The Silva Method Man: Timothy Brunette Tunes in to his Psychic Side

Dec. 25, 2002

Timothy Brunette first learned that he was psychic when he was still a youth in the Boy Scouts.
“I went away to Boy Scout summer camp and called home to talk to my girlfriend,“ he recalls. “Her mother answered the phone and I viewed the house in my mind and saw that my girlfriend wasn‘t home, so I didn‘t ask for her. I just knew she wasn‘t at home.“
Brunette, 47, an insurance adjuster from Suttons Bay who also works for the federal FEMA disaster relief agency, said he had experienced what psychics call “remote viewing,“ which makes it possible to peer into distant locations.
He believes he was a natural psychic by the age of 14 or so, a gift which grew in power during his teens. “When I was 17, I could view into other person‘s homes, and I thought it was so powerful that I didn‘t want to do it,“ he says.
That was the same year -- 1972 -- that he was introduced to the Silva Method, a way of developing the powers of the mind.
Originally called Silva Mind Control (a name dropped for its creepy connotations), the Silva Method and a field called “psychorientology“ were created by an electronics repairman named Jose Silva in 1944. A blend of positive thinking combined with biofeedback devices, the Method purports to unlock human potentials, such as clairvoyance and enhanced intuition, in addition to relieving stress-related illnesses, including depression, colitis, insomnia and heart disease. Today, the Method is taught in 29 languages and over 100 countries.
Admirers, who include the likes of Deepak Chopra and Shakti Gawain, have lauded Silva as a visionary. Detractors, such as Robert Todd Carroll, author of The Skeptic‘s Dictionary, consider him a pseudoscientist, but admit that the Method seems to have made some of its devotees happy. “Some claim their backhand in tennis has improved, others claim they were able to quit smoking or lose weight because of the Silva method,“ notes the Skeptic‘s Dictionary. “Still other say that they are happier and healthier than they‘ve ever been, thanks to the Silva Method.“

BRAIN POWER
Brunette is one of the satisfied customers, and is hosting a two-day seminar in the Silva Method in the Traverse City area, Feb. 15-16, with angel therapy practitioner Pamela Vencill-Broland leading a group limited to 25.
He says the Method helps bring out the best in both hemispheres of the brain, including the nuts & bolts practical stuff of the left hemisphere and the creative/intuitional talents of the right hemisphere. As in other biofeedback, stress control and meditation programs, this is done by encouraging a soothing alpha wave pattern in the brain.
The theory behind the Silva Method is similar to that of a belief in the power of prayer and Eastern ideas of positive thinking as a way to influence life.
“The Method offers stress relief and a chance to manifest whatever you‘d like to have happen in your life,“ Brunette says. “It can help make your goals come true. It also builds intuition and how to trust your hunches. You learn how to hear your voice within.“
He also notes that the Silva Method, “teaches you how to get information from a higher intelligence, although they don‘t put names on it.“

JUST LOOKING
Brunette says he‘s currently getting back to using the Silva Method after a lapse of some years in an attempt to get more in touch with the spiritual side of life.
He notes that it‘s not that difficult for him to practice remote viewing. He goes to a certain level in his mind, softens his gaze, and views other locations on a mental screen.
He and other practitioners of the Method also claim to see or feel the presence of the dead. During one session, a woman described seeing Brunette‘s deceased father standing next to him. Brunette has also been in touch with an old scuba diving friend from the Detroit area who drowned during a diving accident.
“They‘re not ghosts, they‘re spirits on the other side,“ he says. “A ghost is someone who‘s not fully passed over. They‘re stuck in this realm somewhat and haven‘t passed over to the light.“
Contacting the dead, developing psychic intuition and making dreams come true aren‘t unusual experiences for persons who practice the Silva Method, because it ties together other lines of thought in parapsychology. The power of prayer, for instance, has been proven in double-blind studies with focused thoughts affecting the contents of petrie dishes, Brunette says.
Getting in touch with your spiritual side doesn‘t come cheap, however. The fee for the upcoming seminar is $450 ($395 if registered before Jan. 4). For information or to register, call Brunette at 800-428-0233.