Erase the memory of this post by following these simple instructions

i-ece7c6192da22a41f004aab475d1d382-Tony_Robbins.jpgI found this entertaining snipit on some random website. I never realized that Tony Robbins (whose whole sctick revolves around firewalking) was such a fraud. It seems that you can delete a single memory (this time without that crazy drug) by visualizing it, making it black and white and then 'sending' it away from you.

Here check it out:

With this exercise you can actually 'delete' anything at all. I learned this memory-delete exercise from Tony Robbins, and it's based on the mental visualization principles from Neuro Linguistic Programming. Here's what you do.

1. Make a picture in your mind of the memory you want to delete.
2. Make that picture as big as possible and bring it close to you. Feel the burn of the memory. Make it intense.
3. Now start moving the picture away from you.
4. As it's moving away from you, make it black and white.
5. Keep moving it, until it's so far away that it's just a tiny speck.
6. Now watch the tiny black and white image start pulsating to circus music.
7. As the tiny, far-away image moves in rhythm with the carnival tunes, have it now move so far away that it burns up in the sun.

So what is this Neuro Linguistic Programming?

NLP calls each individual's perception of the world their 'map'. NLP teaches that our mind-body (neuro) and what we say (language) all interact together to form our perceptions of the world, or maps (programming). Each person's map of the world determines feelings and behavior. Therefore, impoverished - and unrealistic - maps can restrict choices and result in problems. As an approach to personal development or therapy it involves understanding that people create their own internal 'map' or world, recognizing unhelpful or destructive patterns of thinking based on impoverished maps of the world, then modifying or replacing these patterns with more useful or helpful ones. There is also an emphasis on ways to change internal representations or maps of the world in order to increase behavioral flexibility.

i-eceb1bcaadb231fdf41a6e55116a3c5e-firewalking.jpgDoes that make sense to you?! maybe this will help.

Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) is based on the idea that with our senses we are only able to perceive a small part of the world. Our view of the world is filtered by our experience, beliefs, values and assumptions. We act and feel based on our perception of the world rather than the real world. NLP teaches that language and behaviors (whether functional or dysfunctional) are highly structured, and that this structure can be 'modeled' or copied into a reproducible form.[7] Using NLP a person can 'model' the more successful parts of their own behavior in order to reproduce it in areas where they are less successful or 'model' another person to effect belief and behavior changes to improve functioning.

Ahh that clears it up ;)

Seriously... where do people come up with this crap? There has been no scientific evidence that NLP and certainly not this silly memory exercise will do anything except waste your time and money.

Ohh wait... it allows nut job new age freaks to con stupid people in order to fund their trips to some new age vacation spot where they have crystal meditation and levitation seminars.

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A co-incidence, but one replete with irony, is that the memory I must abolish is one of my misguided and entirely inappropriate youth. I don't want to get into too many details, but it involves many sweaty clowns and a tiny car. My question is this: can I substitute, oh I don't know, opera or something, or does it absolutely have to be circus music?

By slightlyfleury (not verified) on 23 Mar 2007 #permalink

well.. this is a very carefully crafted scientific therapy so I'm not sure that substituting carnival music with opera would give you the ideal results - you might just end up with schizophrenia! be careful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

'Seriously... where do people come up with this crap? There has been no scientific evidence that NLP and certainly not this silly memory exercise will do anything except waste your time and money.'

That's a really intelligent way of attempting to disprove something, your use of logic and analytic skills are stunning. Well done.

uhh... there hasn't been any scientific evidence that NLP works. What other way do you want me to disprove something?

scientific evidence, or scientific reasoning? you might reason the following...

per the first two points of the program:
"1. Make a picture in your mind of the memory you want to delete."
"2. Make that picture as big as possible and bring it close to you. Feel the burn of the memory. Make it intense."

thinking of those memories during this memory-erasure procedure should activate those memory circuits. activation of memory circuits will further potentiate them, via hebbian law. so thinking about memories should actually make them stronger, not weaker as reported.

what should reduce the memory strength is an attempt to break the association. think of the memory, tie it to something else that's more positive. right? that way, it shouldn't matter so much about the strength of the memory, but how strong its association with something positive is.

given all that, i'm not sure what the idea behind the circus music is...?!?