Hypnosis cures past life phobia. Smoking? Not so much.

April 7, 2007

I just finished reading this article on a man who went to see a hypnotherapist to quit smoking. Before the session, the man mentions that he develops some type of rash around his neck whenever he wears a necklace. While he believes it to be nothing more than an allergic reaction, the therapist suggests they try past life regression. Lo and behold it turns out that the man spent a past life as a ruffian (and braggart I’ll wager) who clubbed someone over the head, took their money and was subsequently hanged for it. I guess after a few reincarnated lifetimes, he’s still feels a bit dodgy about wearing anything resembling a six-coil necklace.

The guy in question says that the rash hasn’t returned since his regression with the therapist and that he’s really become a “believer” after a lifetime of skepticism regarding the supernatural. Ironically, though, he’s not been able to quit smoking. I don’t know if that’s his subconscious playing “pick your battles” or what, but I think its hysterical. Not that I think hypnosis failed in this regard, I just think smoking is one of those things that you’ve really got to quit yourself, no one can quit it for you. Still, this is like the therapeutic equivalent of taking your car into a garage to have a broken tail light fixed and getting back a car with a brand new engine, drive train, and paint job. But that tail light…there’s just nothing we can do about that.

Subliminals DO Impact the Brain

April 2, 2007

Subliminals are a much-loved facet of the mc fetish and often a topic of scientific debate. When most people hear the word “Subliminal”, they think of the famous “Eat Popcorn/Drink Coke” experiment (a topic of much debate itself) or perhaps Tyler Durden’s “enhancement” of family cinema in Fight Club. While some question the ability of subliminal messages to influence behavior, the practice of utilizing submliminals in advertising is banned in the United Kingdom (though still permitted in the U.S.). Obviously, somebody across the pond thinks subliminals work, or are perhaps just erring on the side of caution. In any event, a new study released by University College London claims that they have found “the first physiological evidence that invisible subliminal images do attract the brain’s attention on a subconscious level.” The study’s findings indicate that the brain does, in fact, recognize and process images that the conscious mind isn’t “aware of and can’t ever become aware of.”

However this study does not address whether or not those same images or messages will have any affect on behavior. Dr Bahador Bahrami, of the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and the UCL Department of Psychology, said: “I believe that it’s likely that subliminal advertising may affect our decisions – but that is just speculation at this point.” The study suggests that the brain is only able to process these subliminal images if its full attention is not already focused elsewhere. In a situation where research subjects were engaged in an activity which required greater concentration, the brain ignored the subliminal information being displayed.

Beyond my fetish-related interest in these types of stories (they can be great inspiration to start a new manip project), I find myself genuinely fascinated by the study of the human mind. To understand one’s own nature is a fundamental goal that we all spend a significant amount of our lives pursuing. I, for one, am intrigued by any advancement of knowledge where our own self-understanding is concerned.