Silva Mind Control?

[Orchidflower]

I was wondering if any board members practiced--or even know anything about--Silva Mind Control? This is a form of meditation and developing the ESP talents you have. Any opinion on it? (And, no, it has nothing to do with voodoo or witch doctoring.)

 

[poboy]

Could not resist the urge to post this:

 

[Orchidflower]

...so, you are saying that you never heard of Silva? I hope someone here has as I am curious as to how they feel about it in general.
It seems it started in the 1965-70 era, along with Scientology, as I remember hearing about Silva, Dyanetics (Scientology book) and karate all about the same year. Lots of stuff came out during the '60's flower power era.
Somehow Scientology caught on, but Silva--surely beneficial compared to Scientology, in my mind--doesn't seem to have the interest that the other did, for some reason. Probably because Jose Silva wasn't the (what word can I find other than crook or bully) pusher that the originator of Scientology was. (Sorry to all you Scientologists, but I just read Andrew Morton's "Tom Cruise" biography, and was totally turned off to Scientology's ways.)
Silva was developed to teach his children to study in school better and to recall what they had learned better. He developed different techniques to enable one to tap into their unconscious. And who among us doesn't have senior moments now after 50?
But I am wondering if anyone on this board knows about it? Or has studied it at all?

 

[smileydog]

I have not been through the Silva training but I do have a set of cd's that I use to help with pain management through meditation. Most of the concepts and exercises can be very helpful with stress reduction and keeping a good mental outlook - something I needed more when working full time. Not used very often now unless my rumatiz is kicking in. No big secrets but I consider it helpful.

 

[poboy]

Years ago took a Dale Carnegie Sales Training course and have read The Power of Positive Thinking, am not familiar with Silva, but after google found this:

The Silva Method is based on the knowledge that how you think, believe and behave dictates your living experience. By making simple, positive changes, you can live a powerful life of your own design.

Sounds reasonable to me.

 

[Martha]

Interesting question. I think in general this forum is populated by pragmatists and not mystics.

If the goal is to relax, there are many meditation techniques and progressive relaxation techniques that can help.

If the goal relates to consciousness, and "expanding awareness" or similar goals then there is plenty of dispute out there as to what meditation and similar techniques can do for you. Science knows almost nothing about consciousness. Plus, these techniques often have a religious component about them, Silva's included, that are off putting to some.

 

[Orchidflower]

1. No religious aspects whatsoever in Silva. Where did you ever get that?
2. Since this board is populated by pragmatists, would it not be practical to remember how to multiply fractions, remember the name of a long forgotten song or whatever is buried in your memory? THAT is what Silva is good for. Where did you get the mysticism angle from Silva?

**Please read Poboys' post from google above. Probably explains it better than I can.

 

[HFWR]

2. Since this board is populated by pragmatists, would it not be practical to remember how to multiply fractions, remember the name of a long forgotten song or whatever is buried in your memory? THAT is what Silva is good for.

Thank goodness for Google and Wikipedia!

 

[Zoocat]

From what I understand all forms of meditation (mind control) tap into the same power ("essense" or whatever you want to call it). As many understand, you need to get control of your mind if you want to control your body. I have been reading and listening to Eckard Tolle for a while now who is an articulate thinker on the spiritual side of it.

 

[donheff]

I don't know much about it. It seems to be a large, probably mainstream, organization these days. Offers a lot of tutoring services for school kids. I vaguely remember that, back in the late 60s, they had an unsavory cult like reputation. I was a drug taking hippie at the time so the rumors must have been nasty to have seemed negative to me. But, I have nothing specific.

 

[donheff]

Well, instead of posting vague memories from the 60s, I should have thought to go straight to the source of all knowledge: the Wikipedia entry. Seems like it may be psuedoscience but I don't see any nasty cultish stuff.

 

[Nords]

I don't know much about it. It seems to be a large, probably mainstream, organization these days. Offers a lot of tutoring services for school kids.

Dude, are you talking about "Sylvan Learning Centers"?

Orchid, I think Martha is referring to the opinion formed by others from websites including this:

The Silva Method (formerly Silva Mind Control) is a self-help program which claims to teach one how to increase one's IQ, develop clairvoyance and use the mind to heal the body and find God, among other things.

While conscious control of some autonomous systems of one's body has been documented by plenty of unbiased reproducible peer research other than Silva, I'm not so sure about the "finding God" part.

Not sure that you're going to get much unbiased reproducible peer-research response from this board, either...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I was wondering if any board members practiced--or even know anything about--Silva Mind Control? This is a form of meditation and developing the ESP talents you have. Any opinion on it? (And, no, it has nothing to do with voodoo or witch doctoring.)

I'm a big supporter. In fact, I used advanced mind control to get you to post about it.

 

[RonBoyd]

it has nothing to do with voodoo or witch doctoring.)

How so?

 

[unclemick]

I'm a big supporter. In fact, I used advanced mind control to get you to post about it.

Haaar -ummp! How come the Pats didn't win when I threw in the towel and admited they had a good football team.

heh heh heh - I got lost way way back on this forum with Kones and the sound of one hand clapping.

 

[Orchidflower]

I have been trying to dance around this, but...damn! you guys are going to squeeeeze it out of me, aren't you? Well, when I was selling ads, I did some trade-out with Silva (no, donheff, not Sylvan...Silva), which meant I could take their basic one week course for free and, in turn, they got a free ad in my publication. A common practice.
OK, now I can definitely tell you that there was NO mention of God or religion, because I would have been outta there fast (not that I hate either, but just not interested in hearing about it from anyone).
My impression was that the Method worked on your memory and allowed you tap into the unconscious part of your brain. In other words, it is a system that starts teaching you how to use more of the brain that we currently do, which, I think, is some low amount like 10% of the brain we now use. So, we do have some room to grow there, right?
I was pretty impressed by what I saw there, but did not keep it up. Why? I just had too much crap to do with a business, house, kid, etc. etc. that to work at it, and you do have to practice at it daily. I regret not doing it now.
I totally agree with Nords' post about what The Silva Method teaches--except for the God part. God never came up at all, so I have no idea where that came from?
OK...I am getting the impression that nobody here has any empirical knowledge..sigh... It was worth a shot.

 

[Marquette]

In other words, it is a system that starts teaching you how to use more of the brain that we currently do, which, I think, is some low amount like 10%. So, we do have some room to grow there, right?

Actually, we use all of our brain. Well, non-managers do any way.

Urban Legends Reference Pages: Ten Percent of our Brains

Don't feel bad, it's a myth some doctors fall for until they think through it

7 Medical Myths Even Doctors Believe | LiveScience

 

[FinallyRetired]

I vaguely remember that, back in the late 60s, they had an unsavory cult like reputation. I was a drug taking hippie at the time so the rumors must have been nasty to have seemed negative to me.

You sure you're not confusing that with the Nixon white house?

 

[RonBoyd]

In other words, it is a system that starts teaching you how to use more of the brain that we currently do, which, I think, is some low amount like 10% of the brain we now use. So, we do have some room to grow there, right?

</p>

See Urban Legends Reference Pages: Ten Percent of our Brains

That it appears as though I am only using 10% doesn't mean I am not all there.

 

[HFWR]

To paraphrase, I use 90% of my brain thinking about booze and broads, and the other 10% I use frivolously...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Haaar -ummp! How come the Pats didn't win when I threw in the towel and admited they had a good football team.

As I understand it, the Pats had to take a dive on the game. Given that the Sox whup the Yankees all the time, had the Pats also kicked the Giants butts for a a second time in the same year, the newyawkers would have been relocating to MA in droves.

We'd have had hundreds of thousands of them wandering around the streets trying to correctly pronounce "harvard" and forcing themselves to realize that clam chowder isnt made with tomato juice.

Nor for that matter, is any other chowder. If you make it with tomato juice, its clam soup.

 

[samclem]

I'm just guessing here, but it might be the references on their web page to "levitation" and to ESP that make people, ummhh, "skeptical" that this is really legit. I mean, I'm sure that there really ARE graduates of the Silva Method that can levitate their parts and who can read minds/the future, etc. How these people are managing to hide their powers from the rest of us is the real mystery.

I've known some Scientologists, which I'm sure has NOTHING in common with Jose's program. The first few sessions seemed okay to them, too. Then, for just a few more dollars they could get an "audit" and commence the clearing. Their wallets got cleared very well.

 

[Nords]

My impression was that the Method worked on your memory and allowed you tap into the unconscious part of your brain. In other words, it is a system that starts teaching you how to use more of the brain that we currently do, which, I think, is some low amount like 10% of the brain we now use. So, we do have some room to grow there, right?
OK...I am getting the impression that nobody here has any empirical knowledge..sigh... It was worth a shot.

If you want to raise your cognitive function & memory, try reading the last couple chapters of "The Wisdom Paradox". The author has also developed a cognitive-performance lab but it's not widely available. In other words he could probably sell the services but it appears that he's not recruiting followers until the research bears it out.

I think we're capable of using much more than 10% of our brains but it's hard enough to maintain the parts we're actively using. Charlie Munger is a big fan of Goldberg's "templates" or filters for viewing the world and its problems, and he claims that's why investors get better as they get older. So there's a lot of science wrapped up in things like Silva, but it can cross over to the metaphysical side way too quickly.

Unlike L. Ron Hubbard's science fiction writings. (Per Justin's disclaimer, that's sarcasm.)

I've known some Scientologists, which I'm sure has NOTHING in common with Jose's program. The first few sessions seemed okay to them, too. Then, for just a few more dollars they could get an "audit" and commence the clearing. Their wallets got cleared very well.

I had a sailor (qualified to launch nuclear weapons) who saved every spare penny of his E-5 paycheck for when he left the Navy to start his Scientology training. Four years later he achieved that ambition, still as an E-5.

(Gumby's smiling already. For those of you not familiar with submariners, most enlisted in the technical ratings finish their advanced training in the E-5 paygrade within two years of joining the Navy. Unless you have some real problems working with the advancement system, it's fairly straightforward to advance to E-6 or higher within an eight-year enlistement.)

The nuclear-inspection team had a really interesting interview with him... years later, now that I'm more widely read, I believe that he was coping with Asperger's. Here's hoping that we never ever read about him in the media.

 

[chinaco]

Mind Control... I prefer mind relaxed! Technique - Beer!

 

[Orchidflower]

Thought that I should clear this up per SamClem: No, the Silva group doesn't keep sucking money out of you like the Scientologists, which is really a scam. You should read the Morton book that just came out on Tom Cruise to really get what a total scam Scientology is.
No, Silva offers say 6 courses, which teaches variations of tapping into your brain's unconscious. That's it. Sorta like college.
Silva and Scientology are totally different. I could see the validity of using the Silva Method for studying a subject what with all the techniques for bringing up memory that are buried (now exactly how do I divide with fractions?).
But, nobody here seems to know about it, so I will shut up. I wouldn't dare tell you guys a couple demonstrations I saw in my week there. You wouldn't believe me anyhow.
By the way, I am surprised to hear they talk about levitation. Never heard it mentioned before.