Despite our best efforts at success, many of us find ourselves stagnating at specific points in our lives. We’re held back by our negative thoughts and poor self-perception. At some point, our brains become hardwired to not only accept failure but to accept it.
If you’re stuck in a rut, one of the best ways to bring positivity into your life is by altering your thought process. However, many of our most harmful and persistent thoughts are stored deep within the hidden enclaves of our minds. One of the best ways to develop a positive attitude and increase your self-esteem is by reaching your subconscious through subliminal messaging.
What is Subliminal Messaging?
Subliminal messages can be a powerful tool when it comes to changing thinking patterns. They’re easy, effective, and can have a long-lasting impact on both your mind and body. We can use subliminal messages to help with anything from depression to eating disorders.
A subliminal message is any stimulus that registers below the threshold of our conscious mind. In other words, it’s something that our brain picks up, registers, and remembers without us ever being aware. Subliminal messaging is a powerful yet stress-free way to change our thinking patterns.
There’s a stark difference between subliminal messages and subconscious influence. While we may not consciously recognize subconscious messages, we can still see or hear them if we concentrate. On the other hand, we won’t pick up subliminal messages on any conscious frequency. Even if you’re looking for the stimulus, it will be below your threshold of conscious awareness.
An excellent example of subconscious influence, or supraliminal messaging, is the music that you hear in stores. Playing a particular style can influence the buying behavior of shoppers. While everybody in the store can hear the music playing, most aren’t aware that it has an impact on how they act.
Subliminal influence, on the other hand, is woven into media so that consumers can’t consciously pick sound or images out of the surrounding noise. For example, flashing an image that’s too quick to register consciously will likely still have an effect on the unconscious mind.
Most of us are no strangers to subliminal messaging, whether we realize it or not. They appear every day in the media we consume, the advertisements we see, and even the interactions we have with other people. Historically, most people think of subliminal messages as a way to push products.
While subliminal messaging might be associated with marketing, it poses to have many more positive applications in the realm of physical and psychological help. Subliminal messages can help to change how we think about ourselves and interact with the world around us.
The History of Subliminal Messages
Subliminal messaging is far from a new concept. The idea has been around for at least half a century. In the 1950s, market researcher James Vicary introduced subliminal messages to the U.S. in a New Jersey movie theater through what’s commonly known as the “Popcorn Experiment.”
On-screen, Vicary flashed the words “drink Coca-Cola” and “eat popcorn” during movie showings and observed higher product sales in theaters. The CIA even took notice of his research and began conducting similar experiments.
Later, Vicary admitted that his stunt was a hoax. He recanted the results of his research in a television interview. While the researcher urged people to ignore the results of his experiment, however, people were now aware of the potential power of subliminal advertising. Many were outraged by the thought of advertisers manipulating them and their families without knowledge or consent.
As a result, subliminal messaging was banned in many countries. Britain and Australia, to this day, prohibit the use of subliminal advertising in the mainstream media. The U.S. has laws in place that allow advertising and broadcasting regulatory agencies to control the use of subliminal messaging at their discretion.
Recently, however, researchers have taken a renewed interest in the potential benefits of subliminal messages. Since the work of Dr. Lloyd H. Silverman in the 1980s, psychologists, neurologists, and other scientists have been looking into how subliminal messaging affects not only behavior but also other psychological and physical capabilities as well.
The Types of Subliminal Messages
There are three main types of subliminal messages used to tweak and fine-tune your thought process. Some work better for certain people than others, but all methods have shown to be an effective way of reaching the subconscious mind.
Subvisual messages
When picturing subliminal messages, many people think of visual cues such as those used in commercials, movies, and other media. Nowadays, you can also find smartphone apps designed to flash subvisual messages designed to help you quit smoking, lose weight, get a promotion, and more.
Subliminal visual cues are often flashed over the course of just a few milliseconds. While this is too quick for us to register an image consciously, our subconscious is still able to pick up on the picture and store it without us realizing it.
Subaudible messages
In addition to visual cues, you can also train your subconscious mind using sound. Audio cues can either be played at too low a volume to register, a frequency outside of our conscious hearing range, or woven into music tracks so that we don’t notice what’s being said. Many people prefer subaudible messages to visual cues, as they can be listened to when drifting off or asleep.
Backmasking
A less common style of subliminal messages that also relies on audio clues is backmasking. Instead of embedding straightforward messages in songs and soundtracks, audio cues are recorded backward. While we might not understand the reversed message, our brain is still able to pick out, understand, and process the words.
One of the most famous examples of backmasking in popular media is in the Judas Priest song, “Better by You, Better than Me.” The song includes a backward recording of “Do it,” and the subliminal messages were even blamed for the suicides of two young fans.
How Do Subliminal Messages Work?
Subliminal messages help to rewire our brain, forming new neural connections and potentially changing the way that we think and act. Instead of focusing on the conscious mind, which is how most of us are used to processing information, subliminal messages target the subconscious. This means that your mind can be processing information 24/7 and not just during waking hours.
By using advanced neural imaging technologies, researchers can see into the brain and watch how we process subliminal messages. For example, a 2007 study by the University College of London’s Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience found that participants’ brains responded to cues both on a conscious and subconscious level, proving that we still process information even when we aren’t fully aware of it.
Our brainwaves play a large part in how we process subliminal messages. Throughout our waking and unconscious hours, our mind goes through different phases that include brainwaves that may or may not be conducive to picking up subliminal messages. The different types of brainwaves include:
- Gamma waves (>40 Hz): These high-frequency brainwaves are related to complex, conscious information processing. Gamma waves tend to be active when feeling love, altruism, or oneness with the world around you, making them an ideal state for accepting messages that bring you closer to the universe.
- Beta waves (13-39 Hz): When we’re awake, beta waves help us to stay alert and attentive. These brainwaves are important in problem-solving, but not ideal for subliminal messaging as they’re too high-energy.
- Alpha waves (7-13 Hz): Alpha brainwaves also direct conscious thought, but are not as focused as beta waves. They bring about a calmer state, though still keep you alert. Alpha waves are often associated with meditation but are not always conducive to accepting new information via subliminal messages.
- Theta waves (4-7 Hz): These brainwaves are most often seen during sleep and deep meditation. They’re crucial when it comes to learning and memory, making these waves ideal for subliminal messaging.
- Delta waves (<4 Hz): These deep, slow waves are prevalent during meditation and deep, dreamless sleep. They help with healing and regeneration but don’t offer much in the way of information processing. These brain waves are best for emotionally targeted subliminal messages rather than new ideas.
Based on our brainwave patterns throughout the day, it’s often best to watch or listen to subliminal messages in the early morning or late evening as we relax. During the twilight state between consciousness and unconsciousness, an influx of theta waves makes us particularly susceptible to absorbing and processing new information on a subconscious level.
Often, subliminal messages are combined with binaural beats to help prime your brain to accept new information and ideas. Binaural beats are created by combining two pure-tone sound waves and presenting them to one ear. These beats work to stimulate and activate specific parts of the brain, helping to create new neural connections and strengthen old ones.
The key to success when it comes to subliminal learning is repetition. Information, whether audio or visual, is more likely to stick in your mind if it’s repeated over the course of a few hours, days, or even weeks. Those seeking self-improvement must be diligent when listening to subliminal messages. It takes time, effort, and dedication to make sure that your sessions have a noticeable effect on your mind and body.
Subliminal messages aren’t just useful for changing thoughts and behaviors on the subconscious level. These cues can also be used to prime the mind to learn or receive information. Subliminal priming is often used to direct conscious actions and behaviors in the desired way. For example, in one study, flashing the Apple logo helped to prime participants to think more creatively in later tasks.
The Benefits of Using Subliminal Messages for Positive Thinking
While it might not be an ideal solution for everyone, many people have at least some degree of success using subliminal messages for self-improvement. As more research comes out on the topic, subliminal soundtracks, phone apps, videos, and more become more effective at implanting positive ideas into our minds. There are several clear benefits to using subliminal messaging as a self-help tool, both mentally and physically.
Memory Improvement
Positive statements and optimistic audio cues have been shown to help improve memory, even when played at a frequency outside of the conscious hearing range. This is a particularly effective method when used with other subliminal techniques.
By listening to the same thing repeatedly, you can cement ideas in your mind without even realizing it. While the effort is unconscious, your mind will pick up any information presented in either sleeping or waking state. After a few repetitions, statements that reach the subconscious will start to be seen as facts and cement themselves in your mind.
Better Concentration
In addition to memory, subliminal messaging can also help with concentration. Many of us find our attention drifting hours (or even minutes) after being exposed to a new piece of information. This can cause us to forget what we’ve only just learned.
Subliminal messages can help you to train your brain to focus. By watching or listening to particular cues for a set period, you can hone your concentration skills so that you don’t get distracted easily.
Regular sessions will not only make your subliminal messaging session more effective but also help to improve other aspects of your home and work life. Your brain will be better equipped to handle long, repetitive, or boring tasks. It will also be primed to accept, process, and store new information.
Improve Interpersonal Skills
If you have trouble interacting socially, subliminal messages may be able to help. Poor social skills are often rooted in our own internal fears and anxieties. By watching or listening to social subliminal messages, you can improve your perception of interactions, bolster your emotional self, and create a new social image to project to the world.
This type of treatment can help to rewire a fear of social interaction and make strangers feel less threatening. It boosts our personal magnetism, giving us a foundation for success when speaking with strangers.
Improve Physical Health
Subliminal messages don’t just have an effect on mental capacities. Sometimes, the physical is affected as well. While many people think about the short-term benefits of subliminal information, watching or listening to messages below the conscious threshold can change you at your very core.
If you’re able to change your self-perception for the better, you can also improve your physical health. Subliminal messaging has been shown not only to rewire your thought process but to change the way your mind and body both work together entirely.
In one study done by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health, subliminal messaging was used to change the way that participants thought about themselves and others like them. Participants were older adults who were shown positive messages and affirmations about their own age group.
After the fact, many participants showed more positive feelings towards older individuals, including themselves. Physical functioning improved alongside self-perception. Not only did participants embrace new ideas about age, but they changed their demeanor to reflect these newfound feelings.
The University of Kent has also researched the efficacy of subliminal messaging. Instead of older adults, however, the institution focused on athletes. Researchers flashed visual cues with subliminal messages, most often action related, to participants on a stationary bike.
The study found that high-performance athletes performed better when flashed with positive subliminal cues. They could push themselves harder and go further than other like-minded individuals. This suggests that subliminal messaging can have a significant influence on physical performance, regardless of your beliefs or background.
The Limitations of Subliminal Messaging
While subliminal messaging has many effective applications when it comes to self-improvement, it isn’t necessarily the end-all solution. Much like hypnosis, subliminal learning is most effective for those who are engaged and willing to participate. If you’re skeptical of the power of subliminal cues or believe that they won’t work for you, the chances are that they won’t.
For example, in one study, a group of researchers presented participants with subliminal messages related to thirst. However, these cues only affected those who were already primed and thirsty. Those who had drunk recently or weren’t thirsty weren’t as susceptible to the subliminal suggestions.
This implies that for subliminal messaging to be an effective self-improvement method, you have to be already motivated to improve. If you’re looking to lose weight, for example, subliminal help is unlikely to work if you’re unwilling to commit yourself to eat right and exercise fully.
It’s also important to remember that listening or viewing subliminal messages doesn’t control your behavior, but rather, guides your decisions. Even if you’re diligent in listening to or watching subliminal cues each day, you still have to put in the work to make things happen. Simply listening to positive affirmations isn’t going to rid you of negative thoughts. Instead, these affirmations can help prime and motivate you to ward off unhealthy thoughts when you feel them creeping in.
Positive Thinking Messages
Subliminal messaging can be used to introduce any number of ideas into the brain. While advertisers take advantage of this by encouraging people to think of or buy a specific product, the potential implications for subliminal self-help go far beyond the realm of marketing. In recent years, more and more people have been turning to subliminal messaging to improve different aspects of their lives.
Losing Weight
One of the most common uses of subliminal messages for self-improvement is weight loss. Many of us are eager to shed some pounds easily and effortlessly. Using subliminal cues can help to prime yourself for weight loss, whether you’re looking to shed a couple of pounds or go down a dress size.
It’s important to remember that subliminal weight loss affirmations aren’t necessarily an effective or long-term solution to improving your looks. The most that these messages can do is to affect your exercise and eating patterns. While subliminal messages may be able to encourage activity and discourage unnecessary eating, they still require you to listen and follow through.
Kicking an Addiction
Whether it’s cigarettes, alcohol, or another substance, many people have trouble quitting an addiction on their own. Subliminal messages can help you to kick a bad habit, whether it’s smoking too much, eating too much, or any other number of things.
For the most part, subliminal messages dealing with addiction are positive. They may highlight your positive traits or emphasize the benefits of living without dependency. Subliminal messaging can be a powerful tool when fighting forces such as weight gain, smoking, gambling, and much more.
Improving Success
Positive thinking doesn’t just end at changing your thought patterns. You can improve your entire situation through subliminal messages that reach deep into the brain. Many people find that subliminal messaging can boost your performance.
Listening to positive affirmations of yourself is one of the best ways to get ahead, especially in the workplace. You can learn how to better deal with your customers and employees while also improving your business methods.
Boosting Creativity
As mentioned earlier, the simple visual of a tech-oriented logo can work wonders when it comes to creativity and productivity. Subliminal messages, even logos, can foster a creative mind and help you to achieve more on an artistic scale than you ever have before.
If you have a creative block, listening or watching subliminal messages can help. We often experience an artistic block due to impeded mental faculties. Subliminal messages can help you to open your mind to the fullest extent, giving you the power to write, draw, dance, or do anything else.
Tips for Using Subliminal Messages
Subliminal messages are an effective way to improve self-perception. However, it’s important to remember that audio and visual messages are an ideal way to improve your psyche. Here are just some of the ways that the subconscious can influence our thoughts.
Clear Your Mind
The best way to accept subliminal messages is to have a clear mind going into the session. Whether you’re interested in audio or visual cues, your brain needs to be receptive to new information.
One of the best ways to clear your mind for a subliminal session is by meditating. Concentrate on the present moment, focusing your thoughts towards positivity while avoiding negative thinking. While it can take a few sessions to create a clear mind, the effort is well worth it. The practice opens up your psyche to new concepts and ideas, priming you to accept subliminal messages.
Stay Hydrated
An unhealthy body creates an unhealthy mind. If you don’t take care of yourself, your mental health may suffer as a result. Inadequate hydration is a common cause of ill health, causing issues from exhaustion and low blood pressure to straight-up poor mental health.
The best way to improve hydration is obviously to drink more water. However, there are also other methods that can be equally effective. Increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables can help to increase hydration while abstaining from vigorous activities or excessive heat can help to prevent water loss.
Sleep Well
Without sleep, our brain waves begin to slow. This phenomenon not only affects how we function but also how we retain information. A lack of sleep may mean reduced retention, especially when it comes to subliminal messages.
Improving sleep patterns is one of the best ways to harness the power of positive thinking. While it may not be easy, your circadian rhythm is susceptible to suggestion. When you feel sleepy, you’re more likely or accept new thoughts and ideas thanks to your brainwaves. One of the best times for a subliminal message session is directly before bed.
Exercise
While nutrition and hydration are essential parts of self-improvement, exercise is an equally powerful player. Working out can help to improve both physical and mental faculties. If you’re looking to accept subliminal messages, it’s best to stay active to absorb more information.
The Bottom Line on Subliminal Messages for Positive Thinking
Though the concept of subliminal messaging can be controversial, for many people, it’s an invaluable tool for improving your thinking patterns, self-esteem, and overall outlook on life. Because many of our most harmful beliefs are stored deep within our minds, subliminal messaging is often the easiest and most painless way for us to transform ourselves and our lives.
Watching or listening to subliminal messages can help to strengthen your mind-body connection. These cues can change how we think about ourselves, and by extension, how we experience the world. They can help whether you’re in a sleeping or waking state, making them an easy and effective way of improving yourself.
If you find yourself stagnating in life, consider rewiring your brain to be more prone to success. Using subliminal messaging can help to eliminate the self-defeating thoughts and beliefs that hold you back in life. Unless we nip these thoughts in the bud, they can end up undermining our efforts at success and fulfillment. Embracing subliminal messaging can help you to accept your best self.