Jose Silva Method

You have probably noticed that lots of this hypnosis stuff has been around by the different names. One of the early systems of self-improvement (I guess we can call it that) is known as Jose Silva method. You can check out the book from the public library.

I must say it is a very good introduction to the subject (that is to say, part 1 is), much better than oversimplified Shakti Gavain’s Creative Visualization The latter one is not bad by all means but it lacks in-depth explanation of things. Silva method is the system that promotes the use of imaginary mental screen and visualizing the situation the way you want it to be. The book is rather old but it is better written than all these new-age books with their almost always present religious overtones of varying degree and simplistic instructions.

Here is the example from the book that describes how to put yourself in an alpha state. Alpha state is the state that you reach in meditation. It is not too deep but it is deeper that out everyday beta state. This technique claims to put you in alpha on your very first try. So here goes.

Sit in a comfortable posture (yoga asana if you can), relax. Start counting from 100 to 1. That’s it! By the time you reach 1 you should be in alpha. If you don’t feel any different (like I didn’t) it means that you’ve been in alpha state before. What did you expect, anyway? It’s not Samadhi we are talking about, just an alpha state that is being calmer than usual. And yes, I’ll bet you a dollar that you have been in alpha before. Repeat for 10 days. Then count from 50 to 1 for another 10 days. Then from 10 to one and finally from 5 to 1.

From NLP point of view you have created an anchor: now every time you count from 5 to 1 you are in alpha. You have also engaged you conscious mind in some meaningless activity: enough to keep it busy and “release” you unconscious mind from its tight grip. Give it a try.

Anchoring

Anchoring is a very interesting subject within NLP field. The idea is to link certain feelings to certain gestures or objects. We do it all the time unconsciously. Lots of people start thinking of a certain thing when they hear a particular song. A fragrance can trigger some event. Even a taste (remember Ratatouille?) Some people throw the old letters which remind them of the relationships they would rather forget about.

Anchoring is used in a dog training. There is a Columbo movie where a murder is committed on phone by persuading a victim to pronounce a certain phrase in a loud voice. The victim did not know that the dogs who were in the house were trained to kill when they heard that phrase. Lieutenant Columbo of course figured that out and had the dogs retrain so they would “kiss” instead of kill when they heard that phrase again. In the end the murderer is found out and he pronounces the phrase with the intention of killing Columbo. But of course to his great surprise the dogs kiss him instead. Great movie, one of my favourites in Columbo series.

Come to think of it we are not much better than dogs. Certain objects, fragrances, sounds and touches—sensations are linked to feelings. Unfortunately, just like with Columbo dogs it is impossible to get rid of the associations completely but we can link it to other feeling in order to weaken or neutralize the feeling we don’t want to experience anymore. We can use the swish pattern for this (imagine the action associated with the feeling that you want and swish the old one that you want to get rid of).

Anchoring can be very sneaky. I recommend that you use it only for good purposes and in order to help yourself. Here is the quick technique of anchoring:

Whenever you feel really good, make a certain gesture like put your thumb and middle finger together. After a while just performing this gesture will make you feel good.

Fears and Phobias

NLP has been successfully used in curing fears and phobias. Again, the idea here is that these fears are the result of unconscious programming that took place years ago before you started thinking critically. Fears are learnt behavior and as such can be banished and replaced by desired feelings.

One can use a swish pattern to get rid of a phobia. For example, if you have fear of spiders, imagine a spider on you mental screen. Make it as big as you can stand it without fainting. Now imagine that this spider is getting smaller and getting farther from you. Now make the picture look silly. For example, imagine a spider wearing a party hat and a walking stick. Now is this scary? Think about spiders in this way.

The Swish Pattern

The visual swish is another popular technique used in NLP. It also involves the use of the mental screen. It is used to change your feelings about something you don’t like.

You start by looking at the imaginary movie screen and seeing yourself just like it’s somebody else. See yourself doing something you don’t like and feel the feeling you want to get rid of.

Now imagine something you like and feel the way you want to feel.

Start with the old image big and bright and a new image as a small dark square in the corner of the old one.

Perform the swish—quickly expand and brighten the new image while simultaneously shrinking and darkening the old image. Do it quickly. Perform several times.

Another variant of the swish pattern is to imagine someone you don’t like (your boss, for example). Watch them for a little while. Now imagine them wearing a clown suit. Add little horns and moustache. Instead of hearing them speaking imagine that they speak in a squeaky voice that makes people laugh. Make the image silly and you’ll notice that you can’t help smiling. Repeat as needed.

NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming)

This is a fairly new field that has vast possibilities in social interaction. The idea is that our brain functions like a biological computer and our beliefs are programmed in the very early childhood. Some traumatic event long forgotten might have more impact on your life than your conscious realization of your strengths and weaknesses.

It does not mean, however, that we can’t use our conscious mind to change our behavior. In fact, that is what NLP is all about. Here is the basic procedure of a new behavior generator to give you an idea. Feel free to adjust it to any situation.

Suppose you suffer from shyness and would like to develop more self-confidence. Think of someone who, in your opinion, has ultimate (or at least to a degree you want) self confidence. Think James Bond, for example or Arnold Schwarzenegger or it can be your uncle. It does not matter who as long as that person possesses the quality you want to develop.

Now imagine the situation where that person uses that quality. Your might think of it as watching a mental movie. Imagine the situation in vivid detail, as clear as possible.

Now is the crucial step. While you are watching this mental picture, change James Bond (or whoever you imagine) into yourself. Continue to experience the scene in all the colourful details.

Now change the focus from the third person to the first person perspective. Now it is you who is dealing so marvelously with the situation. It is actually you who possesses the superb self-confidence (or whatever quality you want to develop).

This technique is known as creative visualization. You visualize situation and yourself in it the way you want it to happen. If done frequently enough and with enough intensity and feeling, you should notice results quickly, like within 3-4 weeks. Don’t give up if you don’t succeed on the first try, approach to it as a game, with relaxed frame of mind. You have nothing to lose but a lot to gain.