Do Subliminal Messages Work?

Since Ancient Greece, researchers theorised about the existence of subliminal perception. After being the willing hijack victim of Science Fiction, subliminal perception remains very misunderstood. The internet is awash with strange misinformation from seemingly authoritative sources.During the late 1980s, a lot of clinical research was produced that showed subliminal messaging to be a potential treatment of anxiety related conditions and an effective self-help tool for enhancing natural aptitude.Unlike Western chemical medicines, researchers could not demonstrate how subliminal messages work. It was only when the subliminal messages were observed in action using MRI technology that a full and credible argument could be made (Kouider, Dehaene, Jobert & Le Bihan, 2007).

Subliminal software programs can be beneficial in improving grades according to Dr. Kenneth Parker of the Journal on Counseling Psychology. Parker performed a study on college students in which he placed them in two groups, A and B. One group received these messages before they attended classes while the other group didn't receive the any messages. Parker concluded that the group of college students who received the subliminal messages improved their grades by one grade average as opposed to the other group.

These are disguised to the listener's conscious mind, through either video and/or audio manipulation. The reason for this is to bypass the conscious mind. The conscious mind, to be useful to man, is very critical and inflexible. It enjoys being right and thinking through things rationally and logically.If it were told "Hey you're healthy now," it will draw on evidence to support or refute the assertion. It may well reply, "You can't just say that. I always eat too much Pizza. Hey, you don't even know me! 

The unconscious mind in contrast is capable of a far broader perception - it sees and hears far more information. It need not be selective of the information it receives as it can process a lot more of it per second. By exploiting loopholes in conscious perception, affirmations are not decoded consciously but freely enter the ever welcoming unconscious mind unhindered. Through repetition, the unconscious mind begins to accept the affirmations and explore new decision sets and new ways of thinking. The unconscious mind draws upon its lateral thinking, flexibility and creativity to interpret the information it is presented with.

Subliminal audio's can also assist in losing weight effectively and work as a supplement to healthy eating and exercise. In a recent study conducted at a weight loss clinic in Metairie Louisiana, a doctor at this clinic gave his weight loss patients subliminal messages and some weeks after this happened, 50% of the patients who received messages improved in their weight loss.

The idea here is that the transmission is still intercepted by the subconscious mind and impacts upon the brain without the conscious mind hearing.The implications and uses for this type of subliminal embedding are not so much for advertising, but there are reports of musicians implanting suggestions.. sometimes less than savory, in their music. Although this is heavily debated and more often just coincidence of the song sounding similar when played backwards but usually not containing a deliberate hidden message.

 The main way that audio is used is as a tool for self development. There is a huge home industry now around using subliminal messages for self improvement - the idea being that you can listen at home, to positive subliminal messages and rewire the negativity in your mind into positivity to help you to change your outward behavior, your habits and belief systems