05-11-2011, 12:00 AM
I've seen, around various places, several references to an idea that the mind does not process negatives. Each time I see this case being presented I wonder to myself Where did this idea come from? Who decided this? Why do some of us believe it to be true? I know it doesn't ring true for me. I process negatives, my children do as well. And I can think of countless examples in my life where negatives have been presented and my mind has no problem processing them.
Do NOT cross the road.
No Parking
I do NOT Love you.
Don't touch the flame. etc.
A conversation in chat to try to determine the origin of this concept prompted me to do some research on my own, since nobody I asked was really sure where this came from or how the idea came to be perpetuated. Apparently, this idea is very common in Hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming, but in normal day-to-day communicating doesn't seem to have much bearing.
What I am arguing is that it is overly simplistic to teach that the
unconscious mind does not accept negatives, especially when there are
obviously many cases where this is seen to be untrue. The unconscious
mind is far greater than we can imagine, and while the use of negatives may not be effective in some forms of hypnotism, even in hypnosis, the mind is open to
suggestion.
If we use powerful
words, draw verbal pictures, speak with a clear intent the mind will "hear" what
is being INTENDED - even if it is sometimes expressed with less elegant,
and sometimes so called "negative" words.
Below, some of my findings:
Do NOT cross the road.
No Parking
I do NOT Love you.
Don't touch the flame. etc.
A conversation in chat to try to determine the origin of this concept prompted me to do some research on my own, since nobody I asked was really sure where this came from or how the idea came to be perpetuated. Apparently, this idea is very common in Hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming, but in normal day-to-day communicating doesn't seem to have much bearing.
What I am arguing is that it is overly simplistic to teach that the
unconscious mind does not accept negatives, especially when there are
obviously many cases where this is seen to be untrue. The unconscious
mind is far greater than we can imagine, and while the use of negatives may not be effective in some forms of hypnotism, even in hypnosis, the mind is open to
suggestion.
If we use powerful
words, draw verbal pictures, speak with a clear intent the mind will "hear" what
is being INTENDED - even if it is sometimes expressed with less elegant,
and sometimes so called "negative" words.
Below, some of my findings: