I think too that silence can cause confusion. I recall my covert hypnotizer used to stop in the middle of a sentence and there would be dead silence and I would be left expecting the conclusion of the sentence. It’s like a mini nested loop, is that right?
Corboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Silences and prolonged gazing.
>
> Someone has analyzed how these are used by John de
> Ruiter, a different guru.
>
> [sites.ualberta.ca]
>
>
> and
>
>
Corboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Silences and prolonged gazing.
>
> Someone has analyzed how these are used by John de
> Ruiter, a different guru.
>
> [sites.ualberta.ca]
>
>
>Quote
The third function of de Ruiter's silence
> is that it accelerates the formation of intimate
> bonds between de Ruiter and his followers,
> especially when he combines it with extended eye
> contact. Joosse added that many of de Ruiter's
> followers, a good number of whom are middle-aged
> females, see de Ruiter as possessing "a mysterious
> aura".
>
> In his article, Joosse wrote, "Silence is
> inappropriate on a first date or at a gathering of
> previously unacquainted people... (But) the
> cultivation of silence by the de Ruiter group
> permits a type of interaction that is usually
> exclusive to new lovers - deep, silent gazing into
> one another's eyes. Strangers to de Ruiter find
> themselves locked in an intimate gaze, and it is
> not surprising that (they) confuse the act that
> usually accompanies intimacy with actual
> intimacy."
>
> Joosse believes that de Ruiter, by keeping his
> mouth shut, has found an easily replicable method
> that works on a number of levels to captivate his
> followers.
>
> "When people follow a charismatic leader, the
> existence of the group depends upon the continued
> belief that their leader is somehow extraordinary
> or even superhuman," Joosse said. "Therefore, the
> leader must continually prove himself to his
> followers, and de Ruiter is able to achieve this
> simply by remaining silent."
> and
>
>
Quote
Joosse believes de Ruiter's silence allows
> his followers to project their own "highly
> personalized" meaning into the answers they
> receive from him. Joosse noted that de Ruiter's
> followers often have a history of participation in
> various alternative religious movements before
> they settle into the de Ruiter group and are
> therefore more likely than most to find meaning in
> the vague messages that de Ruiter is known to
> express.