Instructor: Rainsong
Date: August 3, 2019 (Saturday)
Seminar: Topic: Biofeedback and autosuggestion (suggested by Eclipse) – Saturday, 3 August, 2019 at 6:30pm/1830hr New York Time — text format in the PSC #lecture room (Discord) — Instructor: Rainsong — Search LECTURE87
Rainsong: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen
Rainsong: Welcome to another psionics seminar here at the social club (the usual disclaimers apply, yada yada blah blah blah)
Rainsong: I am experiencing technical difficulties with my keyboard which I have not bothered to trouble-shoot yet, because of more pressing concerns, so my typing will be slower and more awkward than usual, and probably include more than the usual number of typographical errors
Rainsong: In any case, our topic for the evening is ‘Biofeedback and autosuggestion”, kindly suggested by Eclipse
Rainsong: Are there any questions or comments before we dive in?
Eclipse: I find it tends to really help with projection and remote viewing if you get rid of distractions in your own body like that annoying itch or other things.
shadowsword: What do you mean by biofeedback?
Rainsong: Eclipse: excellent idea
Rainsong: Shadowsword: good question
Rainsong: Let’s start with some friendly definitions, so we’re all on the same proverbial page
Rainsong: ‘Biofeedback’ is the use of some kind of electronic monitoring device to track a bodily function (this is the ‘bio-‘ part) that’s normally thought of as involuntary, and use the data from that device (ie, ‘feedback) to train the individual to gain voluntary control of that function
Rainsong: that’d be the strict definition
Rainsong: More broadly, you can use non-electronic devices such as ‘mood rings’ for much the same purpose
Rainsong: And more broadly still, we routinely use biofeedback-like methods to take control of semi-voluntary processes and for some kinds of actually-psionic training
Eclipse: I find if you are quiet enough and pay attention you can hear and feel your own heartbeat or use physical sensation to direct it. That is where my focus is much of the time.
Rainsong: Strangely enough, it’s easier to affect someone else via beiofeedback training than your own body
shadowsword: I see
Rainsong: Questions or comments at this point?
Eclipse: Haven’t quite gotten to the affecting someone else as much. Though I haven’t really been focusing on that as much as using it for meditation purposes to ease the way to do stuff.
Rainsong: nods
Rainsong: While we’re still on definitions, “autosuggestion” is not the hypnotic influence of or on vehicles
Rainsong: Instead, it is the act of taking on an idea or behaviour or thought pattern that one imposes on oneself via self-hypnosis, repetition, or similar methods
Rainsong: It’s another very common skill used in the practice and training of psionics
Rainsong: … and of martial arts, competitive sports, public speaking, and so on
Rainsong: Questions or comments on that bit?
Eclipse: The more senses you can get involved the better it seems to work.
Rainsong: Very true
Rainsong: Also, it’s vitally important to avoid the use of negative grammatical constructions
Rainsong: Otheriwse, the suggestions will go spectaularly wrong
Rainsong: It’s a common mistake – especially among people who don’t know what negative grammatical constructions are — that results in such things as people who were trying to quit smoking starting to smoke several times as much as before with stronger cravings
Rainsong: For those who might be wondering, the issue is the use of ‘not’ and ‘don’t’ and ‘isn’t’ and the like
Rainsong: ‘Pistachios are inherently evil’ is a postive grammatical construction
Rainsong: ‘Pistachios don’t know how to type in Mandarin’ is a negative contruction
Rainsong: ‘The craving to climb pistachio trees is only in the past’ is a postive construction
Rainsong: ‘I won’t climb pistachio trees while wearing pink ballgowns’ is a negative construction
Rainsong: Incidentally, this is one of many reasons that the common schoolroom punishment of writing ‘I will not snark back at my teacher’ a hundred times on the blackboard is a total failure
Rainsong: Questions? Commentary?
meltdown-enby: Awfully reminiscent of EFT prompts, hehe.
Rainsong: Same concept, yes, and the same reason: the ‘subconscious’ doesn’t acknowledge or register the construction. It basically ignores the ‘not’
Eclipse: I tend to use it a lot to tell my body what to do with the biofeedback such to do projection or remote viewing I will start with my feet and say something like “I am losing all feeling and sensation in my feet slowly” and progress that until it is gone and work my way up until it is just my mind and ‘energy’ left. Also good to tell myself where to go “My mind is at x location. I see x location as it is at x time” Gets rid of distraction from the body that isn’t essential and directs your mental attention with a purpose.
Rainsong: A useful method of focusing your attention
Rainsong: Questions about what it is and what it’s used for, before we get to ‘how to do it’?
Eclipse: I am good for definitions and stuff.
Rainsong: Both of these are bog-standard definitions used in the wider world, and not specific to the ‘online energy community’ so they are pretty easy to check
Rainsong: Alrighty
Rainsong: How to do it…
Rainsong: As usual, there are various and sundry perfectly valid methods for both of these activities. And, as usual, I’m going to explain how I do them. This does not mean that I have any reason to believe these are the best ways to do things, and your mileage may vary
Rainsong: First of all, although it can be amusing – and sometimes useful – to directly affect the biofeedback machine itself, and mess with its output telekinetically, that is self-defeating if you are trying to learn how to control you (for example) heartrate or blood pressure
Rainsong: As always, you choose your methods and approaches according to what you want to accomplish
Rainsong: For purposes of instruction, we are going to use a hypothetical example of bloodpressure and a device that produces a sound of varying pitch
Rainsong: To start with, let’s say you’re trying to lower your blood pressure and that the machine indicates this by a lower pitch
Rainsong: (more modern devices are less annoying)
Rainsong: You’ve set up the equipment and attached/connected the appropriate sensors
Rainsong: And you sit there and stare at the machine while grimacing and furoowing your eyebrows and telling yourself ‘I’m lowering my blood pressure now’
Rainsong: Well, yea, that’s probably not going to work all that well. The grimacing and furrowing are probably helping to raise the blood pressure, even, so the pitch is probably rising, which then annoys and frustrates you, and pushes it higher still
Rainsong: Instead, sit there and imagine a calm situation.
Rainsong: For example, pretend you’re sitting on the beach, under a nice beach umbrella or in the shade of a palm tree or something
Rainsong: You’ve got a coconut full of some kind of tasty beverage, with a silly and colourful acrylic straw, and a paper umbrella stuck in it
Rainsong: There’s a nice light breeze off the water…
Rainsong: Someone else is taking care of the munchkins, so you can chill and let them worry about the kids
Rainsong: Keep adding pleasing details to the imaginary ‘vacation’ and you’ll find that the pitch from the machine is lowering nicely
Rainsong: Do this exercise a few times for practice, and you’ll find that both the mental mini-vacation and the accompanying lowering of the bloodpressure signified by the lower pitch buzzing from the monitor get faster and easier to accomplish
Rainsong: So yea, it’s basically a visualization exercise.
Rainsong: As Eclipse mentioned, the more senses involved, the better
Rainsong: Questions or commentary at this stage?
Eclipse: Sometimes simpler is also better too. Especially for people that aren’t use to actively using their imagination. Colors have a profound effect so a light soft blue and a sensation of floating on water for instance is something very calming for me at least. If you get rid of other distracting sensations first then all the better. Start simple and build it up if needed but if the simple image and sensation is enough then certainly reinforce that and autosuggestion to sort of narrate what to do is effective.
Rainsong: For many people new to visualization, complex scenes are easier to hold onto. Others have better results with simple scenes. Try both, and see which is better for you.
Rainsong: Also, feel free to come up with visualizations that appeal to you. If you just follow the examples used here, but you have a phobia of paper umbrellas in drinks, then it’s not going to be very relaxing, right?
Rainsong: after you’re getting consistent results with the device that’s providing feedback, you can use autosuggestion to ‘anchor’ the result, that you can use as a shortcut or cantrip later
Rainsong: For example, wiggle your toes when you’ve got the pitch that indicates the bloodpressure level you want, and tell yourself, ‘Each time I wiggle my toes like this, my bloodpressure adjusts to this point”
Rainsong: Repeat that a few times, and do the same the next time you practice. Some people will get it to ‘take’ the first time, and some will need a few practice sessions. It’s woth the effort, though
Rainsong: Cantrips/anchors are useful
Rainsong: One of the fastest ways to settle your mind, if you’re a bit scattered or stressed, is to take a deep breath through the nose for a count of four, hold it for four, let it out through the mouth for a count of four, hold it for another four, and repeat
Rainsong: (This is known as ‘box breathing’ or ‘tactical breathing’, used in some military organizations to calm themselves in stressful situations)
Rainsong: Questions? Commentary?
Rainsong: Anything you’d like to add?
Eclipse: I think I am mostly good. It certainly helps to experiment with biofeedback though to find what state helps to do what both with mundane things and psionic things. You can prep your body to do physical activity ahead of time or just sleep better and I find doing psychic stuff is easier the more I can slow my body down.
Rainsong: Indeed
Rainsong: It’s also useful if you need to have medical tests done: adjusting blood flow for blood tests, getting your body to ‘pee on demand, and so on.
Rainsong: Also handy for lowering fevers (or causing them), mucking with assorted bits of hormones and chemistry, etc
Eclipse: speaking of that what do you think of the Wim Hoff method? I am not completely sold on all it is said to do but I find the basic breathing technique good.. bit reminiscent of techniques I have read about used in yoga and meditation in eastern spirituality.
Rainsong: I’d never heard of him, in truth, so I’d need to learn more about his approach before offering an opinion
Rainsong: Google-sensei tells me Mr Hoff is a daredevil who (allegedly) uses breathing exercises as part of his methods for his stunts
Eclipse: Yeah I think it is more a mix of breathing and biofeedback to speed his metabolism to produce the extra body heat to endure the cold. There was some stuff about boosting the immune system too but plenty of ways to do that. I found it interesting not completely sold on it at least not on it being as simple as it is portrayed.
Rainsong: I would strongly advise against trying to duplicate his stunts in extreme cold. There are a number of ways to keep yourself from ‘feeling’ the effects of freezing, but hypothermia can kill you up to a month after you’ve been re-warmed, even with proper medical care.
Rainsong: Is it possible his methods work? Sure, it’s possible. It’s also possible that he happens to have some kind of unusual physiology that gives him a bit of extra protection from the chilling from the cooled blood at his extremities, and the same approach would kill someone else
Chirotractor: Increasing your body heat is also a good way to get yourself stuck in bed feverish for a week
Rainsong: A school chum of mine died of hypothermia, and it’s a pretty common problem out this way, so I take it very seriously
Rainsong: Chiro: been there
Eclipse: I am more interested less in duplicating the stunts and more the supposed level of control over the body. I like to avoid extreme conditions in weather. just give me nice moderate temperatures but the supposed control is an interest of mine not just for resisting temperature or boosting the body against illness but kind of general thing to develop.
Rainsong: I don’t know about his methods specifically, but I can tell you from experience that it is entirely possible to gain voluntary control over a wide variety of functions in the body
Rainsong: From reports of other people whom I have reason to believe, such control can extend to deliberately producing and then re-absorbing a visible non-cancerous ‘growth’ on the body
Rainsong: There are more ‘recreational’ things to do, as well, including stuff not discussed in a pg-13 forum and in duplicating effects of recreational pharmaceuticals
Chirotractor: Which doesnt include a real hangover
Rainsong: Can induce a hangover, if you really want one…
Eclipse: That is fascinating. I have an interest in myths and techniques around things like Taoism, Buddhism, etc and a lot of that reflects a control over the self to gain different ‘supernatural’ powers that can only be had at that point. Kind of hobby of mine to look into those things and see what can be done. Maybe it is just a myth or maybe it is based on some truth. So my motives are kinda mix of curiosity and spiritual in a way. Funny enough I did experience symptoms similar to apparently adderal working with the color yellow and deep breathing. That was a strange moment.
Rainsong: Later in the summer (or winter, if you’re in the south), if you’re here when there’s a seminar of ‘to be determined’ topic, feel free to request more details on the specifics
Eclipse: Alright,thank you.
Rainsong: No problem.
Rainsong: 🙂
Rainsong: Thanks for participating, everyone
Eclipse: 😀 Yep. I should be going now. It is about time to make dinner so ttyl.
Rainsong: Be well