The Silva Method was created by psychologist José Silva, who claimed that by using specific techniques, anyone can learn self-help, how to overcome stress, insecurity and bad habits.
Silva studied the human ability to control what happens to us ourselves by using thought visualization. After long years of working in this field, he developed a method of relaxation, which he says can solve problems of any type by reprogramming the mind.
The psychologist believes that each person is taught in the earliest age of childhood to become sick by constantly being told things like, "If you get your feet wet you'll catch a cold."
This is perceived by brain neurons as an instruction and order that must be carried out. This way, after awhile the warning becomes reality and we actually do get sick.
"If we're programmed to think negatively, then we trap ourselves into a never-ending cycle of failure, unhappiness, poor health. To change our life, we must reprogram ourselves, " stated Silva.
According to the Silva Method, we need to visualize what we wish to happen while in a mental state called alpha state. In this state, brain waves have a lower frequency. The alpha state is something natural that every person experiences right before falling asleep and briefly after waking up.
At this time, the right hemisphere of the brain, responsible for emotionality and creativity, is most active and is therefore the most suitable moment for us to begin imagining our desires in bright pictures.
The key to falling into an alpha state is counting backwards. When starting off, it's good to count down from 100 to 1 in the morning after you've woken up and are completely calm.
Count down from 100 to 1 for 10 mornings in a row, then count from 50 to 1 for 10 mornings, from 25 to 1 for 10 mornings, from 10 to 1 for 10 mornings, after which you'll be able to reach the alpha state just by counting backward from 5 to 1.
Upon achieving this state, begin to imagine the life you dream of to the smallest details.
In his practice, Silva told how by following this method, people suffering from cancer cured themselves by imaging how they overcame the tumor and sure enough with time it shrunk until it eventually disappeared entirely.
