~~~~~~
c) Dick Sutphen
Modified for WWW distribution May 27/95 by Dynamic Living Media May be freely copied and reproduced complete with all graphics.
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The Battle For Your Mind - Mass Mind Control Techniques In America
SIGHTINGS By Dick Sutphen 1-20-2000
Persuasion and Brainwashing Techniques Being Used On The Public Today
Reformatted for WWW display and distribution by Dynamic Living Media Summary
Of Contents
1 of 44) [05/12/2001 4:44:00 AM]
Introduction
The Birth of Conversion: Brainwashing in Christian Revivalism in 1735.
The Three Brain Phases: The Pavlovian Explanation
How Revivalist Preachers Work
The "Voice Roll" Technique
The Build-up Process.:Inducing Altered States
Assured Continuation: Fleecing the Flock
Bonding by Fear and Suggestion Testimony:
Creating Community Spirit Miracles The Grey
Area of Legitimacy A Game in Which the Rules
Keep Changing...
Six Conversion Techniques
Isolation Intimidation, Deprivation and Indoctrination.
The "Sell It By Zealot" Technique. Wearing Down
Resistance Increasing Tension Introducing Uncertainty
About Identity Jargon Lack of Humor: No Release, No Resistance
Not Always a Bad Thing Cults: A Captive Course in Stockholm
Syndrome The Only Hope of Immunity The US Marines as a Brainwashing
Cult The Battle For Your Mind - Mass Mind Control Techniques In America
Steps in the Decognition Process
Alertness reduction Programmed Confusion Thought Stopping
Thought-Stopping Techniques
Marching Meditation Chanting
True believers and mass movements.
Persuasion techniques: "Yes Set" Embedded Commands
The Power of NLP Interspersal Technique Practical
Examples Shock and Confusion
Subliminal Programming
Does Subliminal Programming Work? Mass Misuse of
Subliminal Programming Vibrato Extra-low Frequency
Vibrations (ELFs) The Neurophone Technological Tools
for Mass Manipulation In Closing...
The Battle For Your Mind - Mass Mind Control Techniques In America
Introduction
I'm Dick Sutphen and this tape is a studio-recorded,
expanded version of a talk I delivered at the World
Congress of Professional Hypnotists Convention in
Las
from unlawful duplication for sale by other
companies, in this case, I invite individuals to make
copies and give them to friends or anyone in a
position to communicate this information.
Although I've been interviewed about the subject on many
local and regional radio and TV talk shows, large-scale
mass communication appears to be blocked, since it could
result in suspicion or investigation of the very media
presenting it or the sponsors that support the media.
Some government agencies do not want this information
generally known. Nor do the Born-Again Christian
movement, cults, and many human-potential trainings.
Everything I will relate only exposes the surface of the
problem.
I don't know how the misuse of these techniques can be stopped.
I don't think it is possible to legislate against that which often
cannot be detected; and if those who legislate are using these
techniques, there is little hope of affecting laws to govern usage.
I do know that the first step to initiate change is to generate interest.
In this case, that will probably only result from an underground effort.
In talking about this subject, I am talking about my own
business. I know it, and I know how effective it can be. I
produce hypnosis and subliminal tapes and, in some of my
seminars, I use conversion tactics to assist participants to
become independent and self-sufficient. But, anytime I
use these techniques, I point out that I am using them, and
those attending have a choice to participate or not. They
also know what the desired result of participation will be.
So, to begin, I want to state the most basic of all facts
about brainwashing: In the entire history of man, no one
has ever been brainwashed and realized, or believed, that
he had been brainwashed. Those who have been
brainwashed will usually passionately defend their
manipulators, claiming they have simply been "shown the
light" ...or have been transformed in miraculous ways.
The Birth of Conversion: Brainwashing in Christian
Revivalism in 1735.
Conversion is a "nice" word for brainwashing...and any
study of brainwashing has to begin with a study of
Christian revivalism in eighteenth century America.
Apparently, Jonathan Edwards accidentally discovered the techniques
during a religious crusade in 1735 in Northampton, Massachusetts.
By inducing guilt and acute apprehension and by increasing
the tension, the "sinners" attending his revival meetings
would break down and completely submit.
Technically, what Edwards was doing was creating conditions
that wipe the brain slate clean so that the mind accepts new
programming.
The problem was that the new input was negative.
He would tell them,"You're a sinner! You're destined for hell ! "
As a result, one person committed suicide and another
attempted suicide. And the neighbors of the suicidal
converts related that they, too, were affected so deeply
that, although they had found "eternal salvation," they
were obsessed with a diabolical temptation to end their
own lives.
Once a preacher, cult leader, manipulator or authority
figure creates the brain phase to wipe the brain-slate clean,
his subjects are wide open. New input, in the form of
suggestion, can be substituted for their previous ideas.
Because Edwards didn't turn his message positive until the
end of the revival, many accepted the negative
suggestions and acted, or desired to act, upon them.
Charles J. Finney was another Christian revivalist who
used the same techniques four years later in mass religious
conversions in New York. The techniques are still being
used today by Christian revivalists, cults, human-potential
The Battle For Your Mind - Mass Mind Control Techniques In America
trainings, some business rallies, and the United States Armed services...
to name just a few.
Let me point out here that I don't think most revivalist
preachers realize or know they are using brainwashing
techniques.
Edwards simply stumbled upon a technique that really worked,
and others copied it and have continued to copy it for over two
hundred years.
And the more sophisticated our knowledge and technology
become, the more effective the conversion.
I feel strongly that this is one of the major reasons for the
increasing rise in Christian fundamentalism, especially the
televisedvariety, while most of the orthodox religions are
declining.
The Three Brain Phases: The Pavlovian Explanation
The Christians may have been the first to successfully formulate brainwashing,
but we have to look to Pavlov, the Russian scientist, for a technical explanation.
In the early 1900s, his work with animals opened the door to further investigations
with humans.
After the revolution in Russia, Lenin was quick to see the potential of applying
Pavlov's research to his own ends.
Three distinct and progressive states of transmarginal inhibition were
identified by Pavlov.
The first is the equivalent phase, in which the brain gives the same
response to both strong and weak stimuli.
The second is the paradoxical phase, in which the brain responds more
actively to weak stimuli than to strong.
And the third is the ultra-paradoxical phase, in which conditioned responses
& behavior patterns turn from positive to negative or from negative to positive.
With the progression through each phase, the degree
of conversion becomes more effective and complete.
The way to achieve conversion are many and varied,
but the usual first step in religious or political brainwashing
is to work on the emotions of an individual or group until they
reach an abnormal level of anger, fear, exitement, or nervous
tension.( Sexual tension ,embarrassment ,sensory overload )
The progressive result of this mental condition is to impair judgement and increase
suggestibility. The more this condition can be maintained or intensified, the more it
compounds.
Once catharsis, or the first brain phase, is reached, the complete mental takeover
becomes easier.
Existing mental programming can be replaced with new patterns of thinking and
behavior. ( deminishing protean )
Other often-used physiological weapons to modify normal brain functions are fasting
( & or deminishing protean ) , radical or high sugar diets, physical discomforts,
regulation of breathing, mantra chanting in meditation, the disclosure of "awesome
mysteries", special lighting and sound effects, programmed response to incense, or
intoxicating drugs.
The same results can be ( & are ) obtained in contemporary psychiatric treatment
by electric shock treatments and even by purposely lowering a person's blood
sugar level with insulin injections.
Before I talk about exactly how some of the techniques are applied, I want to
point out that hypnosis and conversion tactics are two distinctly different things--
and that conversion techniques are far more powerful.
However, the two are often mixed...with powerful results.
How Revivalist Preachers Work
If you'd like to see a revivalist preacher at work, there are probably several
in your city. Go to the church or tent early and sit in the rear,about three-quarters
of the way back. Most likely repetitive music will be played while the people come
in for the service.
A repetitive beat, ideally ranging from 45 to 72 beats per minute.
(a rhythm close to the beat of the human heart),
( or remember Bob Dillon early guitar stuff )
is very hypnotic and can generate an eyes-open altered state of
consciousness in a very high percentage of people.
And, once you are in an alpha state, you are at least
25 times as suggestible as you would be in full beta
consciousness.
The music is probably the same for every service, or incorporates the
same beat, and many of the people will go into an altered state almost
immediately upon entering the sanctuary.
Subconsciously, they recall their state of mind from
previous services and respond according to the
post-hypnotic programming.
Watch the people waiting for the service to begin. Many
will exhibit external signs of trance--body relaxation and
slightly dilated eyes. Often, they begin swaying back and
forth with their hands in the air while sitting in their
chairs.
Next, the assistant pastor will probably come out.
He usually speaks with a pretty good "voice roll."
The "Voice Roll" Technique
A "voice roll" is a patterned, paced style used by
hypnotists when inducing a trance. It is also used by many
lawyers, several of whom are highly trained hypnotists,
when they desire to entrench a point firmly in the minds
of the jurors. A voice roll can sound as if the speaker were
talking to the beat of a metronome or it may sound as
though he were emphasizing every word in a monotonous,
patterned style. The words will usually be delivered at the
rate of 45 to 60 beats per minute, maximizing the hypnotic
effect.
The Build-up Process: Inducing Altered States
Now the assistant pastor begins the "build-up" process. He
induces an altered state of consciousness and/or begins to
generate the excitement and the expectations of the
audience. Next, a group of young women in "sweet and
pure" chiffon dresses might come out to sing a song.
Gospel songs are great for building excitement and
involvement. In the middle of the song, one of the girls
might be "smitten by the spirit" and fall down or react as
if possessed by the Holy Spirit. This very effectively
increases the intensity in the room. At this point, hypnosis
and conversion tactics are being mixed. And the result is
the audience's attention span is now totally focused upon
the communication while the environment becomes more
exciting or tense.
Assured Continuation: Fleecing the Flock
Right about this time, when an eyes-open mass-induced
alpha mental state has been achieved, they will usually
pass the collection plate or basket. In the background, a
45-beat-per-minute voice roll from the assistant preacher
might exhort, "Give to God...Give to God...Give to
God...." And the audience does give. God may not get the
money, but his already-wealthy representative will.
Bonding by Fear and Suggestion
Next, the fire-and-brimstone preacher will come out. He
induces fear and increases the tension by talking about
"the devil," "going to hell," or the forthcoming
Armegeddon.
In the last such rally I attended, the preacher talked about
the blood that would soon be running out of every faucet
in the land. He was also obsessed with a "bloody axe of
God," which everyone had seen hanging above the pulpit
the previous week. I have no doubt that everyone saw
it--the power of suggestion given to hundreds of people in
hypnosis assures that at least 10 to 25 percent would see
whatever he suggested they see.
Testimony: Creating Community Spirit
In most revivalist gatherings, "testifying" or "witnessing"
usually follows the fear-based sermon. People from the
audience come up on stage and relate their stories. "I was
crippled and now I can walk!" "I had arthritis and now it's
gone!" It is a psychological manipulation that works.
After listening to numerous case histories of miraculous
healings, the average guy in the audience with a minor
problem is sure he can be healed. The room is charged
with fear, guilt, intense excitement, and expectations.
Miracles
Now those who want to be healed are frequently lined up
around the edge of the room, or they are told to come
down to the front. The preacher might touch them on the
head firmly and scream, "Be healed!" This releases the
psychic energy and, for many, catharsis results. Catharsis
is a purging of repressed emotions. Individuals might cry,
fall down or even go into spasms. And if catharsis is
effected, they stand a chance of being healed. In catharsis
(one of the three brain phases mentioned earlier), the
brain-slate is temporarily wiped clean and the new
suggestion is accepted.
For some, the healing may be permanent. For many, it
will last four days to a week, which is, incidentally, how
long a hypnotic suggestion given to a somnambulistic
subject will usually last. Even if the healing doesn't last, if
they come back every week, the power of suggestion may
continually override the problem...or sometimes, sadly, it
can mask a physical problem which could prove to be
very detrimental to the individual in the long run.
The Grey Area of Legitimacy
I'm not saying that legitimate healings do not take place.
They do. Maybe the individual was ready to let go of the
negativity that caused the problem in the first place;
maybe it was the work of God. Yet I contend that it can be
explained with existing knowledge of brain/mind
function.
 A Game in Which the Rules Keep Changing
The techniques and staging will vary from church to
church. Many use "speaking in tongues" to generate
catharsis in some while the spectacle creates intense
excitement in the observers.
The use of hypnotic techniques by religions is
sophisticated, and professionals are assuring that they
become even more effective. A man in Los Angeles is
designing, building, and reworking a lot of churches
around the country. He tells ministers what they need and
how to use it. This man's track record indicates that the
congregation and the monetary income will double if the
minister follows his instructions. He admits that about 80
percent of his efforts are in the sound system and lighting.
Powerful sound and the proper use of lighting are of
primary importance in inducing an
altered state of consciousnes--I've been
using them for years in my own seminars.
However, my participants are fully aware
of the process and what they can expect
as a result of their participation.
Six Conversion Techniques
Cults and human-potential organizations are always looking for new
converts. To attain them, they must also create a brain-phase. And
they often need to do it within a short space of time--a weekend,
or maybe even a day. The following are the six primary techniques
used to generate the conversion.
Isolation Intimidation, Deprivation and Indoctrination
The meeting or training takes place in an area where
participants are cut off from the outside world.
This may be any place: a private home, a remote or rural setting, or
even a hotel ballroom where the participants are allowed only limited
bathroom usage. In human-potential trainings, the controllers will give
a lengthy talk about the importance of "keeping agreements" in life.
The participants are told that if they don't keep agreements,
their life will never work. It's a good idea to keep agreements, but the
controllers are subverting a positive human value for selfish purposes.
The participants vow to themselves and their trainer that they will keep
their agreements. Anyone who does not will be intimidated into agreement
or forced to leave. The next step is to agree to complete training, thus
assuring a high percentage of conversions for the organizations.
They will usually have to agree not to take drugs, smoke,
and sometimes not to eat...or they are given such short
meal breaks that it creates tension. The real reason for the
agreements is to alter internal chemistry, which generates
anxiety and hopefully causes at least a slight malfunction
of the nervous system, which in turn increases the
conversion potential.
The "Sell It By Zealot" Technique.
Before the gathering is complete, the agreements will be
used to ensure that the new converts go out and find new
participants. They are intimidated into agreeing to do so
before they leave. Since the importance of keeping
agreements is so high on their priority list, the converts
will twist the arms of everyone they know, attempting to
talk them into attending a free introductory session offered
at a future date by the organization. The new converts are
zealots. In fact, the inside term for merchandising the
largest and most successful human-potential training is,
"sell it by zealot!"
At least a million people are graduates and a good
percentage have been left with a mental activation button
that assures their future loyalty and assistance if the guru
figure or organization calls. Think about the potential
political implications of hundreds of thousands of zealots
programmed to campaign for their guru.
Be wary of an organization of this type that offers
follow-up sessions after the seminar. Follow-up sessions
might be weekly meetings or inexpensive seminars given
on a regular basis which the organization will attempt to
talk you into taking--or any regularly scheduled event
used to maintain control. As the early Christian revivalists
found, long-term control is dependent upon a good
follow-up system.
Wearing Down Resistance
Alright. Now, let's look at the second tip-off that indicates
conversion tactics are being used. A schedule is
maintained that causes physical and mental fatigue. This
is primarily accomplished by long hours in which the
participants are given no opportunity for relaxation or
reflection.
Increasing Tension
The third tip-off: techniques used to increase the tension
in the room or environment. Introducing Uncertainty About
Identity
Number four: Uncertainty. I could spend hours relating
various techniques to increase tension and generate
uncertainty. Basically, the participants are concerned
about being "put on the spot" or encountered by the
trainers, guilt feelings are played upon, participants are
tempted to verbally relate their innermost secrets to the
other participants or forced to take part in activities that
emphasize removing their masks. One of the most
successful human-potential seminars forces the
participants to stand on a stage in front of the entire
audience while being verbally attacked by the trainers. A
public opinion poll, conducted a few years ago, showed
that the number one most-fearful situation an individual
could encounter is to speak to an audience. It ranked
above window washing outside the 85th floor of an office
building.
So you can imagine the fear and tension this situation
generates within the participants. Many faint, but most
cope with the stress by mentally going away. They
literally go into an alpha state, which automatically makes
them many times as suggestible as they normally are. And
another loop of the downward spiral into conversion is
successfully effected.
Jargon
The fifth clue that conversion tactics are being used is the
introduction of jargon--new terms that have meaning only
to the "insiders" who participate. Vicious language is also
frequently used, purposely, to make participants uncomfortable.
Lack of Humor: No Release,
No Resistance
The final tip-off is that there is no humor
in the communications...
at least until the participants are converted.
Then, merry-making and humor are highly
desirable as symbols of the new joy the
participants have supposedly "found."
Not Always a Bad Thing
I'm not saying that good does not result from participation
in such gatherings. It can and does. But I contend it is
important for people to know what has happened and to be
aware that continual involvement may not be in their best
interest.
Over the years, I've conducted professional seminars to
teach people to be hypnotists, trainers, and counselors.
I've had many of those who conduct trainings and rallies
come to me and say, "I'm here because I know that what
I'm doing works, but I don't know why." After showing
them how and why, many have gotten out of the business
or have decided to approach it differently or in a much
more loving and supportive manner.
Many of these trainers have become personal friends, and
it scares us all to have experienced the power of one
person with a microphone and a room full of people. Add
a little charisma and you can count on a high percentage
of conversions. The sad truth is that a high percentage of
people want to give away their power--they are true
"believers"!
Cults: A Captive Course
in Stockholm Syndrome
Cult gatherings or human-potential trainings are an ideal
environment to observe first-hand what is technically
called the "Stockholm Syndrome." This is a situation in
which those who are intimidated, controlled, or made to
suffer, begin to love, admire, and even sometimes
sexually desire their controllers or captors.
But let me inject a word of warning here: If you think you
can attend such gatherings and not be affected, you are
probably wrong. A perfect example is the case of a
woman who went to Haiti on a Guggenheim Fellowship to
study Haitian Voodoo. In her report, she related how the
music eventually induced uncontrollable bodily
movement and an altered state of consciousness. Although
she understood the process and thought herself above it,
when she began to feel herself become vulnerable to the
music, she attempted to fight it and turned away. Anger or
resistance almost always assures conversion. A few
moments later she was possessed by the music and began
dancing in a trance around the Voodoo meeting house. A
brain phase had been induced by the music and
excitement, and she awoke feeling reborn.
The Only Hope of Immunity
The only hope of attending
such gatherings without being
affected is to be a Buddha and
allow no positive or negative
emotions to surface.
Few people are capable of such
detachment.
The US Marines as a Brainwashing Cult
Before I go on, let's go back to the six tip-offs to
conversion. I want to mention the United States
Government and military boot camp.
The Marine Corps talks about
breaking men down before
"rebuilding" them as new men--
as marines!
Well, that is exactly what they do, the same way a cult
breaks its people down and rebuilds them as happy
flower sellers on your local street corner.
Every one of the six conversion techniques are used in
boot camp. Considering the needs of the military,I'm not
making a judgement as to whether that is good or bad.
IT IS A fact that the men are effectively brainwashed.
Those who won't submit must be discharged or spend
much of their time in the brig.
Steps in the Decognition Process
Once the initial conversion is effected, cults, armed
services, and similar groups cannot have cynicism among
their members. Members must respond to commands and
do as they are told, otherwise they are dangerous to the
organizational control. This is normally accomplished as a
three-step Decognition Process.
Alertness reduction
Step One is alertness reduction: The controllers cause the
nervous system to malfunction, making it difficult to
distinguish between fantasy and reality.
This can be accomplished in several ways. poor diet is one;
watch out for Brownies and Koolaid. The sugar throws the
nervous system off.
More subtle is the "spiritual diet" used by many cults.
They eat only vegetables and fruits; without the grounding
of grains, nuts, seeds, dairy products, fish or meat, an
individual becomes mentally "spacey."
Inadequate sleep is another primary way to reduce
alertness, especially when combined with long hours of
work or intense physical activity. Also, being bombarded
with intense and unique experiences achieves the same
result.
Programmed Confusion
Step Two is programmed confusion: You are mentally
assaulted while your alertness is being reduced as in Step
One. This is accomplished with a deluge of new information,
lectures, discussion groups, encounters or one-to-one
processing, which usually amounts to the controller
bombarding the individual with questions.
During this phase of decognition, reality and illusion often
merge and perverted logic is likely to be accepted.
Thought Stopping
Step Three is thought stopping: Techniques are used to
cause the mind to go "flat." These are
altered-state-of-consciousness techniques that initially
induce calmness by giving the mind something simple to
deal with and focusing awareness. The continued use
brings on a feeling of elation and eventually hallucination.
The result is the reduction of thought and eventually, if
used long enough, the cessation of all thought and
withdrawal from everyone and everything except that
which the controllers direct. The takeover is then
complete. It is important to be aware that when members
or participants are instructed to use "thought-stopping"
techniques, they are told that they will benefit by so
doing: they will become "better soldiers" or "find
enlightenment." Thought-Stopping Techniques
Marching
There are three primary techniques used for thought
stopping. The first is marching: the thump, thump, thump
beat literally generates self-hypnosis and thus great
susceptibility to suggestion.
Meditation
The second thought stopping technique is meditation. If
you spend an hour to an hour and a half a day in
meditation, after a few weeks, there is a great probability
that you will not return to full beta consciousness. You
will remain in a fixed state of alpha for as long as you
continue to meditate. I'm not saying this is bad--if you do
it yourself. It may be very beneficial. But it is a fact that
you are causing your mind to go flat. I've worked with
meditators on an EEG machine and the results are
conclusive: the more you meditate, the flatter your mind
becomes until, eventually and especially if used to excess
or in combination with decognition, all thought ceases.
Some spiritual groups see this as nirvana--which is
bullshit. It is simply a predictable physiological result.
And if heaven on earth is non-thinking and
non-involvement, I really question why we are here.
Chanting
The third thought-stopping technique is chanting, and
often chanting in meditation. "Speaking in tongues" could
also be included in this category.
All three-stopping techniques produce an altered state of
consciousness. This may be very good if you are
controlling the process, for you also control the input. I
personally use at least one self-hypnosis programming
session every day and I know how beneficial it is for me.
But you need to know if you use these techniques to the
degree of remaining continually in alpha that, although
you'll be very mellow, you'll also be more suggestible.
True Believers and Mass Movements
Before ending this section on conversion, I want to talk
about the people who are most susceptible to it and about
Mass Movements. I am convinced that at least a third of
the population is what Eric Hoffer calls "true believers."
They are joiners and followers...people who want to give
away their power. They look for answers, meaning, and
enlightenment outside themselves.
Hoffer, who wrote "The True Believer", a classic on mass
movements, says, "true believers are not intent on
bolstering and advancing a cherished self, but are those
craving to be rid of unwanted self. They are followers, not
because of a desire for self-advancement, but because it
can satisfy their passion for self-renunciation!" Hoffer
also says that true believers "are eternally incomplete and
eternally insecure" !
I know this from my own experience. In my years of
communicating concepts and conducting trainings, I have
run into them again and again. All I can do is attempt to
show them that the only thing to seek is the True Self
within. Their personal answers are to be found there and
there alone. I communicate that the basics of spirituality
are self-responsibility and self-actualization. But most of
the true believers just tell me that I'm not spiritual and go
looking for someone who will give them the dogma and
structure they desire.
Never underestimate the potential danger of these people.
They can easily be molded into fanatics who will gladly
work and die for their holy cause. It is a substitute for
their lost faith in themselves and offers them as a
substitute for individual hope. The Moral Majority is
made up of true believers. All cults are composed of true
believers. You'll find them in politics, churches,
businesses, and social cause groups. They are the fanatics
in these organizations.
Mass Movements will usually have a charismatic leader.
The followers want to convert others to their way of living
or impose a new way of life--if necessary, by legislating
laws forcing others to their view, as evidenced by the
activities of the Moral Majority. This means enforcement
by guns or punishment, for that is the bottomline in law
enforcement.
A common hatred, enemy, or devil is essential to the
success of a mass movement. The Born-Again Christians
have Satan himself, but that isn't enough--they've added
the occult, the New Age thinkers and, lately, all those who
oppose their integration of church and politics, as
evidenced in their political reelection campaigns against
those who oppose their views. In revolutions, the devil is
usually the ruling power or aristocracy. Some
human-potential movements are far too clever to ask their
graduates to join anything, thus labeling themselves as a
cult--but, if you look closely, you'll find that their devil is
anyone and everyone who hasn't taken their training.
There are mass movements without devils but they seldom
attain major status. The True Believers are mentally
unbalanced or insecure people, or those without hope or
friends. People don't look for allies when they | 
