How To Get the RIGHT ANSWER...

Instead of Just "Wishful Thinking:"

A Pendulum Workshop

by James Vinson Wingo

It’s frustrating to work with the pendulum, and the number one complaint I hear about
pendulum work can be summarized in one sentence: “I don’t get the right answer, I get what I
want to hear.”

What if there is a way to test and make sure you’re getting the right answer time and time
again. Would that build your psychic self-confidence? Would that improve your Huna work
10%... maybe 50%.. or maybe even 100%?

Of course it will.

And the way to get the right answer is to train yourself through a series of repeated discrete
trials with clear, immediate feedback and clear reinforcement for success.

After you’ve gone through the simple exercises I’m going to teach you later in this article,
you will have the ability to not only get simple yes/no questions right, you can pick the right
route to work or play, pick the right restaurant, and find the real complex, the limiting belief
that was holding you back from manifesting your ideal life.

Think about it!

And once you learn this simple 3-step format you can use the same principles to teach
anything to anybody. Teach your kids complex tasks, train your dog, co-workers... whatever.

This article is presented as a pendulum workshop, but this format is not limited to pendulum.
You can “get a feeling,” use visualization at alpha, inner dialogue, or any method you prefer.
I’m using the pendulum because it is a good tool for getting yes/no answers.

You have to learn to walk before you can run. You have to have the rudiments, the foundation
skills before working on more complex tasks. We’ll start with simple yes/no questions,
because they are the foundation for getting the right answer in your pendulum work.

{Rule #1: Behavior which is rewarded will increase. So reward only that behavior you want
more of.

This rule is the essential secret of success! Remember, the Basic Self has approximately the
developmental level of a 6-year-old. Imagine you have a 6-year-old who is spilling milk every
time he pours it. This behavior is as unproductive as a Basic Self who gives you whatever
answer it thinks you want... it just creates more work, right?

How would you teach the 6-year-old to pour milk without spilling it?
What would happen if you punished the child every time he spilled milk? Likely he’d stop
pouring milk altogether. Now, imagine a different scenario.

How much more likely would a clean pour be if you reacted neutrally (in other words,
showing no emotion, but requiring clean-up) to spills and rewarded clean, accurate pouring?

Before long, you’d have one top-notch milk pourer.

That’s how they train dolphins to jump over high bars suspended several feet in the air! They
begin simply by placing the bar at the bottom of the pool and rewarding the dolphin every
time it swims over the bar. Next they raise the bar so that the dolphin can swim under it. If it
swims under the bar, nothing happens. If it swims over the bar, it gets a fish!

They keep raising the bar periodically until it is right at the surface and the dolphin has to
jump out of the water to get a reward. Before too long the dolphin is jumping over the bar
several feet above the water.

What would happen if at any point in the raising of the bar you punished the dolphin for going
under the bar? You guessed it... the dolphin would most likely avoid the bar altogether!

How does this apply to pendulum work?

Guess what happens when you get upset, criticize yourself, or say negative things when you
get a wrong answer with the pendulum! The whole system breaks down!

That is why we use REWARD ONLY!

Go back and read Rule #1.

I’ll wait...

OK.

Error-Free Learning

The dolphin comparison also illustrates how we will proceed. We start with Error-Free
Learning, which means you can’t do it wrong!

When the bar is at the bottom of the pool, the dolphin can only swim over it... it can only do
the right thing!

That’s the good news!

We’re going to set up Error-Free Learning for you and your Basic Self, and we’re going to
make it even easier on you than on the dolphin with the bar on the bottom of the pool.
Here’s How

We will use the discrete trial format. That’s the series of repeated trials with clear, immediate
feedback and clear reinforcement for success mentioned earlier.

Lets start with the most basic trial. Here’s Exercise 1:

Place an object (like a key) in a box.

2Take out your pendulum and ask, “Is the object (key) in the box?”

Now, from our perspective one of only two things will happen. You will either (1) get a “yes”
answer or (2) not.

If you get a “no,” that’s a #2. If nothing happens, that’s a #2. If anything other than #1
happens, it’s #2... it’s a “not.”

By the way, if you skip this exercise, then you’ve blown the whole thing and there’s no point
in going any further!!! If you decide to move on to more “advanced” stuff, then don’t come
complaining to me when you get wrong answers. OK, ‘nuff said.

How You React to The Answer Will Determine Your Success in Life!

If you get a “yes” in this first exercise, then whoop, holler, jump up and down, dance,
celebrate, throw confetti, etc. Reward your Basic Self for giving you the right answer!

Even with such an obvious set-up you may still get the response we will call “not yes.” You
might be surprised how many people get “not yes” on this exercise!

If you get “not yes” then immediately move the pendulum in the “yes” direction yourself and
then reward your Basic Self as if it had given you the right answer!

That’s Error-Free Learning! The Basic Self knows exactly what it’s supposed to do and it
links pleasure to giving the right answer.

You also have the simple 3-step discrete trial process outline.

Sd ® Sr ® F

Yes, it’s just that simple.

Sd=Stimulus Directive. You have a stimulus (in this case a box with a key in it) and you give
the subject (in this case the Basic Self) a direction on what to do with the stimulus (in this
case a question, “Is the key in the box?”).

Sr=Stimulus Response. The subject responds to the Sd (in this case “yes” or not “yes”).

F=Feedback. The operator (that’s you) provides immediate feedback. In the above exercise
this was either reward, or a correction and subsequent reward.

Repetition

The way to success is to train yourself through a series of repeated discrete trials with clear,
immediate feedback and clear reinforcement for success.

The exercise must be done in multiple sittings. A sitting is a series of 4-7 (not more than 11)
trials on average. You should stay with Exercise 1 (and all further exercises) until you get
90% accuracy or higher in two consecutive sittings.

Let me explain. Let’s say you set aside just 20 minutes to work on this each day. You would
start by doing a sitting (4-7 discrete trials) and then leave the table or desk at which you are
working and go do something else (preferably something fun) for 2 minutes. Then you go
back and do another sitting, then go look at a painting (or whatever rewarding activity you
choose) for 2 minutes, then do a sitting, etc. etc. etc. until the time is up.

This also sets up a positive, reinforcing association with doing sittings because you know that
even if you don’t get the target behavior— the target Sr (in Exercise 1 this is the “yes”
response), your Basic Self (and you) are still rewarded just for trying, just for sticking it out.

That’s also why you should not do more than 11 trials in a sitting, because it can be punitive.
Remember this has to be fun and rewarding.

Now, back to the requirement of 90% or higher across two consecutive sittings. That’s our
Mastery Criteria, which means that’s the level at which you must perform before moving on
to the next step?

What happens if you move on without meeting the Mastery Criteria? I just can’t bear to tell
you.

Scoring

Yes, you need to keep a record of each response for each sitting. That way you can keep track
of your progress, and if you constantly compare current level to your past level (rather than
your ideal level) you will make progress and the record (the evidence) of your progress can
keep you motivated.
So, here’s how you can keep score. Let’s say you’re doing a sitting and you get the right
answer 4 out of 5 trials. That gives you an 80% for that sitting. 4 out of 4 is 100%, 9 out of
10 is 90%. If you send $19 for The Pendulum Success Kit, it includes a chart of all the
percentages for up to 11 trials. Otherwise use a calculator so you can do this quickly!

Once you have achieved 90% or higher in two consecutive sittings, we can pretty much rule
out “chance,” and it’s time to move on.

Exercise 2

Now that you’ve met the Mastery Criteria for Exercise 1 (you have haven’t you?) we will
“raise the bar” by increasing the difficulty level ever so slightly.

For this exercise we will introduce a distracter, which will be an empty box.

This time use two identical boxes and place the object (key) in one box.

2Place both boxes on your working surface.

3Take out your pendulum, hold it over the box with the object inside, and ask, “Is the object
(key) in this box?”

Again our target is a “yes” answer for the right box. Just like Exercise 1, you already know
which box has the object. Remember, from our perspective one of only two things will
happen. You will either (1) get a “yes” answer over the right box or (2) not.

{Sd = “Is the object in this box?”

{Sr = “yes” or not “yes”

{F = Reward or Prompt then Reward

The Prompt is your “giving” the Basic Self the right answer. By now your Basic Self should
have an idea of what you want and will require fewer and less intrusive prompts.

How to Prompt

There are multiple levels of prompting, and because our ultimate goal is for the Basic Self to
provide the right answer, it is necessary to fade your prompting. You don’t want the Basic
Self to become Prompt-dependent.

In Exercise 1 you used a full physical prompt, in other words, if you didn’t get the right
answer, you moved the pendulum yourself. To fade the prompt you want to begin giving
yourself 3 to 5 seconds for a response (don’t go any longer or you may actually be rewarding
indecision).
The other thing to do is give the pendulum less of a “push.” Just barely move the pendulum
correctly and let the Basic Self take over.

Remember to always reward even fully prompted responses. Now that you and your Basic
Self are more skilled you can also give more meaningful feedback. That means you reward a
correct response the most, reward a correct response with a faded prompt less, and reward a
correct response with full physical prompt the least.

Other meaningful feedback you can give is to say exactly what behavior you are rewarding. A
good example is, “I like the way you gave me the right answer.”

More on Reward

Just as you don’t want the Basic Self to become prompt-dependent, you want the Basic Self to
become self-rewarding. Eventually the joy of getting the right answer will be reward enough
because it feels so good!

Then you can use your major reward when you acquire and master new skill levels. That
keeps you moving along.

It’s also important to vary the reward to keep it reinforcing. If you use the same ice cream as a
reward every time, the Basic Self will probably get bored with it after numerous trials, and it
will no longer be motivating. Likewise, if you say, “Good Job” every single time, it will lose
its meaning. The Pendulum Success Kit contains a list of 100 ways to say “Good Job.”

Sit down and brainstorm for 15 minutes how many ways you can tell someone (yourself)
what a great job you’re doing.

Mastery Criteria

Again, for Exercise 2, you do multiple sittings over a specific time period. 15 minutes should
be minimum, but don’t go over 45 minutes of sittings because it can get tedious and become
detrimental to your training program. Your brain needs to rest after 45 minutes of such intense
training, study, etc.

The Mastery Criteria must be met (90% over two consecutive sittings) before you proceed to
higher levels of complexity.

Expanding the Target Response

Now go back and do Exercise 1 and 2 using “no” as the target response. To keep accurate
records as required for success, you will need to chart your Target and Exercise. So charting
your 17th sitting of Exercise 1 as just explained (with “yes” as the target response), when the
Basic Self got the right answer un-prompted in 3 out of 6 trials, you could chart:

“Yes” Ex 1 Sitting 17 = 50%

Your 4th sitting of Exercise 2 with “yes” as the target response with 4 out of 5 correct could
chart:

“Yes” Ex 2 Sitting 4 = 80%

And your 1st sitting of Exercise 1 with “no” as the target response with 7 out of 9 correct
could chart:

“No” Ex 1 Sitting 1 = 78%

Or let the kit do most of this work for you. Charting lets you track your progress and it
provides proof, objective data for anyone, especially yourself as evidence that this really is
working!

OK.

So you go through Exercise 1 and 2 for “yes,” then 1 and 2 for ”no,“ meeting the Mastery
Criteria each step of the way.

Now you’re ready for Exercise 3.

Exercise 3 is set up just like Exercise 2. You have the two identical boxes with the object
(key) in one box, both boxes on your working surface. We increase the complexity by
expanding the target. Now you take out your pendulum, hold it over each box, and ask, “Is the
object (key) in this box?”

In Exercise 3 you are expecting both “yes” and “no” responses. You know where the object
is, and you are rewarding correct responses or ignoring incorrect responses, then prompting
the correct response.

By now you should recognize a pattern of how we are building success upon success, using
Error-Free Learning so the Basic Self gets the right answer every time.

Next we’re going to move to our first step of actual psychic or dowsing ability by removing
the element of knowing where the object is ahead of time. It is absolutely essential that you
lay the groundwork by completing up to and including Exercise 3 (meeting the Mastery
Criteria every step of the way) before taking this step.

The Next Step

In Exercise 4 we increase the complexity to a new level. Now you don’t know which box has
the object in it.
There are two good ways to accomplish this. The best way is for those of you fortunate
enough to have a friend, spouse, family member, or some other loved one to help you...
preferably someone who is training himself.

Your companion becomes the operator. He sets the boxes up on the working surface so that
you don’t know which one has the object, but he does. That way the operator can provide
immediate feedback. The more immediate the feedback, the more effective it is, the more
powerful the neuro-association of pleasure to correctly discerning the right answer!

Or you can confuse yourself!

You can probably think of several ways to do this on your own. I recommend putting the
boxes in to a larger box or container so that you can shake it up, mix them up, and then dump
them onto the working surface with no way of determining which one’s which without
opening one of them.

That way, when you do Exercise 4, all you have to do is open the box and you’ll have your
feedback!

Either way, Exercise 4 is very simple, and you will, having mastered all the preceding steps,
probably be surprised at the results you’re getting.

Exercise 4

Here’s the detailed outline for how to proceed with Exercise 4.

Take two identical boxes and place an object in one, leaving the other empty.

2Place both boxes on the working surface. There should be no way of distinguishing which is
which without opening a box.

3Take out your pendulum, hold it over either box, and ask, “Is the object (key) in this box?”

Prompting is going to work a little differently with this exercise. Again it’s easier if you have
a partner, because as the operator, your partner can nod, shake his head, or just look at the box
with the object in it to subtly prompt your Basic Self to the right answer.

The operator has to be very aware of any subtle prompts he may be giving, and remember
prompting must be faded as quickly as possible to allow your Basic Self to work
independently.

If you’re working independently you’ll have to look in the box, pick it up, or some other way
of getting feedback as quickly as possible.
Make your celebration of the correct response the granddaddy of them all. Champagne,
fireworks, dancing poodles, parades, marching bands, balloons, clowns, and puppet shows are
all in order. Let your Basic Self know what a wonderful and amazing thing it has done!

As soon as you’re topping 50%, you’re beating the odds. And once you have 90% or above
over two consecutive sittings... you absolutely know what you are capable of doing. The sky’s
the limit.

Congratulations!

After you’ve mastered this basic program, see how many other ways you can use it. Set up
your own series of Exercises 1-4 for one of the following items.

{Discern the difference between solid gold and plating the next time you’re at the flee market.

{Find water or oil underground.

{Where did you put the key to the shed?

{Which road should you take to the store?

{Is this food spoiled?

{Determine the quality of wine without opening the bottle.

Now you may have already figured out how this same 3-step process can literally be used to
teach anything to anybody. All you need to do is break down a task into its essential steps,
teach how to distinguish the target behavior from everything else, reward all correct behavior
as you move toward the ultimate destination.

Now you can move to getting real answers away from the discrete trial working area with
complete confidence, because you removed all doubt, and you know the difference between
the right answer and “just getting what you want to hear.”

“You’re Awesome!”

—Vince

Discrete Trial Flowchart

Step Example

Sd “Is the key in this box?”

Sr “yes” or “no”

F it is/it isn’t it is/it isn’t

¯ ¯ ¯ ¯

Reward ¯ ¯ ¯

Prompt ¯ ¯

Prompt ¯

Reward

Error-Free Learning: Reward or Reinforcement should always follow a prompt.

This chart represents a single trial. A sitting consists of 4-7 trials. A session consists of no
more than 45 minutes of sittings with 2 minute breaks between sittings.

The basic format is:

Sd ® Sr ® F