The Silva Mind Control Method of Mental Dynamics

Brain waves are cool. Seriously. I’ve always been fascinated by the whole idea that our brain waves are different depending on what we’re doing (sleeping/meditating/working/etc.).

And, although I knew the names of the different states (Delta/Theta/Alpha/Beta), I didn’t have a good sense of what it all meant and how I could consciously affect my brain waves until I read this book. It’s one of the best, easiest to understand overviews I’ve ever read. (Bill Harris’ Holosync stuff at centerpointe.com is in the same category. :)

Alright, so here’s the deal: Scientists can measure your brain waves using what’s called an “EEG”—which is short for an electroencephalogram. This handy little device measures the speed of your brain waves in “cycles per second” or CPS.

The range is pretty broad: from the ½ CPS of someone in DEEP Delta sleep to the 85 (!!) CPS of someone having an epileptic seizure. The normal higher end is closer to 40 CPS.

Here’s a look at the different states and their qualities:

There’s a LOT of fascinating stuff we can get out of this. First, know that the higher our brain waves’ CPS, the more agitated we are. We’re stressed any time our CPS goes over 21. Knowing this, we (obviously) want to avoid hanging out at > 21 CPS.

How? Start by recognizing the fact that there’s an absolute correlation between how quickly our brain is moving (as measured by our CPS), how quickly our thoughts are jumping around, and how much agitation/inability to focus/stress we’re experiencing.

So, how do we slow our brain’s down?!? Silva and Goldman present a simple, brilliant way to slow down and get to Alpha quickly and easily.

The quick version: Find a comfortable sitting position (no, you don’t need to get into full lotus position like a yogi!) and get your spine nice and straight. You can be in a chair if that’s easiest for you. Now, close your eyes. Take a deep breath in. Exhale. Now inhale again and, on the exhale, say silently in your mind, “three, three, three.” Another deep inhale. Exhale slowly and say, “two, two, two” on the exhale. Inhale again. “One, one, one” on the exhale.

If you lose count or you’re still agitated, start at ten and count down. If you repeatedly lose track of where you are, start over again and try imagining a bunch of “10s” or “9s” coming into your nose on the inhale and out of your nose on the exhale. Or, maybe imagine a big ol’ shot clock like they use in basketball games with a “10” on it, then a “9” and so on (that’s how Wayne Dyer does it, btw :). Focus on nice, deep breaths and count down from 10 to 1 and you’ll slow down your thoughts and slow down your brain waves and move from Beta to Alpha.

How do you know when you’ve mastered it? You’re able to take ONE (!!!) breath in and out and you’re there. :) (How cool is that?!? :)

This is HUGE. Again, when we’re operating at >21 CPS, we’re stressed. We’re effectively cut off from all creative thinking and have a hard time focusing on anything. Bring that down to 19 and you’ve entered the mythical land of the genius. THAT’s the state from which we want to create.

They recommend 5-20 minutes of Alpha State meditation up to three times per day.Hanging out in Alpha is a BRILLIANT place to imagine our ideal futures. And, as we slow down, our stress takes a break and we have the opportunity to tap into our intuition—which, if you believe the masters, is nothing short of God talking to us. :)

Not only that, but as we master hanging out in Alpha more and more, we’ll be giving our body precious time to restore itself to optimal health and helping ourselves truly relax into a deep Delta sleep where our body can work its magic on ultimate restoration.

So… Three, two, one… Ahhhhh… :)

What are you afraid of? Is it public speaking? Failing a class? Quitting your job and starting a new business? Asking someone out? Ending a relationship?

Whatever it is, know this: Fear is nothing more than a NEGATIVE EXPECTATION. Think about it, when you’re afraid, what are you imagining? You’re imagining what could go wrong. Yah? If you want to get rid of the fear, you’ve gotta swap your negative expectation for a positive one! It really is that simple. Some examples:

You’re going to fail the class, look like an idiot, totally waste your time, watch your GPA drop and have to retake the miserable class again next year! Enter: Fear.

You’re going to rock the exams, pass with flying colors, really enjoy learning a challenging subject and do the happy dance after you walk out of the final and when you see your report card with your passing grade! :) Enter: Excitement.

Starting a Business

The business is going to fail, you’re going to lose all your money and look like a fool. You’ll then not be able to feed yourself or your family and never be able to get a job again. Enter: Fear.

The business is going to be an incredible success! You’re not only going to succeed in creating a meaningful company that serves the world and circulates a lot of cash, you’re going to become a greater person as a result of taking risks and meeting challenges! Woo hoo!! :) Enter: Excitement.

Ending a Relationship

You’re going to break the other person’s heart, they’re going to tell everyone all your deep, dark secrets and after the initial clarity of your decision wears off, you’ll realize that you’ll never find anyone as cool as your ex. You’ll spend your life regretting your decision and your inability to ever maintain a relationship. Fun! :) Enter: Fear.

You’re going to have great conversations with your love, letting them know you care for them deeply but don’t feel the relationship is serving you any further. You’ll both deeply appreciate what you shared together while trusting that you will take what you’ve learned and manifest an even more amazing relationship in your future! Enter: Excitement.

You MUST create a positive expectation and focus on it as often as possible—in your Alpha state meditation, when you journal, while you’re driving to work, talking to friends, etc.

Go to alpha state, IMAGINE WHAT YOU WOULD BE DOING IF YOU HAD NO FEAR!

And watch your fear(s) dissolve…

The Seven Hermetic Laws are incredibly cool. Said to be passed down from a fellow named Hermes Trismegistus (“three times great”)—the Greeks called him “Hermes” (the messenger for the gods), the Romans called him Mercury (pictured him with winged shoes) and the Egyptians recognized him as their god Toth. According to legend, he was a contemporary (and even teacher of) Abraham. Considered the father of science, his Laws capture the essence of life. Super powerful. They are:

1. “The Law of Mentalism – ‘The Universe is a mental creation of God.’” I like to think of this Law as describing the power/intelligence that beats my heart, grows my fingernails and is currently digesting the bowl of (yummy!) quinoa I just ate—doing all of this, of course, without me thinking about it! (That’s truly stunning when you spend a moment contemplating it, eh?) This is the same force that grows a lizard’s tail and marches the Antartic penguins to the same mating spot every single (!) year. Hermes calls it the “Law of Mentalism”; I like to call it “The Law of Universal Intelligence.”
2. “The Law of Correspondence – ‘As above, so below; as below, so above.’” Have you ever seen a tree with *really* bad roots bear beautiful fruits? Doesn’t happen. How about a *really* unhappy/angry/negative/pessimistic person with low blood pressure and optimal health? Not gonna happen. As above, so below. As inside, so outside. It’s the Law that captures the essence of the Mind/Body connection in medicine.
3. “The Law of Vibration – ‘All things are in constant and never-ending motion. A change in the vibration causes a change in the manifestation.’” Did you know the word “atom” means “un-cuttable”? The early scientists named ‘em that because at one point we thought atoms were the absolute smallest particles in the Universe. They were “uncuttable.” Now we know better. :)

   Dig a little deeper inside those uncuttable atoms and you’ll find things even smaller called “quanta.” Dig a little deeper and all you’re left with is a bunch of vibrating energy. ALL life is simply vibration. Fascinating. From light (red is simply a light wave that vibrates slower than blue) to sound (your dog barking is simply a slower vibration than a dog whistle) to water (ice is simply “H2O” vibrating more slowly than water which is vibrating more slowly than vapor).

   Change the vibration and you change the manifestation. (Note: This is the basis of the Law of Attraction and Abraham-Hicks’ and others’ wisdom that we pay attention to our thoughts/vibrations.)

4. “The Law of Polarity – ‘All things are dual. Everything has its pair of opposites and these opposites are identical in nature, differing only in degree.’” Light/Dark. Hot/Cold. Fear/Excitement. All things have their opposites. And, they’re identical in their nature, differing only in degree.

   Light/Dark: both represent the amount of light present—from none (dark) to a lot (light). Hot/Cold: both represent the amount of heat present—from none (cold) to a lot (hot).
   Fear/Excitement: Interestingly, these are opposite ends of the “expectation” spectrum—from negative expectations of “this is going to go terribly!” (fear) to positive expectations of “this is going to go great!” (excitement).

5. “The Law of Rhythms – ‘All things have their tides, an ebb tide and a flood tide.’” Ah, rhythms! Think of our (and every animals’!) 24-hour circadian “rhythm” that follows the sun to 28-day lunar cycles (that also tie to a woman’s cycle and the waves of the ocean). POWERFUL. Good stuff to pay attention to, don’t you think?!?

   Wayne Dyer likes to say: “First, be a good animal.” Following the remarkably powerful rhythms of the Universe is a good way to start being a “good animal.” My personal favorite change to align with the rhythms? I beat the sun up every morning. Living in the jungles of Bali for several months, it became *really* obvious that we’re meant to get up early and go to bed early. Doubt me? Go camping in the forest for a week and don’t bring anything electronic and no alcohol. Let me know when you’re going to bed/getting up by the last day. :)

6. “The Law of Cause and Effect – ‘Every cause has its effect and every effect its cause.’” Cause and Effect. Whether you think of it in the Hindu/Buddhist/Yogic terms of “karma” or Jesus’ wisdom that we reap what we sow, it’s clear: “Every cause has its effect and every effect its cause.”

   What does that mean? Well, if you want an apple tree, don’t think you’re going to get it by planting cucumber seeds. The cause of planting cucumber seeds will never produce the effect of an apple tree. You want happiness? Then think happy thoughts. The cause of planting unhappy thoughts will never produce a happy life.

   Cause and effect. Simple and (very!) powerful. What seeds are you planting? :)

7. The Law of Gender – “All things have a masculine and feminine aspect.” Masculine/feminine. All things have a bit of both—whether we’re talking about you and I, our species or even a conversation. I have feminine qualities (open to creative ideas from my intuition) and masculine qualities (driven to set goals/achieve/create!). A conversation has masculine (talking) and feminine (listening) qualities. Think yin and yang. Good thing to pay attention to and to consciously balance within our lives.

Silva and Goldman offer perhaps *the* coolest and simplest and easiest to implement overview of how to be happy I’ve ever read. (Seriously.)

“Five Rules:

1. If you like something, enjoy it.
2. If you don’t like something, avoid it.
3. If you don’t like something and can’t avoid it, change it.
4. If you can’t or choose not to (important distinction there!) avoid or change something you don’t like, then accept it.
5. You accept something by changing your perception of it.”

First, let’s talk about stuff you LIKE. If you like something, enjoy it. Sounds simple (and is) but too often we like something and then have guilt or shame when we do it. If you like to scuba dive, ENJOY IT! If you like to wear no underwear, then ENJOY it! :)

How about something you don’t like? They give a great example of a student of theirs attending a seminar and leaving for a lunch break to discover that someone had smashed into the bumper of his car—leaving nothing but a big dent. Being a good student of the Silva Method, he went through these five rules and said to himself, “OK, I don’t like the fact someone smashed into my car, but I can’t avoid it or change it so I’m going to accept it by changing my perception of the event.”

Whereas most people would complain about the episode all through lunch and probably for the next week or so, this guy figured it would cost about $250 to fix his bumper and that he’d set himself a goal to make THREE times that amount within the next three months and, rather than complain, he chose to celebrate the fact that someone smashed his car and gave him the opportunity to set a fun goal for himself. :) Genius.

Sound too optimistic? Well, how would you respond to an event like that?!? And why wouldn’t you CHOOSE (yes, it’s ALWAYS a choice), how to create the most empowering story out of it? Happiness. It’s always a choice and these rules are a BRILLIANT asset for us as we create our ideal lives.

What about something you don’t like that you could avoid (like a certain person you don’t need to see as often as you do?)?!?

And something you don’t like that you can’t avoid but could change (maybe a job or a relationship)?

And, what about something you don’t like but can’t (or choose not to) avoid or change? How can you accept it as it is and decide to change your perception about it so it’s something that actually makes you happy?!?

Super powerful stuff. Take some time to think about/journal on these scenarios!!!! (Pretty, please.)

The next time you feel yourself getting a little feisty/unhappy, check in and see where you’re breaking one of these rules. And, of course, see what you can do to get back in line and get happy! :)