                           



                                CHAPTER V

                           
                               SUBLIMINALS.



         
         SUB-LIM-I-NAL.    Adj.    Psychol.   Perceived   below   the
         threshold of consciousness as images, sounds, etc.,  of  too
         low an intensity to produce a clear awareness.
         
         In previous chapters we  discussed the mechanism of the mind
         used  to classify incoming information or stimuli as  "TRUE"
         or  "FALSE"  and  the subsequent filing of this  categorized
         information by the sub-conscious.
         
         The name of this mental mechanism, or at least, the name  we
         are using throughout this book, is the Censor.
         
         We  have also discussed the incredible potential for  change
         that  is  available  to us if we are able  to  by-pass  this
         Censor and to insert instructions, orders, suggestions etc.,
         directly into the subconscious mind.
         
         Once  so  implanted (with an externally provided  "TRUE"  or
         "FALSE" appendage), such instructions, orders or suggestions
         will be acted upon by the subconscious in accordance with  a
         program used to achieve a specific objective.  In this case,
         immortality,
         
         Now  we  are going to examine the additional aids  that  are
         available  to  us  to help us to accomplish this  insertion,
         thereby bypassing the Censor completely.  The first of these
         is subliminal manipulation.
         
         As  far as subliminal perception is concerned, it has always
         been  with us.  It has generally consisted of  "picking  up"
         scattered  bits  of  information from the surrounding  noise
         pattern  encountered  all  too  frequently  in  contemporary
         society.   This  information is usually  perceived  aurally,
         although  it  is possible to receive some visual subliminals
         as  well.   Picked up on the very periphery of our range  of
         visual  and  aural  acuity, the chances of this  information
         proving to be of any value is practically zero.
         
         Should  information be delivered subliminally as part  of  a
         carefully  conceived  enhancement  program,  the  value   of
         subliminals  immediately changes from zero to  a  very  high
         figure.
         
         What we are going to discuss here is the value of subliminal
         perception,  achieved  through  the  utilization  of  modern
         technological  instrumentation to  enhance  the  immortality
         procedure.    The  key word here is "enhance".   Subliminals
         are used to enhance the procedure, not to replace it!
         
         The  value  of  subliminals and their possible  applications
         have been realized for over a century.  Unfortunately, while
         their  value  was appreciated, the technology  necessary  to
         apply  them effectively was lagging!  It is only within  the
         last  thirty or forty years that small, cheap tape-recorders
         and  the  tape  cassette have become readily  available  and
         these are absolutely essential to the modern researcher.
         
         Tape recorders are irreplaceably valueable instruments if we
         are to provide the consistently accurate repetition that  is
         necessary for hypnotic induction and instruction.  Prior  to
         their  introduction  on  the  market  place,  the  available
         mechanisms simply wouldn't do the job.
         
         Previous  societies  have been denied such  instrumentation,
         although  for  the  most  part this  does  not  particularly
         matter.  Their use requires the support of a high technology
         society  and  one much more advanced in all areas  of  human
         knowledge!
         
         The  ancient Egyptian priesthood were certainly aware of and
         practiced  hypnosis (as part  of  the  immortality  process) 
         without  the  intrumentation available to  us.   Although  I
         frequently speculate which part of the body they  felt  they
         were  influencing.  Egyptian anatomy for example, held  that
         the  liver  was  the  seat of the soul  and  the  brain  was
         supposed  to  be  a  simple radiator  mechanism  whose  sole
         purpose was to cool the blood as it ran over it!
         
         Ancient Mesopotamia also felt the  liver was the seat of the
         soul.   Yet  unlike  the Egyptians they possessed  a  rather
         extensive  pharmacopoeia  of  over  five  hundred  different
         drugs, some of which were of mineral origin.
         
         It  was  not until the sixth century BC that the Greeks  had
         identified the proper function of the brain (which was quite
         an  advance)  however  since at  the  same  time  they  also
         believed that good health was achieved by a proper "balance"
         of the four humors which they felt that the body contained.
         
         It should be unnecessary to point out that with this sort of
         anatomical  theorization that in older times the process  of
         attaining immortality was strictly through mental gymnastics
         as   opposed  to  intrusive  surgery  leading  to   internal
         manipulation  or  alteration.  I'm  pointing  it  out  again
         anyway!
         
         To  re-capitulate, and introduce a few more important points
         at the same time!
         
         When  you examine the factors involved, the solution appears
         to  be  simplified by the lack of viable alternatives.   So,
         let's have a last look at the factors:
         
         1.   A  successful procedure was based upon the  ability  to
         bypass  the censor and implant an instruction or  series  of
         instructions into the subconscious mind.
         
         2.   The  means  of  accomplishing  this  require  that  the
         initiate undergoing this implantation be first of all placed
         in  a mental condition wherein the conscious mind (including
         the censor) is temporarily rendered incapacitated.  In a pre-
         technological society the means of achieving this  state  of
         affairs  would  be  limited to  the  use  of  drugs  or  the
         induction of a hypnotic condition.
         
         3.   Hypnotic  induction  required the  participation  of  a
         second  party  to impart the instructions to  the  entranced
         initiate.  The second party in fact assumed the function  of
         the initiates censor or critical faculty.
         
         4.    The  time  required  to  achieve  immortality  through
         hypnosis and external assistance is not known.  It does vary
         with  the  individual and the quality of the  process  being
         used.   Research indicates that the entire process might  be
         completed  in  one year, certainly within  five  years.   By
         using  modern technology to enhance the process this  period
         should  be  reduced considerably.  Again, this depends  upon
         the individual and the process used.
         
         5.   The  cost  involved in the early days  must  have  been
         astronomical.   This  was  because of  the  labor  intensive
         procedures being used and the length of time required for  a
         successful transformation.  Then, as now, this would tend to
         place  the  acquisition  of  immortality  well  out  of  the
         financial  reach of anyone other than the extremely  wealthy
         or influential.
         
         Lets zero in on factor one, the need to bypass the censor.
         
         In  times with less technological ability than our  own  the
         "Whisper  Technique"  was  the  only  method  of  repetition
         available.   This consisted of the repetitive  imparting  of
         instruction  or suggestions to the entranced initiate  by  a
         second party who whispered these instructions or suggestions
         into his or her ear.
         
         This   was  the  most  simple  and  straightforward   method
         available.   The alternative was through the  use  of  drugs
         and,  unless they had something better then in  the  way  of
         hypnotics  than  is presently available,  this  is  somewhat
         unlikely.
         
         True, in ancient Greece, the priestess who served the Oracle
         at Delphi (actually, this was more of a team effort, with  a
         number  of women sharing the duties) was usually stoned  out
         of  her  mind from inhaling burning laurel leaves  prior  to
         making  a  prophecy.  Then, as now, it is probably wiser  to
         stay  away  from drugs and narcotics while you are tinkering
         with  your internal mental machinery. Half the time  no  one
         knew what in hell the priestess was talking about!
         
         In a nutshell, in olden times the message or instruction was
         repeated over and over into the ear of the person undergoing
         the  process.   Repetition is necessary  until  evidence  is
         available  that the mind is acting upon the instructions  it
         has received.  This required at least one trustworthy person
         as an assistant.
         
         In our own times, a cassette is recorded and through the use
         of  a  tape  recorder and timers or switches, the instrument
         repeats  a pre-recorded message or instruction into the  ear
         of   the  initiate  undergoing  the  process  with  absolute
         fidelity and with the capability of continuing to do so  for
         an  indefinite  period  of  time. Providing  only  that  the
         subject  is  in a trance condition, the message is  inserted
         directly into the sub-conscious.  Bingo!
         
         This need for a mechanical or electrical means of repetition
         was  recognized  a  long time ago.  The obviously  desirable
         ability to conduct the process entirely upon ones own was an
         incentive  to  find some method capable of  eliminating  the
         second person.
         
         The introduction of  the phonograph was obviously a step  in
         the  right  direction,  but the  cost  of  making  a  record
         specifically for the process was very high.  To top it  off,
         those  old spring operated machines would only give you  one
         playing of the record before they required re-winding!   And
         boy!   Where they ever noisy!  Having one of these  machines
         going clunk! Right in your ear, would knock most of us right
         out of the trance state!
         
         Somewhere  in  the  1920's  a  talking  machine   called   a
         Psychophone  was introduced to the market.  The  Psychophone
         had  a  smoothed  down mechanical system, an extra  powerful
         spring  and  a built in timer.  It worked fairly well,  even
         although  it  used the old fashioned flat disk records,  but
         even  with the extra powerful spring it simply couldn't  run
         long enough to be of any real value.
         
         Reel  to  reel  tape  recorders were a decided  improvement.
         Some  of   could hold pretty big reels, which gave a greater
         repetitive playing time and they could utilize mechanical or
         electric timing systems.  The problem with these early  tape
         recorders was that they were awfully expensive.
         
         I  used one of them back in the sixties.  At first, it  woke
         me  up every time it switched itself on, even at low volume.
         I fixed that by using an under pillow speaker.
         
         I  was able to get used to someone talking right into my ear
         in  the middle of the night, but only after I had run  wires
         and  installed  the timing mechanism in an  adjoining  room.
         Even  a timer clicking into operation was sufficient to jolt
         me into consciousness.
         
         (I  should explain that these early attempts did not involve
         hypnosis.  I lived in a pretty isolated location and I could
         neither  find  or  afford a qualified  hypnotist.   We  were
         trying  to utilize the technique of "Sleep Learning",  which
         was  in  vogue  in  the  sixties.  That involved  repetitive
         instructions  into  a  sleepers  ear.   We  hoped  we   were
         bypassing  the  "Barrier" as the censor of critical  faculty
         was called at that time).
         
         The  alternative system for those with sufficient money  was
         to  purchase a good quality record player with the  capacity
         to  play  five or six records automatically, one  after  the
         other.   The  records  were held on a  central  spindle  and
         dropped  down  onto the turntable when the preceding  record
         had concluded.
         
         By  using  a  single  record containing your  own  material,
         taping  down the auto switch and incorporating a timer  into
         the  circuit you could play your material over and over  all
         night at pre-selected intervals.
         
         There were still disadvantages.  Recording your own material
         was  very  expensive.   Additionally, the  recording  studio
         would think that you were a mental case when they found  out
         the  content of your material! There was no privacy involved
         in having one of these records pressed for your research.
         
         There  were,  oddly enough, several disk records  containing
         hypnotic  material available at this time.  I have  some  of
         them  kicking  around still, but they are pretty  simplistic
         when compared with the material now available.
         
         One of them, which I never dared to try out, was intended to
         be  played  unobtrusively  at a  party.   Theoretically,  it
         hypnotized  most  of  those  present  and  then  passed  the
         controls over to you!  Once you took control, you could make
         all  your  friends  look like idiots  and  seduce  the  most
         beautiful  girl  in the room!  Theoretically!   How  to  win
         friends and influence people!
         
         I really don't remember if there was any subliminal material
         available  in  those years.  I don't believe there  was,  we
         concentrated  upon  hypnotism and adaptations  of  the  then
         popular  sleep learning technique.  Not very successfully  I
         might add!
         
         The   biggest   problem  was  that  sleep-learners   usually
         encountered a psychological barrier in their early  attempts
         to utilize the system.  As a matter of fact, it actually was
         called  the  "Barrier" and it tended to prevent assimilation
         of  the  huge  quantities  of scholastic  material  that  we
         optimistically  proposed to pour into our unsuspecting  sub-
         conscious!
         
         This  barrier  could be overcome with continued  application
         but   I believe now that the results of sleep learning  were
         so  spotty  because the material used was so  extensive.   I
         imagine  that the trouble in part was due to the  fact  that
         the  material  was  not delivered subliminally,  you  simply
         attempted  to  train  yourself to sleep through  the  racket
         everything made.
         
         When  subliminal  techniques became  common  knowledge,  the
         situation  changed  dramatically.   Using  subliminals   the
         material  isn't  blasted directly into your sleeping  brain!
         It  can  be played at anytime, day or night, either visually
         or aurally.  The conscious mind hears or sees nothing, while
         the   sub-conscious  hears  or  sees  everything  and,  with
         repetition, the censor is bypassed, just as is the case with
         hypnosis!
         
         Probably  the  best  known  demonstration  of  the  use   of
         subliminals   took  place  nearly  forty  years  ago.    The
         location  was  a drive-in theater at Fort Lee,  New  Jersey.
         The medium was a movie called The Picnic, starring Kim Novak
         (sigh!) and William Holden.
         
         In  this  instance  the movie theater owner  superimposed  a
         message over the playing film.  Subliminal repetitions  were
         made  for periods of 1/3000th. part of a second at intervals
         of   five  seconds.   Well  below  the  level  of  conscious
         perception, but easily picked up by the subconscious.
         
         This  particular method is called the tachistoscopic  method
         and it works very well.
         
         The  message?   Oh, yes.  It was "DRINK COCA COLA" and  "EAT
         POPCORN".  The subliminals ran for a couple of weeks until a
         local  newspaper found out and blew the whistle!  Coke sales
         were up 58% and popcorn was up 18%.
         
         Tachistoscopic  subliminals are probably the more  effective
         of  the two most common applications.  The other is the  use
         of audio subliminals, usually on tape cassettes.
         
         Although   Tachistoscopic  techniques  are   difficult   and
         expensive to use on film or ordinary television, I do have a
         couple of very practical computer programs that will project
         a  message  directly onto your computer screen. If  you  are
         working on your computer, you simply don't notice the slight
         accompanying  flicker.   This is an  absolutely  first  rate
         method and one which I strongly recommend.
         
         This  is  a  very good place to make an extremely  important
         point.  It applies to any type of subliminal.  The point is,
         that   knowing the contents of a subliminal audio  or  video
         tape, or a subliminal computer program, does not affect  its
         efficiency  in  relation  to its  acceptance  by  your  sub-
         conscious  mind.  Not one iota!  The subconscious mind  does
         not hear the masked or embedded message anyway!
         
         Even your own tapes, if you decide to make them, are just as
         valid  as a tape you have purchased without being made aware
         of   the  contents!   If  anyone  tries  to  tell  you   any
         differently, they are misguided.
         
         Anyway, back to business.
         
         An  examination  of the market indicates that  there  are  a
         number  of companies who are prepared to sell you subliminal
         tapes,  both  audio  and  video, in a  number  of  different
         configurations.  Prices vary greatly, and so, apparently, do
         the systems employed to make the tape.
         
         In  essence,  audio tapes are manufactured  by  recording  a
         message  on  tape and then masking the message by overlaying
         it  with white noise, music, nature sounds or what have you.
         When such a tape is played, all you hear is the overlay,  or
         masking material, although your subconscious easily picks up
         the masked message.  The trick, of course, is not to make or
         overlay  the  message too deeply or even  your  subconscious
         won't hear it.
         
         Perhaps  as  a marketing feature, some companies offer  time
         compression, others offer multi-track recording and  so  on.
         Techniques such as these allow the tapes maker to record the
         information  and  play  it  back  dozens,  or  hundreds   or
         thousands of times in the same length of real time it  takes
         the message to be read once normally.
         
         When  these  time-compressed or multi-track  recordings  are
         heard  without the masking material, all that comes  through
         is a blur of sound.  An electronic fog!
         
         Their  producers claim that by compressing a greater  number
         of  messages  into  a  smaller time  slot,  the  message  is
         received  that much faster and that much more often  by  the
         purchaser.   There  is  no evidence  whatsoever  that  these
         techniques improve either reception or retention.
         
         I  personally don't have much of an opinion on the value  of
         such claims, but it seems logical that if all I can hear  on
         one  of  these recordings is an electronic blur, the chances
         are good that that is all my subconscious will hear as well!
         Like  the  man  says, however, "Yer pays Yer money  and  Yer
         takes Yer chances".  Maybe these techniques really do work.
         
         I  would suggest however, that a well-constructed subliminal
         message,   embedded  just  below  the  level  of   conscious
         perception  provides all that the researcher  will  require.
         That  goes  for  audio and video material.  And  that,  dear
         reader, is the end of the chapter!
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
