The Power of Suggestion - Positive or Negative?

At a time when wine and cheese tasting parties were the “in-thing”; a fellow wine and cheese taster was known for getting sloppy drunk at these occasions. The rest of the standard attendees were getting more than a little annoyed at his obnoxious behavior; so at one such party, after a few bottles of wine were emptied and a few trays of cheese and crackers consumed, the host of the party filled one of the wine bottles with water.

All of the guests, save our offensive friend, knew which bottle was only water and continued to pour the sloppy drunk glass after glass of the liquid.Thinking he was drinking white wine, he continued to grow more intoxicated and the rest of the guests became quite amused at his imagined drunkenness.

Finally, the host revealed the hoax played on our sloppy obnoxious drunk, who was not amused in the slightest, and he never attended another party.

So, the question that begs to be answered is; could our sloppy drunk actually get even more intoxicated by drinking a large amount of water after just a few glasses of wine?

According to the website Answers.com, drinking water when drunk is actually quite healthy. Alcohol dehydrates the body while drinking water not only rehydrates but washes the alcohol out of the system. However, be careful, drinking too much water can actually cause a serious illness known as water intoxication.

Well, what was it that caused our friend to become more drunk? Simply put—the power of suggestion. Our party pal had already had a few glasses of wine, so his pallet and his nose were programmed to taste and smell the wine. He had poured the wine, or seen the wine poured from the bottle and so his visual perception associated the liquid to wine.

This is known as the placebo effect and is used regularly in clinical studies on the effects of medication. There are always two groups that are studied in clinical trials. The experiment group, which are given the active drug, and the control group, given a sugar pill. Both groups are told they have been given a drug, but when the participants in the control group begin displaying reactions associated with the actual drug, this is “The Placebo Effect.”

These participants have been given the “suggestion” that they have taken the drug, and therefore, their subconscious allows them to believe it to the point of exhibiting the effects of the drug. A pretty strong statement to the Power of Suggestion!

The power of suggestion is used every day, but how many of us recognize its effects? This technique is heavily used in the marketing and advertising industry. How many commercials are aired during any given television program?

According to Answers.com: In the US, there are approximately eight or 8-1/2 minutes of commercials per half hour of broadcast television.On cable, there are about 10 full minutes of commercials which is why syndicated versions of television shows are edited to remove at least 1-1/2 to 2 minutes of the show to fit in the cable channel's timeslot. Pay cable shows have no commercials and can be anywhere from 25 minutes to 29 minutes in length.

In the UK on ITV and other commercial networks there are 6 to 7-1/2 minutes of commercials per half hour, but the BBC only shows commercials for their own shows at the end of a program if there is room, so a half-hour show there can run up to 29-1/2 minutes with no commercials at all.

Whether we consciously realize it or not, the power of suggestion through marketing and commercials affects our choices daily. How many food commercials are shown before we feel hungry? How many times are we longing for the exact item we’ve just seen on t v?

The same holds true for the choices we make in clothing, automobiles and any number of items we purchase. Marketing experts know the “power” of “Suggestion.”They play on our need to feel more powerful in that luxury car; more fashion conscience if we shop at that upscale shop

Have you ever wondered why the hamburger you get at your favorite burger bar looks nothing like the one on the menu or the billboard across the street? It’s the power of suggestion. The burger looks big, plump, and fresh so that your subconscious will accept that it tastes as scrumptious as it looks – in pictures.

The power of suggestion tells us that if we drink this drink, we will have more energy. If we use this kind of makeup, we will look, and feel, younger. If we work out on this brand of equipment, we’ll look like the people on t v. There is unquestionably power in the power of suggestion.

This same power is used in hypnosis therapy to help people lose weight, quit smoking, and make positive changes in life.

http://www.instant-hypnosis.com/hypnosis/

Using hypnosis is also the ability of imagining, or forming mental images, sensations and concepts, when they are not perceived through sight, hearing or other senses. Imagination is the work of the mind that helps create. Imagination helps provide meaning to experience and understanding to knowledge; it is a fundamental facility through which people make sense of the world, and plays a key role in the learning process. Imagination is the means through which we encounter everything.The things that we touch, see and hear coalesce into definite forms through the processes of our imagination.

According to the website Success Consciousness

“The power of imagination is the ability to produce a mental image of something that is not perceived through the senses. It is the ability of the mind to create mental scenes, objects or events that do not exist, are not present or have happened in the past.”

Our imagination can be used to form positive mental images and help us lead a more positive life through self discipline, motivation, setting and achieving goals; as well as, being more spiritually balanced.

However, in the case of the sloppy drunk, his imagination played a cruel trick on him. His imagination formed the mental picture of the wine in the bottle and recalled the memory of former drunken experiences.

The mind is extremely powerful, it can help us if we tap into its potential, or we can allow others to use it against us.