The Hidden Power of Audio & Visual Subliminal Messages

Subliminal messages provide a unique and diverse platform for personal development. They have the ability to bypass the conscious mind and go straight to the subconscious, giving them the power to influence thinking at the deepest possible level. This has serious ramifications for making significant changes in our lifestyles, from breaking bad habits to increasing concentration, from boosting the immune system to maximizing memory.

As technology advances in leaps and bounds, new ways are being discovered in which to deliver subliminal messages for the greatest impact. It has long been known that changing a person’s behavior can be accomplished more successfully by appealing directly to the subconscious mind, bypassing the conscious filter, and allowing change to take place without any real effort on the subject’s behalf.

Message Delivery in a Flash

There has been much discussion concerning the apocryphal story of subliminal messages used in a cinema, where images of soft drinks were flashed on the screen to encourage moviegoers to purchase more of them. Whether or not this particular attempt was successful, the process has proven to be an effective method of delivering information to the brain under controlled conditions.

Visual subliminal stimuli are presented as flashing images at a rate faster than the conscious mind can logically comprehend. The human brain is able to process visual information even when the subject is unaware of the images seen, and that allows these images to make their way into the subconscious. A recent study showed that previously unknown neural pathways relay visual and auditory sensory information directly to the amygdala and the visual cortex, whether we are conscious of it happening or not ^[1].

This same photograph can be delivered into the mind of the subject without their knowledge by using subliminal messaging techniques. These techniques may be known to the subject, but because no conscious effort is required on their part – they can simply relax and let the exercise take place – there is no need for them to actively attempt to store the information, remember the color schemes, or identify individual parts of the picture. The data still finds its way in, and can be recalled at a later date, without any conscious attempt to learn or remember it.

Why does the sensory information need to be presented in this way? The human brain can cope with masses of information, able to store it and retrieve it with greater speed and accuracy than the most potent supercomputer. Ask someone to memorize the details from a photograph, however, and the collection of information becomes a conscious task with time limits and the potential for making mistakes.

Hearing is Believing

Just as images have the power to infiltrate the subconscious mind, the same effect can be achieved with audio information. The most common way of accomplishing this is by disguising the message(s) beneath appropriate audio tracks, such as music or sounds of nature. These audio tracks keep the conscious mind busy, allowing the subconscious to tune in and focus on the subliminal messages hidden within.

The messages are played back at levels too low for the human ear to detect, but that the subconscious can easily attune itself to. Again, even though the subject is consciously unaware of the messages being delivered, they have the potential to "trigger long-lasting cerebral processes" ^[3]. Study after study provides further evidence that, even without conscious processing of contextual clues, our brains "can learn their reward value and use them to provide a bias on decision making" ^[4].

Listening to music while working is a common technique employed by millions of people – helping to shut out the outside world and eliminate distractions, while simultaneously providing a relaxing background that requires no conscious effort. The same concept is applied to subliminal audio, with music and related sounds providing the relaxing "background" that enables messages to be delivered in an effortless and distraction-free way.

According to Swiss academic and writer Tariq Ramadan, "advertising, music, atmospheres, subliminal messages and films can have an impact on our emotional life, and we cannot control it because we are not even conscious of it" ^[5]. Studies show that "under certain circumstances, actions can be initiated without conscious awareness of the goals to be attained or their motivating effects on one’s behavior" ^[6].

Change Your Programming

The subconscious mind is "a million times more powerful than the conscious mind" ^[7] and arguably the control center behind what you really think and believe. If your subconscious mind is therefore "running your life" ^[8], then it follows that to make lasting changes you need to access the subconscious and modify any limiting beliefs or programming that might be holding you back. One of the simplest and most effective ways to achieve this is through the use of audio and visual subliminal messaging technology.

1. S.J. Brooks, V. Savov, E. Allzén, C. Benedict, R. Fredriksson, H.B. Schiöth: A systematic meta-analysis of fMRI studies. NeuroImage, Volume 59, Issue 3, 1 February 2012, Pages 2962–2973
2. Heather A. Berlin. The Neural Basis of the Dynamic Unconscious. Neuropsychoanalysis, 2011, 13 (1), Page 21.
3. Lionel Naccache, Raphaël Gaillard, Claude Adam, Dominique Hasboun, Stéphane Clémenceau, Michel Baulac, Stanislas Dehaene, and Laurent Cohen. A direct intracranial record of emotions evoked by subliminal words. PNAS 2005 102 (21) 7713-7717; published ahead of print May 16, 2005, doi:10.1073/pnas.0500542102
4. Antonio Rangel. Consciousness Meets Neuroeconomics: What Is the Value of Stimulus Awareness in Decision Making? Neuron, Volume 59, Issue 4, 28 August 2008, Pages 525-527
5. Tariq Ramada. The Quest for Meaning: Developing a Philosophy of Pluralism. Penguin, 2010.
6. Heather A. Berlin. The Neural Basis of the Dynamic Unconscious. Neuropsychoanalysis, 2011, 13 (1), Page 11.
7. Leigh Fortson. Embrace, Release, Heal: An Empowering Guide to Talking About, Thinking About, and Treating Cancer. Sounds True, inc. Boulder CO. 2011, page 162.
8. ibid. Page 163.