Patent No. 4279088 Visual stimulation apparatus useful in therapeutic treatment

 

Patent No. 4279088  Visual stimulation apparatus useful in therapeutic treatment (Hyre, Jul 21, 1981)

Abstract

There is provided a visual stimulation instrument operable to induce by perception of a visual message useful in therapeutic treatment of psychological and psychic disorders. A simple embodiment provides messages viewed by a patient with a sheet of paper comprising a viewing screen, with a lamp behind the paper flashed at high intensity during very short periodic intervals. One embodiment has two successive sheets of paper, one with an overt message and another with a covert message in such contrast that the lamp flash does not permit recognition of the covert message but does cause a conscious recognition of the overt message through the afterglow mechanism of the eye. The flashing by a gaseous discharge lamp preferably occurs periodically at a rate in the order of one to three seconds between flashes.

 

Notes:

 

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to instrumentation useful in therapeutic treatment of psychological and psychic disorders and more particularly it relates to visual stimulation equipment for inducing covert information into the patient's memory system which is deemed by the patient to be self derived.

BACKGROUND ART

Difficulties arise in therapeutic treatment of psychological and psychic disorders because patients close their minds and are not receptive to reasonable suggestions of a therapist for inducing learning or behavioral changes. Most patients will place a higher value on concepts self derived from their own analysis than those not based on personal experience and those strange or contrary to self determined behavioral patterns. It is therefore a problem for therapists to convert a patients's behavioral pattern by direct counsel, advice or persuasion.

It has long been known, as evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 3,060,795-Oct. 30, 1962, R. E. Corrigan et al., and an article entitled "Perception of Subliminal Visual Stimuli" by A. C. Williams in Journal of Psychology, Vol. 6, July-Oct., 1938, for example, that indirect visual stimulation can reach through such mental blocks. However, the techniques of that patent involving subliminal perception rely upon an obscure and vague image that is difficult to perceive by many minds and patients. That teaching is limited to producing a covert message with an effective intensity barely perceivable and below that ability or conscious recognition level of an observer to report the stimulus verbally. Thus, the message is presented in an environment where the observer is not consciously aware of any change in his environment and physical status when the input information is imparted.

This is an additional deficiency in the treatment of psychological or psychic disorders because it is rarely possible to significantly improve behavior patterns unless the patient is willing to accept treatment from the therapist by self determination and has an interest in the correction of a problem.

Thus a departure from those prior art teachings is necessary both for obtaining a more prominent, intense and effective stimulus and for treating patients under environmental conditions where they are willing to look for solution to a problem.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide more effective equipment for visual stimulation of a character useful for therapeutic treatment of psychological and psychic disorders.

BRIEF DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Therefore in accordance with this invention a covert message is placed in the environment of an overt message in such a way it can be subliminally displayed. Thus the message may be implanted into the observer's subconscious mind so that it will later materialize in a more acceptable form for inciting the observer's action and interest, namely as an apparent self derived observation from the observer's own recall and thinking process.

For therapeutic treatment of psychological and psychic disorders the message is made more effective and more forceful with more prominent reinforcement than feasible heretofore by a mode of operation in which the observer wants to be treated and is receptive to solution of a problem. Therefore, the patient knows he is undergoing treatment but is not conscious of the exact message which is being subliminally displayed or the nature of the treatment.

In this environment therefore a message is flashed periodically at an intensity so high that it overloads the observer's eye mechanism leaving an afterglow in the persistence medium much as occurs when a photo flash lamp is observed. The observer has only the message before him as by observation in a dark room. In this invention such a flashed message is readable by the observer but it is modulated by a covert message to thereby effectuate a stronger stimulus of a specific covert message than heretofore feasible with less intense messages applied in more detracting surroundings. The flash lamp or equivalent energy source for this visual stimulus mode is periodically triggered at a rate in the order of about one to three seconds between flashes to reinforce the conscious and subconscious images so formed thereby to induce an implanted message quickly and completely in the memory banks of the observer for his later recall as a new and refreshing thought derived by his own thinking, analysis and discovery.

A simple instrument for carrying out the teachings of this invention comprises a viewing plane for holding a written or printed message in viewing position. This could be simply a glass plate for receiving one or two paper sheets. The paper which is partially opaque is made translucent when passing the high intensity light photo flash therethrough, thus permitting an overt message on the face or back of the paper sheet to be viewed and read by the observer. Then a second covert message on a second paper sheet or the back of a first in less prominent contrast also is presented in subliminal form by flashing the light source of high intensity such as a gaseous discharge tube. The high intensity flash is much shorter than the persistence period of the eye mechanism being a small fraction of a second, and therefore with the lesser contrast of the covert message does not permit the viewer to consciously read the covert message. However, possibly because of the high intensity causing the afterglow effect, the covert message is available in the eye mechanism for inciting the brain channels which stores the message for later recall, and very effectively implants the message for later use by the observer.

This leads to the introduction of behavioral modification suggestions in therapeutic treatment that would be otherwise rejected and contested if directly introduced by the therapist and converts the message by subliminal implantation into a suggestion more readily followed by a patient who deems it to be by his own reasoning.