"Silent Subliminal Presentation System", US Patent #5,159,703Abstract, October 27, 1992

"A silent communications system in which nonaural carriers, in the very low or very high audio-frequency range or in the adjacent ultrasonic frequency spectrum are amplitude- or frequency-modulated with the desired intelligence and propagated acoustically or vibrationally, for inducement into the brain, typically through the use of loudspeakers, earphones, or piezoelectric transducers. The modulated carriers may be transmitted directly in real time or may be conveniently recorded and stored on mechanical, magnetic, or optical media for delayed or repeated transmission to the listener."  

Summary:

A US aerospace engineer, Dr Oliver Lowery, developed a method of delivering subliminal suggestions at a volume level that would not be possible using traditional 'sound masked' subliminal recordings, which completely mask all voice affirmations.  It is based on a subliminal carrier technology: the Silent Sound Spread Spectrum (SSSS), sometimes called "S-quad" or "Squad".

Science- the Journal of the Association for the Advancement of Science, July 5th, 1991 

Lowery's concept was validated by a report by researchers that "both hearing and deaf people are able to understand words transmitted at high-frequency levels once thought to be outside the range of humans."  On the basis that extremely deaf people can interpret words using high frequency vibrations this technology has positive implications for normal listeners too.  

Reuters news release from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, March 23,1991

According to a news release the surrender of thousands of Iraqi soldiers in the first Gulf War was influenced by 'Silent Subliminals'.  Iraqi radio stations were secretly programmed with patriotic Iraqi music which contained silent subliminal messages designed to encourage a quick and voluntary surrender. 

Silent subliminal techniques were supposedly kept a secret and only used by the US Department of Defense until recently.

"According to statements made by captured and deserting Iraqi soldiers, however, the most devastating and demoralising programming was the first known military use of the new, high tech, type of Subliminal Messages Referred to as Ultra-High-Frequency “Silent Sounds” or “Silent Subliminals”.  

(See Newsweek, July 30, 1990, Page 61.) 

Although completely silent to the human ear, the negative voice messages placed on the tapes alongside the audible programming by Psyops Psychologists were clearly perceived by the subconscious minds of the Iraqi soldiers and the silent messages completely demoralised them and instilled a perpetual feeling of fear and hopelessness in their minds.  

It was necessary for the Iraqi tank commanders of another crew member to listen to the FM station 24 hours each day for quickly changing deployment orders. They were being exposed to the “Silent Sounds” during the same listening periods.

Source:

http://www.raven1.net/silsound.htm

Benes, K. M., T. B. Gutkin, et al. (1990). "The effects of mellow and frenetic music on reported cognitions resulting from auditory subliminal messages." Journal of General Psychology 117(1): 83-89.

Benes et al found that mellow, melodious, delicate music resulted in more word related imagery than fast, frantic music.  In both cases subliminal messages were used.

Bornstein, R.F, Leone, D.R. and Galley, D.J. "The Generalizability of Subliminal Mere Exposure Effects: Influence of Stimuli Perceived Without Awareness on Social Behavior." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (1987).  

Bornstein et al (1987) conducted "three experiments investigating the extent to which subliminal mere exposure effects are obtainable not only with simple stimuli but also with complex human stimuli in social situations. In the first experiment, undergraduate subjects were exposed to slides of abstract geometric figures at both subliminal (i.e., 4 ms) and supraliminal exposure durations. Subjects' attitudes toward the subliminally presented stimuli became significantly more positive with repeated exposures, even when subjects were unaware that exposures had occurred.

Experiment 2 demonstrated that similar attitude changes are produced by subliminal exposure to photographs of actual persons. The results of Experiment 3 indicate that attitudes toward persons encountered in the natural environment of the psychology experiment are also enhanced by subliminal exposure to a photograph of that person. These findings are discussed in the context of prevailing models of mere exposure effects as well as an alternative psychodynamic model."

Summary:

This demonstrates that attitudes can be positively influenced by subliminal images that people aren't even aware that they have been exposed to.

Source:

http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1988-07412-001

Kemp-Wheeler, S.M. and Hill, A.B.  "Anxiety Responses to Subliminal Experience of Mild Stress."  British Journal of Psychology (1987).  

“Forty-eight undergraduates made lexical decisions about emotionally aversive and non-emotional words. Emotionally aversive target words were preceded either by an emotionally aversive prime word, a non-emotional but semantically related prime or a non-emotional and semantically unrelated prime. Non-emotional targets were preceded by non-emotional primes which were either semantically related to targets, unrelated, or neutral (strings of Xs). Primes were presented for 50 ms to one group of 16 participants, 500 ms to a second group and 1250 ms to a third group.

Measurement of lexical decision time showed significant semantic primary effects for non-emotional targets, and these were not influenced by prime duration. Priming effects for emotionally aversive targets due both to emotional and non-emotional relatedness of primes and targets were also found and these effects were not influenced by prime duration. The results are considered to be consistent with Bower’s (1981) associative network theory of memory, and possible clinical implications for explaining spontaneous panic attacks and the incubation of anxiety are discussed.”

Summary:

In this study subliminal exposure to emotionally charged words was associated with significant increases in heart and respiration rates, compared to a control group.

Source:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/kw6k57217r726082 

Kihlstrom, J.F. "The Cognitive Unconscious." Science (1987) 

“Contemporary research in cognitive psychology reveals the impact of subconscious mental structures and processes on the individual's conscious experience, thought, and action. Research on perceptual-cognitive and motor skills indicates that they are automatized through experience, and thus rendered unconscious.

In addition, research on subliminal perception, implicit memory, and hypnosis indicates that events can affect mental functions even though they cannot be consciously perceived or remembered. These findings suggest a tripartite division of the cognitive unconscious into truly unconscious mental processes operating on knowledge structures that may themselves be preconscious or subconscious.”

Source:

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/237/4821/1445

Kaser, V.A.  "The Effects of an Auditory Subliminal Perception Message Upon the Production of Images and Dreams".  Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (1986).

This experiment consisted of two groups, one of which was exposed to auditory subliminal messages and the other which acted as the control group.  The subliminal message tape was created by speeding up a sung message until it could not be understood consciously and then mixed with a normal music recording.  The control group were given a tape with the same music recording without any subliminal message.

Images and 'dream drawings' done both before and after the tapes were played showed a significant difference between the control and experimental group.  Art therapists analysed the drawings and concluded that the effects of the subliminal message could be observed. 

Summary:

This study suggests that subliminal perception exists due to evidence that that subconscious mind is able to absorb a recorded verbal message that is cannot be interpreted consciously.    

Cook, H., Ph.D.  "Effects of Subliminal Symbiotic Gratification and the Magic of Believing on Achievement." Psychoanalytic Psychology (1985).  

“The present experiment examined the effect of a subliminally presented symbiotic gratification and a magic of believing message on academic achievement. Graduate students were randomly assigned to one of the two experimental message conditions, or to a control message condition, and received on average 12 sessions, 10 exposures per session, of 4-msec visual subliminal presentation of one of the three messages.

Each session occurred immediately prior to a lecture in either a statistics or a measurement class. Each of the courses was taught in a traditional manner by the regular faculty, who were naive regarding the experimental conditions. Objective final examinations for each course revealed statistically significant differences in favor of the symbiotic gratification experimental condition over the control condition. No differences were obtained between the symbiotic and magic of believing conditions.”

Summary:

Students exposed to a subliminal message designed to help them feel better about themselves, performed better than a control group.  This suggests that positive subliminal messages may facilitate learning.

Source:

http://www.pep-web.org/document.php?id=PPSY.002.0365A

Borgeat, F., M.D., Elie, R., M.D., Chaloult, L., M.D., and Chabot, R. B. Ped. "Psychophysiological Responses to Masked Auditory Stimuli."  Canadian Journal of Psychiatry (1985).

 Subjects were exposed to verbal statements at different volume levels.  All statements were masked by white noise played at 40db.  The volume of the verbal statements was increased in 5db increments and EMG, skin conductance and heart rate were monitored, as the volume was increased from 0db upwards.  When verbal statements were given below the thresholds of conscious identification and detection stronger physiological reactions were observed. 

Kaplan, R., Thornton, P. and Silverman, L., "Further Data on the Effects of Subliminal Symbiotic Stimulation on Schizophrenics." Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (1985).  

“Presents evidence to support the thesis that there are powerful unconscious wishes for a state of oneness with "the good mother of early childhood" and that gratification of these wishes can enhance adaptation. Data come from experiments that used the subliminal psychodynamic activation method with over 40 groups of subjects from varied populations, including schizophrenics, neurotics, and normal students.

These studies have reported that the 4-msec exposure of stimuli intended to activate unconscious symbiotic like fantasies (usually the words Mommy and I are one) produced ameliorative effects on different dependent variables in a variety of settings. It is proposed that patient–therapist relationship factors in psychotherapy, seen by many as a common agent of change in different forms of treatment, owe their effectiveness partly to their having activated these symbiotic like fantasies.”

Summary:

Significant improvements in pathological thinking, pathological non-verbal behaviour and self-esteem were seen in the group receiving the subliminal message "Mommy and I are one".  This is evidence that subliminal messaging works but also suggests that such messages activate symbiotic like fantasies, which have a positive impact in schizophrenic patients.

Source:

http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=1986-15022-001&CFID=4134127&CFTOKEN=98575868

Silverman, L.H. "Research on Psychoanalytic Psychodynamic Propositions." Clinical Psychology Review (1985). 

"According to L. H. Silverman (1985), subliminal activation experiments document a universal wish for symbiotic like merger. A recent meta-analysis (R. A. Hardaway, 1990) was consistent with this proposition in revealing more adaptive behavior (Cohen's d = .41) after stimulation with Mommy and I Are One (MIO; L. H. Silverman, F. M. Lachman, & R. H. Milich, 1982) than after neutral control phrases. However, indications are that positive effects are not universal. On the basis of mood being a possible mediator of MIO effects, the authors conducted an experiment in which 10 women given a high "dose" of MIO were compared with 10 others given a neutral control stimulus.

Effects on mood were gauged with a word selection task. In a second experiment with new participants, mood was assessed by means of early childhood memories. These experiments produced negative effects (Cohen's ds = –.40 and –.48) that were significantly different from the previous positive estimate (.41). Defense activity may explain why negative outcomes are not identified when crude or delayed outcome measures are used."

Summary:

Schizophrenics, depressives and stutterers symptoms became stronger following exposure to stimuli designed to intensify their unconscious issues.   

Source:

http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/pap/15/1/93/

Dauber, R.B. "Subliminal Psychodynamic Activation in Depression: On the Role of Autonomy Issues in Depressed College Women. " Journal of Abnormal Psychology (1984).  

“Used the subliminal psychodynamic activation method in 2 experiments to study the effects of messages related to autonomy on 36 depressed (Beck Depression Inventory score =10) female undergraduates. Subjects were administered the Depressive Adjective Check List (DACL) and the TAT to assess depression during the experiments.

In Exp I, (n = 18), 4 msec exposures of the stimulus Leaving mom is wrong increased depression but the stimulus Mommy and I are one did not reduce depression. In Exp II, (n = 18), the stimulus Leaving mom is wrong intensified depression, particularly for those subjects who scored high on the DACL for introjective depression, a depression that is understood as guilt-related.

Also in Exp II, the stimulus Mommy and I are two reduced depression on 1 of 2 measures. Findings suggest that psychodynamic effects can be demonstrated with depressive patients if care is taken both to select a relevant psychodynamic content and to select depressive Ss for whom there is reason to believe this content is particularly relevant.”

Summary:

Subjects' depression increased following exposure to a visual subliminal message 'Leaving Mom is wrong".

Source:

http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1984-15137-001

Plumbo, R. and Gillman, I. "Effects of Subliminal Activation of Oedipal Fantasies on Competitive Performance." The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (1984).  

This study included giving different groups different subliminal messages;  to encourage competitiveness (beating Dad is okay), aversion message (beating Dad is wrong) and neutral message (people are walking).  The accuracy of dart throwing improved in the group who were exposed to subliminal messages encouraging competitiveness.

Lee, I., Tyrer, P. and Horn, S., "A comparison of Subliminal, Supraliminal and Faded Phobic Cine-Films in the Treatment of Agoraphobia. " British Journal of Psychiatry (1983).  

“Thirty-two agoraphobic patients were randomly allocated to four groups and treated by repeated exposure to cine-films at twice weekly intervals for three weeks. Three of the groups saw the same cine-film, comprising a range of agoraphobic scenes, and a control group saw a potter working on his wheel. The three groups seeing the phobic cine- film included one who viewed it at an illumination level below the visual threshold (subliminal group), one seeing it under normal conditions (supraliminal group) and one which underwent graduated exposure from subliminal to supraliminal viewing levels as the study proceeded (faded group). The faded group showed significantly greater improvement than the control and supraliminal groups and this improvement was maintained over twelve weeks.”

Summary:

This experiment demonstrates the efficacy of subliminal imagery as significant improvements were seen in the subliminal and faded group, compared to the control group.  The subliminal effect was created by showing the phobic cine- film at an illumination level below the visual threshold; in other words it was too dark to be consciously perceived; the faded group were exposed to messages from this level to normal levels of lighting.

Source:

http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/abstract/143/4/356?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=A+comparison+of+Subliminal%2C+Supraliminal+and+Faded+Phobic+Cine-Films+in+the+Treatment+of+Agoraphobia

Parker, K.A. "Effects of Subliminal Symbiotic Stimulation on Academic Performance: Further Evidence on the Adaptation-Enhancing Effects of Oneness Fantasies." Journal of Counseling Psychology (1982).  

Sixty college students studied Law during six weeks in the summer.  The students were randomly divided into a control or experimental group.  The former group received neutral messages whilst the latter were given subliminal enhancement messages before three out of five lectures each week, as well as before and after a 10-minute counselling session.  The experimental group achieved significantly higher grades than the control group which suggests subliminal messaging improves academic performance.  These results were consistent with earlier studies in various areas, including the effects of subliminal messages on schizophrenics, insect-phobics, obesity, and alcoholics.  

Ariam, S. and Siller, J. "Effects of Subliminal Oneness Stimuli in Hebrew on Academic Performance of Israeli High School Students. " Journal of Abnormal Psychology (1982). 

“72 Israeli 10th graders (matched for sex, math class, and previous math grades) were randomly assigned to 4 treatment groups and tachistoscopically presented* with subliminal exposures of 1 of 4 Hebrew translations of verbal stimuli: {mommy and I are one} (2 versions); {my teacher and I are one}; and a neutral stimulus, {people are walking in the street}. Each subject received subliminal stimulation 4 times/wk over a 6-wk period.

Achievement tests administered 6 wks apart showed that groups exposed to either version of {mommy and I are one} exhibited significantly higher scores than either of the other groups, who did not differ from each other. Neither version of {mommy and I are one} was superior to the other. Results support the hypothesis that the adaptation-enhancing effect of the symbolic fantasy represents a general human phenomenon and are consistent with findings of other studies (e.g., K. A. Parker, See PA, Vol 68:2098).”

Summary:

This study of the influence of subliminal messages demonstrated that students' performance in mathematics was significantly enhanced following exposure to the subliminal statement "Mommy and I are one".

Source:

http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1983-01931-001

Schurtman, R., Palmatier, J.R. and Martin, E.S. "The Activation of Symbiotic Gratification Fantasies as an Aid in the Treatment of Alcoholics." The International Journal of the Addictions 1982, 17 (7), 1157-1174.  

“Seventy-two alcoholics being treated at Veritas Villa were divided into an experimental and a control group. In addition to the regular treatment program both groups received four subliminal exposures of a verbal message in each of six sessions over a 2-week period. The messages were "Mommy and I are one" (experimental) and "People are walking" (control), administered under double-blind conditions. In keeping with the main hypothesis, the experimental subjects were rated as significantly more involved in treatment. In addition, among the alcoholics who were more symptomatic to begin with, the 'Mommy' message, when contrasted with the control, lowered anxiety and depression, enhanced self-concept, and reduced alcohol consumption after a 3-month follow-up."

Source:

http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/10826088209056347?journalCode=sum

Lee, I. And Tyrer, P. "Responses of Chronic Agoraphobics to Subliminal and Supraliminal Phobic Motion Pictures. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease" (1980).

Fifteen agoraphobics (fear of open spaces) were repeatedly exposed to a phobic-motion picture either subliminally or supraliminally (in normal conditions).  The subjects’ heart rate, skin conductance, and respiratory rate was monitored and they completed visual analogue scales.  Results showed that subjects phobic fear and avoidance improved the most following subliminal exposure, however supraliminal exposure also led to significant improvements. 

Palmatier, J.R., and Bornstein, P.H. "Effects of Subliminal Stimulation of Symbiotic Merging Fantasies on Behavioral Treatment of Smokers." The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (1980).

"The subliminal psychodynamic activation method was used to enhance the efficacy of a behavior therapy approach to smoking cessation. Thirty-four subjects received a 3-week, group-oriented, multi-component behavior therapy package aimed at smoking cessation. Subjects were randomly assigned to either experimental or control groups. The experimental group received the subliminal message "mommy and I are one," and the control group the message "people are walking."

At 4-weeks post-treatment the abstinence rate for the experimentals was 67 per cent and 12.5 per cent for the controls. At 12-weeks follow-up, 44 per cent of the experimentals and 12.5 per cent of the controls were abstinent. A x2 analysis revealed a statistically significant difference between groups at 4 but not at 12 weeks. A multiple analysis of covariance was used to analyze percentage of baseline smoking at both follow-up points. A significant main effect for treatment and for time emerged along with an interaction between treatment and time. Thus, the results revealed that the subliminally exposed message differentially effected the post-treatment smoking behavior of the experimental group. The results were interpreted as evidence for a transference phenomena explanation for the effectiveness of the behavioral treatment program."

Summary:

This study demonstrated that subliminal messages repeated over a period of time, and combined with a group therapy containing active components, can influence smoking related behaviour and attitudes

Source:

http://journals.lww.com/jonmd/Abstract/1980/12000/Effects_of_Subliminal_Stimulation_of_Symbiotic.2.aspx

Wall Street Journal, 1980

A report in the Wall Street Journal indicated that subliminal messages can have a significant effect on reducing shoplifting.  A subliminal message system installed in a New Orleans supermarket coincided with a drop losses from $100,000 per annum to less than $26,000', which was recorded as an all time low!  Weekly shortages in cash tills decreased from $125 per week to less than $10 per week.  Statements used in the subliminal messages included "I take a great deal of pride in being honest", "I will not steal" and "I am honest".

* Tachiscopic presentation is visual subliminal 'programming' by means of short phrases flashed on a screen very briefly