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corboy
My guess is that that technique you mention where there's a commerical, and at the very end of it, something's included that seemingly 'makes no sense'-- is this a method of inducing a subtle shock or disorientation, designed to enhance susceptibility to the previous message? I have heard that one way to make people suggestible is to shock them, or stun them for an instant, then 'download' whatever tripe you're peddling.
I watched a 'guru' who is reputedly a 'ealized master and he constantly found ways to shock people and throw them off balance. He was so crude about it that I sensed he was using this to wear us out so we would succumb to his nonsense. I walked out after 20 minutes. I later learned he'd been a Silva Mind Control instructor before going into the guru racket.
I dont watch TV so am not up on commercials. But I will keep an eye peeled for your examples
When I was studying child development (went into curriculum design for a while) this issue of adrenalin came up. The teacher was really strong against children watching tv because of the study that showed that every single cartoon, including the "nonviolent" ones, would show a sudden impact of sound or image just before the commercial break, and this was deliberately to trigger the adrenalin, which then causes the child to suspend all thought and simply "recieve" a brief message, exactly like that moment so many of us remember from the Kennedy assasination, when we were all hit: that is why we remember insignificant details...
anyway, the adrenalin trigger is a survival mechanism that would not happen normally as often as it does on television, and so we have overloaded children with adrenalin shots before they even reach kindergarten.
This same research that has been used by children's tv programmers could certainly be used by cult-leaders, couldn't it? I think it is always good to step away from the contents of a sermon or speech once in a while and watch the tone and rhetorical techniques. More than one or two perks, and I would think the speaker is up to some mind-impacting tricks.