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Psycho-Cybernetics Summary

4 min read ⌚ 

Psycho-Cybernetics SummaryA New Technique for Using Your Subconscious Power

What image do you have to yourself? Is it positive, or not that much?

Did you know that your self-image largely determines your experiences and your happiness?

So, wouldn’t it be nice to become the painter of those self-images? Wouldn’t it be great to make them positive?

In the following summary, we give you the techniques that will lead you to a more fulfilling life.

Who Should Read “Psycho-Cybernetics”? and Why?

We understand the world through stories.

However, at times, we unknowingly make ourselves look bad in those stories, without contemplating deeper on the consequences of such a narrative.

It is time to edit the story you tell yourself. Doing so will change your life.

We recommend “Psycho-Cybernetics” to all philosophers, psychologists, and readers interested in the processes happening in the human mind.

About Maxwell Maltz

Maxwell MaltzMaxwell Maltz was an author and a cosmetic surgeon. He has written a novel, a play, an autobiography and many self-help books.

“Psycho-Cybernetics Summary”

Imagine your body as a machine that you can use whenever necessary.

Author Maxwell Maltz uses this conception to define his theory of psycho-cybernetics. According to him, psycho-cybernetics is an understanding of the nervous system and the human brain as an automatic response that processes negative feedback to take its course.

By applying psycho-cybernetics, we can get more profound insights into the reasons humans behave the way they do.

One such insight is the notion that humans are wired for success.

Think of the developmental stages of a baby.

When babies first try grabbing something, they cannot recall some past experience of such an act. So, the baby will try swinging back and forth until it succeeds in reaching the object. Once it does, the baby will store the memory for future reference.

As time goes by, the baby will start to refine its skills and will start referring to his successes and forget about his failures.

A similar mechanism drives us when we work toward achieving our objectives.

An interesting fact about the human nervous system is that it does not differentiate between real and imagined experiences. In other words, we respond according to our beliefs of what is true.

What this means is that you can refine some skills in your head, through mental practice, without actually doing them in reality.

Now, whenever you are handling a creative project, it is common to hit mental obstacles. Most people used to creative practice know that when they stumble upon such a roadblock, the only thing they can do is relax and wait.

How do we explain this?

People possess a creative mechanism, which activates when we show interest in a particular problem. After we struggle with the issue for some time, we come to the moment when any further thinking limits us.

So, our instinct kicks in.

Which explains why the best ideas come to our mind when we are not deliberately working.

This shows that although we cannot control creativity, we can stimulate it by altering our thoughts, and of course – actions.

The same is true for happiness as well.

Most people consider happiness a future state which will come when we accomplish something.

How many times have you heard people say: I will be happy once I get a promotion, or once I find a boyfriend.

But that is not the right way to practice happiness. Happiness only exists in the present.

We need to realize that happiness depends only upon your thoughts and our attitudes toward the surroundings.

So, although it may be hard to grasp that we are in control of our own happiness, it gives us the opportunity to be constantly happy.

How? By fixating on positive events and letting negative ones go.

Key Lessons from “Psycho-Cybernetics”

1.      The Formula for Success
2.      The Acronym of Failure
3.      Emotional Face Lift

The Formula for Success

Success and failure do not just happen. Instead, they are a part of you and are a result of unique sets of elements. The elements of success are:

    • A sense of direction – you need to know what you are pursuing.
    • Understanding – do not let feelings affect and alter your perceptions.
    • Courage – be courageous about pursuing your dreams. Take calculated risks.
    • Charity – love other people and help them as much as you can.
    • Esteem – know that you can have whatever you want.
    • Self – confidence – forget about your past failures since remembering them can only undermine your confidence.
  • Self-acceptance – come to terms with what you are, with all your virtues and faults. Only acceptance can lead you forward.

The Acronym of Failure

    • Frustration – a feeling you get when you do not seem to be able to reach your goal. It leads you to feel incapable, which then leads to failure.
    • Aggressiveness – it is a knife with two sides. If you channel it correctly, it can help you achieve your objectives. If you do not, you will direct it toward yourself and become self-destructive.
    • Insecurity – makes you feel like you are not enough. Usually, insecurity arises when you compare yourself to an imaginary ideal.
    • Loneliness – feeling cut off and alienated will not help you in any way.
    • Uncertainty – when you are uncertain you avoid mistakes, but that leads to not making any decisions at all.
    • Resentment – trying to come to terms with failure by blaming others for unfair treatment.
  • Emptiness – feeling empathy is a result of leading a “boring” life, where no goal is worth attaining.

Emotional Face Lift

You can do surgery on your emotions, where forgiveness will act as your scalpel.

Forgiveness can heal all of your scars and tear down the emotional walls you have built over the years.

To achieve true forgiveness, you have to forget about the act of forgiveness itself. In other words, you have to forget that you were hurt.

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“Psycho-Cybernetics” Quotes

Your nervous system cannot tell the difference between an imagined experience and a real’ experience. Click To Tweet You will act like the sort of person you conceive yourself to be. Click To Tweet If you make friends with yourself, you'll never be alone. Click To Tweet Loneliness is caused by an alienation from life. It is a loneliness from your real self. Click To Tweet You can always find the sun within yourself if you will only search. Click To Tweet

Our Critical Review

“Psycho-Cybernetics” is a life-changing book that will clear your head and point your thoughts in the right direction.

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