Hypnopedia In Brave New World

Hypnopedia is the idea of sleep teaching or sleep learning. In Brave New World the controllers tested a boy named Reuben hoping that he would gain knowledge but were amazed when they saw the results. Reuben was able to repeat the same word but not able to say the meaning of it. The controllers used hypnopedia on babies to introduce them to class distinctions and teach them moral education. The purpose of hypnopedia was to implant words or thoughts into their minds like a brainwash. Hypnopedia is being overlooked, many people consider hypnopedia to be more as a tool to improve themselves. In Brave New World hypnopedia was used to help people learn in a different manner.

Conditioning or training, was the process controllers took on the people,

hypnopedia was another way to do this. “Alpha children wear grey. They work much harder than we do, because they’re so frightfully clever. I’m really awfully glad I’m a Beta, because I don’t work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas are stupid. Oh no, I don’t want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. They’re too stupid to be able…”. (Brave New World Ch.2) Hypnopedia was not useful when it came to actually learning but was used for moral training. Conditioning was the main idea of the world they lived in.
Studies show that hypnopedia did have some effect on the brain stimulating it. In BNW there were many lessons given to babies and children about sex while they were asleep, a voice would speak to them and whisper words concerning sex and consciousness. Studies have been made concerning hypnopedia, as to if it works or doesn't work. In late 1920’s, when the psycho-phone was invented and was used. Saliger, the inventor of the psyco-phone, had said that sleep teaching was like hypnotizing, and that the mind is more receptive to suggestions. (BNW Ch.2) If hypnotizing makes it possible to manage the minds of people while being awake, it should be very possible to do while they are asleep.
Researches today find it impossible to be sleep taught, yet some researchers say that they are wrong. It was said that hypnopedia could be used to treat psychological traumas, or expand our knowledge. In fact some researchers said there was of group a boys with bad nail biting problems who were put to sleep and had a psyco-phone repeat that their nails tasted bad. The procedure was done only twice till they were able to overcome their vice. Hypnopedia helped these boys, it may, in the future help treat other issues.
When hypnopedia failed to ensure knowledge into the boy Reuben, the world controllers decided to use it instead as a brainwash.

Repeating words to someone as they sleep perhaps doesn't make them learn much but it makes them believe what they hear. Just as the group of boys suddenly stopped biting their nails, proves how it worked as a therapy. Hypnopedia helped changed the beliefs of people and create a perfect world with acceptance in Brave New World. In our world hypnopedia could help us have more time to ourselves in the daytime but could affect how we live.

Sleep-learning has been thought to help people with traumatic problems such as anger, depression, or bad memories. Many people could take advantage of hypnopedia to relax the stress by listening to music or words that are healing to the ear.

Learning in this manner has not yet been proven to affect the brain or nervous system but the thought of making someone think differently, as the Controllers did in BNW with many babies, can be frightening. The D.H.C said hypnopedia was a great way to embed thoughts into their memories. Making the babies hear the voice repeat words about why they should love their life and accept it, created the perfect world the people lived in. (BNW Ch.2) The Director also explained that hypnopedia could not be used to teach something they have never been exposed to because it would never be rational. (BNW

Ch.2)
Babies in Brave New World are conditioned by hypnopedia or sleep-teaching. They are expected to remember words that are presented to them with a psycho-phone. The babies hear words such as “everyone belongs to everyone else” and sexual procedures. Controllers from Brave New World expect the babies to memorize the words and follow them. Hypnopedia should be studied more and enforced to people that need help but not be used like the controllers used it in BNW.