My Expanded Understanding of Reverse Speech 2

By Addy Pitman

What is Reverse Speech?

My Expanded Understanding of Reverse Speech 2 – Reverse speech was discovered over 30 years ago by David John Oates. He came across meaningful, intelligible, grammatically correct messages while playing speech in reverse. Through many years of research, it has been noted that reverse speech occurs in all languages and forms of speech.

When verbal communication is recorded and played in reverse, obvious phrases can be heard. These phrases are almost always in direct relation to the forward spoken language and can be heard in regular intervals . Because forward speech and reverse speech are complimentary of each other, it is considered to be an inherent form of verbal communication among all of us. What can be heard in reverse is as unique as the individual speaking. In fact, two different people reading the same words aloud will have varying messages when played in reverse. Also, children as young as 4 months old can be heard communicating when their forward vocal sounds are played in reverse.

How Reverse Speech Came To Be

In the fall of 1983, David John Oates accidentally damaged a cassette player. He was unsuccessful at fixing it and it would only play tapes in reverse. Months later in April of 1984, while running a halfway home for youths, some of the teens came to him about messages that could be heard when playing songs in reverse. He remembered his broken tape player and began experimenting with playing songs backwards. The first backwards message Oates discovered was from playing Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven in reverse. He heard, “Play backward. Hear words sung.” Oates spent months reversing his music collection. He went on to reversing the speech of politicians and friends. The first reversal he found in regular speech was in Neil Armstrong’s famous words, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” Those words are “man will space walk” when played in reverse. Oates realized there really were meaningful messages present in all speech played in reverse and that the messages were not satanic. As he continued his research he noticed metaphors were apparent in reversals and that reversals were much more than coincidental. He applied Carl Jung’s theory to help interpret metaphors and archetypes. This lead Oates to a deeper understanding of his new Reverse Speech Theory. After Oates compiled numerous findings on Reverse Speech, he began authoring books, appearing in newspapers and on television programs. Over the years, he has worked with psychologists, doctors as well as U.S. officials while applying his theory. Today, David John Oates resides in Australia. He continues to write books, teaches Reverse Speech, and hosts his own radio show. Oates has a private practice and implements the many benefits that Reverse Speech has to offer the world.

Reverse Speech and The Mind

We know that logic and language are formed in the left hemisphere of the brain whereas creativity, intuition, and emotion are formed in the right hemisphere. It is postulated that reverse speech is produced in the right side of the brain. As we consciously speak forward (left brain), our unconscious mind speaks backwards (right brain). Therefore, two transmissions of thought are being presented simultaneously by both hemispheres of the brain. This is also known as speech complimentary.

Reversals are multidimensional and relate to the mind . The mind can be divided into three to three levels of consciousness: the conscious mind, unconscious mind and the super conscious mind (connection to universal consciousness or higher self). Reverse speech opens the door to information from all three levels of the mind. It is remarkable in that it gives way to the truth. At our deepest level of consciousness we strive for conveying the truth no matter how much our conscious mind wants to control what is said in forward speech. Reverse speech corresponds to our psyche as a whole. Just as our unconscious mind communicates with us through dream metaphors, reverse speech can communicate with our psyche in a similar manner as specific metaphors and archetypes are revealed as well. These metaphors and archetypes can be further examined to provide deeper meaning and healing at the soul level.

Seven Check Points and Validity Factors

The 7 check points were created by Oates to maintain continuity among reverse speech professionals. Often times when beginning analyzing forward speech for reversals, students can place their own beliefs and experiences into what they are hearing in reverse. Students naturally try to attach meaning to reversals. This is also known as projection. The 7 check points help to minimize the effect of projection and keep Reverse Speech consistent. The most important aspect of check point and validity factor standards are “when in doubt, through it out.” If reversals do not meet at least three or more of the seven factors, the reversal must be discarded.

The seven checkpoints are as follows:

The syllable count of the entire reversal phrase will be recognizable in a high-quality reversal.
Vowel and consonant sounds in each syllable must be clear and concise.
Words must be clear and discernible both in the beginning and the end of the reversal phrase.
The spacing between each word should be plainly distinguishable from other words in the reversal, they should not blend together.
The reversal must stand out from surrounding gibberish.
The tone of the reversal phrase should have a consistent flow from beginning to end.
A good reversal will have a clearly steady beat or tempo from beginning to end.

Once these checkpoints are in place, then the validity factors can be applied. Reversals can be verified from one to five. Five being the highest rating, and one being the lowest. Only validity factors with a rating of three to five should be included in transcripts and presented to the client. Anything less can cause misinterpretation and restrict the true results of a session.

VF 5: All seven Check Points are met – the reversal is very clear.
VF 4: One Check Point ONLY may be imprecise.
VF 3: Two Check Points may be imprecise.
VF 2: Three Check Points may be imprecise.
VF 1: Four Check Points may be imprecise.

Reversal Categories

How Reverse Speech compliments forward speech is broken down into specific categories.

Congruent Reversals: These are reversals which serve to confirm that which is spoken forwards in regular speech.
Incongruent Reversals: These reversals are found to directly contradict what is being spoken forwards indicating a disbelief or lie.
Expansive Reversals: These reversals add additional information to the forward dialogue.
External Dialogue: Reversals which contain a communication to another. Possibly used to influence another to agree with what the speaker is saying.
Internal Dialogue: These reversals will reflect internal thought processes, conscious and unconscious, as the psyche talks to itself, organizing behavior and self-analysis.
Internal Command: These reversals will give a direct command concerning some action that must be taken by the conscious self. Reversals will often begin with the word you.
Trail and Lead Reversals: These reversals will appear in a conversation either before or after a topic is discussed in forward speech. In other words, they either “lead” the discussion or “trail” on after the topic has changed.
Future Tense Reversals: These reversals predict a future event or outcome.
Premonition Reversal: These reversals predict a future event in which the subject has not conscious knowledge, such as an accident, illness or injury.
Comparative Reversals: These reversals are not necessarily complimentary but will refer to an emotional matter. In other words, the reversal will convey a similar emotion attached to an unrelated forward dialogue.

Reversal Structures

Reversals appear in many various styles and structures.

Normal: Most reversals appear as a single sentence of a few words with direct and noticeable complementarity with the forward speech.
Long Sentences: These reversals are less common than others and can include up to 12 words. It’s important to analyze the reversal thoroughly to be sure that the reversal is not simply 2-3 words separated by gibberish.
Single Words: These reversals are common but they also can be coincidental. The validity factor should be high and the reversal should relate to the forward speech.
Semi-Formed: In a small number of reversals, the last half of the last word, or the whole word, will disappear into gibberish. It is always the end of the reversal.
Mirror Image: The reversals will be exactly as the forward speech, word for word.
Sentence Building: The forward speech will be completed in reverse.
Cause and Effect: These reversals will contain 2 separate sentences with punctuation and will complement each other.
Link Reversals: These reversals are very unusual. They occur between people who are in-tune with each other. The forward dialogue responsible for the reversal comes from the last words of the first speaker’s sentence and the first words of the second speaker’s sentence. Sometimes the reversal will sound as if it is one voice, even though two different speakers are speaking.

Personal Experience with Reversals

I had recently completed my certified hypnotherapist training last year and was suspect that something was “missing.” I felt there was a missing component to hypnotherapy but was unsure what that component was. One day, I was browsing YouTube and came across Jeff Rense’s channel. The first video that I clicked on happened to be about Reverse Speech and David John Oates was his guest. I listened to Oates talk about the implications of reverse speech and how he would apply metaphors found in the speech reversals to get better outcomes and deeper healing with hypnosis. It was my “ah ha” moment. It was exactly the training I was looking for to go along with what I believed to be lacking from hypnotherapy alone. I was amazed and excited as he played some of the reversals during the show. I knew then I found what I was looking for. I downloaded the Reverse Speech App that day and began my pursuit of finding reversals. I signed up for training as soon as I could. I look forward to continuing my endeavors into Reverse Speech and becoming a Reverse Speech Practitioner.

My first experience with Reverse Speech was soon after I down loaded the Reverse Speech App to my iPhone. I had signed up for the training, but in the meantime, I thought I might see how it worked. Having no prior training sure made it difficult to find reversals. The importance of training is extremely essential as I look back. In my first reversal, I had recorded my 18 month old son. He had just learned to say “flower” so I thought it would be fun to draw some pictures of flowers with him to reinforce his vocabulary. I recorded him for a few minutes as we colored. At the time, his vocabulary was pretty limited.

When I played his speech in reverse, he clearly said, “Here we have flowers.” I was astonished. Not only was it perfectly clear, but it was a congruent statement because we were drawing flowers and talking about them at that moment.

During the third class in the investigator training, we learned about reversals in infants and children. This area is close to my heart as I am also a elementary school teacher and a mother of four. David played a recording of a 13 year-old girl who was mentally disabled. The girl’s mother had sent a 30 minute recording of the girl making moaning sounds. When David played the reversal the young girl said, “Mommy, love you.” Hearing that come from the forward sounds of moans brought tears to my eyes. It must have been a very heart-warming moment for the mother to hear those words coming from her daughter. As an educator, I am dumbfounded and saddened that we do not take advantage of Reverse Speech in our Special Education classrooms and schools world-wide. The applications would be endless. Furthermore, parents who have never heard their child communicate or speak would actually be able to do so. Reverse Speech software would be extremely useful to both parents and special needs educators alike. Once my training is complete, I plan to become an advocate for Reverse Speech use with special needs children.

Conclusion

I am eager to continue my training in Reverse Speech. Looking back at when I first enrolled in classes, I am amazed at how much I have learned thus far. All areas of Reverse Speech interest me, but I am very interested in how it relates to children. I am currently substitute teaching, and left full time teaching in order to find other ways to be of service to children. I felt that my calling became more of a healer than that of an educator as the years passed. I had witnesses so much over medicated, abused, and traumatized young children that I wanted to help them in another capacity. I decided pursue hypnotherapy as a means to help with their healing. We are so limited as teachers in the classroom. I am grateful that I discovered Reverse Speech and I look forward to serving our world with the invaluable tool that is Reverse Speech.