The Only Effect Of Suggestion Is In Our Minds
Suggestion is one of the most interesting phenomena in the human mind. It is a mental state in which a person experiences emotions and ideas that someone suggests or leads them to. Suggestion can also mean stopping emotions that a person is moving away from. It is something that is implanted in the mind without us being aware of it.
The concept of suggestion seems to be very old. In fact, there are signs that hypnotic techniques were used in China, India, Greece, Mexico and many other cultures thousands of years ago. Some remains indicate that Egyptian culture used a type of hypnosis similar to those used today, more than 3,000 years ago. In those times, the phenomenon was associated with a magical-religious experience.
Franz Anton Mesmer, in the eighteenth century, was the first to attempt a rational explanation of the power of suggestion. But he combined scientific observations with charlatanry, and this led him to fall into great shame. Later, it was Dr. James Braid who really made an effort to give these phenomena a scientific status. Many other scientists followed him who managed to explain hypnosis, especially from the concept of the unconscious.
Types of Suggestion – Suggestion is in our minds
The four types of suggestion are: direct, hypnotic, indirect and auto-suggestion. Direct suggestion comes from the authority exercised by a person over the person who is exposed to it. Hypnotic suggestion is from a hypnotic trance, which can appear in different ways.
Indirect suggestion, on the other hand, is what happens when other people’s ideas are put in one’s mind as if they were their own. Finally, auto-suggestion is something that a person does to himself, more or less consciously. The person is induced to incorporate an idea or a feeling into the mind. For example, if it’s cold and a person tells himself “I do not feel cold, I do not feel cold”, in an attempt to believe that it is not cold.
It is also a subtype in auto-suggestion. This is involuntary auto-suggestion. It happens when a person, without wanting to, ends up convincing himself of an idea. Sometimes it’s an unwanted idea. For example, when someone gets a rash on the skin and starts thinking it is something serious. They do not go to the doctor to avoid hearing bad news, but they are sure that they are suffering from a terrible disease.
The power of suggestion
Suggestion has enormous power over our actions and, of course, about our way of perceiving reality. Hypnotic suggestion contributes to therapeutic purposes. Its efficiency is limited. First, because not everyone is suggestive enough to hypnotize. Second, because suggestion in a state of semi-consciousness does not last over time.
Direct suggestion comes from people who can persuade others, even dangerous ideas. These people do not speak to the logic of the people, but to their emotions. Especially to their fears and their desires. They break down people’s will and make them do what they want. It is a form of suggestion that is associated with power, but not necessarily with great forces. It is seen in relationships, sales, all the way up to heads of state or dictators.
Indirect suggestion is more complex and more difficult to detect. It comes from the “world of ideas” that society builds. Various institutions create and promote it, even without us being aware of it. Some religious denominations fit here. That there is an outward, for example. Many people believe it literally, even though they have no evidence to confirm it. Some even see it as a threat that someone is trying to prove otherwise.
Auto-suggestion, especially the involuntary type, is more present in our lives than we would like. Much of what we believe is nothing more than a set of beliefs, without basis. We do many things because we have seen others do them or just because of habit, but we do not always stop to look for a reason. What is clear is that we have beliefs about ourselves and about everything in general, but these will not hold up to a rigorous analysis. That’s exactly how we are.
