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1-Page Summary of Psycho-Cybernetics

Overview

We all have an image of ourselves. Some are positive and help us move forward, but some are negative and hold us back from reaching our true potential. We use stories to understand the world around us, but sometimes we make ourselves the villain in those stories without thinking about it. It’s time to change that narrative by editing out any negative beliefs or perceptions you may have about yourself so that you can be your best self.

In this article, you’ll learn about the different ways that hypnosis can help people. You’ll also discover how to practice piano without a piano and why you shouldn’t feel bad if you’re not a good mathematician.

Big Idea #1: We act according to the image we create of ourselves.

Everyone has a mental picture of themselves, their self-image. This is what you think about yourself based on past experiences and successes/failures.

The way you perceive yourself is crucial because that’s who you are. If you think of yourself as a failure, then you’ll fail. However, if you consider yourself successful, then you’ll succeed.

A person’s life can be determined by his or her self-image. A logical reason that a person might consider himself a failure could be because of something bad happening to him after his parents got divorced. Some people can easily recover from such an event and do well in school, while others find themselves trapped in the idea that they’re just not good enough students.

For example, the author knew a man who was so self-conscious about his looks that he felt ugly and people were judging him for it.

In reality, however, it wasn’t his appearance that people were judging him on. Rather, it was the way he perceived himself that made him feel insecure and miserable. In this case, when he thought others were spiteful toward him because of his appearance, he became spiteful back. However, if he could change how he viewed himself (i.e., by turning his negative self-image around), then this loop would be broken and things would get better for him.

We’ll explore those loops in the next topic.

Big Idea #2: We’re hypnotized by negative beliefs; the power of rational thinking can lay them to rest.

Most people think of hypnosis as a sideshow stunt. It’s actually more powerful than that, though. Hypnosis is just the power of belief harnessed for good or evil. The author knows someone who was hypnotized by his teacher to believe he couldn’t do math and then went on to become an expert at it anyway.

Adler was a good student, and he earned his grades. However, one day he suddenly realized how to solve complex equations. His confidence grew, and soon he became better at math.

Many students believe they are not good at math and science, but studies have shown that this is a misconception. The goal of education should be to help people understand the power of rational thinking.

Your beliefs aren’t caused by facts or experiences, but rather the conclusions you draw from them. Therefore, rational thinking can be used to control your unconscious mind.

Start to overcome your sense of inferiority by asking why. You’ll be able to see that each day is a new opportunity and that you can learn from the past.

Big Idea #3: The human body contains a success mechanism that’s driven by imagination.

People have often thought of the body as a machine. While it’s not exactly true, we can use our bodies like machines when necessary.

The author believes that the brain and nervous system are designed to process negative feedback. This is like a machine that responds automatically, much like cybernetics, which explores mechanical systems.