In the early 1900s, his work with animals opened the
\ndoor to further investigations with humans. After the revolution in Russia,
\nLenin was quick to see the potential of applying Pavlov’s research to his own
\nends.
\n Three distinct and progressive states of transmarginal inhibition were
\nidentified by Pavlov. The first is the EQUIVALENT phase, in which the brain
\ngives the same response to both strong and weak stimuli. The second is the
\nPARADOXICAL phase, in which the brain responds more actively to weak stimuli
\nthan to strong. And the third is the ULTRA-PARADOXICAL phase, in which
\nconditioned responses and behavior patterns turn from positive to negative or
\nfrom negative to positive.
\n With the progression through each phase, the degree of conversion becomes
\nmore effective and complete. The way to achieve conversion are many and
\nvaried, but the usual first step in religious or political brainwashing is to
\nwork on the emotions of an individual or group until they reach an abnormal
\nlevel of anger, fear, exitement, or nervous tension.
\n The progressive result of this mental condition is to impair judgement and
\nincrease suggestibility. The more this condition can be maintained or
\nintensified, the more it compounds. Once catharsis, or the first brain phase,
\nis reached, the complete mental takeover becomes easier. Existing mental
\nprogramming can be replaced with new patterns of thinking and behavior.
\n Other often-used physiological weapons to modify normal brain functions
\nare fasting, radical or high sugar diets, physical discomforts, regulation of
\nbreathing, mantra chanting in meditation, the disclosure of awesome mysteries,
\nspecial lighting and sound effects, programmed response to incense, or
\nintoxicating drugs.
\n The same results can be obtained in contemporary psychiatric treatment by
\nelectric shock treatments and even by purposely lowering a person’s blood
\nsugar level with insulin injections.
\n Before I talk about exactly how some of the techniques are applied, I want
\nto point out that hypnosis and conversion tactics are two distinctly different
\nthings–and that conversion techniques are far more powerful. However, the two
\nare often mixed . . . with powerful results.<\/p>\n
How Revivalist Preachers Work<\/p>\n
If you’d like to see a revivalist preacher at work, there are probably
\nseveral in your city. Go to the church or tent early and sit in the rear,
\nabout three-quarters of the way back. Most likely repetitive music will be
\nplayed while the people come in for the service. A repetitive beat, ideally
\nranging from 45 to 72 beats per minute (a rhythm close to the beat of the
\nhuman heart), is very hypnotic and can generate an eyes-open altered state of
\nconsciousness in a very high percentage of people. And, once you are in an
\nalpha state, you are at least 25 times as suggestible as you would be in full
\nbeta consciousness. The music is probably the same for every service, or
\nincorporates the same beat, and many of the people will go into an altered
\nstate almost immediately upon entering the sanctuary. Subconsciously, they
\nrecall their state of mind from previous services and respond according to the
\npost-hypnotic programming.
\n Watch the people waiting for the service to begin. Many will exhibit
\nexternal signs of trance–body relaxation and slightly dilated eyes. Often,
\nthey begin swaying back and forth with their hands in the air while sitting in
\ntheir chairs. Next, the assistant pastor will probably come out. He usually
\nspeaks with a pretty good “voice roll.”<\/p>\n
Voice Roll Technique<\/p>\n
A “voice roll” is a patterned, paced style used by hypnotists when
\ninducing a trance. It is also used by many lawyers, several of whom are highly
\ntrained hypnotists, when they desire to entrench a point firmly in the minds
\nof the jurors. A voice roll can sound as if the speaker were talking to the
\nbeat of a metronome or it may sound as though he were emphasizing every word
\nin a monotonous, patterned style. The words will usually be delivered at the
\nrate of 45 to 60 beats per minute, maximizing the hypnotic effect.
\n Now the assistant pastor begins the “build-up” process. He induces an
\naltered state of consciousness and\/or begins to generate the excitement and
\nthe expectations of the audience. Next, a group of young women in “sweet and
\npure” chiffon dresses might come out to sing a song. Gospel songs are great
\nfor building excitement and INVOLVEMENT. In the middle of the song, one of the
\ngirls might be “smitten by the spirit” and fall down or react as if possessed
\nby the Holy Spirit. This very effectively increases the intensity in the room.
\nAt this point, hypnosis and conversion tactics are being mixed. And the result
\nis the audience’s attention span is now totally focused upon the communication
\nwhile the environment becomes more exciting or tense.
\n Right about this time, when an eyes-open mass-induced alpha mental state
\nhas been achieved, they will usually pass the collection plate or basket. In
\nthe background, a 45-beat-per-minute voice roll from the assistant preacher
\nmight exhort, “Give to God . . . Give to God . . . Give to God . . .” And the
\naudience does give. God may not get the money, but his already wealthy
\nrepresentative will.
\n Next, the fire-and-brimstone preacher will come out. He induces fear and
\nincreases the tension by talking about “the devil,” “going to hell,” or the
\nforthcoming Armegeddon.
\n In the last such rally I attended, the preacher talked about the blood
\nthat would soon be running out of every faucet in the land. He was also
\nobsessed with a “bloody axe of God,” which everyone had seen hanging above the
\npulpit the previous week. I have no doubt that everyone saw it–the power of
\nsuggestion given to hundreds of people in hypnosis assures that at least 10 to
\n25 percent would see whatever he suggested they see.
\n In most revivalist gatherings, “testifying” or “witnessing” usually
\nfollows the fear-based sermon. People from the audience come up on stage and
\nrelate their stories. “I was crippled and now I can walk!” “I had arthritis
\nand now it’s gone!” It is a psychological manipulation that works. After
\nlistening to numerous case histories of miraculous healings, the average guy
\nin the audience with a minor problem is sure he can be healed. The room is
\ncharged with fear, guilt, intense excitement, and expectations.
\n Now those who want to be healed are frequently lined up around the edge of
\nthe room, or they are told to come down to the front. The preacher might touch
\nthem on the head firmly and scream, “Be healed!” This releases the psychic
\nenergy and, for many, catharsis results. Catharsis is a purging of repressed
\nemotions. Individuals might cry, fall down or even go into spasms. And if
\ncatharsis is effected, they stand a chance of being healed. In catharsis (one
\nof the three brain phases mentioned earlier), the brain-slate is temporarily
\nwiped clean and the new suggestion is accepted.
\n For some, the healing may be permanent. For many, it will last four days
\nto a week, which is, incidentally, how long a hypnotic suggestion given to a
\nsomnambulistic subject will usually last. Even if the healing doesn’t last, if
\nthey come back every week, the power of suggestion may continually override
\nthe problem . . . or sometimes, sadly, it can mask a physical problem which
\ncould prove to be very detrimental to the individual in the long run.
\n I’m not saying that legitimate healings do not take place. They do. Maybe
\nthe individual was ready to let go of the negativity that caused the problem
\nin the first place; maybe it was the work of God. Yet I contend that it can be
\nexplained with existing knowledge of brain\/mind function.
\n The techniques and staging will vary from church to church. Many use
\n“speaking in tongues” to generate catharsis in some while the spectacle
\ncreates intense excitement in the observers.
\n The use of hypnotic techniques by religions is sophisticated, and
\nprofessionals are assuring that they become even more effective. A man in Los
\nAngeles is designing, building, and reworking a lot of churches around the
\ncountry. He tells ministers what they need and how to use it. This man’s track
\nrecord indicates that the congregation and the monetary income will double if
\nthe minister follows his instructions. He admits that about 80 percent of his
\nefforts are in the sound system and lighting.
\n Powerful sound and the proper use of lighting are of primary importance in
\ninducing an altered state of consciousnes–I’ve been using them for years in
\nmy own seminars. However, my participants are fully aware of the process and
\nwhat they can expect as a result of their participation.<\/p>\n
Six Conversion Techniques<\/p>\n
Cults and human-potential organizations are always looking for new
\nconverts. To attain them, they must also create a brain-phase. And they often
\nneed to do it within a short space of time–a weekend, or maybe even a day.
\nThe following are the six primary techniques used to generate the conversion.
\n The meeting or training takes place in an area where participants are cut
\noff from the outside world. This may be any place: a private home, a remote or
\nrural setting, or even a hotel ballroom where the participants are allowed
\nonly limited bathroom usage. In human-potential trainings, the controllers
\nwill give a lengthy talk about the importance of “keeping agreements” in life.
\nThe participants are told that if they don’t keep agreements, their life will
\nnever work. It’s a good idea to keep agreements, but the controllers are
\nsubverting a positive human value for selfish purposes. The participants vow
\nto themselves and their trainer that they will keep their agreements. Anyone
\nwho does not will be intimidated into agreement or forced to leave. The next
\nstep is to agree to complete training, thus assuring a high percentage of
\nconversions for the organizations. They will USUALLY have to agree not to take
\ndrugs, smoke, and sometimes not to eat . . . or they are given such short meal
\nbreaks that it creates tension. The real reason for the agreements is to alter
\ninternal chemistry, which generates anxiety and hopefully causes at least a
\nslight malfunction of the nervous system, which in turn increases the
\nconversion potential.
\n Before the gathering is complete, the agreements will be used to ensure
\nthat the new converts go out and find new participants. They are intimidated<\/p>\n
