oprah winfrey's "the secret"

[nosos]

you go "splat"

Then clearly I didn't believe! Duh!

This is the wonderful methodology underlying the academic study of parapsychology. These academics are getting money to do research into paranormal phenomenon and many of them believe that experimental verification can’t take place if there are non-believers at the place of the experiment thus if it fails, it means that those present didn’t have sufficient faith.

Clearly this in intellectually disreputable bollocks but positive psychology, which from what I know of the Secret is essentially what you have once you’ve waded through the semi-mystic guff, is intellectually reputable and a very worthwhile subject that is a huge step up on western psychoanalysis in a lot of ways.

Much as with ‘alternative medicine’, it’s really important to work to separate out nonsense from the elements that have value, lest a lot of potentially good stuff gets lost with the sweeping dismissal of unorthodoxy.

 

[Jazzz]

Absolutely.

What Oprah et al fail to explain is why their dreams for themselves (based on gratitude journals, positive affirmations, prayer, Anthony Robbins tapes etc, etc.......) come true.

Pardon me, but isn't that exactly what they are doing?

 

[weltweit]

Can somebody explain why placebos work?

This is actually a much better point than anyone has given JC2 credit for.

Placebos work when they work because people think they will work, they think they are being given real medicine that will work. Their body heals itself despite that it was not given any real medicine.

Such is the power of positive thinking and mind over matter.

So bringing positive thinking into your life in other ways can also help greatly to get over hurdles and banish negativety from your life.

Anyhow I am all in favour of positive thinking.

What after all is the worst that could happen?

 

[Jonti]

SPLAT!

I think the point is that "mind over matter" as in the placebo effect is uncontroversial and well accepted. No-one's arguing with that. Heck, we *know* the mind affects the body, 'cos otherwise we couldn't type our thoughts onto this board.

But mind-over-matter as in levitation is seen as something entirely different -- you know, like just using the power of the mind to directly write to the u75 server!

 

[Jazzz]

SPLAT!

I think the point is that "mind over matter" as in the placebo effect is uncontroversial and well accepted.

Simply because everyone knows it exists. Much like the universe. Can you explain why that exists?

 

[Jonti]

so things can go SPLAT ?

 

[Jazzz]

so things can go SPLAT ?

Didn't you learn to be careful of what you think at zen school?

I'm puzzled that you could attend something like that, and then rubbish this stuff, because it's the same thing AFAICS, albeit tailored to a mass American audience.