Connections

I’ve been taking a leisurely stroll around Blogland again today, having a sneaky peak into other people’s worlds and liking the occasional post that has ‘spoken’ to me. I’ve found some blogs that I will be adding to my recommendations page some time this week… well I like them, so why not? I always ask the blog author / owner / creator/ artistic director (or simply, blogger) if they mind me adding them, not only out of courtesy to them, but to also make a connection with them.

You can never go wrong with good connections.

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Although I was watching a programme on TV last night which kind of highlighted connections, and more so subliminal suggestions, in a way where the desired result of the connection was not at all what the person expected. Last night’s TV was devoted to a selection of shows for a particular magician-type-hypnotist. The show was very good, but I have had a slightly disturbed feeling with me ever since I watched it. Not a bad feeling, but more of a cautious one.

The chap I’m referring to is Derren Brown, and one of the shows was ‘The Heist’. He gathered together several business people of different ages and underwent a training programme with them which gave them some tips to improve their thought processes, memory, confidence levels (that type of thing). He was also suggesting prompts to them, by using certain key word triggers, or a particular piece of music, a certain colour that ‘activated’ them to work in a different way. His intention was to see if they would participate in a bank robbery, on their own accord, after going through the training process. Some of the delegates were eliminated along the way, and four remained. On the final day, he told the four they had one last seminar to attend, and a car dropped them off at a certain point in London and they had to walk the rest of the way themselves to this ‘seminar location’. Just around the corner was a parked security van (the ones used for transporting very large amounts of money) and a car was primed to drive past them, playing a certain piece of music loudly. The security van was green, the trigger colour. The music was ‘Can You Feel It’ by The Jackson Five, the trigger music.

During the course of the training sessions, the group had been given other ‘triggers’, easy to remember quotes which became embedded in their subconscious. Each person was also given a toy gun to signify something to each of them – possibly something to do again with the triggers… and they were told to bring their toy guns with them to the latest seminar.

The producers did not know how the event would turn out, but were prepared to show four versions of either nothing happening if that was the case or the events as they happened. Three of the four responded in the intended way, and used their toy guns to take the cash from the security guard who was meant to be loading the van.

The four people did not know this was the real reason for the training sessions, and they were understandably confused when they were met by Derren and a hoard of other people further along the road, after ‘robbing’ all of the money. They were completely de-programmed afterwards, including the one who didn’t take part in the robbery, so any underlying criminal intent had been removed.

It was this that disturbed me. Just how easy it is to be influenced, without even realising that any kind of influence is taking place. I suppose this is hypnotism, so I shouldn’t be surprised, but it has got me thinking as to just how much we are being influenced in our thinking by everything that goes on around us.

I saw another of Derren’s shows last year (I think it was) again on TV. This time he was influencing the audience to be stuck in their chairs. The show itself was from within a packed theatre, but this influence also worked over the TV broadcast too. Several people in the audience were not affected, and could stand, but many more could not get up. They could move. They could lean forward as if trying to get up, but their backs would not move away from the back of the chair they were sitting in. Unfortunately for me, I was in the same situation as these and I could not get up from my armchair. I tried many ways to get up, but I was stuck. I could feel the material from the back of the chair moving forward with me, but it would not move away from me (or rather, I from it). I was by myself as well, so thought “Oh, dear” or words to that effect. Luckily, Derren then sent out a deprogramming message and we were all released. That was a strange night.

All in all though, connections are good. I think the triggers are good too – anything that will help me to improve my memory has got to be worthwhile having a look at. I will remember though to be on my guard at the next seminar I attend, just in case I notice flashes of the same colour throughout the course, a powerful piece of music and I’m handed a toy gun. And for some reason I do not think I’ll forget this in a hurry…