Can i brainwash myself

Yes, you can brainwash yourself. I listen to podcasts—a lot of them. One of my favorites, and the one I most frequently recommend, is Freakonomics.

In fact, I was scrubbing my shower when I heard their episode about temptation bundling in March of last year. Katy Milkman, a professor at University of Pennsylvania, stumbled upon the concept of temptation bundling when she faced the same willpower issues most of us face on a daily basis. She struggled to get to the gym, even though she knew she should go. Every day, she fought the urge to watch her favorite TV shows instead of getting work done. Bad behaviors, in comparison, provide an immediate benefit, but come with long-term costs.

Working, cleaning, and exercising seldom feel urgent, even though they are important in the long-term. In general, most people are driven by impulse to seek out pleasure, and fighting that impulse can be extremely difficult. One day, Katy had an idea.

She would create a rule for herself, using her temptations to incentivize her—solving both of her problems. This means that, unlike sight and hearing, no pre-processing is done before data hits central command. Accordingly, certain smells are often imprinted with memories of when they were first encountered: cinema popcorn with a first kiss; disinfectant with a hated classroom; petrol with an adventurous road trip.

So, if smell can manipulate mood, why not control the use of fragrance for a little on-demand brainwashing? Thanks to to a patented process which enables a scent to permeate the rubber material without corrupting it, the size of a computer mouse mat, this simple rectangle is impregnated with such wildly transporting aromas as ocean spray on wild roses Rosa Rugosa , or a blasphemous blend of sacred sandalwood and hot breath on skin Saint des Saints.

Continue to say it, repeat it, hundreds, thousands of times. Say it like you mean it each and every time. Otherwise it just becomes a pointless and mindless drill akin to all those times in grade school when I had to stay in from recess and repeatedly write out the rule I had broken earlier that day e. And that rush of adrenaline and emotional roller coaster you experience before performances is totally normal too.

Performing at the upper ranges of your ability under pressure is a unique skill — one that requires specific mental skills, and perhaps a few other tweaks in your approach to practicing too. And learn how you can develop these into strengths of your own.

And begin to see tangible improvements in your playing that transfer to the stage. I am presently creating audio recordings for myself to use all night long while I sleep and I will publish my findings, one way OR the other! Yours is a very interesting question. Would be interested to see what you find when you complete your research on this! I was almost obsessed in the subject for several years, but now no longer do any work in that area, although the interest still remains…such a fascinating subject it really is!

Finally, another side benefit of this process would be the fact that this could can? It all automatically takes place whilst we are asleep at night or whenever. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Learn the 1 thing that top practicers do differently, plus 7 other strategies for practice that sticks. If performances have been frustratingly inconsistent, try the 4-min Mental Skills Audit.

It won't tell you what Harry Potter character you are, but it will point you in the direction of some new practice hacks that could help you level up. When we hear the word brainwashing, we usually imagine something negative that some evil hypnotist does to us. Back in January , after the Trump presidential inauguration, my friends on social media unleashed a barrage of negativity and hopelessness.

Some people offered insightful solutions, but most just complained. I also noticed that the news was mirroring my social media feed. Divisiveness, Despair. Soon, every single day was filled with stress. So… I took a bold step. I stopped watching the news. Another step I took was to un-follow a number of friends who posted political stuff. I felt a little guilty at first, but the lack of negative news was refreshing. At this time, I also began to populate my social media feeds with positive quotes, nature photography, and videos from people like Tony Robbins and Eckhart Tolle.

I felt a bit like a positive-thinking lemming…. But I wanted to keep the experiment going. I had made a conscious choice to brainwash myself with positivity.

I was curious to see what would happen if I kept going. I began to refine my brainwashing. I put positive messages on post-its, and stuck them on my computer screen at work. I stopped following fraudulent positive-thinking hucksters, and tuned in to the ones who resonated with me.