At first glance, many people associate the idea of the subliminal message with advertising. The advertiser has a secretive, almost brainwashing ploy to lure consumers into purchasing its products by including hidden images within its visual advertising. It appears so briefly that the consumer barely notices it, but it is registered by the brain and stored there, so that suggestively, the consumer's thinking is influenced and they desire the product. But is this an accurate representation of the meaning of the subliminal message, or the only way in which it can be used? A subliminal message is one that is encoded in another medium, such as visual or audio and is designed not to be registered by the conscious mind but rather affect the unconscious mind, with the power to influence thoughts, emotion, and behaviour. The word subliminal actually comes from the words 'sub', meaning 'under' and 'limen', meaning threshold. A subliminal message passes beneath the sensory threshold of the human mind. Historically, subliminal messages became recognised as a threat in the 1950's, when American market researcher James Vicary developed the term subliminal advertising, claiming that film viewers could be influenced to purchase Cola and Popcorn through images flashed on the cinema screen. It was later shown that Vicary lied about the results of the experiment - however, the practice of subliminal advertising was still banned in many countries as it fuelled conspiracy theories and fear of consumer control, despite the lack of a scientific basis. Fifty years on however, researchers are beginning to find evidence that the brain does indeed register impressions that are not detected by the perceptual conscious mind. Research conducted at the University College London in 2006 showed that subjects who looked at an image while attending to other images, showed responsiveness in the primary visual cortex part of the brain. So even if we are not aware of seeing anything, it is possible for the unconscious part of the brain to be affected. What are the implications of this for our broader understanding of consciousness? The recent research is important because it challenges the notion that we can only be conscious of what we focus on perceptually. What if we were able to harness this power to subtly influence our unconscious mind, which directs so many of our thoughts, behaviour patterns, and beliefs? This is where the field of self-hypnosis emerges, with many personal development practitioners suggesting that by changing the messages given to our subconscious mind, we can redirect our thinking and modify entrenched behaviour patterns. It is an exciting realm to discover, with the potential to assist sufferers of addictions, phobias and mental illness, or even simply to give a boost to our self-confidence and reduce stress and anxiety. Self-hypnosis employs similar techniques to meditation in slowing the brain waves to induce a state of deep relaxation. Affirmations can also be a part of self-hypnosis, providing the mind with positive messages to override negative thinking, fear, and doubt. There are many tools on the market that can help create the calm atmosphere, visualisations and affirmations needed to assist people on their self-hypnosis journey. |