If you missed Part 1, it’s worth starting there to understand how movies influence the unconscious mind.
By Dr Adriana James
In my previous article, I explained how movies influence the unconscious mind and why even the most rational adults can be affected without realizing it. Today, I want to go deeper into what you can do about it—and why awareness alone isn’t enough.
We Are All Suggestible—Yes, Even You
One of the first things I tell my students is this:
All human beings are suggestible.
We might like to think we’re immune to advertising, political messaging, or the influence of entertainment—but if that were true, entire industries wouldn’t be spending billions on getting their messages in front of us.
Whether it’s a billboard, a product placement in a movie, or an ad between YouTube videos, your conscious mind might not be paying attention—but your unconscious mind is.
In NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), we know that your conscious mind takes in only a fraction of the information available at any given moment. Your unconscious mind, on the other hand, picks up everything—all the sights, sounds, colors, patterns, and messages—whether you “notice” them or not.
Why This Matters in Movies
Movies are not just entertainment. They can carry:
- Product advertising – cars, gadgets, clothing
- Fashion trends – styles that appear in films often show up in stores months later
- Social and cultural ideas – new behaviors, values, or even political perspectives
- Gadgets and technology – sometimes appearing in films years before they hit the market
Repeated exposure to the same themes or images—even when you know “it’s just a movie”—can desensitize you. Something that initially felt shocking or strange can start to feel familiar, even normal, simply because you’ve seen it enough times in fictional contexts.
This is why we can see something distressing in real life and feel little surprise or emotional reaction—our unconscious mind has already “practiced” that scene in movies and TV.
Children: The Most Suggestible of All
If adults can be influenced this easily, imagine the impact on children—especially those under the age of 7.
Before the critical faculty (the ability to distinguish reality from fantasy) develops, children are essentially “walking unconscious minds”. They absorb everything in their environment uncritically—whether from parents, siblings, teachers, TV shows, movies, games, or social media.
That means they are especially vulnerable to:
- Unhealthy eating habits promoted in ads or product placements
- Aggressive or violent behaviors portrayed as “fun”
- Ideas and values that may conflict with the family’s own beliefs
These suggestions don’t just disappear as they grow up—they often form the unconscious beliefs and emotional patterns that carry into adulthood.
The Role of AI and Modern Media
With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, the challenge of discerning reality from fiction is growing. AI-generated videos and images can be so realistic that the human eye can’t detect the difference.
This means the line between “this happened” and “this was created for entertainment (or persuasion)” is becoming harder to see—making discernment an essential skill.
A Simple Self-Suggestion Technique
So, what can you do to protect yourself and your children from unwanted influence? One simple, powerful method is self-suggestion.
Here’s how to use it:
- Speak directly to your unconscious mind (either silently or out loud).
- Use a clear, positive statement.
Example:
“I know the difference between what is healthy, positive, and beneficial for me, and what is not. Unconscious mind, from now on you will automatically delete, reject, and remove all suggestions that are not good for me, and keep only those that are positive, healthy, and beneficial.”
Repeat this several times a day. Over time, your unconscious mind becomes trained to filter out suggestions you don’t want—without you having to think about it.
In our 3-Day Hypnosis Training, you’ll learn more advanced self-hypnosis methods to reinforce positive suggestions and reject negative ones.
Why This Works
Your unconscious mind operates based on:
- Beliefs you hold to be true (which may not be true for others)
- Values you prioritize (which can differ from person to person)
By setting this filter, you’re effectively programming your mind to only accept suggestions aligned with your own healthy values and goals.
From Awareness to Mastery
While this self-suggestion technique is a great start, the most effective way to protect yourself—and to use suggestion positively—is to learn how hypnosis actually works.
In our trainings, starting with our 3-Day Hypnosis Training, you’ll:
- Understand how trance states occur naturally in daily life
- Learn to use self-hypnosis to release stress, improve well-being, and increase focus
- Discover how to communicate effectively with the unconscious mind
For those who want to go further, our Hypnosis Trainer’s Training equips you to teach these skills to others—helping more people guard against unwanted influence and use their minds for positive change.
The bottom line?
You can’t stop all the suggestions coming at you every day—but you can decide which ones take root. By training your unconscious mind to reject the harmful and embrace the beneficial, you take back control over your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
In Part 3, I’ll share a simple hypnotic technique you can use with yourself or your children—no hypnotherapy certification required—that’s both fun and effective.
For full training in these skills, see our 3-Day Hypnosis Training or Hypnosis Trainer’s Training.