A Modern Understanding of the Subconscious Mind
In the last century, psychology moved very rapidly from the speculations of Freud, Jung, etc. toward biology. In fact, no one who pursues psychology as a science seriously considers the ideas of the id, ego, superego, etc, as realistic. Indeed, much of the most exciting research on such personal experiences as love is centered on scans of the brain using fMRI machines.
Anyhow, the vast majority of modern research on perception and memory (in fact, thinking in general) assumes that there is a network of connected units in your brain. This network idea is a metaphor, but it appears to be a very good one -- one that might closely mimic the actual organization and operation of your brain. What these units are will vary depending on the topic of interest, but it's fairly accurate to think of them simply as memories. These would include memories for all five sense (as well as others that are less well-known -- no, not ESP
).
As I was saying, no one really gives much credence to the old idea of the "subconcious" anymore. But when people talk about networks of units, they also discuss how units can become activated, but not fully activated. That is, a unit for the scent of your girl's kooch might become a little activated, but not enough for you to actually think of or recall the scent. And you can imagine that sort of "subthreshold" activation of memories as subconscious activity in your mind.
For our purposes, "subliminal" activation can be usefully thought of as just this sort of subthreshold activation. It's not enough to notice, but it's there.
So here are some questions that I imagine might arise, and stabs at their answers:
1. Can this sort of subthreshold activation steer someone's behavior or thoughts?
This is a hotly debated topic. But the general practical answer is yes.
2. How can I cause subthreshold/subliminal activation of a specific memory/unit?
a. Expose them to the thing that directly corresponds to that memory, but in a way that they can't easily detect. Doing this correctly is nearly impossible without being in a lab, so I wouldn't bother.
b. Pick a memory to target and then expose the person to other sensory experiences that are related to that memory. Metaphorically (and probably realistically) a little bit of activation will leak out from the highly stimulated memory to other related memories, including the one you are interested in.
3. Can I activate a memory with enough subthreshold activity that it becomes a conscious memory?
Most likely, yes. If you expose the person to many related things, it should work as in (b) above. If they don't flat out re-experience that memory, they should at least be more likely to. The more related things, the better the odds of pushing the activation of that memory high enough to be consciously noticed.
What I meant by "related" might be a bit vague. I mean happens at the same time or is part of the same situation, environment or complicated sensory experience. Still not clear enough?
An example:
Target:
Emotional sensation that comes with a woman's orgasm
The related memories to activate by direct exposure:
Any scent, touch, words, sights, sounds or other emotions that are felt around the time that a girl usually has an orgasm
Present those things to her senses. If you want her to "think of it on her own," present the ones that are less explicitly connected to the target memory. As a random example: Let her feel silky sheets or a material that feels LIKE silky sheets.
Your mileage may vary; but the underlying principles seem sound.
Remember, use your powers only for good.
DJ Psych I -- Intro and Conditioning
DJ Psych II -- Attitude Formation is Immediate
In the last century, psychology moved very rapidly from the speculations of Freud, Jung, etc. toward biology. In fact, no one who pursues psychology as a science seriously considers the ideas of the id, ego, superego, etc, as realistic. Indeed, much of the most exciting research on such personal experiences as love is centered on scans of the brain using fMRI machines.
Anyhow, the vast majority of modern research on perception and memory (in fact, thinking in general) assumes that there is a network of connected units in your brain. This network idea is a metaphor, but it appears to be a very good one -- one that might closely mimic the actual organization and operation of your brain. What these units are will vary depending on the topic of interest, but it's fairly accurate to think of them simply as memories. These would include memories for all five sense (as well as others that are less well-known -- no, not ESP
).As I was saying, no one really gives much credence to the old idea of the "subconcious" anymore. But when people talk about networks of units, they also discuss how units can become activated, but not fully activated. That is, a unit for the scent of your girl's kooch
might become a little activated, but not enough for you to actually think of or recall the scent. And you can imagine that sort of "subthreshold" activation of memories as subconscious activity in your mind.For our purposes, "subliminal" activation can be usefully thought of as just this sort of subthreshold activation. It's not enough to notice, but it's there.
So here are some questions that I imagine might arise, and stabs at their answers:
1. Can this sort of subthreshold activation steer someone's behavior or thoughts?
This is a hotly debated topic. But the general practical answer is yes.
2. How can I cause subthreshold/subliminal activation of a specific memory/unit?
a. Expose them to the thing that directly corresponds to that memory, but in a way that they can't easily detect. Doing this correctly is nearly impossible without being in a lab, so I wouldn't bother.
b. Pick a memory to target and then expose the person to other sensory experiences that are related to that memory. Metaphorically (and probably realistically) a little bit of activation will leak out from the highly stimulated memory to other related memories, including the one you are interested in.
3. Can I activate a memory with enough subthreshold activity that it becomes a conscious memory?
Most likely, yes. If you expose the person to many related things, it should work as in (b) above. If they don't flat out re-experience that memory, they should at least be more likely to. The more related things, the better the odds of pushing the activation of that memory high enough to be consciously noticed.
What I meant by "related" might be a bit vague. I mean happens at the same time or is part of the same situation, environment or complicated sensory experience. Still not clear enough?
An example:
Target:
Emotional sensation that comes with a woman's orgasm
The related memories to activate by direct exposure:
Any scent, touch, words, sights, sounds or other emotions that are felt around the time that a girl usually has an orgasm
Present those things to her senses. If you want her to "think of it on her own," present the ones that are less explicitly connected to the target memory. As a random example: Let her feel silky sheets or a material that feels LIKE silky sheets.
Your mileage may vary; but the underlying principles seem sound.
Remember, use your powers only for good.
DJ Psych I -- Intro and Conditioning
DJ Psych II -- Attitude Formation is Immediate