Brain Power

How My Mind Can Work For Me

Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.

— Chief Seneca

Have you ever had the experience of being "in the zone?" Everything you did worked out just great. You felt in tune with your surroundings and everything you said came out right. You walked into a room or into your home and you knew all was well. On the other hand, did you ever have one of those days when no matter what you did, it just didn't work out right, or when you walked into your house and you felt immediately that something was wrong? In both cases you felt the vibe, you could feel the energy of what was going on around you, and rightly so. The truth is you can feel the energy around you. You can and do experience the electrical charges in the atmosphere of your surroundings. You might feel that some classrooms you enter are calm and serene, while others are happy and jovial, and then in another the energy might feel unsettling. In this chapter we explore how you can start to become more aware of this energy, identify it, and even manage it for your best advantage. The first step is to become aware.

What is awareness? Where does our awareness dwell? How do I know what I know? How do I decide what is important for me to know and what is important for me to do? Who is the one who wants to know, and who is the one asking these questions? Is it that little voice inside of me, and where does that little voice come from? In the following chapters we will take a journey together on the road to awareness to answer these questions and discover what those answers will mean for your growth and development.

In this first chapter we will explore the way your brain functions. You will come to understand that your brain is a powerful instrument that gives off various electrical currents or brain waves. You will be able to identify those different brain waves and come to understand that your brain really is like a computer. You have the ability to program your brain like a computer to think, and consequently affect your behavior in ways that are most beneficial for you. You will learn ways to use certain brain waves to your best advantage.

Awareness means "having or showing realization, perception, or knowledge." Let's begin our journey on the road to awareness. The purpose of the stories, examples, and demonstrations in this chapter is to illustrate how brain power can be used to gain insights and answers when traditional thinking is not yielding the needed solutions. We will explore how these brain game techniques can be incorporated into your journey.

In 1972, I had the day off for Flag Day, which was a school holiday in Brooklyn and Queens. I turned on the TV, which I rarely got a chance to watch in the mornings, and watched the Today Show. A priest by the name of Father Barum was being interviewed about a course he was teaching called Silva Mind Control. I was impressed by what he had to say about the results people were achieving by using the techniques that were taught in the course. People were saying they were able to be more productive; they were able to easily find things they had lost; and that they were doing better in school or on their jobs. I quickly wrote down all the information and immediately called to register. I took myself to the McAlpin Hotel on West Thirty-Fourth Street that following weekend, where the course was being offered.

There were at least three hundred people in the large ballroom at the McAlpin Hotel where the Silva Mind Control Course was being presented. We were all there to learn the techniques of the Silva Method, which were developed by Jose Silva. The techniques involved learning to understand and control the electrical frequencies emitted by the human brain. By becoming more aware of the more productive frequencies, one can become more in control of his or her life.

Jose Silva was fascinated by the transmission of radio waves. He understood that the human brain acts in a similar fashion by transmitting different frequencies. He did experiments to measure, calculate, and determine the effects of human brain wave transmission. He saw that the brain transmits different frequencies under various conditions. While awake, the brain operates under a Beta frequency, 14–21 cycles per second. These frequencies are measured in Hz, named after Heinrich Hertz, who demonstrated that electromagnetic energy exists and can be detected and measured. Electromagnetic radiation is all around us. The waves range from high-frequency cosmic and gamma rays through X-rays, ultraviolet light, infrared radiation, and microwaves, down to very low frequency radio waves. The brain frequencies emitted by the human brain can be designated in the following way:

The more relaxed, in-tune frequency of light sleep and meditation is called Alpha, which is a lower brain frequency at 7–14 Hz.

During deep sleep the brain frequency is at Theta from 4–7 Hz.

Finally, when the brain is in deep sleep, a coma, or sometimes in a deep trance experienced by some yogis, the brain frequency is at ITLΔITL at 0–4 Hz.

Through his own experimentation, especially with his own children, Jose Silva discovered that the mind is highly suggestible while at the more in- tune Alpha level. By utilizing some of the techniques he developed, his subjects became more productive, creative, skillful, and even clairvoyant, meaning they were able to see beyond the range of ordinary perception.

According to Jose Silva, the more you practice the techniques required to get into the Alpha level, the better you will be at using the Alpha state to attain the things you want. One technique was the three-finger technique, using an anchor, simply putting your thumb, index, and middle fingers together. Anchor is a hypnosis term that refers to a simple physical activity you can use to help you achieve a particular result. Some people might put their hand over their heart when they want to calm down. According to Jose Silva, by simply putting your three fingers together you can bring your brain waves to an Alpha level and then simply tell yourself what it is that you might want. You could put a suggestion into your mind for anything from finding a parking space to getting a good mark on an exam. An important aspect of this technique is that you...