In Counter Clockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility, Ellen J. Langer reports her landmark “counterclockwise” study (1979) in which the biomarkers of a group of elderly men showed evidence of their growing younger when they lived for a week as though it were 1959. She says it is vital that we overcome the mindless ways we had reacted to cultural clues: “opening our minds to what’s possible, instead of clinging to accepted notions about what’s not, can lead to better health at any age.”
In another study, Langer shut down all but one copy machine at the university library. As the line formed, she had individuals go to the head of the line and ask permission to use the machine, giving no explanation. About 60% of students allowed the individual to use the machine.
Langer had a second group give a reason, such as, “I am late for class.” About 94% granted permission. The shock came when Langer had another group give a meaningless reason, “…because I want to make some copies.” None of those in line responded to by saying that they were all there to make copies, and the percentage of those having been granted permission only dropped one percentage point! The magic word was “because,” which implies a reason.
When you are giving lifestyle suggestions, you will do well to remember that the word “because” has a powerful linguistic punch simply because it is common for people to respond to linguistic patterns almost as easily as to the logic (or lack of logic) of a statement.
Send your questions about how other-than-conscious communication skills can hurt or help your patients and clients to Joel P. Bowman (Joel@SCS-Matters.com) or Debra Basham (Debra@SCS-Matters.com), co-developers of Subtle Communication Systems. We will provide answers to those for you. For more information about Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), Hypnosis or Hypnotherapy, or about the Imagine Healing Process, visit:http://ImagineHealing.info or http://SurgicalSupport.info.
Healing with Language: Your Key to Effective Mind-Body Communication is available for a limited time for $10 plus $5 shipping within the U.S. For volume orders and overseas shipping, check with Debra. See the Table of Contents and List of Exercises in PDF format for more information about this comprehensive text and training manual.