Media Hypnosis

Hypnosis is a state of trance and repetition is the mother of all hypnosis. When hypnotized, messages slip into the subconscious mind. As they are accepted, they are acted upon as part of ones unconscious programming. The effects of the frequent suggestions will grow stronger over time as they are accepted and reinforced with repetition. Taking action on the suggestions also reinforces them making them stronger, more powerful and more automatic. This is how habits can be changed faster and easier than normally, through hypnosis. What you say to yourself filters down into the subconscious mind and becomes your belief system. We are all controlled by our belief systems.
To achieve hypnosis, hypnotic words are used that could enter the subject into a trance or altered state of mind. Hypnotic words help for absorbing attention, bypassing critical or analyzing parts of the brain, communicating with the subconscious directly by using the unconscious responses. Use of emotional statements quickens the process; because emotional statements elucidate responses that arise directly from the subconscious mind, bypassing the critical factor and analysis. Verbal confusion is another hypnosis technique; it was explained by Milton Erickson. Using this technique creates confusion in the subject’s mind, which helps a hypnotist to get desired result from the subject.
Gustave Le Bon said in “The Crowd”, his seminal study of political hypnosis, published in 1897, which shows the power of repetition.
“The influence of repetition on crowds is comprehensible when the power is seen which it exercises on the most enlightened minds. This power is due to the fact that the repeated statement is embedded in the long run in those profound regions of our unconscious selves in which the motives of our actions are forged.”

With the advent of television, freedom of press and advances in journalism one would have imagined that hiding truth from public eye would be increasingly difficult. But, contrary to our expectations, man has found new ways of deceit; using the same tools, which masses perceive as anti-dote to deception. Baffled, aren’t you? Today’s popular media has gained pivotal importance in spreading false propaganda to blind its viewers from reality. The popular press, channels its deceptive messages into minds of unaware viewers by using rules of hypnosis. It uses emotional statements to bypass their analytical minds, settling in the sub-conscious. By slightly altering former repetitions that the viewer has grown accustomed to and feels at ease with, the media creates verbal confusion (Milton Erickson’s technique). The goal is to serve a pre-set agenda of contorting the truth to alter psyche of the masses for the benefit of a particular group.

This is done by repeating lies in news updates, discussion boards, talk shows and newspapers, making the whole world talk about an event that never occurred! This trick enables media to warp the reality amidst a thousand lies so that either the reality is lost in the lies or the discussion tangents away from the real point or the noise of the lies wanes the sound of truth. This scheme works wonderfully in an environment of ignorance, where sole source of information is the media itself. But, as awareness grows the functionality of these well-knit spider webs decreases.

Knowledge is light and oblivion is darkness (the absence of light). Just like a single torch of light, obliterates pitch black darkness; a single source of beneficial knowledge and awareness can combat deception to its abortion. If the source of knowledge is well chosen, it imparts wisdom; one the other hand if the source of information is a “lie machine” (referring to telly from helly) it leads to chaos and turmoil.

A common mistake about two apprehension of knowledge is indiscrimination between intellect and wisdom. Intellect is not wisdom. Though the implication is constantly presented that intellectualism is somehow an advancement in wisdom, in reality, intellect constantly challenges reality and wisdom instead of accepting it. Quran is a book of knowledge and wisdom. People not blessed with so called “intellect” can still grasp its wisdom and practice its teachings in their lives. While those possessing fancy degrees from prestigious universities might not be able to infer its correct message. I believe, one should be careful and selective about one’s sources of knowledge. As faulty sources can contribute to meaningless confusion instead of imparting wisdom. So, one has to be careful when one’s source of knowledge is popular media with non-transparent sources. Information obtained from such un-reliable authority should be carefully scrutinized before being accepted and specially before being forwarded. The enormity of an institute does not guarantee the reliability of the news it reports. History has revealed that the biggest scams have been perpetrated by the biggest names of the industries.The effect of propoganda can be nullified by using wisdom, where intellect fails.

I would conclude by saying, that although mass media is (and has been) playing its role in feeding distorted reality to the crowds by techniques of mass hypnosis and verbal confusion. People can still shake out of this state of trance by conscious effort of acquiring real knowledge, hard facts and undistorted truth. And for Muslims, this kind of pure source is Quran. Read it, understand it and practice it! Ask Allah for guidance, you will be amazed at how Allah’s forces work to counter the deception and misinformation that surrounds us. De-hypnotize your selves! Wake up!