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Subliminal Hypnosis
One item which has always received much controversy is that of subliminal hypnosis, also known as subliminal suggestions, or embedded commands. Firstly, what exactly is a subliminal hypnosis? And secondly, what can it do for you?
To answer the first question, subliminal suggestions can take on a number of different forms: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and even the olfactory and gustatory senses can be used.
In a nutshell, a subliminal suggestion is one which is put in such a manner that it actually bypasses your conscious mind entirely, but, and here is the kicker, it is picked up by the unconscious mind. Due to this bypassing of the conscious mind, the consious mind can't even begin to question, or analyze the hypnotic suggestion. Therefore, so long as the suggestion doesn't go against your own moral code, it is accepted as your own original thought by your unconscious and simply acted upon automatically.
Here's a real life example of how the advertising industry uses subliminal suggestion to affect the public. Years ago experiments were conducted in movie theatres. At certain spots throughout the movie, one frame in sixty was replaced with a single frame advertising popcorn. Since a single frame in sixty is far too quick for the conscious mind to pick up, it bypasses the conscious mind, but, and here's the catch, the unconscious mind picks it up, and quite clearly at that. Then the unconscious mind goes to work just like a playful child and thinks, "Hey, I'm hungry, and ohhhh, I think I'd like a bucket of popcorn. Oh yaaaa, lots, and lots of butter too". Then the unconscious sends a signal to your tummy, and yells "HEY, growl down there or something, and get this guy/girl to get me some popcorn". Before you know what happened, popcorn sales rose by over eighty percent in the movie theatre. Needless to say, this method of popcorn advertising was soon banned, not because of all the fat people it created, but because of all the car accidents in the parking lot. Have you ever tried to hold onto a steering wheel with buttered fingers?
Auditorily, subliminal suggestions can take a few differnent forms. A message to the unconscious can be interspersed thoughout a simple sentence using slight alterations in vocal dynamics. Here is an example:
Whenever I write out a new script, I always start from scratch, as everyone knows, so my programs are always handy and uplifting.
So if I use a different tonality, or vocal inflection of some kind while speaking the highlit words in the example sentence above, there is a very good chance that the listener will act upon the suggestion, in turn lifting his hand and scratching his nose. This type of patterning is used on all of my hypnosis recordings for greatest effectiveness.
Subliminally spoken language can also be installed at a lower volume in the background of music, or spoken language, in such a manner that the conscious mind can't pick it up. This is the standard system used on most subliminal recordings, and is what you get here when you order subliminal tracks added to your recording.
To learn more about subliminals, or covert suggestions, explore the "Hypnotic Language Structure" page, or begin your hypnotic learnings the easy way with our latest addition the Hypnosis of Hypnotists series, you will not find an easier way to learn the art of hypnotic langauge anywhere.
For those with further interest, below you will find excerpts of the many experiments conducted to verify the effectiveness of subliminals.
The Original Experiments
Subliminal stimulation of the
subconscious mind first came to the attention of the general public in
1957 when market researcher James Vicary conducted a controversial research
experiment in a Fort Lee, New Jersey, movie theater. In this well-publicized
experiment, the subliminal messages, “Hungry? Eat popcorn.
Thirsty? Drink Coca-Cola,” were flashed on a movie screen every
five seconds, for a duration of only a fraction of a second between frames
of the Kim Novak movie, Picnic. The results that were reported were that
there was a dramatic increase in the sales of popcorn and cola.
Subliminal Messages Reduce Shoplifting
An article in TIME magazine in 1979, titled, ‘Secret Voices,' reported that nearly 50 department stores in the U.S. and Canada were using subliminal messages in the music systems to reduce shoplifting and employee theft. One East Coast chain was reported to have reduced theft by 37%, amounting to the phenomenal savings of $600,000 over a nine-month period.
A similar story in the WALL
STREET JOURNAL in 1980 stated the installation of a subliminal message
system in a New Orleans supermarket accounted for a drop in pilferage
loss from almost $50,000 per six months to ‘the astounding figure
of less than $13,000' – an all time low! Cashier shortages dropped
from $125 per week to less than $10 per week. Subliminal messages found
to be effective were statements like, “I take a great deal of pride
in being honest. I will not steal. I am honest.”
Subliminal Messages Influence Behavior
In his scholarly work titled
“Preconscious Processing,” Dr. Norman Dixon, a psychologist
at University College in London, England, summarizes 748 scholarly research
studies on subliminal perception.
Included in Dixon's authoritative work is a research study by Zuckerman
(1960), that revealed a subliminal stimulus can by-pass conscious intent,
and that it makes it unlikely a person would resist instructions which
are not consciously experienced. Zuckerman required his subjects to write
stories around Thematic Apperception Test cards. Superimposed on the ambiguous
pictures on the cards were either the subliminal message, “Write
More” or “Don't Write.” As long as the instructions
were subliminal, these messages had the desired effect. However, as soon
as they were able to be perceived consciously, the messages had no consistent
effect.
Dr. Lloyd H. Silverman, a psychologist at New York University,
has been at the forefront of subliminal testing for 20 years. His work,
with over 40 groups of subjects, has shown significant improvements in
behavior after exposure to selected subliminal messages. IN a
1980 study, Silverman incorporated a subliminal message into a treatment
of half of a group of smokers trying to quit
smoking using behavior modification therapy. One month after treatment
ended, 66% of the group exposed to the activating subliminal stimulus
were still non-smokers, compared with 13% of the control group. Silverman
says the positive effect of subliminal messages has been observed
in assertiveness training classes, adolescents receiving psychotherapy,
college students in group therapy, alcoholics in Alcoholics Anonymous
counseling, and in people undergoing behavior modification for insect
phobias and overeating.
Subliminal Messages Improve Academic Performance
An article in the Journal of
Counseling Psychology, Volume 29, 1982, reports on a study by Dr. Kenneth
Parker, a psychologist at Queens College in New York. Dr. Parker's research
project was designed to see if subliminal messages can improve
academic performance. Sixty students received visual subliminal messages
using a light-flashing device called a tachistoscope. Three times a week,
before class, the students looked through the eyepiece of the tachistoscope
and saw a fast flash of bright light, nothing more. In the four millisecond
flash was embedded a single sentence. The class was divided into three
groups, each receiving a different message. Two messages were designed
to enhance academic performance; the third was a control.
Careful statistical analysis of the results of the subliminal stimulation
revealed significant improvement in academic performance. Groups one and
two, receiving activating subliminal messages achieved average
grades in the range of a high B to low A. Group three, the control, received
an average grade in the low B range. In addition, those who received subliminal
messaged had higher retention of the learned material after one month
than the control group had.
Medical Clinic Uses
Subliminal Recordings
to Reduce Fainting, Smoking, and Temper Flare Ups…
In 1951, Dr. Hal Becker, a
behavioral scientist and former member of the Tulane University Medical
Staff, began investigating subliminal processes. Dr. Becker has published
dozens of research articles which support the effectiveness of subliminal
stimulation. One of Dr. Becker's investigations, presented in a scientific
paper to the Ninth Annual Conference of Computer Medicine in Atlanta in
1979, involved the use of subliminal stress reduction messages incorporated
into the sound system at the McDonagh Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
A seven-month trial produced dramatic results. Fainting caused by needle
pain dropped to nearly zero, smoking in the staff lounge was cut as much
as 79%, and the temper flare-ups in the crowded patient waiting room were
reduced by nearly 60%. When the subliminal messages were stopped,
these problems returned to former levels.
Subliminal Messages Result In A Dramatic Weight Loss…
Becker's research has shown that the use of subliminal messages
can influence weight-loss
with astounding results. In Metairie, Louisiana, at Dr. Becker's weight
loss clinic, patients were exposed to videotape and audio cassette subliminal
messages as part of a behavior-modification diet plan. One woman lost
100 pounds in one year's time. In a follow-up study, Becker found that
50% of the patients maintained at lease half their weight loss for up
to two years after leaving the subliminal program, while 23% maintained
75% to 100% of their loss. This is a significantly better record than
that of diet programs not accompanied by subliminal messages.
Another subliminal stimulation weight-loss study involved two
experiments conducted by Silverman, Martin, Ungaro and Mendelsohn (1978)
with two groups of overweight women. In addition to traditional diet therapy,
half of the subjects received subliminal affirmations and half received
neutral subliminal message stimulation. In both experiments, the groups
receiving the positive subliminal messages lost more weight than
the control groups. The group receiving subliminal affirmations continued
to lose weight even after the experiment concluded.
Positive Proof Mind Absorbs Subliminal Information…
In another of Dr. Becker's
controlled tests of subliminal perception, experimental and control groups
were asked to guess a three-digit number. The experimental group was exposed
to the number subliminally embedded in a hissing sound known as ‘pink
noise.'
In three separate experiments, an average of 77% of those exposed to the
subliminal numbers guessed correctly, compared to only 10% of those in
the control group (who weren't exposed to the numbers). This confirms
that subliminal messages are perceived at a non-conscious level.
Excerpts from Research on Subliminal Programming
Effects of Subliminal Suggestions of Oneness
Ariam, S. and Siller, J. Effects
of Subliminal Oneness Stimuli in Hebrew on Academic Performance of Israeli
High School Students: Further Evidence on the Adaptation-Enhancing effects
of Symbiotic Fantasies in Another Culture Using Another Language. Journal
of Abnormal Psychology, 1982, 91 (5), 343-349.
“The relation between unconscious symbiotic fantasies (the experience
of partial merging of self and object representation) and adaptive behavior
(mathematics improvement) in a non-English-speaking culture (Israel) was
studied in an attempt to determine both the replicability of previous
findings and its status as a more general human phenomenon rather than
as an artifact of a particular language of culture. Following Silverman's
procedures, 10th grade students in 4 groups of 18 each (matched for sex,
mathematics class, and previous math grades) were tachistoscopically presented
with subliming exposures of on of 4 Hebrew translations of verbal stimuli:
Mommy and I are one (two versions); My teacher and I are one; and a neutral
stimulus, People are walking in the street. Each subject received subliminal
stimulation four times a week, over a period of 6 weeks. Achievement tests
administered 6 weeks apart showed that groups exposed to either version
of "Mommy and I are one”
was superior to the other. Neither version of “Mommy and I are one”
was superior to the other. The results are seen as lending support to
the hypothesis that the adaptation-enhancing effect of the symbiotic fantasy
represents a general human phenomenon.” (p. 343)
“The presence of unconscious libidinal and aggressive fantasies
and their importance for human functioning has been a cornerstone of psychoanalytic
thinking since its very inception.” (p. 343)
“In the course of the past 15 years, there have been over 50 studies
carried out in a variety of laboratories demonstrating that subliminally
presented fantasy-activating stimuli can affect behavior in ways that
subliminally presented neutral control stimuli cannot (summarized in Silverman,
1982b). Moreover, in several of these studies the supraliminal (10 sec)
presentation of the same fantasy stimuli has not had this effect. This
is consistent with psychoanalytic theory that maintains that the effects
of libidinal and aggressive fantasies on behavior can be dissipated if
these fantasies are made conscious.” (p. 344)“The major finding
of this study was that the 4-msec exposure of both a literal and idiomatic
Hebrew translation of “Mommy and I are one” enhanced the mathematics
ability of Israeli high-school students. These results are consistent
with the findings of studies with varied populations (summarized in Silverman,
1982b), indicating that this intervention can bring about positive behavior
change.” (pp., 347-348)
Beisgen, R.T., Jr., and Gibby,
R. G., Jr., Autonomic and Verbal Discrimination of a Subliminally Learned
Task. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1969, 29, 503-507.
“The major findings in this study support the existence of a subliminal
process as defined by Lazarus and McCleary (1951) and also strongly suggest
that conditioning can take place on an unconscious or subliminal level.”
(p. 507).
Borgeat, F., Chabot, R. and Chaloult, L. Subliminal
Perception and Levels of Activation. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 1981,
26 (4), 255-259.
“Evaluated the influence of auditory subliminal messages on the
level of activation evaluated through a double-blind study. 20 SS (mean
age 28.7 yrs) were alternately submitted to activating and deactivating
subliminal messages. Activation changes were estimated through the variations
in Mood Adjective Check List scores. Five of 6 test factors concerned
with the content of subliminal messages responded differently according
to the nature of these messages; 4 factors were statistically significant.
Results indicate that auditory subliminal perceptions influenced the level
of activation. It is concluded that the parameters regulating subliminal
response and susceptibility remain largely undefined and in need of systematic
investigation.” (p. 255)
Borgeat, F., M.D., Elie, R.,
M.D., Chaloult, L., M.D., and Chabot, R. B. Ped. Psychophysiological Responses
to Masked Auditory Stimuli. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Feb. 1985,
30, 22-27.
“Verbal stimuli, masked by a 40-dB white noise, were presented to
the subject at increasing intensities by increments of 5 dB starting at
0 dB. At each increment, frontal EMG, skin conductance and heart rate
were recorded. The data were submitted to analyses of variance and covariance.
Psychophysiological responses to stimuli below the thresholds of identification
and detection were observed. The instruction not to attend the stimuli
modified the patterns of physiological responses. The effect of the affective
content of the stimuli on responses was stronger when not attending. The
results show the possibility of Psychophysiological responses to masked
auditory stimuli and suggests that Psychophysiological parameters can
constitute objective and useful measures for research in auditory subliminal
perception.” (p. 22)
Borgeat, F., M.D., and Goulet,
J. Psychophysiological Changes Following Auditory Subliminal Suggestions
for Activation and Deactivation. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1983, 56,
759-766.
“This study was to measure eventual Psychophysiological changes
resulting from auditory subliminal activation or deactivation suggestions.
18 subjects were alternately exposed to a control situation and to 25-dB
activating and deactivating suggestions masked by a 40-dB white noise.
Physiological measures (EMG), heart rate, skin-conductance levels and
responses, and skin temperature) were recorded while subjects listened
passively to the suggestions, during a stressing task that followed and
after that task. Multivariate analysis of variance showed a significant
effect of the activation subliminal suggestions during and following
the stressing task. This result is discussed as indicating effects of
consciously unrecognized perceptions on Psychophysiological responses.”
(p. 759)
Bornstein, R.F, Leone, D.R.
and Galley, D.J. The Generalizability of Subliminal Mere Exposure Effects:
Influence of Stimuli Perceived Without Awareness on Social Behavior. Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, 1987, 53 (6), 1070-1079.
“This article describes three experiments investigating the extend
to which subliminal exposure effects are obtainable not only with simple
stimuli but also with complex human stimuli in social situations. In the
first experiment, undergraduate subjects were exposed to slides of abstract
geometric figures at both subliminal (i.e., 4 ms) and supraliminal exposure
durations. Subjects' attitudes toward the subliminally presented stimuli
became significantly more positive with repeated exposures, even when
subjects were unaware that exposures had occurred. Experiment 2 demonstrated
that similar attitude changes are produced by subliminal exposure to photographs
of actual persons. The results of Experiment 3 indicate that attitudes
toward persons encountered in the natural environment of the psychology
experiment are also enhanced by subliminal exposure to a photograph of
that person.” (p. 1070).
Brandeis, D. and Lehmann, D.
Event-Related Potentials of the Brain and Cognitive Processes: Approaches
and Applications. Neurophychologia, 1986, 24 (1), 151-168
“Event-related potentials (ERPs) are recordings of the electric
field which the brain produces in fixed time-relation to an even. ERPs
open a time and space window onto covert steps of brain information processing
which need not be accompanied by overt behavior or private experience.
ERPs are the only noninvasive method which resolves the dynamic pattern
of events in the human brain down to the millisecond range.” (p.
151)
“Examples of spatial analysis have shown that different ERP field
configurations follow the presentation of noun and verb meaning of homophone
words; that the ERP effects to subjective contours resemble those to attention
in time course and topography; that the ‘cognitive' P300 component
reflects the specific stimulus location; and that subliminal information
influences the configuration of late ERP fields.” (p. 151)
Brosgole, L. and Contino, A.F.
Intrusion of Subthreshold Learning Upon Later Performance. Psychological
Reports, 1973, 32, 795-798.
“In serial learning experiments responses were analyzed to specify
types of intrusions. Materials from the past interfered with performance.
The greatest proportion of these materials were only partially learned,
thereby supporting a continuity position.” (p. 795)
“This finding strongly supports the continuity position by demonstrating
that subthreshold learning may overtly interfere with subsequent performance.”
(p. 796).
Bryant-Tuckett, R. and Silverman,
L.H. Effects of the Subliminal Stimulation of Symbiotic Fantasies on the
Academic Performance of Emotionally handicapped Students. Journal of Counseling
Psychology, 1984, 31 (3), 295-305.
“Sixty-four emotionally disturbed adolescents at a residential treatment
school were divided into an experimental and control group, matched for
age, IQ, and reading ability. Both groups were seen five times a week
for 6 weeks for tachistoscopic exposures of a subliminal stimulus.”
(p. 295).
”In keeping with the hypothesis the experimental subjects manifested
significantly greater improvement on a California Achievement Reading
Test than did the controls. ON five of six secondary variables—arithmetic
achievement, self-concept, the handing in of homework assignments, independent
classroom functioning, and self-imposed limits on television viewing –
the experimental subjects also showed better adaptive functioning. These
findings, together with the results of three earlier studies, indicate
that the activation of unconscious symbiotic fantasies can increase the
effectiveness of counseling and teachings.” (p. 295)
“In one group of studies, stimuli intended to arouse unconscious
wishes were presented to many populations, including adult male schizophrenics
(e.g., Leiter, 1982; Litwack, Wiedemann, & Yager, 1979; Silverman
& Spiro, 1967), depressives (e.g., Miller, 1973; Rutstein & Goldberger,
1973), stutterers (Silverman, Bronstein & Mendelsohn, 1976; Silverman,
Klinger, Lustbader, Farrell & Martin, 1972), and male homosexuals
(Silverman, Kwawer, Wolitzky, & Coron, 1973; Silverman et al., 1976),
and intensifications of the behavior under study were noted that were
not in evidence after the subliminal exposure of neutral stimuli. These
results have been seen as supporting psychoanalytic formulations concerning
the relations between oral aggressive wishes and ego pathology in schizophrenia,
aggressive wishes and depressive reactions, anal wishes, and stuttering,
and incestuous wishes and male homosexuality.” (Silverman, 1976).
(p. 295)
“Three recently completed investigations (Ariam,& Siller, 1982;
Parker, 1982; Zuckerman, 1980) have extended the application of the subliminal
psychodynamic activation method to study academic performance and yielded
results directly relevant to the present investigation. These studies
have tested the hypothesis that activating unconscious fantasies of symbiotic
gratification will increase the effectiveness of counseling and teaching
and thus enhance academic performance.” (p. 296).
“Briefly, the results of the three academic performance studies
were as follows: Parker (1982) exposed matched groups of undergraduate
college students, enrolled in a business law course and receiving weekly
counseling sessions, to subliminal stimulation at the start of each class,
four times a week during a 6-week summer school session. As in previous
studies, the experimental group received Mommy and I are one and the control
group received People are walking with the subjects being told that the
subliminal exposures were intended to enhance their academic performance.
Parker found that the final exam grades of the experimental students were
significantly higher than those of the controls. Ariam and Siller (1982)
used the same design involving classroom teaching and counseling with
a population of 10th grade students in a mathematics class in Israel,
having translated the subliminal stimuli in Hebrew. Two groups receiving
Mommy and I are one (a literal translation for one group and an idiomatic
translation for another) obtained significantly higher final exam grades
than did the control group.” (pp. 296-297)
“As we predicted, repeated exposures of the subliminal stimulus
led to improvement in CAT reading scores in a sample of emotionally disturbed
adolescents.” (p. 300).
“Could the difference in the post experimental behavior of the experimental
and control groups be explained in some other way than to attribute them
to the differential content of the two messages? We do not believe there
is any credible alternative explanation. Recall that (a) the procedure
was carried out with double-blind controls, which protected against subject
expectations and experimenter bias and (b) the experimental and control
groups were no different in age, sex, race, psychiatric diagnosis, IQ,
and initial CAT reading scores. Because there is no reason to believe
there were systematic differences in the experiences of the two groups
had in the school during the 6-week intervention period (see footnote
5), one can assume that only the differences in the subliminal messages
can account for the post-experimental behavior of the two groups.”
(p. 301).
“The improvement in academic functioning achieved by the subjects
exposed to the oneness stimulus was substantial. Whereas CAT Reading scores
of control subjects increased 6 months in a 1-year people (according to
the principal, this is about average for students at the school), the
scores for the experimental subjects increased by 2 years 6 months, a
difference of 2 full years. The magnitude of this improvement suggests
that when particular conditions are met…the intervention can markedly
benefit academic performance.” (p. 302).
“For now we will simply limit ourselves to the conclusion that what
is clear from the current study, especially when considered in conjunction
with almost a dozen others (summarized in Silverman, Lachmann & Milich,
1982), is that the activation of unconscious symbiotic fantasies can increase
the effectiveness of interventions used by counselors, teachers, and psychotherapists.”
(p. 304).
***
Charman, D.K., An Examination of Relationship between Subliminal Perception,
Visual Information Processing, Levels of Processing and Hemispheric Asymmetries.
Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1979, 49, 451-455.
“A subliminal letter was exposed to the left or right hemisphere
for either 15 or 20 msec. Subjective guesses were more accurate for visuo-spatial
positional recognition made to presentations in the right hemisphere whereas
verbal recognition was more accurate to presentations in the left hemisphere.
The 30-msec exposure increased the accuracy of the guesses. These findings
were discussed in terms of differential triggering mechanism for levels
of hemispheric processing.” (p. 451).
***
Cook, H., Ph.D. Effects of Subliminal Symbiotic Gratification and the
Magic of Believing on Achievement. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 1985, 2
(4), 365-371.
“The present experiment examined the effect of a subliminally presented
symbiotic gratification and a magic of believing message on academic achievement.
Graduate students were randomly assigned to one of the two experimental
message conditions, or to a control message condition, and received on
the average 12 sessions, 10 exposures per session, of 4-msec visual subliminal
presentations of one of the three messages. Each session occurred immediately
prior to a lecture in either a statistics or a measurement class. Each
of the courses was taught in a traditional manner by the regular faculty,
who were naïve regarding the experimental conditions. Objective final
examinations for each course revealed statistically significant differences
in favor of the symbiotic gratification experimental condition over the
control condition. No difference were obtained between the symbiotic and
magic of believing conditions. Research and clinical implications of the
findings are also explored.” (p. 369).
“The results of the present study provide additional evidence of
the effectiveness of the subliminally presented symbiotic gratification
message in facilitating academic achievement.” (p. 369)
“It seems that stimulating students subliminally to perhaps feel
better about themselves (“self” -enhancing) may enable them
to learn more effectively.” (P. 369).
Cuperfain, R. and Clarke, T. A New Perspective of
Subliminal Perception. Journal of Advertising, 1985, 14 (1), 36-41.
“Tested a model of subliminal stimulation based on studies of information
processing by the right hemisphere. Differences between the hemispheres
in the way they process partial information are outlined. College students
viewed a film concerning woolen-clothing soaps that did or did not have
a subliminal message (5 tachistoscopic presentations to the left
visual field of a picture of 1 or 2 products). One product was widely
available at the time, while the other was only advertised on cable TV.
Each subliminal presentation lasted for 1/60th of 1 second. After the
film, Ss completed a questionnaire that asked them to random order 5 soaps
for fine clothing and to provide demographic information. Results indicate
that the subliminal messages did have an impact on state preference
for the highly advertised, widely available product, but not for the relatively
unknown product. Demographic variables were not significant. It is suggested
that academic marketers may have been too quick to discount the ability
of subliminal presentations to affect consumer decision making. Implications
for advertising and hemispheric specialization studies are noted.”
(p. 36)
Dauber, R.B. Subliminal Psychodynamic Activation
in Depression: On the Role of Autonomy Issues in Depressed College Women.
Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 1984, 93 (1), 9-18.
“Two experiments used the subliminal psychodynamic activation method
to study the effects of messages related to autonomy on depressed college
women identified by Beck Depression Inventory scores.” (p. 9)
“Considering both experiments together, the solid finding that emerged
is that the message Leaving Mom is wrong increased depressive feelings
in depressed college women on the DACL.” (p. 16).
“The results of the two experiments yielded by the message Leaving
Mom is wrong should be considered together with a finding reported by
Schmidt (1981), who conducted a subliminal psychodynamic activation study
shortly after the current investigation was completed…He (Schmidt)
found that a group of such subjects responded with increased depression
after the subliminal presentation of the message I have been bad (when
contrasted with a subliminal neutral-control message), whereas another
group of depressed students who did not score high on Blats's introjective
depression scale were not affected by this message.” (pp. 16-17).
Reference to Schmidt, J.M. The Effects of Subliminally Presented Anaclitic
And Introjective Stimuli on Normal Young Adults. Unpublished doctoral
dissertation, 1981, University of Southern Mississippi. (p. 18).
Dixon, N. the Conscious-Unconscious Interface: Contributions
to an Understanding. Archiv-Fur-Psychologie, 1983, 135 (1), 55-66.
“Suggests that whatever the paradigm in which unconscious perception
is brought about and whatever the research context in which these paradigms
are used, there is hardly a single finding from subliminal perception,
microgenesis, and sleep and dream research that does not implicate 2-way
interaction between sensory inflow, emotional appraisal, and the unconscious
memory-storage systems of the human brain. Data from different areas of
research are reviewed to develop a flow model to explain how physiological
events in the brain give rise to representations in the mind. The model
depicts conditions for achieving conscious representations of sensory
inflow, which include physical, physiological, and mental factors; whatever
the mechanism through which the transition from physiological to phenomenal
representation is achieved, it is potentially sensitive to these 3 factors.
The model also encompasses consciousness and energy; temporal parameters
of consciousness; and the ubiquity of subliminal effects across receptors,
sensory dimensions, and modalities.” (p. 55),
Emrich, H. and Heinemann, L. G. EEG bei-unterschwelliger
Wahrnehmung emotional bedeutsamer Worter. Psychologische Forchung, January
1966, 29, 285-296.
“Emotional and neutral words slowly becoming visible with increasing
brightness on a translucent screen wee observed by 16 healthy subjects
whose electroencephalograms and electrocardiograms were continuously recorded.
They had to signalize the appearance of light, the visibility of contours
or letters, the moment when they could guess a word, and the moment when
the word was plainly visible.” (p. 295).
“In a far subliminal range already significant differences were
found between emotional and neutral words in EEG and ECG. Taking into
consideration similar findings by other authors an absolute threshold
is postulated; the threshold of conscious perception (1st signal) is higher
and inconstant. During the exposition of emotional words the abundance
of alpha waves was higher. The ECG differences disappeared in the supraliminal
range.” (p. 295)
Fisher, S. Effects of Messages Reported to Be Out
of Awareness Upon the Body Boundary. The Journal of Nervous and Mental
Disease 1975, 161 (2), 90-99.
“How many one sum up the results from the multiple studies? First
of all, it is clear that all of the out-of-awareness taped messages which
were appropriately primed produced a decrement in boundary definiteness
in men.…”
“…It should be noted that while a majority of studies by others
have found a priming procedure a necessary preliminary to obtaining an
effect with a stimulus out of awareness, thee have been instance reported
where an effect appeared without priming.” (p. 96)
Frauman, D. C., Lynn, S.J., Hardaway, R. and Molteni,
A. Effect of Subliminal Symbiotic Activation on Hypnotic Rapport and Susceptibility.
Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1984, 93 (4), 481-483.
“A double-blind design was utilized in which subjects of high, medium
and low hypnotic susceptibility received either the symbiotic stimulus
Mommy and I are one or the psychodynamically neutral stimulus People are
walking. (Silverman, 1982), presented tachistoscopically.” (p. 481).
“The significant multivariate effect indicates that symbiotic fantasies
had an impact on measures assumed to be relevant to affective relationship
factors in hypnosis. Our replication and extension of Silverman's
paradigm to the domain of hypnosis suggests that hypnotized subjects
are sensitive to stimuli that are out of conscious awareness yet presumably
related to historical and contemporary experience.” (p. 483).
Goncalves, O.F., Ivey, A.E. The Effects of Unconscious
Presentation of Information on Therapist Conceptualizations, Intentions,
and Responses. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1987, 43 92), 237-245.
“This article presents a study of the effects of tachistoscopic
presentation of affective words on subjects' conceptualizations, intentions,
and responses to a simulated client. The participants, 36 counseling students
were assigned randomly to one of the following treatments: (1) subliminal
presentation of negative emotional concepts; (2) subliminal presentation
of positive emotional concepts; (3) supraliminal presentation of positive
emotional concepts. After the tachistoscopic presentations, all subjects
were exposed to a simulated client, whom they were asked to evaluate,
respond to, and report the cognitive intentions that guided their responses.
Significant effects were found in the subliminal presentation of positive
emotional concepts on subjects' conceptualizations, intentions, and responses.
Some significant effects also were found for the supraliminal presentation,
but only for the client evaluation measure.” (p. 237)
Groeger, J.A. Evidence of Unconscious
Semantic Processing From a Forced Error Situation. British Journal of
Psychology, 1984, 75, 305-314.
“A study was carried out to determine whether subjects extracted
information from words presented below their recognition and awareness
thresholds. A series of target words was used to generate the word matrix,
which was a set of 24 words related to the target in specified ways. Following
subthreshold exposure of a target word, subjects chose the word they thought
had been shown from the word matrix for that particular target. It was
held that the alternative chosen was a function of the type of processing
the target was receiving. Results showed that structural analysis of the
target predominated below recognition threshold whereas semantic analysis
predominated below recognition threshold, whereas semantic analysis redominated
below awareness threshold.” (p. 305)
“The data presented appear to lend support to the views of subliminal
perception theorists, which suggest that unconscious semantic processing
does occur” (p. 311).
Guthrie, G. and Wiener, M. Subliminal Perception or Perception of Partial
Cue With Pictorial Stimuli. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
1966, 3 (6), 619-628.
“The results in all of the experiments suggest that where pictorial
stimuli are exposes at ‘subliminal” levels, structural cues
(lines, etc.) are the first information available to the subject….
To the extent that these findings scan be generalized to other investigations
of subliminal effects where pictorial stimuli were used, the part-cue
response-characteristic view remains a tenable explanation for these other
studies as well. It appears that the part-cue response-characteristic
explanation can account for the so-called subliminal effects without having
to invoke a special process which responds to different classes of stimuli
without the awareness of the subjects.” (p. 627)
Hart, L. The Effect of Noxious Subliminal Stimuli on the Modification
of Attitudes Toward Alcoholism: A Pilot Study. Br J. Addict., 1973, 68,
87-90.
“In recent years there has been an increasing body of evidence attempting
to validate the hypothesis that subliminal stimuli may affect behavior.
Supposedly, a faint perceptual stimulus may affect behavior even when
this stimulus is below threshold. Gudmund and his associated (1959) studied
the effects of subliminal verbal stimuli and reported that the difference
between meanings registered below a recognition threshold can affect conscious
thoughts. In an investigation of the effects of subliminal stimuli of
aggressive content upon conscious cognition, Eagle (1959) notes that stimuli
that are not conscious and that are non-aggressive affected subjects'
impressions of a consciously perceived stimulus. These findings support
the contention that stimuli which are not consciously perceived or directly
experienced can influence cognition.”
“This study was undertaken in an attempt to investigate the effect
of noxious subliminal stimuli on the modification of attitudes toward
alcoholism.” (p. 87)
“It was hypothesized that the programmed exposure of noxious subliminal
stimuli would modify attitudes toward alcoholism. It may be concluded
from the results of this study that a modification of attitudes toward
alcoholism did take place over a five-day period for the experimental
group. Over the same five-day period, there was no significant difference
in the attitudes toward alcoholism on two separate administrations of
the alcoholism questionnaire for eh control group. These findings support
the contention that stimuli which are not consciously perceived or directly
experienced can influence attitudes.” (p. 90)
Henley, S. Cross-modal Effects of Subliminal Verbal
Stimuli. Scand. J. Psychol., 1975, 16, 30-36.
“Abstract: In a cross-modal version of an experiment by Smith et
al. (1959), the effects of subliminal auditory cue words upon judgments
of a supraliminal visual stimulus (a neutral face) were examined. Support
was found for the hypothesis that material in an unattended channel is
fully analyzed for meaning, and may be integrated with material in an
attended channel when it is relevant to the ongoing task. Contrary to
expectations, the effects of the subliminal cues were found to carry over
to trials on which the face was presented without concurrent auditory
stimulation, thus providing support for the Poetzl phenomenon.”
(p. 30).
“There is nothing new in the finding that a stimulus which bypasses
awareness at the time of presentation can influence subsequent behavior;
many studies on the Poetzl phenomenon (See Dixon, 1971) support this view,
and in one experiment by Bokander (1965), using the metacontrast technique,
it has been shown that the characteristics of masked facial photographs
may serve to modify descriptions of a neutral face presented later. The
novelty of the present results is that they imply not only that the components
of a random sequence of unattended (subthreshold) stimuli be stored in
the order in which they were presented, but that they should subsequently
re-emerge in the same order to aid performance in an ongoing task.”
(p. 35).
Kaplan, R., Thornton, P. and Silverman, L., Further
Data on the Effects of Subliminal Symbiotic Stimulation on Schizophrenics.
Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 1985, 173 (11), 658-666.
“Examined the effects of activating unconscious symbiotic fantasies
in 128 hospitalized schizophrenic men (aged 18-65 years) who qualified
as relatively differentiated on an adjective rating scale and were randomly
assigned to 4 groups. Each group was assessed for pathological thinking,
pathological nonverbal behavior, and self-esteem before and after the
subliminal exposure of an experimental and control stimulus. The control
stimulus for all groups was the message, “People are walking,”
and the experimental stimuli were the messages, “Mommy and I are
one,” “Mommy is always with me,” “Mommy feeds
me well,” and “I cannot hurt Mommy” (one for each group).
One-half of each group was subliminally exposed to verbal messages only
and one-half verbal messages accompanied by congruent pictures. The 1st
stimulus (“Mommy and I are one”) was intended to activate
unconscious symbiotic fantasies that in a number of prior studies reduced
pathology in groups of relatively differentiated schizophrenics. The other
stimuli were intended to activate reassuring unconscious fantasies about
“Mommy” that were not specifically symbiosis-related. Only
the “Mommy and I are one” stimulus led to more adaptive behavior
and did so on all 3 dependent variables. This supported the supposition
that it is specifically symbiosis-related gratifications that re ameliorative
for schizophrenics.?” (p. 658).
Kaser, V.A. The Effects of an Auditory Subliminal
Message Upon the Production of Images and Dreams. Journal of Nervous
and Mental Disease, 1986, 174 (7), 397-407.
“Investigated the effect that an auditory subliminal message,
produced by speeding up the rate at which it was recorded, would have
on the imagery and dreams of a group of normal Ss (subjects). The auditory
subliminal message was produced by speeding up a message that was sung
until it could not be consciously understood. This message was mixed with
a normal music recording and played to 9 undergraduates in the experimental
group. Nine controls (primarily staff and student interns) heard the normal
music recording with without the subliminal message. Both groups were
asked to produce a pretest drawing before the tapes were played, and imagery
drawing immediately after the tapes were played, and a dream drawing of
any dreams they might have that night. Analysis of blind ratings given
to all the drawings by 2 art therapists indicated a significant difference
between the dream drawings and imagery drawings of the experimental and
the control group. When the drawings were examined, the effect of the
subliminal message could be seen. Findings suggest that the unconscious/preconscious
mind is able to perceive a recorded verbal message that cannot be consciously
understood...” (p. 397)
Kemp-Wheeler, S.M. and Hill, A.B. Anxiety Responses
to Subliminal Experience of Mild Stress. British Journal of Psychology,
1987, 78, 365-374.
“Two groups of undergraduates (n=14 in each) matched for level of
trait anxiety participated in the experiment. One group (E)_ was presented
with 20 ‘emotional' words 10 percent below detection threshold while
the other group (N) was presented with 20 emotionally neutral words under
the same conditions. Ratings of several psychological variables were take
before and after stimulation and two psychophysiological measure, heart
and respiration rate, were also taken.” (p. 365)
“It is concluded that manifest anxiety and some features of anxiety
having somatic referents can be induced by subliminal experience of mild
stress.” (p. 365).
Kihlstrom, J.F. The Cognitive Unconscious. Science, 1987, 237, 1445-1452.
“Contemporary research in cognitive psychology reveals the impact
of nonconscious mental structures and processes on the individual's conscious
experience, thought, and action. Research on perceptual-cognitive and
motoric skills indicates that they are automatized through experience,
and thus rendered unconscious. In addition, research on subliminal perception,
implicit memory, and hypnosis indicates that events can affect mental
functions even though they cannot be consciously perceived or remembered.
These findings suggest a tripartite division of the cognitive unconscious
into truly unconscious mental processes operating on knowledge structures
that may themselves be preconscious or subconscious.” (p. 1445)
Kilbourne, W.E., Painton, S. and Ridley, D. The
Effect of Sexual Embedding on Responses to Magazine Advertisements. Journal
of Advertising, 1985, 14 (2), 48-55.
“Conducted 2 empirical studies to assess the effectiveness of sexual
embedding (subliminal messages) in advertising. In Study 1, 424
undergraduates viewed and evaluated 2 advertisements (ads) with embeds
or 2 matched ads without embeds. Results indicate that embedding was effective
in raising attitudinal evaluations of a liquor ad but not a cigarette
ad. In Study 2, galvanic skin response (GSR) measurements were taken on
36 undergraduates while they viewed both versions (with and without embeds)
of 2 ads. Results indicate that embedding was effective in increasing
GSR measurements for the version of the ads with embeds. Results of both
studies suggest that the use of sexual embeds in magazine advertisements
influences viewers' evaluations of the ads.” (p. 48).
Kleespies, P. and Wiener, M. The “Orienting
Reflex” as an Input Indicator in “Subliminal” Perception.
Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1972, 35, 103-110.
“The results of this study indicate that measures of first eye movements
(frequency and latency) are effective measures of visual input differences…Moreover,
with a “subliminal” exposure duration (3 msec.), it was found
that there are more first eye movements toward the stimuli in the first
second after stimulus presentation that in the sixth second after stimulus
presentation.” (p. 109).
Kostandov, E.A. and Arzumanov, Y. L. The Influence
of Subliminal Emotional Words on Functional Hemispheric Asymmetry. International
Journal of Psychophysiology, 1986, 4, 143-147.
“The P300 component of the evoked potential was recorded over both
hemispheres in order to study interhemispheric differences in the process
of perception of subliminal verbal stimuli. The stimuli – subliminal
words, neutral and emotional – were presented at random to the left
or right visual fields. In response to an unrecognized emotional word,
the amplitude of P300 wave increased diffusely over both hemispheres as
compared to that to a neutral word, with no charges in interhemispheric
differences. The interhemispheric difference changed considerably in the
presence of an ‘unaccountable' emotion caused by a subliminal word.
This suggests unilateral activation of the right hemisphere and a predominant
role of this hemisphere in the cortical organization of the unconscious
function ‘unaccountable' emotion.' (p. 143).
“Subliminal emotional words connected with the subject's conflict
situation evoke the P300 of significantly larger amplitude than subliminal
neutral words. The increase is generalized over occipital and associative
areas, and at the vertex.” (p. 147).
“This the study of relations between unconscious mental phenomena
and hemispheric functional asymmetry reveals two aspects of the problem.
Firstly, there are hemispheric relations in the perception of subliminal
emotions stimuli. Here we have not found any peculiarities, and accordingly,
we cannot speak about a dominant or particular role of one hemisphere
in the processing of subliminal verbal information. Apparently ‘perception
without awareness' is performed with both hemispheres acting in cooperation
and each one contributes to the whole function. Secondly, there is the
problem of hemispheric asymmetry after unrecognized emotional verbal stimulation.
The clearly functional asymmetry observed in this case suggests the dominant
role of the right hemisphere in the forming of such an unconscious mental
process as unaccountable emotion.” (p. 147).
Kunzendorf, R.G., Lacouse, Pl, and Lynch. B. Hypnotic
Hypermnesia for Subliminally Encoded Stimuli: State-Dependent Memory for
‘Unmonitored' Sensations. Imagination, Cognition and Personality,
1986-87, 6 (4), 365-377.
“The present study tests the hypothesis that subliminal perception
and hypnotic perception are similarly encoded ‘altered
states of perception.'” (p. 365).
“In this first experiment, hypnosis enhanced recognition
memory of subliminally encoded stimuli (1/100 sec faces), which were not
recognized before or after hypnosis. Moreover, in this study
as in two previous studies employing bias free recognition tests. (19,
20), hypnosis reduced recognition of consciously encoded stimuli (1/10
sec faces), which were remembered at above-change levels before and after
hypnosis. These two state-specific effects of hypnotic memory
are perfectly consistent with our theoretical position: that both subliminal
sensations and hypnotic sensations are unaccompanied by any self-monitoring,
and self-awareness that one is perceiving (rather than imaging) the sensations.”
(p. 370).
“In experiment 2, as in Experiment 1, hypnosis enhanced
recognition memory of subliminally encoded stimuli (1/100 sec faces),
which were not recognized before or after hypnosis. Also in Experiment
2, as in Experiment 1 and in two previous studies, hypnosis reduced
recognition of consciously encoded stimuli (1/10 sec faces), which were
remembered at above-chance levels before hypnosis (19, 20).”
(p. 373).
LeClerc, C. and Freibergs, V.L. Influence d'Indices
Subliminaux Perceptifs et Symboliques sur la Formation d'un Concept. Canad.
J. Psychol./Rev. Canad. Psychol., 1971, 25 (4), 292-301.
“The learning of a simple concept represented by geometric figures
was examined as a function of subliminal stimuli of either a perceptual
or a symbolic nature. Preceding each instance of a concept, a subliminal
stimulus indicating either the correct or incorrect solution was presented
by the technique of backward masking. The results showed that only symbolic
subliminal stimuli were effective in influencing the learning of a concept,
and this particularly in the case where the correct solution was indicated.
It was concluded that the effect of a subliminal stimulus depends on the
degree of correspondence between the level of complexity of he stimulus
and that of the task.” (p. 292).
Lee, I. And Tyrer, P. Responses of Chronic Agoraphobics
to Subliminal and Supraliminal Phobic Motion Pictures. The Journal of
Nervous and Mental Disease. 1980, 168 (1), 34-40.
“Fifteen agoraphobics took part in a study to investigate their
responses to repeated presentations of a phobic motion picture. Five patients
were shown the film supraliminally, five were shown it subliminally, and
the remaining five formed a control group. Subjective feelings were assessed
with visual analogue scales, and three physiological measures, heart rate,
skin conductance, and respiratory rate, were recorded. An earlier report
showed that both subliminal and supraliminal presentation produced significant
improvements in phobic
fear and avoidance, and the present results show that the subliminal
group found the procedure much less stressful than the supraliminal group.“
(p. 34).
Lee, I., Tyrer, P. and Horn,
S., A comparison of Subliminal, Supraliminal and Faded Phobic Cine-Films
in the Treatment of Agoraphobia. Brit. J. Psychiat., 1983, 143, 356-361.
“Thirty-two agoraphobic patients were randomly allocated to four
groups and treated by repeated exposure to cine-films at twice weekly
intervals for three weeks. Three of the groups saw the same cine-film,
comprising a range of agoraphobic scenes, and a control group saw a potter
working on his wheel. The three groups seeing the phobic cine-film included
one who viewed it at an illumination level below the visual threshold
(subliminal group), one seeing it under normal conditions (supraliminal
group), and one which underwent graduated exposure from subliminal to
supraliminal viewing levels as the study proceeded (faded group). The
faded group showed significantly greater improvement than the control
groups and this improvement was maintained over twelve weeks.” (p.
353).
“Tyrer, Horn and Lee showed in 1978 that the presentation of subliminal
phobic cine-film can be effective in reducing phobic behaviour.”
(P. 356).
“One method of combining them is to use a treatment programme in
which the films shown in the first session are fully subliminal and, with
succeeding sessions, the illumination level is progressively increased
until the films are fully supraliminal by the end of the treatment. This
technique is normally referred to as fading.” (p. 356).
“The results of the clinical assessments were similar to those obtained
by Tyrer et al. (1978), with both subliminal and supraliminal groups producing
marked improvements in phobic behaviour and these improvements being maintained
throughout follow up assessments.' (p. 358).
“Overall, the results from this experiment support our earlier findings
that both subliminal and supraliminal presentation of phobic cine-films
can be effective in reducing agoraphobic behaviour, and that the two methods
are similar in terms of their efficacy.” (p. 358).
Libet, B. Responses of Human Somatosensory Cortex
to Stimuli Below Threshold for Conscious Sensation. Science, 1967, 1597-1600.
“Averaged evoked responses of somatosensory cortex, recorded subdurally,
appeared with stimuli (skin, vental posterolateral nucleus, cortex) which
were subthreshold for sensation. Such responses were deficient in late
components. Subthreshold stimuli could elicit sensation with suitable
repetition. The primary evoked response was not sufficient for sensation.
These facts bear on the problems of neurophysiological correlates of conscious
and unconscious experience, and of ‘subliminal perception.'”
(p. 1597).
“In contrast to earlier indications our results demonstrate that,
when suitably recorded, cortical evoked potentials are detectable with
sensory inputs below the adequate level for conscious sensation, even
when the attention of the subject is directed to the stimulus.”
(pp 1599-1600).
Mendelsohn, e. M. The Effects of Stimulating Symbiotic
Fantasies on Manifest Pathology in Schizophrenics. The Journal of Nervous
and mental Disease, 1981, 169 (9), 580-590.
“This study was designed as a further investigation of the ameliorative
effects of stimulating a symbiotic stimulus produced improvement on one
of the measures of pathology, replicating findings from previous studies….”
(p. 580)
“In numerous studies completed to date, the subliminal presentation
of psychodynamically relevant wish-related verbal and pictorial stimuli
have led to changes in severity of manifest psychopathology – presumably
by activating whatever relevant unconscious conflicts are salient for
the subject at the time – in a wide range of subject populations
(26).” )p. 581).
“It has further been demonstrated that such effects do not occur
when such stimuli are presented supraliminally (21, 24). This is consistent
with the psychoanalytic view that once a conflictual wish becomes conscious
its status as a contributor to psychopathology may be compromised. For
a fuller discussion of this point, see Silverman (23).” (p. 581).
Overbeeke, C.J. Changing the Perception of Behavioral
Properties by Subliminal Presentation. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1986,
62, 255-258.
“Experiments on subliminal perception of words suggest that the
behavioral properties rather than the physical properties of the presented
words determine the answer given.” (pp. 255-256).
“Subliminal means here that the subject can not report whether a
stimulus has been presented. Pictures instead of words were used since
the direct approach is mainly interested in structural aspects of evens
and not in semantic information procession.” (p. 256).
“Although the subjects in the reported experiment cannot report
whether a stimulus has been presented, the estimate of age of the supraliminal
stimulus can be influenced by the subliminal one.” (p. 258).
Palmatier, J.R., and Bornstein, P.H. Effects of Subliminal Stimulation
of Symbiotic Merging Fantasies on Behavioral Treatment of Smokers. The
Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 1980, 168 (12), 715-719.
“The subliminal psychodynamic activation method was used to enhance
the efficacy of a behavior therapy approach to smoking cessation. Thirty-four
subjects received a 3-week, group-oriented, multicomponent behavior therapy
package aimed at smoking cessation.” (p. 715).
“…the results revealed that the subliminally exposed message differentially effected the post-treatment smoking behavior of the experimental group. The results were interpreted as evidence for a transference phenomena explanation for the effectiveness of the behavioral treatment program.” (p. 715)
“The overall findings of the present investigation extend the previous work of Silverman and his associates. They indicate that the subliminal stimulation of a symbiotic merging fantasy (“Mommy and I are one”), when repeated over a period of time and combined with a treatment containing active components, ahs practical utility in its own right.” (p. 719).
Plumbo, R. and Gillman, I. Effects of Subliminal
Activation of Oedipal Fantasies on Competitive Performance. The Journal
of Nervous and Mental Disease, 1984, 172 (12), 737-741.
“A subliminal psychodynamic activation experiment was conducted in which the effects of five subliminal stimuli were sought on the dart-throwing performance of male subjects. The stimuli consisted of the following messages, each accompanied by a congruent picture: Beating Dad is OK, Beating Dad is wrong, Beating him is OK, Beating him is wrong, and People are walking. The first two stimuli were intended to activate competitive motives within the context of the Oedipus complex; the next two, competitive motives outside that context; and the last was intended as a control stimulus. Beating Dad is OK led to greater dart-throwing accuracy than each of the other four conditions, which in turn did not differ from each other. This finding replicated a result reported by Silverman, L.H., Ross, D., Adler, J., and Lustig, D. (J. Abnormal. Psychol., 87; 341-357, 1978) and is in keeping with the formulation that the activation of oedipal motives can affect competitive performance. Neither a subject variable (fear of success) nor the differential effects of two experimenters was found to interact with stimulus conditions in affecting dart scores.” (p. 737).
Parker, K.A. Effects of Subliminal Symbiotic Stimulation
on Academic Performance: Further Evidence on the Adaptation-Enhancing
Effects of Oneness Fantasies. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1982,
29 (1) 19-28.
“Sixty college students were enrolled in an undergraduate summer
session law course with the experimenter-instructor for 6 weeks. In addition
to the normal course of instruction, all subjects received subliminal
stimulation before 3 out of 5 lectures each week, as well as before and
after a 10-minute counseling session with the experimenter.” (p.
19).
“The results indicated that both experimental groups earned significantly
higher grades than the control group. These results were viewed as consistent
with findings of earlier studies on schizophrenics, insect phobics, obese
women, and alcoholics which indicated that the stimulation of oneness
fantasies has an adaptation-enhancing effect on behavior.” (p. 19).
Sackeim, H.A., Packer, I.K. and Gur, R.C. Hemisphericity,
Cognitive Set, and Susceptibility to Subliminal Perception. Journal of
Abnormal Psychology, 1977, 86 (6), 624-630.
“The results indicate that hemisphericity and cognitive set interact
in producing subliminal effects. Left movers, or right-hemisphericity
people, showed the subliminal effect when encouraged to think in a holistic
and intuitive fashion. This effect was predicted. Surprisingly, right
movers (left-hemisphericity people) tended to show the subliminal effect
when encouraged to think in an organized and logical manner, indicating
that hemisphericity and cognitive set may be more mutually interdependent
in affecting susceptibility to subliminal stimulation than was originally
expected.” (pp. 628-629).
“Finally, the pattern of results obtained in this study reinforces
both the notions of subliminal perception and hemisphericity. Any position
that rejects the existence of either phenomenon would be hard pressed
to account for the obtained interaction.” (p. 629).
Saegert, J. Another Look at Subliminal Perception.
Journal of Advertising Research, 1979, 19 (1), 55-57.
“Reviews the research on subliminal perception that has appeared
in the marketing literature and summarizes some recent clinical psychological
research (L.H. Silverman, 1976) with patient populations that suggests
that the technique can stimulate unconscious wishes. The practical implications
of this research for marketing are discussed. It is suggested that consideration
of ethical questions can be postponed unless and until marketing application
can be empirically demonstrated.” (p. 55).
Schurtman, R., Palmatier, J.R. and Martin, E.S.
O the Activation of Symbiotic Gratification Fantasies as an Aid in the
Treatment of Alcoholics. The International Journal of the Addictions,
1982, 17 (7), 1157-1174.
“Seventy-two alcoholics being treated at Veritas Villa were divided
into an experimental and a control group. In addition to the regular treatment
program both groups received four subliminal exposures of a verbal message
in each of six sessions over a 2-week period. The messages were Mommy
and I are one (experimental) and People are walking (control), administered
under double-blind conditions. In keeping with the main hypothesis, the
experimental Ss were rated as significantly more involved in treatment.
In addition, among the alcoholics who were more symptomatic to begin with,
the Mommy message, when contrasted with the control, lowered anxiety and
depression, enhanced self-concept, and reduced alcohol consumption after
a 3-month follow-up.” (p. 1157).
Shevrin, H. Brain Wave Correlates
of Subliminal Stimulations, Unconscious Attention, Primary-and-Secondary-Process
Thinking and Repressiveness. Psychological Issue, 1973, 8 (2), Mono (30),
56-87.
“In this paper I will describe a series of experiments which show,
for the first time to my knowledge, a relationship between the electrical
activity of the brain in response to a stimulus and unconscious thought
processes involving attention, perception, primary-process thinking, and
repression.” (p. 56).
“This method draws upon two techniques, subliminal stimulation and
the cortical evoked response...” (p. 56).
“Out of this controversy the existence of subliminal perception
has emerged as a new scientific fact. This conclusion was reached by Bevan
(1964), an entirely nonanalytically oriented psychologist and an accomplished
experimentalist, on the basis of his review of over 80 studies.”
(p. 57).
“In a more recent comprehensive review and analysis of research
on subliminal perception, Dixon (1971) concluded that the existence of
subliminal perception has been demonstrated in at least eight different
contexts: dreams, memory, adaptation level, conscious perception, verbal
behavior, emotional responses, drive-related behavior, and perceptual
thresholds.” (p. 57).
Shevrin, H. Does the Averaged Evoked Response Encode
Subliminal Perception? Yes. A Reply to Schwartz and Rem. Psychophysiology,
1975, 12 (4), 395-398.
“An attempt by Schwartz and Rem (1975) to replicate a series of
studies by Shevrin and coworkers purporting to show that the average evoked
response encodes subliminal perception is found to be limited as are replication
in a number of ways. Despite substantial departures in method and procedures
Schwartz and Rem report a potentially confirmatory finding: AER cross
correlations between different stimuli are significantly lower than for
similar stimuli in an exposure level (3 msec) in which subjects fail to
make an above chance verbal discrimination. In view of the important theoretical
issues involved concerning the nature of subliminal perception and unconscious
cognitive processes this cross correlation finding should be further investigated.
Suggestions are made as to how this might be done.” (p. 395).
“In our research we demonstrated that despite the complete undetectability
of the stimuli it is possible to find 1) a discriminating physiological
response and 20 a verbal effect related to the perceptual content of meaning
of the stimuli. Clearly, if a subject cannot report seeing two stimuli
presented some 30 times each, but his brain can discriminate between them,
that in itself is evidence in favor of some subliminal process although
we cannot yet say that it is encoded as a perception.” (p. 396).
Shevrin, H. Subliminal Perception and Dreaming.
The Journal of Mind and Behavior, 1986, 7 (2-3), 379 (249), 396 (266).
“Research on the relationship between subliminal perception and
dreaming initiated interest in the field of subliminal perception. Nevertheless,
over the years only a very small number of studies (11) have investigated
this relationship. A review of these studies is presented, divided into
three sections: (a) early studies of historical and theoretical interest,
(b) quasi-clinical, empirical studies, and (c) experimental studies. Essentially,
the early findings reported have been born out by subsequent empirical
and experimental studies: (1) Much that remains unreported and presumably
unconscious following briefly flashed stimulus is later recovered in dreams,
(2) dreams appear to be necessary to recover at least some kinds of transformed
or primary process aspects of the briefly presented stimulus. Implications
for our understanding of perception, the nature of consciousness, and
various states of consciousness are discussed.” (p. 379).
“On the whole, it can be said that Poetzl's original findings have
been borne out and amplified: (1) a subliminal stimulus registers and
is recovered in dreams, and (2) recovery is subject to certain transformations,
verbal and visual, which appear similar to Freud's distinction between
primary and secondary processes.” (p. 379).
“Finally, the small set of studies dealing with the relationship
of subliminal perception and dreaming underscore the important role that
unconscious psychological processes play in our metal life. With recent
advances in methods, as provide by subliminal techniques, we are now capable
of looking into the darkest corners of the ‘black box.'” (p.
393).
Shevrin, H., and Dickman, S. The Psychological Unconscious:
A Necessary Assumption for All Psychological Theory? American Psychologist,
1980, 35 (5), 421-434.
“The notion of complex
psychological processes operating outside of awareness has traditionally
been associated with the concept of the unconscious used by psychodynamically
oriented clinicians; it has never found an equivalent place in the mainstream
of American experimental psychology. However, mounting evidence from several
rather diverse fields of empirical research (e.g., selective attention,
cortical evoked potentials, subliminal perception) provides support for
such a concept, and, in fact, explanatory constructs of a similar nature
have been embodied in several current models of perceptual processing.”
(p. 421).
“At any given time, an individual is presented with a broad array
of stimuli of varying intensities and of varying relevance to adaptive
tasks. Selection on some basis must occur. Subliminal stimuli are those
stimuli that do not become conscious simply because they are too weak
in intensity, even though they may be highly relevant.” (p./ 426)
“The basic question of whether people can respond to a stimulus
in the absence of the ability to report verbally on its existence would
today be answered in the affirmative by many more investigators than would
have been the case a decade ago…largely because of better experimental
methods and the convincing theoretical argument that subliminal perception
phenomena can be derived…from the notion of selective attention
and filtering.” (p. 426).
“Subliminal-perception research is concerned with stimuli too weak
to become conscious immediately, no matter how much attention is directed
to the stimulus field. No amount of shifting attention, as in dichotic-listening
experiments, can bring the stimulus into consciousness.” (p. 427).
“Nevertheless, these stimuli have detectable effects on conscious
processes, but immediately and, in some cases, after an interval of time.”
(p. 427).
“…cortical responses can be evoked by stimuli below the awareness
threshold. He (Dixon) also described an experiment by Shevrin and Rennick
(1967) which indicated that subliminal stimuli influence both cortical
evoked potentials and the subjects' free associations. And he discussed
a study by Begleiter, Gross, and Kissin (1969) which suggest that it may
be the meaning rather than the structure of the subliminal stimulus that
determines both the cortical response and subsequent behavior.”
(p. 428).
“In subliminal perception, then, the intensity of the stimulus is
great enough to elicit activity in the sensory fibers but lacks sufficient
energy to activate the nonspecific reticular system. This information
reaches the cortex without awareness of the stimulus itself.” (p.
428).
“On the basis of findings from a series of evoked-potential studies
employing a pair of visual stimuli presented sub- and supraliminally,
Shevrin (1973) proposed that the evidence strongly suggests the 9a) complex
unconscious psychological processes have identifiable neurophysiological
correlates, (b) these neurophysiological processes are associated with
attention to the meaning of the stimulus, (c) different parameters of
the evoked potential are associated with different thought processes related
to the subliminal stimulus…” (p. 429).
Shevrin, H., Smith, W.H. and Fitzler, D.E. Average
Evoked Response and Verbal Correlates of Unconscious Mental Processes.
Psychophysiology, 1971, 8 (2), 149-162.
“A stimulus not consciously perceived can nevertheless elicit an
electrophysiological response (AER) and influence a verbal response (free
associations) which are, in turn, related to each other in certain definable
ways. Moreover, these findings are replicable across Ss and across different
methods for identifying AER components. As such, the approach described
in this study provides an objective and manipulable way of investigating
complex, unconscious s thought processes.” (p. 159).
Silverman, L. And Lachmann, F. The Therapeutic Properties
of Unconscious Oneness Fantasies: Evidence and Treatment Implications.
Contemporary Psychoanalysis, 1985, 21 91), 91-115.
“Reviews (a) research evidence that supports the thesis that unconscious
oneness fantasies can enhance adaptation and (b) the implications of this
thesis for the conduct of psychoanalytic treatment. A laboratory research
method developed by the 1st author, subliminal psychodynamic activation,
is outlined, and limitations of evidence from psychoanalytic treatment
are explored. Studies of oneness fantasies in schizophrenic and nonpsychotic
populations are described. Issues in the treatment of patients with developmental
arrests are discussed, along with method of differentiation.” (p.
91).
References on Subliminal Programming
Becker, H. C., “Subliminal
Communication Advances in Audiovisual Engineering Applications for Behavior
Therapy and Education.” Proceedings of the 1978 Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers Region 3 Conference.
Becker, H. C., “Subliminal Communication and Hypnosis,” Presentation
to the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, 25th Annual Scientific
Meeting, Denver, Colorado, October 24-30, 1976.
Becker, H. C., & McDonagh, E.W., “Subliminal Communication (Subliminal
Psychodynamic Activation) in Rehabilitative and Preventive Medicine,”
Proceedings of the 1978 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Region 3 Conference. April 10-12, 1978, Atlanta.
Bower, Bruce. “Subliminal Messages: Changes for the Better?”
Science News, Vol. 129, March 8, 1986
Budzynski, Thomas. “Tuning in on the Twilight Zone,” Psychology
Today., Vol. 11, August 1977, pp. 38-44.
Dixon, N. F., “Preconscious Processing,” New York, John Wiley
& Sons, 1981.
Dixon, N. F., “Subliminal Perception: The Nature of a Controversy.”
London: McGraw Hill, 1971.
Maxwell, Neil, “Words Whispered to Subconscious Supposedly Deter
Thefts, Fainting.” Wall Street Journal, November 25, 1980.
Parker, Kenneth A., “Effects of Subliminal Symbolic Stimulation
on Academic Performance.” Journal of Counseling Psychology, Vol.
29 (1), 1982.
Silverman, L. H., Martin, A., Ungaro, R., & Mendelsohn, E., “Effect
of Subliminal
Stimulation of Symbiotic Fantasies on Behavior Modification Treatment
of Obesity.” Journal of Consulting Clinical Psychology, pp. 46,
432-441, 1978.
Proceedings of the 1978 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Region 3 Conference. April 10-12, 1978, Atlanta.
Bower, Bruce. “Subliminal Messages: Changes for the Better?”
Science News, Vol. 129, March 8, 1986
Budzynski, Thomas. “Tuning in on the Twilight Zone,” Psychology
Today., Vol. 11, August 1977, pp. 38-44.
Dixon, N. F., “Preconscious Processing,” New York, John Wiley
& Sons, 1981.
Dixon, N. F., “Subliminal Perception: The Nature of a Controversy.”
London: McGraw Hill, 1971.
Maxwell, Neil, “Words Whispered to Subconscious Supposedly Deter
Thefts, Fainting.” Wall Street Journal, November 25, 1980.
Parker, Kenneth A., “Effects of Subliminal Symbolic Stimulation
on Academic Performance.” Journal of Counseling Psychology, Vol.
29 (1), 1982.
Silverman, L. H., Martin, A., Ungaro, R., & Mendelsohn, E., “Effect
of Subliminal
Stimulation of Symbiotic Fantasies on Behavior Modification Treatment
of Obesity.” Journal of Consulting Clinical Psychology, pp. 46,
432-441, 1978.
“Subliminal Communication Technology,” Hearing before
the Committee on Science and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives,
Ninety-eighth Congress, Second Session, No. 105, August 6, 1984.
Time Magazine, Behavior Section, September 10, 1979, “Secret Voices:
Messages that Manipulate.”