Psycho-Cybernetics - Maxwell Maltz - BOOK

Ideas from the book: -

THE PROBLEM: - Maltz observed that when he did Plastic or Corrective Surgery on people, 90% were transformed and exploded forward.

10%, however, even though their facial features were dramatically altered, could see no difference. They stayed the same as people!

He went on - in some cases who came for surgery - to change his patient's attitude about their physical appearance, alter their self image, and transform them WITHOUT surgery.

Page IX - "The Self-Image is the key to human personality and human behaviour. Change the self-image and you change the personality and behaviour.

'Positive Thinking' does indeed 'work' when it is consistent with the individual's self-image. It literally cannot 'work' when it is inconsistent with the self-image."

Page XII - "Experimental and Clinical Psychologists have proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that the human nervous system cannot tell the difference between an 'actual' experience, and an experience imagined vividly and in detail."

Page 2 - "(1) All your actions, feelings, behaviour - even your abilities - are always consistent with this self-image."

Page 3 - "(2) The self-image can be changed. Numerous case histories have shown that that one is never too old, nor too young, to change one's self-image and thereby start to live a different life."

Page 4 - "And numerous experiments have shown that once the concept of the self-image is changed, other things consistent with the new image of self, are accomplished easily and without strain."

Page 11 - "If a scar on the face enhances the self-image (as in the case of the German sword fighter), self-esteem and self-confidence are increased. If a scar detracts from the self-image (as in the case of the car accident injured salesman), loss of self-esteem and self-confidence results." Same scar - different beliefs and affects.

Page 13 - "Our self-image prescribes the limits for the accomplishment of any particular goals. It prescribes the 'area of the possible.'"

Page 19 - "Servo-mechanisms are divided into two general types: (1) where the target, goal, or answer is known, and the objective is to reach or accomplish it. (2) where the target or answer is not known and the objective is to discover or locate it. The human brain and nervous system operate in both ways"

Page 26 - "If you really mean business, have an intense desire, and begin to think with a joyous intensity about all angles of the problem - the scanner we spoke of earlier begins to scan back through stored information or grope it's way to an answer."

Page 28 -
"1) Built in success mechanism must have a goal or a target.
2) Think in terms of the end result - means whereby will take care of itself.
3) All servo mechanisms operate by going forward, making errors, implementing changes of course, going forward. Negative feed back is goal achieving feedback.
4) Corrections result in successful movement, motion or performance. After that continued success is accomplished by forgetting the past errors and remembering the successful response, so it can be imitated.
5) One must learn to trust one's creative mechanism to do it's work and not 'jam it' by becoming too concerned or too anxious as to whether it will work or not, or by attempting to force it by too much concious effort. One must 'let' it work rather than 'make' it work."

Page 31 -
"A human being always acts, feels and performs in accordance with what they imagine to be true about themselves and their environment."

Page 34 -
"Why not imagine yourself successful?"

Page 35 -
"It has been shown, time and time again, that one's nervous system CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE between an actual experience and one that is vividly imagined."

Use mental role play. Imagine oneself succeeding. The purpose is to allow one's TRUE SELF to be expressed - to be free. To allow one's creative constructive self free rein in one's world, by seeing and living into what can be.