Memories of mother, complementarity and shame: Predicting response to subliminal stimulation with “Mommy and I are one”

Abstract

A poorly understood finding with potentially wide-ranging implications is that subliminal stimulation with "Mommy and I are one" affects behavior. In this study (n= 62), "Mommy and I are one" lowered implicit mood (p= 0.0015) in comparison with a neutral stimulus ("People are walking"). The effect was most pronounced in shame-prone participants with less positive memories of their mother, and low self-mother complementarity (interaction p= 0.0044). Effects of a potentially shame-inducing stimulus ("I am completely isolated") were not significant (ps > 0.11). The results concerning less positive memories of mother replicate previous findings. We suggest that activation of unconscious associative networks explains the data. Though more research is needed, the cognitive content of these networks may involve representations of self-with-mother; for some, the affective content could involve shame.

Treatment failure in psychotherapy: The pull of hostility

“…Henry et al, 1986;Sohlberg, Claesson, & Birgegard, 2003;Svartberg & Stiles, 1992). It is, however, not a concept with unitary meaning or measurement.…”

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Alpha synchronization as a brain model for unconscious defense: An overview of the work of Howard Shevrin and his team

“…For example, the anal message ‘GO SHIT’ could have produced similar variations on the stuttering index in schizophrenics, but that was not measured (Malik, ). It should be noted that more recent follow‐up studies with the ‘MOMMY AND I ARE ONE’‐prime have confirmed that the stimulus was able to produce persisting reductions in depression as well as other effects among students over a 2‐week period (Sohlberg and Birgegard, ; Sohlberg et al ., ). The persistence of positive results over decades indicates that the effects of this priming are very probably real, even if control and interpretation issues, proper to the SPA research, may have limited a wider impact of these results on the scientific community at large.…”

Persistent effects of subliminal stimulation: Sex differences and the effectiveness of debriefing

“…Although suggestive only, data in one of their experiments were even consistent with effects lasting several months. The selection of these particular stimuli MIO and MIDIS was based on the well‐established effects of MIO (for a meta‐analysis see Hardaway, 1990; for a review see Weinberger & Hardaway, 1990; also see Sohlberg, Billinghurst & Nylén 1998; Sohlberg, Claesson & Birgegard, 2003; Sohlberg & Jansson, 2002). Participants were first seen individually in the laboratory and exposed to the stimuli, and ten days later they returned for a questionnaire session.…”