3 Ways You’re Brainwashing Yourself and How to Stop
When your own mind turns against you, you have to take control.
Ever heard the phrase that someone is “drinking the Kool-Aid?”
It refers to the tragic mass suicide known as the Jonestown Massacre on November 18, 1978. On this day, more than nine-hundred people, led by cult leader Jim Jones, committed suicide by ingesting a poisonous cocktail of cyanide and a cheaper form of Kool-Aid called Flavor-Aid.
After a visit by U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan, who investigated rumors of mistreatment at the compound where the cult’s followers lived, Jones warned his followers that violent outsiders would come and harm them. He commanded his believers to commit “revolutionary suicide” by poisoning themselves and others. Cult members followed orders to poison the children first, and parents and nurses used syringes to shoot the mixture into children’s throats.
The events spawned the term “drinking the Kool-Aid,” now used to refer to anyone who is brainwashed into believing another’s foolish views.
When we hear of such things, we wonder what kind of person could be so powerful and persuasive that people would do these unimaginable things. Psychologists also seek the answer to this question and spend much time studying the techniques individuals such as Jones used to influence his followers to such a great extent.
I’ve been reading about their studies, and I’ve discovered I have been using the same techniques cult leaders use to influence people. Except I’ve only been using them on myself. And you’ve likely been doing the same thing without realizing it.
This form of self-directed mind control poisons our capacity for happiness and success. So here’s how to recognize it and regain perspective.
Brainwashing Technique Number One: Repetition
There are repeated mantras or songs in many cults that cult members repeat together in ways such as singing. Besides building a group identity through this method, it also has effects similar to a hypnotic state. The words chanted by followers become more and more true to them, making them less likely to believe opposing logic or opinion.
In simpler terms, the more people hear an opinion or idea, the more strongly the brain reacts. Studies explain this through the brain’s response to memory, stating that as “repetition increases the accessibility of an opinion, we assume it has a high prevalence.”
Many times, we unconsciously brainwash ourselves with this technique.
For example, we look at ourselves in the mirror and find flaws that produce negative mantras, ones such as “No one will ever find me attractive.”
We go to work and envy a respected coworker who is moving up the corporate ladder more quickly than we are, and we say to ourselves, “I just don’t have what it takes to be successful.”
We give in to one piece of chocolate on our diet, and our subconscious whispers, “Why bother even trying. You’re not going to lose the weight.”
Just as cult members frequently exposed to certain ideologies become resistant to logic or opinions outside their realm of perception, so do we.
And these deeply ingrained beliefs we hold are often self-actualizing, keeping us from having the confidence and courage to be truly happy or pursue goals that will lead to more success or greater self-esteem.
How to retrain your brain
- Put up stop signs when you think these negative thoughts. Come to them with prepared positive mantras as self-defense.
- Make lists by putting down your thoughts versus your truths. Thought: “I’ll never succeed.” Truth: “I didn’t get the raise, but my boss chose me to lead the project,” or “I’ve been here for years because my company believes I have talent and potential.”
Brainwashing Technique Number Two: Isolation
George Estabrooks, psychologist, Harvard graduate, and Rhodes Scholar, is a well-known “mind control” doctor. Estabrooks admitted to working with the CIA, FBI, and military leaders during World War II to conduct experiments with hypnosis and stated, “I can hypnotize a man — without his knowledge or consent — into committing treason against the United States.”
A book focusing on cult leaders’ power mentions Estabrooks six mind-control techniques, one of which is enacted by leaders who “strive for a restriction of the field of consciousness among the members of his mob.”
In other words, cult leaders often use isolation to make their victims more quickly accept their ideology.
An article entitled “Brainwashing Techniques You Encounter Every Day” validates the effectiveness of secluding people from others to further one’s agenda, stating that “brainwashing, whether mild or extreme, is possible in large part due to isolation” and that “if you only hear the brainwashed message on a regular basis, and rarely (or never) expose yourself to alternatives, you’re going to be far more likely to accept what you hear without thinking.”
When we continue to think negative thoughts about ourselves and do so in an isolated environment, our feelings of inadequacy and powerlessness increase.
How to retrain your brain
- Talk to others whom you love and trust. It may not be easy, but let them know what you’re feeling. Often, these people can help you get a clearer perspective of your virtues and successes.
- Talk to others who are struggling with the same issues you are. For example, many organizations can connect you to other people whose feelings are similar to your own. One of these is Mental Health America. This organization has a list of groups to become involved in, relating to various issues such as anxiety or depression. They even have an organization entitled Emotions Anonymous for those who struggle to deal with emotional stress. Self also lists several online support groups where people can connect and work towards healing.
- Consider counseling or therapy. When we reach out to loved ones with our problems and hear positive comments, we often disregard them. We do so because we assume people who care about us will lie to protect our feelings. However, by talking to an impartial outsider, our minds may be more open and receptive to alternate ideas or different perspectives.
Brainwashing Technique Number Three: Fatigue
In an article entitled “Sleep Deprivation and Mind Control,” Dr. Alexander Golbin reports that many brainwashing instances occur when subjects are sleep deprived. He goes on to mention that Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin worked mainly at night and had their most important meetings predominantly during the late-night hours. They did so to take advantage of the fact that fatigue and sleep loss make individuals more likely to be persuaded to believe certain things.
Findings from a study led by Dr. William D.S. Kilgore at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research conclude that “continuous wakefulness has a particularly debilitating effect on judgment and decision making processes” and that “sleep loss is particularly disruptive to the ventromedial prefrontal regions of the brain, which are important for the integration of affect and cognition in the service of judgment and decision making.”
Even without substantial evidence on how lack of sleep impairs mental well-being and cognition, most of us are aware of sleeplessness or fatigue’s detrimental effects.
If you find it challenging to get the rest or sleep you need for optimal functioning, the cycle of negative thinking is harder to overcome.
How to retrain your brain
- Increase your exposure to sunlight or other sources of bright light. Healthline states that getting needed amounts of natural sunlight or bright light “improves daytime energy as well as nighttime sleep quantity and duration.”
- Make your bedroom more sleep-friendly. Mayo Clinic recommends room darkening shades, earplugs, or a fan that blocks out ambient noise.
- Do things that relax you near bedtime. Wed MD recommends you do things such as take a hot bath about an hour before bed, do some light reading, or listen to soothing music.
The Bottom Line:
Gautama Buddha says, “The mind is everything. What you think, you become.” And when you make your negative thoughts your only company, you brainwash yourself into believing the very things that sabotage your peace of mind, body, self-esteem, and power. So, don’t “drink the Kool-Aid.” You may have made it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t pour it down the drain.
Instead, drink in your potential for excellence and true happiness. Break away from the destructive “cult of one” that has held you back from believing in your own magic. You have it, now go out and see where it takes you.
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