Analogy And Metaphor As Activators Of Unconscious Association Patterns

The logic of an analogy can appeal to the conscious mind and break through some of its limiting sets. When analogy and metaphor also refer to deeply engrained associations, mental mechanisms, and learned patterns of behavior, they tend to activate these internal responses and make them available for problem solving. Suggestions made by analogy are thus a powerful and indirect twofold approach that mediates between the conscious and unconscious. Appropriate analogies appeal to the conscious mind because of their inherent interest while mobilizing the resources of the unconscious by many processes of association.

Analogy, puns, metaphor, paradox, and folk language can all be understood as presenting a general context on the surface level that is first assimilated by consciousness. The individual words and phrases used to articulate that general context, however, all have their own individual and literal associations that do not belong to the context. These individual and literal associations are, of course, usually suppressed and excluded from consciousness in its effort to grasp the general context. These suppressed associations do remain in the unconscious, however, and under the special circumstances of hypnotic trance, where dissociation and literalness are heightened, they can play a significant role in facilitating responsive behavior that is surprising to consciousness.

The adult reader is usually searching for an author's meaning. Within certain limits it really doesn't matter what particular sentences or words are used. Many different sentences and combinations of words could be used to express the same meaning. It is the meaning or the general context of the sentences that registered in consciousness, while the particular sentences and words used fall into the unconscious and are "forgotten." In the same way one "reads" the meaning of a whole word rather than the individual letters used to make up the word. The general context of the letters registers as the conscious meaning of a word rather than the individual associations of each letter.

The greatest hypnotist of all times, Milton Erickson, has devised a number of techniques to activate the individual, literal, and unconscious associations to words, phrases, or sentences buried within a more general context. Turns of phrase that are shocking, surprising, mystifying, non sequiturs, too difficult or incomprehensible for the general conscious context, for example, all tend momentarily to depotentiate the patient's conscious sets and to activate a search on the unconscious level that will turn up the literal and individual associations that were previously suppressed. When Erickson overloads the general context with many words, phrases, or sentences that have common individual associations, those associations gain ascendancy in the unconscious until they finally spill over into responsive behavior that the conscious mind now registers with a sense of surprise.

The conscious mind is surprised because it is presented with a response within itself that it cannot account for. The response is then described as having occurred "all by itself without the intervention of the subject's conscious intention; the response appears to be autonomous or "hypnotic."

Analogy and metaphor as well as jokes can be understood as exerting their powerful effects through the same mechanism of activating unconscious association patterns and response tendencies that suddenly sum-mate to present consciousness with an apparently "new" datum or behavioral response.

Milos Pesic is a professional hypnotist and owner of highly popular and comprehensive Analogy and Metaphor web site. Visit now for more articles and resources on hypnosis and NLP related topics, free hypnosis scripts, self hypnosis, weight loss hypnosis, stop smoking hypnosis, and much more.

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THC Patch and Gum Right Around the Corner?

Doctors have long known that marijuana can be useful in the treatment of emaciated and anorexic patients from diseases like chemotherapy and AIDS. Many doctors have and still prescribe marijuana - yes it can be obtained legally through a prescription. Now, the government is doing research into a patch or possibly gum, along with the Marinol pill and other similar treatments to treat more malodys like gulf war syndrome, migraine headaches and similar.

The Food and Drug Administration has recently granted several researchers from large universities and research centers from Harvard to Maryland approval to study the effects of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) in various delivery methods. Some of these The oral methods have recently been approved and released for treatment of chemotherapy and AIDS related weightloss issues. They, along with injectible and patch and gum or lozenge methods of delivery are now being researched for treatment of migraines, psychological associated diseases (Gulf War Syndrom and similar), and even ADD and ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder) and mental and psychological abnormalities. The list of research the U.S. Government has recently backed continues to grow.

The U.S. government is giving in to the undeniable fact that marijuana does have medicinal properties that can help patients with various conditions and that it should be made more readily available. Recently marijuana and THC have been brought down to a class 3 drug under the DEA. This will make it easier for doctors to prescribe THC and marijuana and get it to those who need it. The National Institutes of Health and an affiliate of the National Academy of Sciences have concluded that the active ingredients in marijuana can ease the pain, nausea and vomiting of cancer and AIDS (courtesy National Academy Press). Even charitable organizations that long withstood the attributes of marijuana have changed their views:

"The American Cancer Society has always been on record against people smoking tobacco and marijuana," said Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws in Washington, D.C. "This is a way to assuage opponents." The American Cancer Society is currently funding a three-year, $361,000 grant for research at the Albany College of Pharmacy.

There is currently only a few choices smoking, oral (Marinol) and injection (Sumatriptan). According to patient research the smoking method is still preferred as the patient feels more comfortable in determining what amount of "high" they receive. The complaints with the pill is that it takes too long for it to have effect. Then when it does take effect the patient is rendered useless for a period of time. This seems to be a delivery problem and being that there are no competing manufacturers the doctor and patient have little choice.

A THC patch or gum could easily solve this problem as these delivery methods, similar in property to smoked marijuana, can easily be removed when the patient feels comfortable and is sufficiently medicated. This would put control back in the patients and doctors hands with more choices. It would also make these medications less expensive and more apt to be accepted by society. The patch and gum are currently in use for smoking control and cesation and are very effective in this delivery method. This is not to mention the cancer factor from smoking is removed making it much safer and acceptable.

It would be believable to assume a THC patch and possibly gum will be available and through the clinical trials in the next few years. As more acceptance for the medicinal use of marijuana and THC grows it is possible that it may gain universal acceptance for medicinal use.

David Maillie is an alumni of Cornell University and specializes in biochemical synthesis for public, private, and governmental interests. He holds numerous patents and awards for his research. For more useful information please visit: http://www.bestbraindrain.com

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