The Anti-Soapbox: Collected Essays Read online

the audience. Though, this isn’t just a neat trick. If the hypnotized person reacts no differently than if the audience were really naked, then just how artificial is that distorted perception? In their mind, there’s nothing artificial about it, for so powerful is one’s perception, it’s real, if only for the perceiver.

  And this is what looped thoughts and the like have the power to shape: the same perception that’s strong enough to make someone see a nude audience.

  At this point, a picture begins to emerge: what goes on in the subconscious mind is pretty important, and pretty delicate, too. So, what if the looped thoughts and hypnotic suggestions embedded there shape one’s reasoning and perceptions without the person realizing it? How might that manipulate their behavior? And, what can be done to protect oneself?

  This is where silencing the mind becomes useful.

  Anyone is vulnerable to subconscious thought-loops and hypnotic suggestion (plus many other subconscious pitfalls not mentioned here). This vulnerability is not a flaw or defect, but the basic nature of the human mind, so that we can be thinking something subconsciously, without being aware of it, yet have our perception and behavior altered. Thought-loops are a natural side-effect of undertaking any mental activity, as are other influences such as hypnotic suggestion, and these things can come from any number of sources in any number of ways. A parent’s influence can install a thought-loop in their child’s subconscious, as to shape the child’s development. A government’s law can work similarly, as to be reflected in the behavior of society. The approval or disapproval of one’s peers can affect psychology in this fashion. Also, consider the hypnotic effects of advertising and mass media, which actively attempt to manipulate thoughts and perceptions for reasons of profit. When these widespread influences are factored into the equation, we are faced with an endless potential of sources for such mental “programming”—all of which can alter the mind in profound ways, such as seeing what’s not there or ignoring what is. And, since these influences can accumulate in the subconscious, unseen, we are faced with the disturbing possibility that one might be “infected” with all sorts of mind-altering influences, as to be perpetually under their perceptual influence.

  But, if the mind is silenced, what might happen to these subconscious influences? The answer: they will be suspended and lose their impact, thus “freeing” the mind from their grip—perhaps for the first time.

  Here, a disturbing point bears mentioning: it’s fully possible for one to be ensnared in conditioning from a very young age, so that they’ve never known anything else. This often results in a state of mental restriction and control, like a perceptual cage that keeps its prisoner at a remove from actual reality—being disconnected from the “Now,” you could say. Though, one does not need to be conditioned from childhood to lose touch with reality and the Now, for that restricted state can be induced at any time, with enough influence. In fact, there are, I suspect, a great many adults living in such a conditioned daze, due to any number of various thought-loops and hypnotic suggestions, which ultimately lock the mind into that psycho-cage of unreality. Whether acquired from straight-up conditioning of some kind, or a traumatic experience, or even a personal obsession, the loops exert the same basic effect: distorting one’s inner reality and perceptions, so that the person sees what’s not there or ignores what is—and, perhaps, never knows any better, because the daze never lifts. This is the polar opposite of “living in the Now,” where, rather than seeing and experiencing what’s actually there, one is caged within the illusionary reality constructed by whatever conditioned influences have accreted in their subconscious mind—a mental “static,” so thick as to obscure the Now and its nourishment. For one barred from actual reality and the Now, it’s cloudy even when the sun is out.

  Thankfully, such mental cages are dismantled by mental silence, as to return one to the real-world Now.

  As for actually silencing the mind, it’s a case of “simple in premise, complex in practice,” for we are not just silencing conscious, “visible” thoughts, but subconscious thoughts, which can lie hidden in the mind, all but invisible to the person experiencing them. Depending on one’s level of self-awareness, silencing conscious thought can be hard enough, but to truly still the subconscious, we need a thorough, disciplined technique, for only then will all thought-loops and hypnotic effects be “turned off” and true equilibrium restored. For all their parallels, mind-silencing is not to be confused with meditation (though a silenced mind certainly facilitates meditation). Rather, what I describe here is, simply, a tool, to be used when appropriate, no different than using windshield wipers to clear away rain.

  A simple premise, yes, but the actual deed can pose a problem, for the mind must silence itself. This can be tricky, for the same reason that one cannot pull themselves up by their bootstraps: because silencing thought requires thought, something akin to a microscope attempting to magnify itself. As for how much a problem this will pose, it again varies from person to person. Some can simply issue a straightforward conscious command to “stop thinking,” and thinking will stop. Others might accomplish this direct method with the aid of a calm, relaxing environment. (For me, I go to a totally dark and quiet bedroom, lie down, and put a sleep mask on. Sometimes, this can alone can be enough to silence my mind of even deeply “hidden” thoughts.)

  However, some people don’t respond to these easy methods, a group which, I suspect, includes most of us in today’s heavily conditioned world. For this unfortunate majority, any direct attempt to silence thought will likely just trigger more thought, ad nauseum. But, luckily, there is a way to silence even the most stubborn mind: a passive approach, tantamount to thinking without thinking. This type of method deals with runaway thought as one would a muscle cramp: by relaxing completely and letting it run its course, because any direct action would just make it worse.

  One such passive method is visualization.

  To visualize is to “see” something in the mind’s eye—a fancy term for imagining how something might appear. But there is a bit more to visualization than just its imaginative quality, for it arises from a different source than traditional, logical thought. And it is this “illogical” quality which can be exploited to help the mind silence itself.

  There is no one mind-silencing visualization. The visualization used is, also, up to the individual. The only requirement is that it effectively silence the mind. Thus, one could envision a volume dial being turned all way down to “0,” after which all thought ceases. Or, visualize a pool of water going completely, placidly still. Keep in mind: the visualization itself isn’t really important, just so long as it succeeds in silencing the mind. Experiment and find a visualization that’s right for you, whatever that might be.

  When visualizing to this end, it’s helpful to make the image react to your thoughts. That is, if you visualize a volume dial going down to “0” when your mind is totally silent, then make the dial go the other way when thoughts occur. Such a reactive “feature” is useful in gauging thought levels and, therefore, reducing them. “Program” your visualization to this end. Personally, I visualize a horizontal line. When my mind is silent, the line is perfectly flat and straight; when I think at all, the line is upset into wild shapes. That way, if I focus on keeping that visualized line straight, my mind is forced to comply, and without any direct, logical thought that will itself upset the line—pulling myself up by my mental bootstraps, as it were. Aim to thwart not just all thought, but all reaction to thought, mental and physical alike (such as moaning in answer to pain, or swatting at an insect bite, or anything else that sees an automatic, “preprogrammed” response). Such knee-jerk reactions are central to the hypnotic effect, triggering the chain reaction that keeps the mind in its cage of distorted thinking and perception. Defeat that initial reaction, and the rest of the programming is apt to fall apart.

  Be persistent when learning to silence the mind. Whatever technique you choose (including those not listed here, perhaps of you
r own making), just remember: it will take practice. Like any skill, silencing the mind takes time and experience to master. If at first you don’t succeed, keep trying. I promise: make a sincere choice to silence your mind, and you will find a way.

  Did you discover any change in your thinking, after successfully silencing your mind? I suspect you did. Again: results will vary, but, depending the amount of active conditioning, silencing the mind could see a drastic change in oneself—a good change, returning one to reality and the Now, as to pull back a “veil” of perceptual distortion and, thus, “see the world for the first time.” For example: if daily conditioning has hypnotized someone into seeing a certain thing as “bad,” then they might find themselves left with a thought-loop to that end, so that they’ll unconsciously avoid that “bad” thing—even if it’s not really bad. Worse, if that hypnotic programming is left to run on and on, endlessly informing the conscious mind of that thing’s “badness,” then the person might never see that thing as it really is—until, that is, the thought-loop is silenced. Afterward, one might find themselves