Exposure Magazine – Reverse Speech: The Total Exposure of Truth

By Michael John Oates

As we reach the beginning of the new millennium, one of the most remarkable discoveries which has been made is that of Reverse Speech. It is a most valuable tool when it comes to understanding the human mind.

It’s implications are so enormous that founder and developer of Reverse Speech, David John Oates, has been nominated the Nobel Prize for his research into this remarkable new technology.

So what is Reverse Speech? Imagine hearing unconscious thoughts about your friends, politicians or even yourself. How would you feel to know that your very soul could speak to you in it’s own voice?

In other words, a discovery of unconscious communication that occurs in the backward sounds of our speech, and has the ability to unkover the deeper truths about ourselves and who we truly are. Reverse Speech is exactly what it implies, speech that is heard backwards. It usually consists of short sentences that are normally 5 to 10 words in length, and if you have a tape player that plays backwards, you can easily try it for yourself. These backward statements called ‘reversals’ are very clear, but are hard to find because they are hidden in gibberish. Speech reversals will always relate to what is being spoken forwards at that time.

The Discovery of Reverse Speech

In 1983 David Oates (my father), was running a half way house for street kids. At that time a religious fundamentalist was preaching that if you play rock n’roll music backwards you would hear the devil speaking. Well Dad thought that was a load of rubbish, so straight away he grabbed his tape machine (which had a reverse play mechanism) and played the song ‘Stairway to Heaven’ by Led Zeppelin, to prove to the kids the preacher was wrong. When the last words of the song were played “And he’s buying a stairway to heaven”, it reversed to say “Play backwards hear words sung”. I’m sure they were all a little scared to hear that!

So since then, David has been continuously researching these eerie sounds. He has proven that it is not the devil speaking, but was unable to prove that these voices don’t exist. He has come to the conclusion that reversals are being created in the right brain hemisphere and are actually the sound of our unconscious mind. Both forwards and backward speech appear to work in unison to communicate total consciousness…forward communicating conscious thought and backward communicating unconscious thought.

One example is with Neil Armstrong’s famous words as he took the first steps on the moon “That’s one small step for Man”. When this is played backwards it says, “Man will space walk”. Because it is the voice of our unconscious, it never lies. Ten percent of all speech reversal found will express the conscious thoughts of a speaker as Neil Armstrong’s reversal did, but the other ninety percent accesses the ninety percent of our brain that we’ve never been able use. The implications of that are endless. The human mind is no longer private. We now have a tool to look inside the human mind of another.

Metaphors in Reverse Speech

These reversals do not speak in plain logic, they communicate who we are in metaphors (images of the mind). Reverse Speech can also be a wonderful tool for therapy. All someone has to do is speak about their therapeutic problems in to a tape machine and the speech reversals will explain just what is causing the problem and will even tell a Reverse Speech analyst how to fix it!

For example, if someone comes to me with a motivation problem: the metaphor for motivation is wolf and unconsciously this man’s motivation may be stuck in his own emotions. The metaphor for emotions is explained by Reverse Speech as a river the ‘river of emotions’. One simple speech reversal will explain this by saying “The wolf is in the river”. So Reverse Speech will describe emotional states in metaphors and images.

Our life is surrounded by pictures. We see them in the morning newspaper, we see them in the city streets, and we see them in the houses in which we live. Take a moment to glance around at the room where you are sitting right now. What do you see? Furniture, activity, people? My research with Reverse Speech tells me that what you are seeing is a reflection of who you are. Look at the clothes you are wearing and look at the clothes of those around you. Are they similar? The chances are that they are. This is because the world in which we live is a reflection of the pictures in our mind and is manifested by the words of our mouth and the deeds of our hand. On the deep structural level, the thoughts of the unconscious mind are orchestrated by a series of complex interwoven pictures. These pictures have bekome known as ‘metaphors’.

A metaphor is a word that describes in pictures the various functions of the unconscious mind. The unconscious mind is the area of the psyche that is below consciousness. It is alive and active, constantly functioning and processing all aspects of behavior. Each function of the unconscious mind has a specific metaphor that combines with other metaphors to create the movies of life. They can be seen in our fascination for wolves, the primordial call of the wild. They can be felt in our awe of the power of the tornado whirling through the desert and they can be heard in the noises of the city as the sounds reflect the activity of the collective mind continually processing.

During my twelve years of research with reverse speech, I have extensively tracked and mapped many of these metaphors. I have connected some of them to specific areas of human behavior and expression, and have found them to be acted out in the everyday dramas of life. So let me begin at the basics and give you some examples.

PRIMORDIAL ENERGIES & HUMAN INTERACTION

The metaphors anima and animus are prime structural metaphors. Dr. Carl Jung described them as the raw basic male, female energies. Anima is female and animus is male. My research shows that they form the foundation stones on which all else is built. The way they combine within the individual mind creates the expression of the whole.

For example, up until a few months ago I was living by myself, endeavoring to raise my twin daughters as a single Dad. People who came into my house commented that the energy was very male. I found this comment strange but as I looked around I saw my figurines of Zeus and Socrates, the Lone Sailor and the Wolf, I realized these were all male figures and they reflected who I was…a researcher, scholar and explorer, living away from my home Australia, strongly protecting my children. Then a month ago, my sister came over from Australia to live with me. The house became brighter and neater and the furniture began to change. Female figurines appeared in the house. My disposition calmed and I began to drive my car slower with less aggression. Meanwhile my sister became stronger and more confident. My animus male metaphor had begun to merge with my sister’s female anima metaphor and this combination was reflected in my surroundings and the way I lived. The combination could also be seen in my children as they became softer, more feminine and tidier.

Even more recently my cousin also arrived from Australia. The tidiness level dropped, but the house seemed fuller and richer, less stagnant. I worked faster. Another character had arrived on the scene and the movie set of the mind changed. Even my language changed. My speech, which had begun to show the first traces of an American accent, began to resume its original Aussie flavor, mate!

Human behavior is exactly the same. Imagine the mind like a house. It has many rooms and characters. If the characters are asleep, the house is quiet. If one character is too loud, it will drown out the other characters and the house will not function properly. If the characters in the house decide to pool their resources, the house will expand and grow, affecting all those around. Therefore the key to understanding human behavior is to understand the pictures that govern our world. The key to changing our world is to first all recognize that the characters of own plot are a reflection of our own pictures.

An aggressive person will tend to associate with aggressive people. Like minds attract each other because the pictures are the same. If you are continually having dysfunctional relationships, then I suspect that your family and friends are also. Many people will scream and complain, why is this happening to me, and they will search everywhere for the reason except for where the real cause resides. It resides within.

Relationships are dysfunctional because the pictures are dysfunctional. If the disjunction is in the area of male-female relationships, then one could suspect that there is an imbalance or incongruity with the anima and animus within. As this incongruity is repaired, so will the metaphor change and behavior alter in the external world, including the new pictures and movie plot that the metaphor begins to create.

LEARNING THE METAPHORIC LANGUAGE

So how do we change the metaphors? First of all, you must recognize what they are. I have a tremendous advantage with reverse speech because it allows me direct access to the core structures of the mind. Here I can see the actual metaphors or pictures that create the symptoms of the behavior. Without reverse speech, you need to look at who you are.

Look at the language you use. Do you say “goddamn it” as a cuss word and wonder why everything always falls apart. Change the words to “god save it”. You’ll find it works a lot better. Some of us live in a dark world of despair. If you close your eyes, you’ll see the pictures. Change the pictures and turn on the light. You’ll find that a connection is made and the movie plot will become enhanced.

Here’s some basic pictures to start with. The wolf is a metaphor for the ability to move forward, to hunt and protect. I have a strong wolf reflected by my success as a single Dad and the founder of a technology. Now, obviously I needed more than a wolf to nurture my girls and business, like my feminine metaphor of Eve, the matured spiritual woman. I have a successful practice where I use hypnosis, visualizations and the lessons of reverse speech to change my clients pictures. I find that as the pictures change so does the behavior. My success rate is impressive.

Take for example, the Wolf. Close your eyes and picture a wolf. Is it small or big? It needs to be about waist high and well groomed. Change the picture in your mind and keep it stable. Try and feel what it would be like to become the wolf. You’ll find that as you gain success with this image, the behavior will slowly change because as you change the metaphor, you change the movie which changes the scenes you create around you.

Do you find you cannot relax and are constantly on the go? Close your eyes and picture a whirlwind spinning in a desert. Take a deep breath and slow the rotation of the wind down. Make sure its spinning smoothly with no kinks. You’ll find that as the pictures alter so will the structures of the unconscious alter and this change will be reflected throughout many different aspects of your life. The whirlwind is the energy system of the body. Its image affects all.

As we begin to understand the many pictures that create our world, and accept our own responsibility in creating them, we can begin to change the pictures and regain control. The human psyche is a product of the pictures of its history. Each event has etched its own mark on the psyche, becoming metaphors which access the many forces that drive us. In many respects we still live the curse of the garden, as the snake still tempts us all. The metaphor remains, it’s just that the characters and settings that have altered. Ancient Rome still lives in the markets and battlefields of the world. Hitler still marches on in the repression and torture of individuality.

It is time to change the pictures of the planet, to access the healing metaphors within. Then as we begin to change, so will the world around us. Stop blaming others for the inadequacies of your own life, because the more you blame and complain, the more you allow the metaphor to have power over you. Change the pictures and change your world.

My Dad is able to change the pictures of the mind (Metaphors) by using hypnosis. Lets go back to the ‘wolf is in the river’ reversal. Now we know the cause of the motivational problem, his motivation is drowning in his own emotions. To fix this problem we ask the unconscious. There is a special technique for doing this. You must know how to prompt the speaker for speech reversals that will give a solution to the problem. A possible outcome could be this: Find a speech reversal that says “Pull the wolf out of the river”. So then the analyst will put the person into a trance state and suggest that the client try to pull his wolf out of the river. Within a few weeks the client will notice changes as the unconscious mind begins to shift and alter.

My Dad has much success in therapy when he uses this technique, a success rate of about ninety percent. With my own personal experience of Reverse Speech, on a good transcript of reversals you can see a whole conversation backwards…battles, fights and even plans for the future. When researching Reverse Speech, expect anything!

WHEN THE FUTURE IS ALREADY KNOWN

The most interesting reversals I have found have been those referred to as ‘future tense reversals’. These reversals will predict future outcomes. One very interesting reversal that I experienced was referring to me and a female friend of mine, and was actually found through the speech of my mother. The reversal said “Beth Oates dead”. Now officially this wasn’t a future tense reversal. Any reversal with the word ‘will’ in it, shows that the reversal is in future tense. It isn’t a psychic prediction; it is the unconscious mind giving the most probable outcome. ‘Shall’ gives a softer meaning, telling of a possible outcome. “Beth” was a friend of mine, “Oates” was referring to me, and “dead” is emotional death; to have no purpose. So this reversal was telling me that our relationship was dead. At first I was in total denial because everything seemed to be fine, but now that I think back it was already dead, it just took a while before the images would manifest into reality.

Images create our world backwards before we live it forwards, in fact we actually learn to talk backwards before we do forwards. Within various levels of the mind, both forwards and backward speech work in unison to communicate total consciousness. Forward speech communicates conscious thought, while reverse speech communicates unconscious thought. Only ten percent of our brain is conscious to the average person, so where is the other ninety percent that is unconscious to us? Surprise, surprise!

Once you start listening to Reverse Speech you are listening to the ninety percent of the brain that we have never had access to before, and the implications of that are mind blowing! It now means that the unconscious mind can be scientifically researched and documented.

So Reverse Speech will describe the thoughts of another in three areas of the mind. In conscious thought (everything we are consciously aware of). The reversals that describe conscious thought are first level reversals. These reversals contain no metaphors and speak as we would forwards. Sekond level reversals come from our sub-conscious mind just below conscious thought. These reversals explain our behavior and why we act the way we do. It’s message is explained with operational metaphors. Third level reversals describe unconscious thought in structural metaphors. These reversals explain the cause for our behavior. BI-level functions are seen all the time. The eyes receive images backwards before forwards, the right brain controls the left side of our body, the left brain controls the right and it is the same with human speech. “Life can only be understood backwards but must be lived forwards” Soren Kierkegaard.

Reverse Speech and Law

Reverse Speech is about to burst forth onto the legal scene in a big way. I have been contacted by people in Dallas, Texas about a major case regarding a woman who is on death row for murdering her two children. This woman has always claimed her innocence and her cause has been taken up by an independent group of business men in Dallas who have been arranging significant publicity for her. One such occasion on the Gerald Show, where the woman’s entire family appeared on TV, an RS hobbyist from Dallas taped the show and did reversal analysis.

On this tape she not only found out who the real killer was but also the names of two accomplices who assisted in the crime. She took this information to this independent group of people who relayed it to the Dallas DA, who immediately did an investigation and all the information checked out! This included the existence of a secret girlfriend of the real killer, who the authorities had not previously known to have existed, and whose name matched that found in reverse.

Other reversals uncovered other clues, and the entire case has been reopened solely as a result of RS. The group of businessmen then did a presentation of RS and the reversals found on this case to a consortium of top Dallas lawyers and law enforcement authorities – half of whom had already heard of RS from when I previously lived in Dallas. The District Attorney was so impressed with the results, he has said that he will present the findings in court when this case comes back on the circuit again.

This is when I was called in. I received a phone call recently and have been given all the tapes and case history for full analysis. Once my results have been prepared, and the results of the hobbyist in Dallas checked for accuracy by myself, they will call a press conference and tell the world. This should all happen in the coming months. This is just what we have been waiting for! A high profile case cracked open by RS with the full backing and support of the official law enforcement community!

The David Oates Reverse Speech Alliance (at dorsa2@webtv.net) links people together who want to learn about Reverse Speech. We are always open to new ideas which will help Reverse Speech grow as a technology. The only Reverse Speech Alliance Group (The Dorsa Chapter) is in Australia and is run by Michael Oates of Melbourne. If you would like to experience Reverse Speech for yourself, contact Michael on (03) 9762 7335 or email:oatesy@corplink.kom.au. You can also visit the web site, where you can listen to hundreds of reversals: www.reversespeech.com.

 

How to create your own Reverse Speech reversals

To make a reversal without any high-tech hi-fi equipment, a few things are needed…a tape recorder, a blank cassette and a pen. You can also use a pre-recorded tape of anything you like. Music with lyrics is fine, but it will be more difficult to understand. Firstly, after you’ve made the recording wind the tape back to the very beginning of side A. Now insert the pen into the right spool and wind the tape clock-wise onto this empty spool until all of the tape is on the spool. This can take 5-10 minutes, or if you’re in a real hurry, place the pen into an electric drill and wind it at high speed. Be careful when you approach the end of the tape. The last few feet should be done by manually winding it.

Once the tape is now wound onto the spool in the opposite direction, lay the cassette down, unscrew the case and remove the top half of the case. Being careful so as not to disturb the inner workings of the tape, pick up the spools (still keeping the same sides of the spools facing up) and switch them over to the other side of the cassette. Replace the tape on the tracking section as it was found. Reseal the cassette by screwing it back together. You now have a tape ready to be played in reverse. It is exactly the same as a cassette you would normally use.

This is not the best way to hear reversals because you’re actually playing the tape against the grain. Neither is it very good for the heads of the cassette player, but this method is okay for temporary use. After inserting the cassette and pushing the play button, you’ll hear a lot of gibberish. Do not expect to hear perfectly clear sentences. You’ll pick up words and sometimes small groups of words. Rewind these and play a couple of times until the words make more sense. To get your audio cassette back to normal, just reverse the above proceedure. Do not try this with video tapes, you’ll find it a very costly experiment.

 

This article was printed in Exposure Magazine Volume 5 Number 3 (AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 98) and is protected under copyright laws. Exposure Magazine is published by Contact Network International.

Backtalk – Volume 4, Issue 1

 

Click Image To View Larger Image

 

Here are the archived images of the Backtalk issue from April 1998. This issue contains early articles on Reverse Speech and an article about David’s house fire.

 

 

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Researching a metaphor: Jesus

Name: Michael Oates

Date: 16th April 2001

Assignment: BA – three

 

Researching a metaphor: Jesus

Jesus Christ is said to have healed many people in his days, performing Nemours miracles, driving out many demons and unclean spirits. It is also said that if everything that Jesus did was written down one by one the whole world could not hold the books that were written; John 21:25; Now there are many things that Jesus did. If they were all written down one by one, I suppose that the whole world could not hold the books that were written.

Some people know Jesus as the messiah, others the savior, some as the son of God and some would even call Jesus God himself, many of these expressions are found in the Reverse Speech dictionary.

Savior: (Structural) Meaning Imprecise; frequently refers to Jesus Christ, also to save, someone who saves. Trance image unknown

Messiah: (Structural) A savior; a rescuer; also refers to Jesus Christ, the messiah. Trance image; unknown

God: (Multi) see Heaven; wife, sex, universe, alpha; as it says the light of love residing within; the almighty intelligence of forever; God resides on the throne in the Holy of Hollies, or the central core region of the mind in heaven; the energy source of creation; the power that binds it all together; the forever picture that creates the images that form the metaphors that creates our world; with no marks of the beast or dysfunctional metaphors resident in the unconscious mind God could manifest and reside on earth; the marks severely hinder this process from occurring; reverse speech generally implies God as male and the human race as female; God is the creator, we are the creation and are seeking a union or sex with God; we are the brides of God and can become as if we were also God if we achieve perfect sex with him, married to him with total congruity of belief, conscious, unconscious and collective unconscious. References have also been found to god or gods in the plural form, maybe the very first pictures or metaphors. One reversal has been found that said, ” I was a god” Trance image; the light of love beyond the mists of heaven.

The main metaphor or research in this paper is Jesus and according to the reverse speech dictionary Jesus is said to be a spiritual guide a mentor; positive emotions; to heal. According to the bible he is much more than that. In the Other bible the gospel of Thomas Jesus said that he was guarding the earth as though he was protecting it, Jesus said ” I have cast fire upon the world, and see I am guarding it until it blazes.” In Revelation 1:17 it is said that Jesus is the first and the last what it says is this, ” I am the first and the last. I am the living one! I was dead but now I am alive forever and ever. I have authority over death and the world of the dead.” Jesus is the true vine as written in John 15:1:

“I am the real vine and my father is the gardener.” Jesus is also the way the truth and the life as it is written in John 14:6

“I am the way the truth and the life; no one goes to the father except by me”

These are just a few of many parables, which add to the definition of this metaphor found in the Reverse Speech dictionary.

Now for some parables which support the metaphor dictionary’s definition:

Jesus the historical figure: Jesus has had quite an impact on society, millions of churches all over the world preach the word of God and frequently discuss the faith of Christ in small groups and meetings. I myself have attended such meetings and have noted that some very interesting topics can be raised. Primary school teaches the faith of Christ it’s called R.I. which stands for religious instruction, even our dateing system is setup according to Jesus Christ’s life, hence b.c. before Christ

Not only is Jesus mentioned in the new testament but also in the old testament of the bible it is prophesized that a servant would die for our sins, it is also prophesized that Jesus would ride on a donkey, as he did when he came in to Jerusalem.

Zechariah 9:9 Look, your king is coming to you! He comes triumphant and victorious but humble and riding on a donkey.

Jesus, a spiritual guide: Jesus was, is and will be a spiritual guide for so many people, there are many examples in the bible were Jesus played the role of a teacher or a guide. There is one occasion that comes to mind when I think of Jesus telling a boy who he just healed to let the priests examine him plus another nine men but only one boy returned to say thanks to Jesus. Jesus told that boy that his faith had made him well. That story can be found in Luke 17:11 In this story Jesus played the role of a guide he told the men what to do in order in being healed and they obeyed him.

On one occasion I can remember a lady did not obey Jesus straight at one an answered back to Jesus, but Jesus told her to believe and she would see Gods glory, here is that story. John 11:39 “Take the stone away!” Jesus ordered. Martha, the dead man’s sister, answered, “There will be a bad smell, Lord. He has been buried four days!” 40 Jesus said to her “Didn’t I tell you that you would see Gods glory if you belived?”

: The Websters college dictionary’s, definition of a mentor is this: A wise loyal advisor a teacher or coach.

Jesus’ teachings and advise can be found through out the bible a good teaching that I have found use full can be found at Matthew 6:25-34 and in the other bible in the gospel of Thomas Jesus teaches his followers about the kingdom by saying who will enter it. Jesus saw infants being suckled, he said to his disciples ” These infants being suckled are like those who enter the kingdom”

Jesus a healer: The bible strongly supports Jesus’ healing abilities, there are many references that I could print but there would probably be too many

Overview: The other bible and the bible supports the metaphor dictionary’s definition plus adds more to Jesus’ character. As well as being a historical figure a spiritual guide a mentor and a healer he was also a prophet who for told the future. For example Jesus says in the other bible, the gospel of Thomas “I shall choose you out of a thousand and two out of ten thousand and they shall stand as a single one.”

 

 

Esotera Magazine

By Von Ulrich Meyerratken
in Esotera Magazine June 1997
Translated from the German by
Evan Galbraith and edited by Michael George

 

“A Nobel Prize-caliber discovery” is how those familiar with the research of David John Oates describe his work. The Australian has discovered something peculiar about our subconscious virtually unknown until now: when taped conversations are slowly played backwards, important and meaningful words and sentences appear, revealing unintended expressions of the sub-conscious, often revealing what the speaker really thinks and feels.”

 

Whenever we open our mouth to speak, we are allowing the thoughts of our subconscious to be spoken as well, and there’s nothing we can do about it. In the midst of our “normal” conversation arises a secondary voice, which is said to be the expression of our subconscious. It is best heard when conversations are taped and replayed backwards at lower speed. In between the normal gibberish we expect to hear arise meaningful words and even sentences. These words and sentences are thought to reveal what the person is really thinking and feeling at that time.

Normally these kinds of adventurous claims are received with a degree of disbelief. Do these kinds of phenomenon–for example, the psychological ink-blot tests–arise as a result of interpretation: one hears a message because one wants to hear it? Or is it simply a matter of pure coincidence?

Those same questions were asked by Australian David Oates who now lives in the United States. His 1984 book Reverse Speech discovered and explored these phenomenon. In order to counter prejudices from the beginning of his research, Oates defined clear, quality-characteristic criteria. In group research, Oates proved that most people who heard the messages of the subconscious from the same recordings were able to both hear and understand them. In addition, the researcher discovered that the frequency and clarity of these mysterious messages are dependent on the “style” of the voice of the person recorded. For example, the more emotional the person is whose voice is recorded, the more frequent and clear the “reverse” messages. In very emotional recordings, messages were heard as frequently as every three seconds, whereas normal conversations produced messages about every three minutes. In order to measure the clarity of the messages, a scale from one to five was used, where a grade of “one” represents messages that are ” barely noticeable and sound mechanized,” and a score of “five” is for “clear, distinct, soft and melodious” words.

Reverse Messages in Advertising

Oates’ research showed further that the reverse speech messages contain “commentary” about the normal, forward-spoken message, a result of what he calls an expression of the subconscious. These messages are said to be the thoughts and feelings of a deeper plane.

In the US, this phenomenon has produced quite a bit of interest. Oates has been invited more than a hundred times to appear as a guest on various radio and television interviews. Even the advertisers have gotten hold of the concept. The fast-food chain Taco Bell has recently printed on its placemats the following: “Be careful of what you say backwards.” A new toy on the market records a child’s speech and replays it in reverse. In Germany, McDonald’s recently aired commercials in which some garbled babble was heard in the background with an announcer interpreting: “This is what this sounds like backward: ‘Mmmm, that tastes good, people, eat the new…Burger.'”

In order to show that this whole reverse speech concept is not merely fantasy, Oates has begun to collect thousands of tape recorded transcripts for his Reverse Speech Education and Research Institute which he founded in California in 1994. There are many Americans already working in this field, and the occupation of Reverse Speech Analyst is now officially recognized in the U.S.

A critical examination of Oates’ research results by other scientists, however, is long overdue. Not in question specifically is the existence of reverse speech but rather the findings of the research and questions regarding the application of those findings. Specifically questioned is how the brain can produce both forward and reverse messages simultaneously. Scientists involved in research of the brain have known for years that forward-spoken messages are produced from the left hemisphere of the brain. Since reverse speech is being linked to the emotional state of the speaker and is said to represent emotional status, it is assumed that these messages would originate from the right hemisphere. In any case, this type of dual-hemisphere effort would be considered an unbelievable associative event, although it is thought to be capable based on the capacity of the brain, which is, theoretically, almost unlimited.

A Nobel Prize-Caliber Discovery

Larry Dosser, who is on the Committee of Internal Medicine in the U.S., and who is the famous author of the book Space, Time and Medicine, seemed to be quite influenced by one of Oates’ training courses: “This is a form of communication which lies entirely outside the conscious perception. When this theory is taken seriously–and I assume it will based on previous evidence–it will be considered a Nobel Prize-caliber discovery. It is quite rare that a really new, creative, and extremely important discovery is made in the field of human communication. Such discoveries are uncommon, usually only a few are found every century. Mister Oates’ findings seem to fall into this category.”

Dr. John Grinder, one of the co-developers of NLP, enthusiastically says the following regarding reverse speech: “The fact that we can learn to hear reverse speech and extract messages from it is revolutionary.” Merla McElroy, who is on the faculty of the Oklahoma State University Psychology Department, reported the following after studying reverse speech: “Reverse speech will become for clinical psychologists what computers became for statisticians. Although reverse speech will revolutionize contemporary communication, so far we have only seen the tip of the iceberg.”

Murderers Betray Themselves in Reverse Speech

The history of the discovery of reverse speech began with the deliberate insertion of messages into the recordings of rock musicians, which became known and “back masking.” Back then, a second sound track was laid over the original recording. When played under normal forward conditions, these second tracks were heard only as background noise or gibberish. There are vast examples of back masking found in the rock music industry but such recordings were even found in gospel music.

The Beatles were the first to employ this methods of recording. On the White Album, for example, many mysterious messages about Paul McCartney appeared. At the end of “I’m So Tired”, played backward one hears: “Paul is a dead man. Miss him, miss him. Miss him.” Or in the repeated phrase “number nine”: “Turn me on dead man, turn me on dead man.” It is assumed that such manipulations were carried out for marketing reasons. It is possible that they were recorded with the same purpose as the so-called “subliminals”: inaudible advertising messages which were allegedly placed in the subconscious minds of listeners in order to increase sales and revenues.

However, in addition to the intentional backward masking, Oates discovered simultaneous reverse messages in the rock music which were not manually inserted by means of a second track. The most famous example is that of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” written by lead guitarist Jimmy Page, a follower of the magician Aleister Crowley.

In the normal forward speed, the song talks about a lady who seeks the purpose of life and how to find the way to heaven. Played backwards, however, several reversals of meaning appear which include the word “Satan.” Led Zeppelin was denounced as “agents of Satan.” It was claimed that the musicians were influenced by Aleister Crowley’s book “Magick”, to insert messages in their songs about the “methods of Satan.” These suggestions were referred to by readers who found in the appendix of Crowley’s book a passage about certain technical issues. Crowley wrote: “He should constantly…listen to phonographic records backwards…talk backwards…read backwards…” (It is not mentioned, however, whether Crowley was aware of the existence of reverse speech.)

Another example of “satanic” rock music is the song “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC, which includes, among other messages: “Listen to me–I’m from hell–they killed me–I’m the law–my name is Lucifer–I saw Satan’s power–she belongs in hell–Lucifer lives–there is war in my head.” These aggressive reverse messages can possibly explain why this song was the favorite of mass-murderer Richard Ramirez, who connected his crimes with the occult and satanic direction.

Examples of these reproachful activities had become so common in the U.S. that authorities had to do something about it. In 1982, a bill was authored by the House of Representatives requesting labeling of such music but the bill was defeated in the Senate.

Today it is generally assumed that reverse message “backward masking” is done intentionally with the help of recording technicians. Through his research, however, Oates has discovered that this phenomenon can make its way into messages through natural processes. In the middle of his extensive research, Oates discovered that unintentional reverse speech appears in every human utterance.

Kati Meissner, who is the first non-American trained and authorized by Oates, introduced reverse speech to the German public a few months ago at a lecture in Munich. I got goose bumps as I heard for the first time examples of reverse speech. They sounded unbelievable, as if they came from another dimension. At the end of the lecture, the questions of the audience dealt with the possibility of abuse of reverse speech. It was concluded that the possibility of abuse cannot be excluded altogether but that the benefits of reverse speech far outweigh any possible negative ramifications. Since it is impossible to consciously control the sub-conscious, reverse speech can be best used to bring to light hidden truths instead of trying to conceal them.

Previous experiences seem to confirm that concept. Although the reverse speech methods are not officially recognized as an investigative tool, Oates was able to assist police several times by explaining the meaning of the testimony of criminals. In the first case in the late 1980’s as a part of a study, Oates taped a television interview of a man who was a suspect in the murder of his wife’s lover. During the interview the man declared his innocence. In playing the tape backward, however, the man unknowingly talked about the murder and of knowing where the murder weapon was hidden. One of his reverse messages included the following: “revenge, killing the lad.” Another mentioned “firearms in the cellar.” The murder weapon was found as a result of the reference and it turned out the son of the murderer had knowledge of the crime.

On the Internet site at http://www.reversespeech.com, one can hear actual examples of reverse speech that proved valuable to police in solving crimes. Some have to do with the sensational murder case of O.J. Simpson. Immediately after Simpson was found innocent, he participated in a one-hour interview with the cable channel BET which was reverse-analyzed by Oates. He found approximately 190 reverse speech messages. Here are two examples:

Revolution in Psychoanalysis and Therapy

The reporter said: “White Americans believe that you are guilty.” Simpson responded (in forward speech): “Perhaps there are many people out there who feel that way.” The reverse message is understood as “Al was against the crime.” (Al is a friend of Simpson’s.) In another example, in the original forward version: “I think I’m ahead of the game; I think that if all American families were like mine…” The reverse: “The law will forgive criminals.”

In order that I might more personally experience and graphically understand this reverse speech, Kati Meissner volunteered to meet with me individually after our first meeting at her lecture. It began by taping a casual get together with my wife and our son Laurin, who was just beginning to formulate words. In the days that followed, Kati analyzed the hour-long recording, which meant many hours of concentrated effort on her part. The results were documented both on tape as well as on written transcripts. The forward-spoken content followed the reverse messages so that we could easily refer to the related messages.

The reverse messages were heard in varying degrees of clarity, even for my untrained ears. The clearest of them were audible the first time we listened. Here are some examples of some of the things that were “spoken” in reverse. Little Laurin babbled in forward mostly non-discernible sounds, but in the reverse he was heard to articulate “Mommy.” In forward Laurin cried; in reverse speech he cries out “Help.” My wife asked him: “Should we put on your diaper?” He answered in forward: “Diaper on,” which was heard in reverse to say, “Who will hold me?”

The fact that Laurin could speak words in reverse speech which he seems not yet able to understand in forward speech, falls in line with the results Oates obtained while conducting experiments of reverse speech with his own children. With his children, the experiments began with kids as young as four months, who in normal speech only spoke gibberish but were heard in reverse speech to clearly voice words such as “Mommy,” “Daddy,” “hungry,” or “help.”

Oates has developed a specific questionnaire process to be used in therapy situations. The clients discuss their problems for a period of about 30 minutes. The conversation is recorded and later analyzed in reverse speech. From the recordings he gets an introduction to the subconscious behavioral patterns of the person recorded. The results are discussed with the client, a process which can sometimes be quite painful for them. Oates says: “Sometimes it’s very hard to look in the mirror.”

The final process involves the compilation of a tape called the “Pre-trance Tape,” in which Oates confronts the reverse messages found in the tape with specific questions and possible solutions. It is assumed that the sub-conscious knows right from wrong. By means of the instructions found in the reverse messages, Oates sends the clients on three or four metamorphic “trips” in an effort to therapeutically work through their problems.

Unity of Forward and Reverse Speech

An important sign of a healthy personality is the concurrence of forward and reverse speech. With the growing visibility of one’s “dark side,” one is able to become aware of one’s potential and is able to then get both voices going in the same direction. Concurrence here means that the speaker actually says what he means and means what he says. The theory says that such a person will be considered to be in “harmony” because the reverse is sending the same message as the intended forward message.

Of course, police investigations and psychological analysis are not the only fields that stand to be enriched by reverse speech. The possibilities of its application are many-fold. For example, the prospect of hearing what politicians are actually thinking when they give nomination speeches. The old Indian proverb of the “forked tongue” has possibly regained a new respect from an unlikely source.