I came up with a list of factors to help one determine whether they're being manipulated.
1. Guilt:
The Manipulator covertly makes you feel guilty and makes you question your own credibility. He can do so by ignoring certain aspects of what you're saying, or giving you a condescending look whenever you ask him a critical question about an ambiguous thing he's told you. Another way to elicit guilt is to use a condemning voice tonality and dramatic pauses. Response: State your observations and how you feel. Don't mind read. Question Manipulator's ambiguous behavior. Don't ask "Why" questions because they can provoke defensive reactions. Instead, ask META Model questions: "What/How specifically?", "Says who?", etc.
2. Instant Discomfort:
When you feel discomfort for a fraction of the second but then you discredit it and try to justify your reaction, you are most likely being manipulated. Response: Stop for a second and think about your initial reaction. Share what you felt with whomever caused it. Don't mind read, be curious. If you still feel this discomfort, be assertive until closure.
3. Nervous Grin:
When you have a frozen nervous smile on your face and you feel paralyzed in some way, this means that emotionally you agree with what's being said, but cognitively, you disagree. You are probably being manipulated. Response: Stop for a second and really think about what you're observing. Imagine the message delivered to you without the emotional attachment to it, and try to delete the loaded language.
4. Liking:
When you want to be liked by someone for no apparent reason, even if you don't like them back, you are being manipulated. You might try to fool yourself that you actually like the Manipulator and you might experience guilt for "unconditionally" disliking him. Response: Ask yourself what's in it for you in this relationship. Objectively evaluate the person's attitude specifically towards you. Don't be biased by the way he treats others.
5. Awkward Silence:
When you feel like you're not supposed to say anything but it's expected from you to say something. The Manipulator says nothing and perhaps looks at you with expectation, after you've already finished talking. Questions where you have to "fill in the blank" are being asked often. Response: Tell him you're finished talking when you don't know what else to say. Another response is to stare back at him without saying nothing. Use the moment to break state, excuse yourself and leave the conversation instead of complying. Think about what happened and objectively evaluate the situation.
6. Gibberish:
When someone's talking to you in a non-distinguishable way without letting you question what they mean. They might prevent you from asking for the meaning by making it appear as self-evident. You feel stupid to ask. Response: Ask in an offended way, as in, HOW DARE YOU not tell me what this means. This would not make you look stupid, but instead would pass the ball back to the Manipulator.
7. Confusion:
When a person's prevalent attitude is confusing to you. You might begin to hyperventilate or find yourself in loss of words. If that's the case, you're likely to be manipulated. Response: As soon as you start feeling confused, don't let the momentum get you. It's critical that you catch yourself being confused. Once you realize that, begin pretending you are still confused without actually listening to what the Manipulator is saying, and wait for their move.
8. Fear:
Talking about general negative consequences in a way that implies they're gonna happen to you. Response: Ask the Manipulator to be more specific, as to how the issues he's presenting concern him personally, and how are they relevant to the conversation. Don't let him get ambiguous, keep things chunked down, or else he's gonna get you.
9. Unfounded Hierarchy:
When a rank is based on something which is not related to the specific field. This creates false incentives for group members. If you enter such group, you are to be manipulated. Response: Be independent of any ranks, take an observer role. If you feel peer pressure being applied to you, leave the group.
Nov 25, 2008
Manipulation in Therapy
When you're helping someone solve an issue...
1. Contrast principle
1. Contrast principle
* Easy Solution: First suggest a solution A that you know the patient is incapable of completing. Then give them the real solution B and now it's gonna seem much more achievable to them.2. Consistency Principle
* High Expectations: Warn patient that the solution is going to be extremely difficult for them. Next, give them a task that's actually achievable. Be careful not to create a self-fulfilling prophecy, though.
* The Bait: Suggest 3 possible choices to patient: first one (8) is that they solve the problem by doing something unacceptable. The second one (A) is that they cope with the problem and face the negative consequences. The third choice (B) is that they solve the problem by doing something acceptable.
* Public Commitment: Make patient promise in front of a group of people that they're gonna complete the steps to solve their problem. It's important that the steps are within their range of comfort.3. Reciprocity
* Written Commitment: Make patient write the things they can do to improve their situation, and what they want their behavior to be, on pieces of paper and stick them to the wall. Before that, do an ecology check.
* Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Congruently state repeatedly that your patient's behavior is already what they want it to be and their problem is already solved. Another way to use this technique is to state that the solution to the problem is going to be very easy.
* Leading: Congruently state that you have the answer to patient's problem. Each time you meet the patient, give them a small task to do. That's gonna make them come back for more and commit to solving their problem step by step.
* Priming: Ask patient if they are willing to do anything you ask them to in order to solve their problems. That's gonna remove some of their boundaries later when you suggest they do something that they might perceive as embarrassing or silly.
* Pygmalion Effect: Find out what patient likes (X). Find a way to relate X to the solution of their problem. Label the patient as the highest ranked individual in the context of X. Reframe the solution in that context and give the patient a Cause to follow, within this frame.
* Low Balling: Suggest that the solution is going to take the patient very little effort. Next, go on talking about the small details. Finally, drop the bomb and suggest the difficult task to solving their problem. They would be willing to try it out, no matter how hard it is.
* The Gift: Before you suggest a solution to the problem, give the patient a small gift that looks expensive. If they resist, tell them you already have one yourself, you don't wanna throw it out, you've already spent the money, etc. Tell them you want them to follow your instructions in return and that's all you want. Emphasize on that, and warn them you'll be mad if they buy you something in return. Now they'll be more than willing to commit to the solution, because they owe you something in return.4. Scarcity
* Stacking Favors: Every time your patient visits, give them seemingly expensive drinks, cookies, snacks, etc. Do it in such a way that consciously they won't feel like they owe you something back. The trick is to be subtle with this technique.
* The Concession: Make your patient do a difficult task that you know is impossible for them to complete. When they come back disappointed, give them the real task to complete as a concession. That's also gonna make the real task seem a lot easier to do.
* Deadline: Tell patient that now is the perfect time for them to solve their problem and not to waste away the awesome opportunity. That would motivate them to manage their time better in favor of the solution.5. Social Proof
* The Secret: Tell patient that the solution is exclusive and you're working outside of the box. Tell them your techniques are often avoided by therapists because the patients get well too soon and usually don't come back.
* Price: Charge a lot of money for your services. Great motivation for both you and the patient to perform at each one's best.
* Uncertainty: Confuse subject about their problem until they're overwhelmed. Then congruently suggest the solution, or even better, suggest that the problem has disappeared.
* Similarity: Tell a story about a fictional character (X) who is similar to the patient, without being too blatant. Describe how X used to have the same problem and give them the solution that X has found. If you have a really good rapport with the patient, you can talk about yourself instead of X.
* Credibility: Talk about many specialists who have found your solution to be the most effective. Even better, bring a friend who would act as an authority figure to approve of your suggestions. Show written testimonials from other people who have already solved a problem similar to that of the patient.
Feature:
Mind Exploration
Nov 24, 2008
Intellectual Property
There's no such thing as "Intellectual Property" and I am not ashamed to download shit for free. Knowledge is like a candle, when one candle lights another it does not diminish from the light of the first. In the same way, copying someone's ideas doesn't mean you're taking them away from the original author. Nobody owns ideas, the same way we don't own words. Thus, an idea can't be stolen.
One would argue that time is money and ideas take time to come up with. I would like to correct you, sir. Time is money only when it has been spent in order to provide an exclusive valuable service that the client voluntarily requested. Let's say you walk to a place in the public mountain every day, and you've naturally made a pathway by walking on the same ground so many times. Then a tourist discovers your pathway and finds it to be useful. He takes advantage of it to conveniently go to that same place you've been going to.
I hope you can see now how ridiculous the concept of Intellectual Property really is. It makes no fucking sense. So if one claims that ideas can be owned, that would mean that they are either an artist or an inventor. We all know that artists cling to socialism because there's too much competition in their field, and without support from a socialistic government, they won't be able to earn enough money. Inventors make a big deal out of patents to claim monopoly over their products. If you wanna earn money, quit your whining and get real. Non-existing things cost non-existing money.
Stop buying unicorns! When you pirate MP3's, you're downloading CAPITALISM. Because inevitably the delusional douchebags will become extinct. The young demographic will no longer dream about becoming unicorn riders or dragon slayers. Instead, they will be focusing on real things that would help the economy grow.
One would argue that time is money and ideas take time to come up with. I would like to correct you, sir. Time is money only when it has been spent in order to provide an exclusive valuable service that the client voluntarily requested. Let's say you walk to a place in the public mountain every day, and you've naturally made a pathway by walking on the same ground so many times. Then a tourist discovers your pathway and finds it to be useful. He takes advantage of it to conveniently go to that same place you've been going to.
1. Just because he's using your pathway doesn't mean he had demanded it from you.If you still demand a tax from everyone who's walking on this pathway, you're just being a total dick. Here's a parallel scenario: The weather is cold. You get on a bus. The bus is loaded, there are no seats available. A person stands up because it's time for him to leave. You take his seat and suddenly he's demanding money from you, just because the seat is warm from his ass and farts.
2. You hadn't spent your time making the pathway exclusively for the tourist.
3. If more tourists find your pathway useful, that wouldn't mean you've wasted more time on it.
I hope you can see now how ridiculous the concept of Intellectual Property really is. It makes no fucking sense. So if one claims that ideas can be owned, that would mean that they are either an artist or an inventor. We all know that artists cling to socialism because there's too much competition in their field, and without support from a socialistic government, they won't be able to earn enough money. Inventors make a big deal out of patents to claim monopoly over their products. If you wanna earn money, quit your whining and get real. Non-existing things cost non-existing money.
Stop buying unicorns! When you pirate MP3's, you're downloading CAPITALISM. Because inevitably the delusional douchebags will become extinct. The young demographic will no longer dream about becoming unicorn riders or dragon slayers. Instead, they will be focusing on real things that would help the economy grow.
Feature:
Society
Nov 18, 2008
Therapeutic Art
After studying hypnosis, I learned to appreciate the therapeutic potential of art. This made me reconsider the claim I made about art being essentially destructive just because of it distractive nature. Art has a hypnotic effect on people, but I came to realize that being in a trance can be a very useful state depending on the context. So I made a false distinction in the past claiming that art is evil, when it's clear to me now that art on itself isn't bad. It's the way people abuse its power that's destructive. Art is a dangerous psychotronic tool that can be used both for healing and killing - just like a scalpel.
How can art be helpful?
Analogies and metaphors in art can help people get rid of unhealthy beliefs. A person who's affected by a metaphor comes to a conclusion himself, thus owning his choice. People hate being blatantly told what to do and how to do it, even if it's beneficial to them. You want them to understand things from their own model of the world by giving them the freedom of connecting the dots. Let me explain the difference between blatant commands and metaphors with an example. Let's say you wanna help someone in need of shoes. In the first case, you're giving the guy your own shoes - they may not fit him well. In the second case, you're giving the guy a gift card for the shoe store, where he can get the shoes that fit him best.
Ambiguity in song lyrics, or movie plots, can also be a great tool for the observer to insert their own context and come to their own conclusions. It's very dangerous, though, considering that some people might have a destructive imagination. Hence, the authors should be careful in how they set the checkpoints and who they are presenting their work to. Embedded commands can be another powerful way to implant positive thoughts into someone's mind. They might be helpful for creating a better chance of response towards a suggestion.
Finally, let's talk about NLP and how naturally one can create anchors in a movie and influence the audience in a totally unconscious way. This can be such an effective way to completely change one's perception of things in a matter of minutes. You can't even imagine the countless possibilities there are for setting anchors in a movie and associating them with different states and beliefs. You can associate colors and sounds with emotions, positions and size with intensity, the list goes on and on.
So go ahead and start experimenting.
How can art be helpful?
Analogies and metaphors in art can help people get rid of unhealthy beliefs. A person who's affected by a metaphor comes to a conclusion himself, thus owning his choice. People hate being blatantly told what to do and how to do it, even if it's beneficial to them. You want them to understand things from their own model of the world by giving them the freedom of connecting the dots. Let me explain the difference between blatant commands and metaphors with an example. Let's say you wanna help someone in need of shoes. In the first case, you're giving the guy your own shoes - they may not fit him well. In the second case, you're giving the guy a gift card for the shoe store, where he can get the shoes that fit him best.
Ambiguity in song lyrics, or movie plots, can also be a great tool for the observer to insert their own context and come to their own conclusions. It's very dangerous, though, considering that some people might have a destructive imagination. Hence, the authors should be careful in how they set the checkpoints and who they are presenting their work to. Embedded commands can be another powerful way to implant positive thoughts into someone's mind. They might be helpful for creating a better chance of response towards a suggestion.
Finally, let's talk about NLP and how naturally one can create anchors in a movie and influence the audience in a totally unconscious way. This can be such an effective way to completely change one's perception of things in a matter of minutes. You can't even imagine the countless possibilities there are for setting anchors in a movie and associating them with different states and beliefs. You can associate colors and sounds with emotions, positions and size with intensity, the list goes on and on.
So go ahead and start experimenting.
Feature:
Mind Exploration
Nov 17, 2008
Trolling
This is a follow-up to "I am not my Taste".
I just came to a new conclusion. It's a lot more plausible than my previous justification of my temporary irrational behavior. What I was essentially doing was what psychotherapists call "projection". When a person's defensive mechanisms don't let him genuinely feel a certain emotion at a certain occasion, he would provoke others to experience that feeling instead, and only this way would he feel relieved. It's kinda like when you watch your friend play videogames because you can't afford buying a console. It's still better than nothing, and you are temporary distracted from the real problem - earning cash. It's easier to choose the temporary comfort of watching someone else play in the short run.
Being provocative is really about the troll reacting to his own forbidden emotions that he will have evoked in others. That's the whole point of acting like a jerk - to get angry response from people. Because you can't allow yourself to be angry but you need to react to that emotion. Finally, you've had your short-term relief, but you didn't own the anger, so you're still left with a general sense of distaste. That's just one example out of many. I'll never forget the first time I made a person cry on live cam. Seeing that girl weep for me was something so amazing and stimulating. I haven't cried since I was 14. I have forgotten what it feels like.
Here comes the question, though. Many times people over-react to something just because they are hypocritical and they don't want to appear, let's say, cruel, even though their actions prove that they are. Could the act of trolling be both a cry for justice and projection at the same time? Even if the victim is hypocritical or brainwashed, I think their emotions are still genuine. It doesn't matter if they act upon their standards. It's their beliefs that cause their feelings; they certainly believe that they are moral and the troll is evil, so they honestly react to that.
Surely, the act of trolling fits right into the sado-masochistic scenario, and each side gets something out of the relationship. What the masochist gets is to experience the sense of being the witness or the victim of an unjust act. They always feel the need to prove how horrible their life is, so they keep getting themselves into situations that inevitably lead them into harm.
So is it really bad to act like a prick? I would say it's destructive to both parties. It feels really good in the short run, but it leaves the wounds open. I wanna quit that habit and help people realize the harm they're doing to others and mostly to themselves. For a start, I guess it would be a good idea for the trolls like me, to try and associate with their victims' feelings. Try to get under their skin, imagine you are who they are. Fully sympathize. Mirror their body language, match their breathing, try to be like them on a physiological level as much as possible. FEEL what they feel. I'm almost positive that once you really learn how to do that, you'll no longer have the need to provoke tantrum. Well, I'll be the first one to tell you if it worked.
To be continued... inb4 cool story bro.
I just came to a new conclusion. It's a lot more plausible than my previous justification of my temporary irrational behavior. What I was essentially doing was what psychotherapists call "projection". When a person's defensive mechanisms don't let him genuinely feel a certain emotion at a certain occasion, he would provoke others to experience that feeling instead, and only this way would he feel relieved. It's kinda like when you watch your friend play videogames because you can't afford buying a console. It's still better than nothing, and you are temporary distracted from the real problem - earning cash. It's easier to choose the temporary comfort of watching someone else play in the short run.
Being provocative is really about the troll reacting to his own forbidden emotions that he will have evoked in others. That's the whole point of acting like a jerk - to get angry response from people. Because you can't allow yourself to be angry but you need to react to that emotion. Finally, you've had your short-term relief, but you didn't own the anger, so you're still left with a general sense of distaste. That's just one example out of many. I'll never forget the first time I made a person cry on live cam. Seeing that girl weep for me was something so amazing and stimulating. I haven't cried since I was 14. I have forgotten what it feels like.
Here comes the question, though. Many times people over-react to something just because they are hypocritical and they don't want to appear, let's say, cruel, even though their actions prove that they are. Could the act of trolling be both a cry for justice and projection at the same time? Even if the victim is hypocritical or brainwashed, I think their emotions are still genuine. It doesn't matter if they act upon their standards. It's their beliefs that cause their feelings; they certainly believe that they are moral and the troll is evil, so they honestly react to that.
Surely, the act of trolling fits right into the sado-masochistic scenario, and each side gets something out of the relationship. What the masochist gets is to experience the sense of being the witness or the victim of an unjust act. They always feel the need to prove how horrible their life is, so they keep getting themselves into situations that inevitably lead them into harm.
So is it really bad to act like a prick? I would say it's destructive to both parties. It feels really good in the short run, but it leaves the wounds open. I wanna quit that habit and help people realize the harm they're doing to others and mostly to themselves. For a start, I guess it would be a good idea for the trolls like me, to try and associate with their victims' feelings. Try to get under their skin, imagine you are who they are. Fully sympathize. Mirror their body language, match their breathing, try to be like them on a physiological level as much as possible. FEEL what they feel. I'm almost positive that once you really learn how to do that, you'll no longer have the need to provoke tantrum. Well, I'll be the first one to tell you if it worked.
To be continued... inb4 cool story bro.
Feature:
Mind Exploration
Nov 16, 2008
Fuck Diplomas
What do you wanna go to college for?
I've been thinking about my life and what I wanna do with it. I'm taking a bunch of interesting classes in college because I enjoy learning new things. I'm not on a certificate program because I don't wanna study shit I'm not comfortable with. Meanwhile, I've been trying to get closer to myself by studying philosophy and psychology on my own. No one gives me credit for that. Why is it that only when shit is on schedule people take it seriously. Only when authoritative figures are present. Shit is ridiculous. My relatives claim they care about me and yet they are against me taking the time to focus on my spirituality. A psychologically healthy individual can achieve everything he wants. Faggots wanna bring me down, threatening me with failure because I ain't working and I ain't getting a degree. They keep repeating it's a waste of time. All they care about is their pathetic beliefs that help them cope with years of bad choices.
a) get a degreeIf you answered (a) then GTFO. YOUR DOIN IT WRONG. I can't believe how many people blindly conform to these standards. The whole educational system is asshole-backwards. Education is now about getting a piece of paper, and if you want to acquire certain skills, you're supposed to do this on your own, as a side project, or during the course of work. People pay mad money for a fucking degree without realizing the fact that good employers DO NOT GIVE A FUCK about your education. You can claim you finished Batman School in Ponyland. They won't even ask you for the papers.
b) get knowledge
c) score with hot sluts
Manager: Can you do the job? Are you the kind of person we're looking for?In case they do hire you based on your certificate, enjoy your shitty job, fag. The rest of your life is gonna suck. I keep getting advice from motherfuckers with a high degree. Ain't none of them is ever happy with their occupation. They keep saying "NO THIS IS NOT TRUE, I LOVE MY JOB!" and you can tell it's a lie from their painful grimace. If you really loved your job, you wouldn't be complaining about how tired you always are, douche bag. In the end of the day, it's all about justifying your bad choices so that you don't feel like you've wasted your life. Fucking bitch, you can't fool me, I ain't blind. Your degree ain't worth shit.
Retard: WELL, DUH, I GRADUATED FROM HARVARD!
Manager: Let me see those papers...
Manager: hmmm.... not too soft... I'm sorry, sir, I'm afraid I can't wipe my ass with that!
I've been thinking about my life and what I wanna do with it. I'm taking a bunch of interesting classes in college because I enjoy learning new things. I'm not on a certificate program because I don't wanna study shit I'm not comfortable with. Meanwhile, I've been trying to get closer to myself by studying philosophy and psychology on my own. No one gives me credit for that. Why is it that only when shit is on schedule people take it seriously. Only when authoritative figures are present. Shit is ridiculous. My relatives claim they care about me and yet they are against me taking the time to focus on my spirituality. A psychologically healthy individual can achieve everything he wants. Faggots wanna bring me down, threatening me with failure because I ain't working and I ain't getting a degree. They keep repeating it's a waste of time. All they care about is their pathetic beliefs that help them cope with years of bad choices.
Nov 15, 2008
Jackie Chan
1. Jackie Chan is very popular.
2. Jackie Chan is a great actor.
3. Jackie Chan has a great agent.
4. Jackie Chan can do cool tricks.
5. Jackie Chan is different than the average hero.
6. Jackie Chan is funnier than Ben Stiller.
7. Jackie Chan respects black people.
8. Ben Stiller is old news. Jackie Chan is forever.
9. Jackie Chan's best friend is Anthony Hopkins.
10. Jackie Chan.
Jackie Chan we can believe in. Anthony Hopkins.
No doubt that Ben Stiller is a professional rapper, but people believe that Jackie Chan can fight hip-hop by becoming a rapper himself. Isn't that ridiculous? Anthony Hopkins sent Jackie Chan to Compton with the idea that he would persuade other rappers into quitting music. People need the real Jackie Chan - Bruce Lee. He would never even think about becoming one of the rappers. Instead, he would just ignore them and let hip-hop die out on itself because new generations will come to exist. People will no longer listen.
4 years from now, let's really make this country the land of Bruce Lee.
Feature:
Society
Nov 4, 2008
The Real Exorcist
There's a show on the SciFi channel, it's called "The Real Exorcist" with Bob Larson. Bob is a hypnotist that acts like a priest. I'm not sure if he's aware of that, though, because he has stated that hypnosis is an evil sinful science. Anyways, I wanted to explain the act of exorcism to the people who think it's supernatural. To me, it's one of the most destructive rituals and it makes people sicker rather than healing them.
Let's examine a potential client. Of course it must be a religious individual because nobody else would hire an exorcist in the first place. Why would they believe that they have been possessed by a demon? Well, usually these are people who have gone through a lot of pain in their lives, despite how faithful they were to their God. They had committed themselves to a Higher Being that was supposed to protect them. So now instead of doubting their religion, they begin to doubt their own minds. Why? Because rejecting their God would be an extremely painful and life-changing experience for them. They would be exposed to the ugly truth of false commitments and worthless existence. So instead of taking the red pill, they want to make their faith even stronger. There must be something wrong with them, why are they on the verge of rejecting God? It's the Devil! He's controlling their mind!
So here comes the exorcist. His job is already half-way done. He's more like a bridge for his clients. Their false selves just need his approval, so to speak. And Bob is well-aware of that. He starts out with a session of cold reading - a technique used by psychics to tell people what they already know about themselves in a mystic context. Bob "discovers" the patient's problems and insecurities, and he then pokes into these wounds, triggering pain and shame. This is a technique used by car salesmen. They find a hurt and then they suggest that their product can heal it. That's what Bob does next - he assures the client that it's really a demon who's causing the problems and he then suggest that only exorcism would make things better. Before the exorcism begins, Bob explicitly requires that the patient fully cooperates because it's really up to them for the demon to exit their body. He then gets into an "Exorcist" character, projecting incredible confidence and power. Bob suggests that the patient might experience emotional outbursts or even something more. He suggests that without ever breaking eye contact. It feels like an order for them, because they are in an incredibly susceptible state. After all, he made them believe that he's the only one who could help them, and they're strongly willing to believe they are possessed because they don't want to feel more shame.
The act of exorcism is all about pacing and leading now - a basic hypnosis technique. By stating the obvious and telling the client what they're gonna experience next, he's building up momentum which influences them into believing that he is the one who is no control of them now. Now he starts using leading statements that are designed to strengthen their faith in God. This is really powerful when he makes them repeat what he's saying. This way they are making a public commitment and it's impossible not to be consistent with what they've said, at least for a while. At this time some clients become very emotional, and some even resist, which is perfectly normal a reaction. After all, this guy is raping their brains and suffocating their only gasp for truth. Despite the defense, Bob can still very powerfully influence the patients, because he made them expect their resistance and he helped them externalize these feelings in the form of a demon. To be exorcised is the ultimate self-defeat...
Let's examine a potential client. Of course it must be a religious individual because nobody else would hire an exorcist in the first place. Why would they believe that they have been possessed by a demon? Well, usually these are people who have gone through a lot of pain in their lives, despite how faithful they were to their God. They had committed themselves to a Higher Being that was supposed to protect them. So now instead of doubting their religion, they begin to doubt their own minds. Why? Because rejecting their God would be an extremely painful and life-changing experience for them. They would be exposed to the ugly truth of false commitments and worthless existence. So instead of taking the red pill, they want to make their faith even stronger. There must be something wrong with them, why are they on the verge of rejecting God? It's the Devil! He's controlling their mind!
So here comes the exorcist. His job is already half-way done. He's more like a bridge for his clients. Their false selves just need his approval, so to speak. And Bob is well-aware of that. He starts out with a session of cold reading - a technique used by psychics to tell people what they already know about themselves in a mystic context. Bob "discovers" the patient's problems and insecurities, and he then pokes into these wounds, triggering pain and shame. This is a technique used by car salesmen. They find a hurt and then they suggest that their product can heal it. That's what Bob does next - he assures the client that it's really a demon who's causing the problems and he then suggest that only exorcism would make things better. Before the exorcism begins, Bob explicitly requires that the patient fully cooperates because it's really up to them for the demon to exit their body. He then gets into an "Exorcist" character, projecting incredible confidence and power. Bob suggests that the patient might experience emotional outbursts or even something more. He suggests that without ever breaking eye contact. It feels like an order for them, because they are in an incredibly susceptible state. After all, he made them believe that he's the only one who could help them, and they're strongly willing to believe they are possessed because they don't want to feel more shame.
The act of exorcism is all about pacing and leading now - a basic hypnosis technique. By stating the obvious and telling the client what they're gonna experience next, he's building up momentum which influences them into believing that he is the one who is no control of them now. Now he starts using leading statements that are designed to strengthen their faith in God. This is really powerful when he makes them repeat what he's saying. This way they are making a public commitment and it's impossible not to be consistent with what they've said, at least for a while. At this time some clients become very emotional, and some even resist, which is perfectly normal a reaction. After all, this guy is raping their brains and suffocating their only gasp for truth. Despite the defense, Bob can still very powerfully influence the patients, because he made them expect their resistance and he helped them externalize these feelings in the form of a demon. To be exorcised is the ultimate self-defeat...
Feature:
Mind Exploration
Nov 3, 2008
Memory
I was playing BeatMania and suddenly an idea came to me. I made an analogy between physical exercise and mental exercise. When you work out to gain muscle, you lift weights until you burn out and your body gets sore. After you're done, you rest until the pain is gone, letting your cells do the work of healing and expanding the muscle tissue. The pain here is an indicator suggesting that you stop training. Well, the same is perhaps true for the learning process. You gather information until you become so frustrated that you want to pound your head into the table. That's a sign from the subconsciousness that it has gathered the optimal amount of information and now it's time to assess it. Time for some rest. You will have learned more than you ever expected. As long as you have a basic understanding of what you had been studying, your subconsciousness will do the work of connecting the dots and associating the new information with the old one. In fact, to think of it now, that's how I learned PHP. I remember I rent a book from the local library and I read everything in one week. I didn't even practice that much, I just gave the whole book a quick glance. Weeks later did I start putting the theory into practice and I was surprised by the things I remembered. I didn't even know I knew that, it just came into me intuitively.
Again, this is just a theory. I think it's valid, though. Have you ever tried really hard doing something? Hours of frustration without any success. You thought you'd never be able to learn how to do it right and you stopped trying. But then, a week later, you gave it a second chance, and you turned out a lot better than the first time. That's what I'm talking about. Frustration is a bliss.
Again, this is just a theory. I think it's valid, though. Have you ever tried really hard doing something? Hours of frustration without any success. You thought you'd never be able to learn how to do it right and you stopped trying. But then, a week later, you gave it a second chance, and you turned out a lot better than the first time. That's what I'm talking about. Frustration is a bliss.
Feature:
Mind Exploration
Nov 1, 2008
Family Manifesto
Let me formulate something about family values and summarize a couple of points here. This could be especially useful to anyone having pressure issues at home.
1. You didn't choose to have any of your relatives, hence you are free of any responsibility regarding their lives. You are only responsible for your own life and your own problems. If your parents or siblings require help and respect from you and you don't feel like they deserve it, don't feel guilty. It's their fault that you are left with such impression. You have no obligations to your family what so ever.
2. Your parents chose to have you, hence they are responsible for your well-being. Here's an analogy that might help - choosing to have a pet and taking care of it doesn't require any care on the part of the animal. Hence, whenever you need help, your parents are obliged to please you, no matter how old you are.
3. Your parents' property is also your property. Your own property is exclusively yours. Family members cannot take credit for providing you with food and shelter. That's already yours - you earned it by being their child. Parents, on the other hand, can't pressure you to share your property with them. If you don't feel like doing that, it means they haven't earned your respect and it's their fault.
4. Having a sibling is a relationship equal to having a roommate. You are to share only what's given to you by the family. Outside of this boundary, each person has their own property and is not required to share it with their siblings. Help and respect should also be individually earned. Nobody chose to have a sibling, unless of course, you like incest. Hence, no responsibility should be taken upon each other.
Note: I have changed some of my views on that subject. More on that here: Finally Free
1. You didn't choose to have any of your relatives, hence you are free of any responsibility regarding their lives. You are only responsible for your own life and your own problems. If your parents or siblings require help and respect from you and you don't feel like they deserve it, don't feel guilty. It's their fault that you are left with such impression. You have no obligations to your family what so ever.
2. Your parents chose to have you, hence they are responsible for your well-being. Here's an analogy that might help - choosing to have a pet and taking care of it doesn't require any care on the part of the animal. Hence, whenever you need help, your parents are obliged to please you, no matter how old you are.
3. Your parents' property is also your property. Your own property is exclusively yours. Family members cannot take credit for providing you with food and shelter. That's already yours - you earned it by being their child. Parents, on the other hand, can't pressure you to share your property with them. If you don't feel like doing that, it means they haven't earned your respect and it's their fault.
4. Having a sibling is a relationship equal to having a roommate. You are to share only what's given to you by the family. Outside of this boundary, each person has their own property and is not required to share it with their siblings. Help and respect should also be individually earned. Nobody chose to have a sibling, unless of course, you like incest. Hence, no responsibility should be taken upon each other.
Note: I have changed some of my views on that subject. More on that here: Finally Free
Feature:
Mind Exploration,
Society
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