How to Brainwash Yourself into Positive Transformation
Brainwashing gets a very bad rap. Bring up the word and cults, bank robberies and suicidal Kool-Aid can automatically come to mind. Although brainwashing has long been viewed with such negativity, the practice can also be used for good things. Like a positive personal transformation.
The term itself can have several slightly different meanings, depending on the context. If you take brainwashing out of the context of trying to control someone else’s beliefs, attitudes and thought processes and rather focus your own, brainwashing simply becomes another term for thought control.
Several techniques used for even the nastiest of brainwashing can indeed produce the most magnificent results when used in a positive manner for your own benefit. There are also several, however, that you may want to avoid unless you’re fond of self-torture.
Techniques to Embrace
Several traditional brainwashing techniques noted by the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences can give you the power and results you’re seeking for a positive personal transformation. The techniques are neither unusual nor scary. They also have the capacity to eradicate negative thoughts and actions and replace them with positive ideas and behavior.
The Power of Suggestion
Much of your negative thinking may have already come from suggestion. Think of how many times someone may have said you were immature, stupid or silly. Sure enough, you may have eventually begun to agree. You, too, started saying you were immature, stupid or silly. Even more surely, you may have then begun to act that way. Alas, the power of suggestion has transformed into reality.
You can reverse the damage and take your suggestions on a more positive path by simply suggesting more positive scenarios. For starters, you are certainly not immature, stupid or silly. You are wise, smart and fun. Keep telling yourself how wise, smart and fun you are and eventually your suggestions may come true with actions and behavior that is wise, smart and fun.
Repetition, Repetition and More Repetition
Suggestion and repetition can go hand in hand as a positive brainwashing technique. You’ll find that out soon enough when you see how many times you need to remind yourself how wise, smart and fun you are before you even think about believing it.
Visuals make for powerful tool, especially those placed where you can constantly see them. Practice your repetition with positive reinforcement techniques that involve sticking little notes on your bathroom mirror, refrigerator or other noticeable areas. Neon note cards work especially well. Everywhere you look you should constantly be reminded how wise, smart and fun you are.
Actions are another helpful way to engage in repetition. That’s why so many people chant. Chant about your wisdom, intelligence and fun. A few rounds of “I am wise. I am smart. I am fun” every morning is a good start. You can also write those same affirmations over and over in a notebook or journal. Constantly seeing and hearing such ideas can eventually result in constant belief in them.
Ego Destruction
Like the term brainwashing, the phrase “ego destruction” can make negative chills go slithering up your spine. That’s your ego talking. Don’t let it. Ego destruction does not have to be used to turn you into a wormy, whimpering and spineless entity. It can instead be used to get rid of the belief that you are this all-important thing far apart from and above the rest of the universe. You are not.
Sure, you are wise, smart, fun and a wonderful element in the universe. But you are not a separate all-powerful entity – at least not after you get rid of that bothersome ego thing. Without the narcissistic ego hanging around telling you how much better than and different from everyone else you are, you can instead fully enjoy the natural flow of things.
Once you realize your ego is largely a loudmouthed boor that lies about your supposed entitlement to things, you are likely to have more patience, compassion and empathy for your fellow man. You might even stop cutting off people in traffic. You may stop killing flies.
Conditioned Behavior
Conditioned behavior has plagued many from the earliest of ages. That’s why there are so many people who get angry, scared or otherwise emotionally overwhelmed by the most minute things. Here you can think back to your childhood and accidentally falling down. The moment you fell, an adult would usually scream. Even if you were not hurt in the fall, you were probably startled by the screaming adult and terrified by the look of fear and horror on his or her face.
So you started wailing uncontrollably. This wail took a firm place in your conditioned behavior. Heck, you still hear it whenever something does not go your way. The same automatic reactions can come from strong emotions. Every time you’re angry, you might yell, for example.
The next time the heavy hand of emotion tries to automatically shake a reaction out of you, stop and think for a moment. Automatic reactions can be quite detrimental. They can also make you look like a jerk. Instead of yelling, screaming, crying or throwing plates because this or that happened, stop and think about what makes you want to yell, scream, cry or throw plates.
If you are reacting in such a way just because that’s how you’ve always reacted, get rid of it. Try something new. Act instead of react. Or simply do nothing at all for a spell until you decide how you want to act in a given situation. If you do come up with an action that works, make that particular action a part of your newly conditioned behavior when you run across the situation again.
You’ll be amazed at the changes that can come from this one.
You may actually be amazed at the changes that come from any of the above brainwashing techniques when they are applied for positive results in a positive manner. Just leave out the disastrous techniques that rarely lead to anything other than bank robberies and suicidal Kool-Aid.
This article is written by Ryn Gargulinski for Mind Power World: http://www.MindPowerWorld.com
