A BRIEF HISTORY OF REVERSE SPEECH
For those readers who are new to this entire Reverse Speech
phenomena, here is a brief history of its discovery and growth over
the years.
Like all new discoveries in the history of humanity, the growth and
realization of Reverse Speech has been a gradual process. It first
began back in the late sixties when The Beatles placed hidden
backward messages onto some of their albums hinting that Paul
McCartney died.
Excited teenagers around the world began to play records backwards
to find these messages. Before too long other backward messages were
found that had not been placed deliberately but occurred as a result
of a reversal of the sounds of speech.
The scene was set. A fad started and it wasn't too long before many
other people claimed to be finding reversed messages (or Backward
Masking) in recordings.
These included TV technicians, sound men AND religious
fundamentalists. With no explanation for these messages, most wrote
it off as either imagination or too 'weird' to spend any time on it.
But not the fundamentalists.
They claimed it was the work of the devil possessing the musicians
and manipulating their voices so that subliminal messages could be
placed onto rock and roll records so that youth of our society could
be 'programmed' into the devil's way of thinking.
They had a field day for a while, conducting crusades against the
devil's music together with record burning parties and hate books
against the entire rock and roll industry.
In 1982, their cries reached the US senate and The United States
House Of Representatives passed 'House Resolution 6363', a bill
introduced by Robert K. Dornan that called for all records suspected
of containing Backward Masking to have a warning placed on the front
cover of the album.
Then in November 1983 some bloke from Australia dropped a tape
player in a toilet bowl. This useless piece of machinery, which now
played only backwards was promptly thrown in a junk box and
forgotten about.
A few months later this bloke (David Oates) was running a halfway
house for street kids when one of the youth asked him what he
thought about "all these Satanic messages" on rock and roll.
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Being somewhat of an electronics buff with a keen interest in the
unknown, David retrieved his broken down tape player and began
experimenting.
It wasn't too long that he realized that there really was something
there. He ran numerous electronic tests and discovered that the
messages did actually exist and it could be proven electronically
that they did.
His curiosity was aroused and over the next two years playing tape
recordings backwards became quite a fervent hobby for him. He found
numerous reversed messages across a wide cross section of
recordings, ranging from songs to advertisements to political
speeches to normal conversations.
In 1987 he was joined by his life long friend Greg Albrecht and for
the first few months of '87 they worked furiously to try and unravel
this mystery.
They came up with the theory of "Reverse Speech" and isolated many
common patterns to this strange new phenomena, at the same time
compiling a book "Beyond Backward Masking". Then in November '87,
their book all ready, they officially announced to the Australian
public that they had discovered another form of human communication
or "The Seventh Sense".
Media interest was intense and their work was featured on numerous
current affair TV programs, magazines and radio broadcasts.
But it was not all an easy road. They were either met with ridicule
or "Who cares" attitudes. It became obvious to both of them that if
Reverse Speech was ever going to be accepted then a lot of hard work
was in front of them.
At that stage Greg Albrecht pulled out of the research, his own
career beginning to suffer, and David continued alone with a fervent
zeal to understand Reverse Speech more and to have their findings
accepted and recognized.
Things moved fairly rapidly from there. EEG testing indicated that
the brain responded to, and understood, reversed messages. Reverse
Speech was used successfully by the Australian police force to solve
a crime.
Well known American linguist and co-founder of the Neuro-Linguistic-
Programming (NLP) techniques, Dr. John Grinder, endorsed their
findings at a conference in Sydney and David was offered a job in
Brisbane to use Reverse Speech in a therapeutic situation. He
accepted this and began to experiment with Reverse Speech even more,
refining procedures and theories, and collecting massive amounts of
information that supported the hypothesis of Reverse Speech.
In 1989, the first official research institute for Reverse Speech
was formed (in association with Martin Stiles and John Suess), David
was approved for a research grant and the train kept on moving. He
began to lecture on the topic extensively across Australia,
conducting training and instigating further research programs.
In June 1989, he applied for trademarks, patents and intellectual
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property rights for Reverse Speech and travelled to the United
States to lecture on Reverse Speech there. The reception he received
was overwhelming and, as a result, he moved to Dallas, Texas in
August 1989 to conduct training, lectures and prepare Reverse Speech
for its launch onto the world scene.
Now, in March 1990, after many frustrating months, Reverse Speech is
prepared and all ready to go. David has established an international
organization for the public dissemination of information and set
strict research standards for its location and analysis.
Reverse Speech is on the launching pad, the countdown has started,
the spectators are in position and the world waits.
What will happen? History will tell the tale.
Reverse Speech is about to see life.
SOME COMMENTS ON REVERSE SPEECH
Newsletter for the Australian NLP Society (Dec. '87):
"...This may turn out to be discovery that could turn our
knowledge of languages, and how the mind works with language,
into a world shaker!"
*** *** ***
People Magazine (2/1/88):
"They can prove they have discovered the seventh sense - a way
to read people's minds ... It's a totally new area and there
are no experts, but the influence of this discovery could be
enormous."
*** *** ***
Brisbane Sun (March '89):
"he makes serious claims to support his theory ... a pioneer in
linguistic theory ... anyone prone to criticism of the Reverse
Speech theory would be advised not to have their comments
recorded."
*** *** ***
Dallas Times Herald - USA (June '89):
"As Oates played some famous speeches you could hear audible
gasps of recognition in the audience ... Think of the fun
journalists will have next time a politician says read my
lips."
*** *** ***
"I believe that his work is of the highest importance -
breaking entirely new ground and with significant implications
for the way we understand and utilize our human capacities for
communication ... David is single minded and relentless in his
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pursuit of the field he has developed."
Dr. Timothy Pascoe PhD (Cantab.), M.B.A. (Harvard), B.E., B.Ec.
*** *** ***
"In September 1989, I began a study of reverse speech under
the direction of Mr. David Oates ... Using Reverse Speech as
a tool to allow the client to communicate with self can
significantly reduce the length of client therapy time ...
Reverse Speech is a major breakthrough in communication ."
Dr. Merle McElroy PhD (Southeastern Oklahoma State University)
*** *** ***
"David Oates brought his genius, skill and determination,
displayed in his pursuit and development of Reverse Speech,
to his therapeutic work. With his unique investigative tool,
David is able to engage the therapeutic patient very rapidly
and intensely. This can produce rapid change quickly, even in
chronic situations."
John Suess (Founder of Myndslink, Hypnotist # 4, NLP Trainer)
*** *** ***
"I refer to your request for advice on legal implications of
reverse speech. I have heard your tapes and am personally
satisfied that it does clearly exist ... It would seem quite
clear that it is open to the police to use tapes to search
for reverse communication which may help them with their
investigations ... It seems it would have significance to
finding out information of a sensitive political, military or
industrial nature ... I think it is such a can of worms that
it will be dutifully ignored by all and sundry with a desire
that you will just go away and hide the research."
James Rossiter LL.B, B.A., G.D.L.P., Dip.Ed.
*** *** ***
"Your interpretations of the reverse speech found on the
television interview with a high ranking corruption suspect
have paid off ... Armed with this information the
investigative team was able to identify a geographical
location to investigate. They found substantial real estate
property belonging to the suspect which he had earlier denied
owning ... Congratulations David it works."
Michael Wearing (Unison International)
*** *** ***
"David is at this point entirely satisfied that he has many,
many examples to demonstrate the phenomena ... The notion
that language can carry extra secondary and tertiary messages
as well as the overt manifest content is well know to many of
you who have studied the works of Dr. Erickson, where double
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and triple messages are the standard practise in such a
device."
Dr. John Grinder (At the Sydney NLP convention June 1988)
*** *** ***
"The interest in reverse communication has been growing and
it is fast becoming known internationally. To this affect I
have invited David to present his work at the International
Experiential Psychotherapy Conference to be held in Germany
in 1990."
Yaro Starak (University of Queensland) BA, BSocWk, MSW, AdvDipSW
*** *** ***
for more information, two groups are available
The Society for Reversed Communication Research (Australia)
The Reverse Speech Education and Research Institute (USA)
"Backtalk" is the Reverse Speech newsletter and is available for $26
per year.
You may contact others interested in the study of Reverse Speech by
writing to :
The Editor "Backtalk"
PO BOX 181862
Dallas, TX 75218-9998
USA
or call (214) 324-3216
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