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Tape 7- Visualization
Test Anxiety
Hello. This is your Effective Study and Test-Taking Tape, and I am Bob Griswold,
of the Effective Learning Systems Incorporated, of Diamond, Minnesota. I am
pleased to be with you, and I welcome you to a great new beginning. It is
recommended that you listen to this tape for at least 30 days when you go to
bed. After playing it at bed time for a few days, you will also find it helpful to
listen to it in a fully awake state of mind, a couple of times a week. This will help
you to program yourself for success, at both the inner and outer levels of mind.
Of course, it is not advisable to listen while driving a car to a tape that suggests
you close your eyes and relax deeply.
This tape offers you several proven study and test-taking techniques. There's no
need for you to try hard to memorize the techniques. All you need to do is
relax, and listen to the tape at least once a day for 30 days. You will absorb the
information and positive programming naturally and easily. Soon you will be using
those techniques you feel are most suited to your needs, and you will enjoy
greater confidence and success, as you continue using more of your potential.
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Research shows that the human brain has a left hemisphere and a right hemisphere which are
connected by the corpus callosum. During the first few years of life, we use both hemispheres about
equally. We learn about 25 times as much per day, in those early years, as we learn as adults. Most of
what we use as grown-ups was learned in those first few years of life, and then we begin to specialize.
Eventually, the left hemisphere becomes the dominant hemisphere in nearly all human beings. Here
are some of the functions of the two halves: In the left hemisphere, we have our logic, our reason, our
analytical ability, et cetera; and in the right hemisphere, we have our creativity, imagination, intuition,
special relationships, sense of human, et cetera. Relaxation techniques and music can activate the right
hemisphere and accelerate the learning process. The schools in Bulgaria use a method developed by
Dr. Gorgeo Lossanoff, a research psychologist and psychiatrist, which enables students to learn more
in half a day of school, than our children learn in a full day. A three-year course in French has been
taught in 20 days. Excellent results have also been attained in some universities in the United States.
A full year of Spanish has been learned in two weeks, and the retention level is practically 100%.
Effective Learning Systems has been using a similar method for speed reading and other subjects.
Observations and experimentation has led to the discovery that through a relaxed positive
environment, knowledge can be absorbed and learned with a retention capability of up to 98%; far
greater than our conventional learning methods. Later in this tape, we will introduce some relaxation
techniques and music, which will help you program yourself for greater confidence and skill, and to
bring out your natural learning ability.
To begin this experience, find a comfortable position, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and while
exhaling, say to yourself the word “relax.” Take another deep breath, and again, while exhaling, say to
yourself, the word relax. Take another deep breath, and again while exhaling, say to yourself, the word
“relax.” Now become more aware of your body. Notice any tension in your face. Allow the muscles
in your face to become limp and relaxed. Relax your jaw. Feel any tension remaining in this part of
your body slip gently away, leaving your muscles very limp, very comfortable, very relaxed. Allow this
feeling of relaxation and comfort to flow slowly downward throughout your body, all the way to your
feet. Feel your feet and legs, and arms and hands, very limp, very comfortable, very relaxed. Now
focus your awareness on your breathing, just think of the air going in and out as you breathe. Imagine
you can see it. Imagine you can see it in color, as it goes in through your nostrils, down your throat,
and into your lungs, and then out again. Feel as though the air is doing all the work, the air is breathing
you. Imagine you are breathing in pure, healthy energy. Each time you inhale, you're taking in from the
universe all that you need. Each time you exhale, you’re releasing all that you do not need. Each time
you exhale, you are releasing any tension remaining in your body. [ Music ]
Now imagine yourself in the basket of a huge lighter-than-air balloon. It is a very safe and comfortable
vehicle. Attached to that balloon is a sand bag, which represents any negativity which may have been
holding you back from the freedom and joy of learning easily and naturally, and your ability to easily
express what you've learned, as you did when you were a very young child. In a moment, you will
untie that sand bag, and free yourself from whatever has been holding you back, from the fulfillment,
the enjoyment, the satisfaction, the joy of learning and expressing your knowledge more effectively.
Now untie the sand bag, and let it go. And as you let go, feel yourself begin to rise. Feel yourself going
higher and higher. You're very safe, and totally in control at all times. As you go higher and higher,
lighter and lighter, completely unencumbered by the sand bag. You may steer your balloon in any
direction, and go as far as you wish, and return whenever you desire.
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You are totally in control at all times. As you enjoy your pleasant journey, the following thoughts
occur to you: More and more, I am becoming aware that learning is one of the most enjoyable things
in life; I am excited about learning; I am eager to learn and grow; Learning is fun; I am reacquiring the
great appetite for knowledge and knowing that I had as a young child; Always curious, exploring,
investigating, with great enthusiasm, Because that's what I want to do; I get great satisfaction from
learning, from finding out things I didn't know before; When I read something or hear something, my
attitude is what can I learn from this; There is something interesting here; There is value, and I want it;
with this attitude, I find that I'm a better listener; I can concentrate more on what I am reading or
hearing, and it is very effortless, very enjoyable, very satisfying; And the more I do this, the more I am
stimulated to do it in the future; And even better, my appetite for learning and growing is increasing
with each passing day; When I am reading or hearing something I seek out the main points; Often the
questions what, who, where, when, and how are on my mind; I want information; I want to know; I
recognize my brain has limitless capacity for absorbing and storing information; The more I learn the
more information I store, the more capacity I seem to have for learning and storing new information;
As a young child I was learning constantly; Everything in the world was new to me; How to walk, how
to talk, how to eat, how to dress myself; Constant learning; New words, new ideas, new concepts. A
whole new world, and I met it; I greeted it eagerly, excitedly, with great enthusiasm; I still have that
enthusiasm for learning, I choose to be stimulated, excited, and rewarded with greater knowledge;
This is a very natural quality; I am an intelligent human being, and I am getting better and better every
day in every way; My ability to reason and think is developing and improving daily; I have an excellent
memory and great recall ability; One reason I can feel confident is that the human brain is the most
complex structure we know of in the universe; No computer can match it; It has many billions of
neurons which can interact with each other to solve problems and store an infinite amount of
information; Scientists say the brain can store at least 20 million volumes of information and have
room for more; And I own such a fabulous computer, free and clear. I have only been using a small
percentage of its potential; But it is always there to serve me, like an obedient servant; I am now
beginning to use it more effectively, to bring about the end result I desire. When studying, I set a
realistic schedule, allowing myself sufficient time for meals and relaxation and sleep; I stick to my
schedule religiously; I make my environment as conducive as possible to successful work; I study in a
place where I have as much privacy as I feel I need; I select an environment where there's as few
distractions as possible; When I begin studying, I allow myself to get so involved in what I am doing
that I have excellent concentration; I allow myself to become completely oblivious to sound or
movements; Any sounds or movements will actually aid my concentration; Once I have found a
suitable place to study, I will use that place whenever possible; Doing so will aid my concentration; I
will study in a place where there are few interruptions; If I am using a desk, I will have room for study
aids I may wish to use, such as notebooks, paper, pen and pencil, reference books, et cetera; These
are within easy reach, but placed toward the rear of the desk; Distracting objects around such as
photos, trinkets or souvenirs are put away, and if I'm sitting facing a window, I will draw the curtains; I
have adequate lighting, ventilation, and room temperature; I have a dictionary, if I feel it is important;
Prior to taking an examination, I will mentally program myself for success; I will find a comfortable
position, close my eyes, and imagine myself entering the examination room filled with confidence,
feeling strong, healthy, bright, and positive; I have a sense of positive anticipation; I am well prepared;
I am happy to be alive, happy being who I am; And I welcome the challenge, and the opportunity of
showing what I know, and using my test-taking skills; Above all, I feel positive and confident; When
taking examinations, I will find it easy and comfortable to follow the instructions; In essay exams, I will
avoid lengthy introductions, and I will get down the maximum number of point-earning facts;
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Where it is appropriate, I will quote authorities, particularly on controversial points; I will quote
recognized authorities in my answer; some essay questions are designed to test the reasoning power
of an individual, as well as, that person's memory and factual knowledge; In such cases, I will try to
reason out the correct answer; I will rely on my common sense, and I will do well; My answers on
essay questions will show that I understand the questions and can follow instructions, that I have a
satisfactory knowledge of the facts or whatever information is requested, and that I understand the
different aspects of the information I am presenting, and can separate relevant from irrelevant material;
I also present my answers in an orderly manner, stressing the points of major importance. I find it
easy, comfortable, and enjoyable to communicate my thoughts and ideas on paper; I approach each
test I take calmly and confidently; I arrive on time and ready; I listen carefully to all directions, and I
read all the directions carefully; Then I look over the whole test before answering any questions,
remaining calm and confident, knowing that when I get to that question I'll be ready to answer it. I use
my time very effectively; I answer the easy questions first and postpone the harder questions until
later; Often while answering a later question, the answer to an earlier question will occur to me, and
sometimes the way the later question is phrased will actually give me the answer to the earlier
question; I continue through the test answering those I have an easy answer for, and skipping those
for which I do not have a ready answer; After going through the test this way once, I will start back at
the beginning and re-read any unanswered question, and quite often the answer will be there the
second time; And if not, I calmly and confidently move to the next one, knowing that the answer will
eventually come; If after going through the test a second time there's still some unanswered questions,
I will re-read them and write my answer; On those rare occasions where I still do not have an answer,
I will close my eyes, take a deep breath, and imagine my teacher, instructor, or professor telling me the
answer, then I'll open my eyes and write the answer, whatever answer comes to me; This has proven
to be a successful way of using one's mind more effectively; If it's a long exam, I will refresh myself
with a few deep breaths from time to time during the test; If there's any time remaining, I'll re-check all
my answers; I'll stay in the examination room until I have to leave.
A few more tips on test-taking. With multiple choice questions, you will eliminate the answers you
know are wrong. This will make it easier to choose the correct answer. Often, only one answer is not
eliminated. Therefore, that is the correct answer. With true/false questions, you will be aware of flat
statements that allow no exceptions, such statements are usually false. Statements that include such
words as never, none, all, every, always, absolutely, invariably, and no, you can usually mark false, unless
you are certain that there is no exception to the rule. By the same token, if moderate words such as
often, some, many, may, generally, and usually, it is often a tip-off that the statement is true. Now
relax, take a deep breath, and go even deeper, and mentally project yourself to the examination room.
You're about to take your test. You get the test, you look it over, you're very calm, confident, and
comfortable with a sense of positive anticipation and enthusiasm about doing your best. You're wellprepared, and you know you will do well. Now you read the instructions very carefully, at least twice.
You're sure you understand them. You allocate your time, if necessary, and you begin reading the
questions. You understand them completely. Re-read them if necessary, so you do understand them
fully. You answer all easy questions first, then you do the more difficult ones. Feel yourself going
through your exam very confident, very successful, enjoying the challenge, enthused about doing your
best. Just continue to relax, and enjoy going through this exam; very confident, very calm, recalling
things easily, expressing yourself very well. Take your time; relax. When you are through answering
the questions, re-check all your answers, if there's any time left. Never leave the examination before
you have to. Now release that positive end result. Relax. Take a deep breath, and go deeper.
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If distracting thoughts occur during programming, this is normal. Just push them gently aside, and bring
your mind back to where you want it to be. Each time you do this, you go deeper, becoming stronger,
with more control. Also, the more positive emotion you allow yourself to feel, the less your mind will
wander, and the more you will focus on the desired end result. You recognize there is a time
difference between inner reality, and outer reality. It's only a matter of time before your success will
become apparent to everyone at the outer or physical dimension. All great progress starts in the
mind. It must be real for you in your inner mind, before it becomes reality at the outer dimension.
You're setting up patterns in your mind for future success. You are creating a positive future reality.
This programming accumulates, and the more you do it, the more you will control and enjoy your
future. Keep in mind that the stronger your need, desire, belief, and expectancy, the more powerful
your programming will be. You are now returning from your journey in your lighter-than-air balloon,
happy in the knowledge you can use that balloon again, and take a pleasant journey whenever you
desire. And you set yourself down very comfortably, very safely. And just feel relaxed. If you are in
bed, you may ignore the rest of this tape, and just continue to rest and enjoy a very pleasant sleep and
awaken whenever you desire. Feeling however you choose to feel. In a few moments I will count from
one to six. At the count of six, you will open your eyes, feeling completely refreshed and revitalized.
You'll be filled with feelings of enthusiasm, well-being, and excellent health; feeling the boundless
energy flowing throughout your body; Feeling more secure and confident; Feeling exactly how you
choose to feel.
One, two, three, coming out slowly and easily, four, at the count of six, your mind and body will be
wide awake, and you'll feel as though you've just experienced the perfect amount of rest to feel healthy
and vibrant, filled with positive thoughts, and feelings about yourself, and all humanity. Five, six, open
your eyes, feeling great, and very healthy, feeling much better than before.