Nigel Pond - BI Consultant, MicroStrategy Certified Engineer (MCE) » NLP

Classic Mind Control

admin — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:49:20 +0000

I offer the following information, as some of you have expressed an interest in the subject.

Whilst travelling the subject of the relationship between NLP and mind control came up. Since I had just completed my article on Covert Hypnosis it was a logical question. I stress, NLP consists of practical mental techniques to influence people. NLP and hypnosis have an undeserved reputation of manipulation – like mind control. This is based on people over-promising and under-delivering on the magic of NLP as an influence technology. My mentor likes to say, “NLP elicits desired responses in other people,” because he feels the term “manipulative/mind control” has a negative flavour to it. I agree with this, as long as the person has no deep desire to disagree with you. In this light, I decided that I would go over the basics of classic mind control techniques in a seminar. This is based on my research of declassified CIA material and other literature on the subjects of mind control, brain washing, cult training, and psychology. I thought I would share it with you, since you may recognize some similarities with any type of intense training you may have attended. This month I will go over how to break down psychological defenses and start classic mind control techniques.

Here are the basic steps of classic mind control:

Isolation: You have to remove the person from his or her support group. This ith the first critical part of building the dependence necessary for breaking down psychological defenses. This is removal from family, firends, and normal support systems. The military does this in basic training. It can also be done at a resort or facility. The key is – no normal contact with support systems.
Control of Communications: The next thing must be control of all communications; this is a continuation of the isolation process. All communications with others will be controlled and handled by the handlers. This can be as obvious as what happens in millitary basic training, or as subtle as having breaks spread out and shortened so it is hard to make contact and communicate with anyone outside of the group. This also starts to build dependence upon the handlers. You must go through them for any communications – outside the group or inside. You see this in groups that do not allow open communications within the group and restrain communications with those outside the group. This is greatly amplified in our constant communication age. We are so used to always being in contact. Loss of this, even for a while leads to distress. Informers are set up at this stage; the insider is the one who reports back to the trainers or handlers.
Fatigue: Physical fatigue adds to the effect of breaking down a person’s psychological strengths and defenses. You can do this through physical exercise and training (military) or just by starting early and going late in a high energy, fast pace setting (look at the indoctrination of any cult – i.e. David Koresh at Waco). As you get tired, you are easier to handle and “go along” with ideas much more smoothly.
Control of Food, Water and Rest: The targeted individuals are made aware of the independence of the handlers (or trainers) for the timing of food and water breaks. Bathroom breaks can also be added to this to amplify the effect of loss of control. Timing of rest is also up to the trainers or handlers. This also leads to blood supar levels being off and it the mercy of the handlers. (in the old CIA and KGB material, tobacco was also used as means of control. For those of us who are old enough to remomber when a majority of adults smoked, the withdrawal adds to intense feelings.) It can be as simple as in a ristrictive setting like the military or jails, or subtle like an intense seminar (fire walking).
Using the person’s own criticism against himself: Once the person is tired and possibly hungry, he begins to doubt his own judgement, thinking maybe they (the trainers) are right, or I am wrong, or both. This is amplified if the trainers have a biography on yo uso they know something about you. This is where they begin to used it. You may remember films where they use “inside information” to help turn the person. This is the reason they try to learn as much about their target as they can – so they can use it. You may also be aware of seminars that obtain information on your goals, hopes, and dreams and use that information to manipulate you later.
Bypass the resistance of the conscious mind: This can be done by hypnosis – both overtly, as in a guided meditation or hypnotic induction, or covertly, with the use of metaphor and stories. Other hypnotic processes may come into play. The main one is getting a highly charged emotional response (fire walk, board breark, breaking an addiction) and linking that to a desired response. A psychological breakthrough, real or imagined, can also be used. These emotional reactions are powerful tools. If they are used at night when you’re tired (and hungry), the effect is amplified. (This is where drugs would come into play in the old CIA literature.)
Friendliness and helpfulness of the trainers or handlers upset a person’s ability to maintain a critical attitude: This is especially true if you voluntarily have entered the process, because you are now vested in the situation. You will defend the ideas or concepts presented for the above reasons, and now your critical factores help justify the change and give credit to the trainers or handlers (or their ideas) for what went on in the process. Although you did the work, you think, “Everything I am I owe to …” This is very powerful for the emotional breakthroughss and reactions achieved in the process.
Surprise – the use of unexpected events or things: A day off, a special presentation, something that throws off the sense of ritual.

The above factors lead to the following states being created in your target. They may vary in order, but will happen if given time.

A feeling of helplessness (in classic situations) or a sense of needing something from the trainer or handler (in social settings). This could be intensified by having the person think of the problems she would like to overcome, which she has not been able to overcome on her own (helplessness).
Initial reaction to surprise. This could be at the material, the trainer, or the crowd. The reaction throws of the internal equilibrium.
A feeling of uncertainty (of what’s expected of them in classical mind control) or uncertainty that they can do what they see the trainer do.

The uncertainty leads to:

Dependence on hanlders or trainers.
Loss of objectivity and a sense of doubt.
Feeling of guilt for letting others down or not doing well.
A questioning attitude of one’s own value systems or ideas.
A feeling of breakdown or breakthrough.
A sense of belonging to the new group and needded handlers’ or trainers’ approval.
A need to defend new ideas.

Once you achieve the last two, they become self-reinforcing, so you defend the new ideas to stay in the group – you fear losing the approval of the new group, trainers or handlers.

The Secret / The Law Of Attraction

admin — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:34:50 +0000

I’d heard a lot about The Secret from reading on the web but didn’t really understand it until I downloaded and watched the film (more of a documentary really). The first fifteen minutes of the film are a little new-age for me – I know that sounds strange coming from a hypnotherapist! – but after watching the whole thing through I found that it had some very beneficial tools that we could all learn from.

Some of my research lead me to finding out that the author of ‘The Secret’ got a lot of her inspiration from a book called ‘The Science of Getting Rich’ by Wallace D. Wattles. Now this book was written in 1910 so you’d might expect it to be very out-of-date. But it isn’t, it’s on of the first and therefore one of the most genuine self-help books on discovering and creating ‘abundance’ in your life.

If you’re looking for a less new-age ‘get rich’ book then I suggest you read the very informative and witty ‘How To Get Rich’ by Felix Dennis. It’s full of useful tips by a man that’s actually got rich and lots of great poetry to keep you motivated.

The whole book is available to read online and you can find it here: http://www.portzon.com/rich1.htm

Below is the first chapter to get you in the mood (be warned for atheists, like me, it’s a little heavy on ‘God’ front…):

Preface

This book is pragmatical, not philosophical; a practical manual, not a treatise upon theories. It is intended for the men and women whose most pressing need is for money; who wish to get rich first, and philosophize afterward. It is for those who have, so far, found neither the time, the means, nor the opportunity to go deeply into the study of metaphysics, but who want results and who are willing to take the conclusions of science as a basis for action, without going into all the processes by which those conclusions were reached. It is expected that the reader will take the fundamental statements upon faith, just as he would take statements concerning a law of electrical action if they were promulgated by a Marconi or an Edison; and, taking the statements upon faith, that he will prove their truth by acting upon them without fear or hesitation. Every man or woman who does this will certainly get rich; for the science herein applied is an exact science, and failure is impossible. For the benefit, however, of those who wish to investigate philosophical theories and so secure a logical basis for faith, I will here cite certain authorities.

The monistic theory of the universe the theory that One is All, and that All is One; That one Substance manifests itself as the seeming many elements of the material world is of Hindu origin, and has been gradually winning its way into the thought of the western world for two hundred years. It is the foundation of all the Oriental philosophies, and of those of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibnitz, Schopenhauer, Hegel, and Emerson. The reader who would dig to the philosophical foundations of this is advised to read Hegel and Emerson for himself.

In writing this book I have sacrificed all other considerations to plainness and simplicity of style, so that all might understand. The plan of action laid down herein was deduced from the conclusions of philosophy; it has been thoroughly tested, and bears the supreme test of practical experiment; it works. If you wish to know how the conclusions were arrived at, read the writings of the authors mentioned above; and if you wish to reap the fruits of their philosophies in actual practice, read this book and do exactly as it tells you to do.

Wallace D. Wattles

Chapter 1 – The Right To Be Rich

Whatever may be said in praise of poverty, the fact remains that it is not possible to live a really complete or successful life unless one is rich. No man can rise to his greatest possible height in talent or soul development unless he has plenty of money; for to unfold the soul and to develop talent he must have many things to use, and he cannot have these things unless he has money to buy them with. A man develops in mind, soul, and body by making use of things, and society is so organized that man must have money in order to become the possessor of things; therefore, the basis of all advancement for man must be the science of getting rich. The object of all life is development; and everything that lives has an inalienable right to all the development it is capable of attaining.

Man’s right to life means his right to have the free and unrestricted use of all the things which may be necessary to his fullest mental, spiritual, and physical unfoldment; or, in other words, his right to be rich. In this book, I shall not speak of riches in a figurative way; to be really rich does not mean to be satisfied or contented with a little. No man ought to be satisfied with a little if he is capable of using and enjoying more. The purpose of Nature is the advancement and unfoldment of life; and every man should have all that can contribute to the power; elegance, beauty, and richness of life; to be content with less is sinful.

The man who owns all he wants for the living of all the life he is capable of living is rich; and no man who has not plenty of money can have all he wants. Life has advanced so far, and become so complex, that even the most ordinary man or woman requires a great amount of wealth in order to live in a manner that even approaches completeness. Every person naturally wants to become all that they are capable of becoming; this desire to realize innate possibilities is inherent in human nature; we cannot help wanting to be all that we can be. Success in life is becoming what you want to be; you can become what you want to be only by making use of things, and you can have the free use of things only as you become rich enough to buy them. To understand the science of getting rich is therefore the most essential of all knowledge.

There is nothing wrong in wanting to get rich. The desire for riches is really the desire for a richer, fuller, and more abundant life; and that desire is praise worthy. The man who does not desire to live more abundantly is abnormal, and so the man who does not desire to have money enough to buy all he wants is abnormal. There are three motives for which we live:

We live for the body
We live for the mind
We live for the soul
No one of these is better or holier than the other; all are alike desirable, and no one of the three – body, mind, or soul – can live fully if either of the others is cut short of full life and expression. It is not right or noble to live only for the soul and deny mind or body; and it is wrong to live for the intellect and deny body or soul.

We are all acquainted with the loathsome consequences of living for the body and denying both mind and soul; and we see that real life means the complete expression of all that man can give forth through body, mind, and soul. Whatever he can say, no man can be really happy or satisfied unless his body is living fully in every function, and unless the same is true of his mind and his soul. Wherever there is unexpressed possibility, or function not performed, there is unsatisfied desire. Desire is possibility seeking expression, or function seeking performance.

Man cannot live fully in body without good food, comfortable clothing, and warm shelter; and without freedom from excessive toil. Rest and recreation are also necessary to his physical life. He cannot live fully in mind without books and time to study them, without opportunity for travel and observation, or without intellectual companionship. To live fully in mind he must have intellectual recreations, and must surround himself with all the objects of art and beauty he is capable of using and appreciating.

To live fully in soul, man must have love; and love is denied expression by poverty. A man’s highest happiness is found in the bestowal of benefits on those he loves; love finds its most natural and spontaneous expression in giving. The man who has nothing to give cannot fill his place as a husband or father, as a citizen, or as a man. It is in the use of material things that a man finds full life for his body, develops his mind, and unfolds his soul. It is therefore of supreme importance to him that he should be rich. It is perfectly right that you should desire to be rich; if you are a normal man or woman you cannot help doing so. It is perfectly right that you should give your best attention to the Science of Getting Rich, for it is the noblest and most necessary of all studies. If you neglect this study, you are derelict in your duty to yourself, to God and humanity; for you can render to God and humanity no greater service than to make the most of yourself.

Chapter 2 – There is A Science of Getting Rich

There is a Science of getting rich, and it is an exact science, like algebra or arithmetic. There are certain laws which govern the process of acquiring riches; once these laws are learned and obeyed by any man, he will get rich with mathematical certainty. The ownership of money and property comes as a result of doing things in a certain way; those who do things in this Certain Way, whether on purpose or accidentally, get rich; while those who do not do things in this Certain Way, no matter how hard they work or how able they are, remain poor.

It is a natural law that like causes always produce like effects; and, therefore, any man or woman who learns to do things in this certain way will infallibly get rich. That the above statement is true is shown by the following facts: Getting rich is not a matter of environment, for, if it were, all the people in certain neighborhoods would become wealthy; the people of one city would all be rich, while those of other towns would all be poor; or the inhabitants of one state would roll in wealth, while those of an adjoining state would be in poverty. But everywhere we see rich and poor living side by side, in the same environment, and often engaged in the same vocations. When two men are in the same locality, and in the same business, and one gets rich while the other remains poor, it shows that getting rich is not, primarily, a matter of environment. Some environments may be more favorable than others, but when two men in the same business are in the same neighborhood, and one gets rich while the other fails, it indicates that getting rich is the result of doing things in a Certain Way.

And further, the ability to do things in this certain way is not due solely to the possession of talent, for many people who have great talent remain poor, while other who have very little talent get rich. Studying the people who have got rich, we find that they are an average lot in all respects, having no greater talents and abilities than other men. It is evident that they do not get rich because they possess talents and abilities that other men have not, but because they happen to do things in a Certain Way. Getting rich is not the result of saving, or “thrift”; many very penurious people are poor, while free spenders often get rich. Nor is getting rich due to doing things which others fail to do; for two men in the same business often do almost exactly the same things, and one gets rich while the other remains poor or becomes bankrupt. From all these things, we must come to the conclusion that getting rich is the result of doing things in a Certain Way.

If getting rich is the result of doing things in a Certain Way, and if like causes always produce like effects, then any man or woman who can do things in that way can become rich, and the whole matter is brought within the domain of exact science. The question arises here, whether this Certain Way may not be so difficult that only a few may follow it. This cannot be true, as we have seen, so far as natural ability is concerned. Talented people get rich, and blockheads get rich; intellectually brilliant people get rich, and very stupid people get rich; physically strong people get rich, and weak and sickly people get rich. Some degree of ability to think and understand is, of course, essential; but in so far natural ability is concerned, any man or woman who has sense enough to read and understand these words can certainly get rich.

Also, we have seen that it is not a matter of environment. Location counts for something; one would not go to the heart of the Sahara and expect to do successful business. Getting rich involves the necessity of dealing with men, and of being where there are people to deal with; and if these people are inclined to deal in the way you want to deal, so much the better. But that is about as far as environment goes. If anybody else in your town can get rich, so can you; and if anybody else in your state can get rich, so can you.

Again, it is not a matter of choosing some particular business or profession. People get rich in every business, and in every profession; while their next door neighbors in the same vocation remain in poverty. It is true that you will do best in a business which you like, and which is congenial to you; and if you have certain talents which are well developed, you will do best in a business which calls for the exercise of those talents.

Also, you will do best in a business which is suited to your locality; an ice-cream parlor would do better in a warm climate than in Greenland, and a salmon fishery will succeed better in the Northwest than in Florida, where there are no salmon. But, aside from these general limitations, getting rich is not dependent upon your engaging in some particular business, but upon your learning to do things in a Certain Way. If you are now in business, and anybody else in your locality is getting rich in the same business, while you are not getting rich, it is because you are not doing things in the same Way that the other person is doing them.

No one is prevented from getting rich by lack of capital. True, as you get capital the increase becomes more easy and rapid; but one who has capital is already rich, and does not need to consider how to become so. No matter how poor you may be, if you begin to do things in the Certain Way you will begin to get rich; and you will begin to have capital. The getting of capital is a part of the process of getting rich; and it is a part of the result which invariably follows the doing of things in the Certain Way.

You may be the poorest man on the continent, and be deeply in debt; you may have neither friends, influence, nor resources; but if you begin to do things in this way, you must infallibly begin to get rich, for like causes must produce like effects. If you have no capital, you can get capital; if you are in the wrong business, you can get into the right business; if you are in the wrong location, you can go to the right location; and you can do so by beginning in your present business and in your present location to do things in the Certain Way which causes success.

101 Positive Affirmations

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:28:10 +0000

101 Helpful Affirmations

Affirmations are great tools that can help you overcome fear, build your confidence, develop an abundance mind-set and more. The problem is that many people aren’t sure exactly how to write effective affirmations. Do they always have to be in present tense? Can they contain “negative” words like can’t, won’t, not, and so on?

There are plenty of differing opinions on the right and wrong ways to write effective affirmations, but the bottom line is that an affirmation can be considered effective if it works for YOU! The whole point of affirmations is to shift your thoughts and emotions to a more positive place so you feel more confident, happy, secure, abundant, or anything else you’re trying to accomplish.

Take a look at the sample affirmations below for starters and feel free to use them if they resonate with you. If not, try altering them slightly until they trigger the mind-set and emotional state you’re trying to attain.

Affirmations for Healthy Weight and Body Image:

- Today I love my body fully, deeply and joyfully.
- My body has its own wisdom and I trust that wisdom completely.
- My body is simply a projection of my beliefs about myself.
- I am growing more beautiful and luminous day by day.
- I choose to see the divine perfection in every cell of my body.
- As I love myself, I allow others to love me too.
- Flaws are transformed by love and acceptance.
- Today I choose to honor my beauty, my strength and my uniqueness.
- I love the way I feel when I take good care of myself.
- Today my own well-being is my top priority.

Affirmations for Self-Confidence and Self-Belief:

- Fear is only a feeling; it cannot hold me back.
- I know that I can master anything if I do it enough times.
- Today I am willing to fail in order to succeed.
- I believe that I have the strength to make my dreams come true.
- I’m going to relax and have fun with this, no matter what the outcome may be.
- I’m proud of myself for even daring to try; many people won’t even do that!
- Today I put my full trust in my inner guidance.
- I grow in strength with every forward step I take.
- I release my hesitation and make room for victory!
- With a solid plan and a belief in myself, there’s nothing I can’t do.

Affirmations for Abundance and Prosperity:

- I open to the flow of great abundance in all areas of my life.
- I always have more than enough of everything I need.
- Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!
- Today I expand my awareness of the abundance all around me.
- I allow the universe to bless me in surprising and joyful ways.
- My grateful heart is a magnet that attracts more of everything I desire.
- Prosperity surrounds me, prosperity fills me, prosperity flows to me and through me.
- I exude passion, purpose and prosperity.
- I am always led to the people who need what I have to offer.
- As my commitment to help others grows, so does my wealth.
- My day is filled with limitless potential in joy, abundance and love.

Affirmations for Life Purpose:

- The better I know myself, the clearer my purpose becomes.
- My unique skills and talents can make a profound difference in the world.
- Today I follow my heart and discover my destiny.
- I am meant to do great things.
- I am limited only by my vision of what is possible.
- My purpose is to develop and share the best parts of myself with others.
- Today I present my love, passion, talent and joy as a gift to the world.
- I need not know the entire journey in order to take one step.
- I fulfill my life purpose by starting here, right now.
- My life purpose can be whatever I decide to make it.

Affirmations for Inner Peace:

- All is well, right here, right now.
- Peace begins with a conscious choice.
- Today I embrace simplicity, peace and solace.
- A peaceful heart makes for a peaceful life.
- I trust the universe to deliver my highest good in every situation.
- By becoming peace, I create peace in every experience.
- I am filled with the light of love, peace and joy.
- Peace comes when I let go of trying to control every tiny detail.
- Where peace dwells, fear cannot.
- Today my mission is to surrender and release.

Affirmations for Opportunity:

- Today I open my mind to the endless opportunities surrounding me.
- Opportunities are everywhere, if I choose to see them.
- I boldly act on great opportunities when I see them.
- My intuition leads me to the most lucrative opportunities.
- An opportunity is simply a possibility until I act on it.
- Some of the best opportunities are made, not found.
- Today I see each moment as a new opportunity to express my greatness.
- I expand my awareness of the hidden potential in each experience.
- Let each of my experiences today be a gateway to something even better.
- Each decision I make creates new opportunities.

Affirmations for Love:

- I am ready for a healthy, loving relationship.
- All of my relationships are meaningful and fulfilling.
- As I share my love with others the universe mirrors love back to me.
- I see everyone I meet as a soul mate.
- I trust the universe to know the type of partner who is perfect for me.
- Today I release fear and open my heart to true love.
- I am grateful for the people in my life.
- I am the perfect partner for my perfect partner.
- I deserve a loving, healthy relationship.
- I deserve to be loved and I allow myself to be loved.

Affirmations for Healing:

- I am strong and healthy.
- My energy and vitality are increasing every day.
- I open to the natural flow of wellness now.
- My inner guidance leads me to the right healing modalities for me.
- Abundant health and wellness are my birthright.
- Thank you for my strength, my health and my vitality.
- I am feeling stronger and better now.
- I love taking good care of myself.
- Today nurturing myself is my highest priority.
- Thank you for the opportunity to balance my mind, body and spirit.

Affirmations for Inner Clarity:

- Today I awaken to my higher wisdom.
- My inner voice guides me in every moment.
- I am centered, calm and clear.
- I always know the right actions to achieve my goals.
- When I know where I’m going, getting there is a cinch!
- Today I am completely tuned in to my inner wisdom.
- Harmony is always a sign that I am balanced from within.
- Thank you for showing me the way to my dreams.
- I trust my feelings and insights.
- I am detached and open to divine guidance.

Affirmations for Self-Love:

- I am filled with light, love and peace.
- I treat myself with kindness and respect.
- I don’t have to be perfect; I just have to be me.
- I give myself permission to shine.
- I honor the best parts of myself and share them with others.
- I’m proud of all I have accomplished.
- Today I give myself permission to be greater than my fears.
- I love myself no matter what.
- I am my own best friend and cheerleader.
- Thank you for the qualities, traits and talents that make me so unique.

Inner Game

admin — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 18:41:47 +0000

In todays’ modern life it’s getting more and more difficult to meet that special person. Are you ready to find your soul mate? Are you ready to commit? How do come across to the opposite sex? Is your perception of you different to what others around you think?

Hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques are the tools to provide you with all the answers you’re looking for.

My motivations behind wanting to know more about these topics are that I want to succeed in all areas in life and I’ve spent a lot of time watching people whom I consider to be more successful than me. Some of these people are only successful in some areas and not in others (in some areas I consider myself to be more successful than them).

So in which areas in life do I want to succeed?

I’m a man and therefore I want to be more appealing to the gentler sex. So how do I go about this? Well, I’ve been reading ‘The Game’ by Neil Strauss which is a great start and very motivating. I’m also more conscious than I used to be about how I look and act when in the presence of women. It must be noted here that I’m very happily married so I’m not looking to get myself into trouble but I am fascinated by how knowing a few rules and ‘tricks’ and, if I’m being honest, I would like to get my ego boosted by having women showing an interest in me (it’s been a while!) - and what man wouldn’t!? It’s also important for a happy marriage that we still make an effort with our partners too – I know I don’t get a look-in at home if I don’t shave regularly!

Over the past couple of days I’ve been looking on YouTube.com for Styles (Neil Strauss) and Mystery’s video clips. These are a great resource as you actually get to put faces to the famous names and you also get to learn more about the body language they use, which is difficult to get across from a book.

TheMysteryMethod on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=TheMysteryMethod

A lot of what they teach is self-confidence and making you aware of why most men behave the way they do. One example Mystery gives is that men feel scared of the approach because of the 10,000 years of emotional baggage that we carry. Back in the era when humans lived in small nomadic groups men had to fight for their social status. This could often mean a fight to the death.

So imagine, if you will, this early man who wants to get a little closer to one of the females in the group. What happens if she is the property of one of the alpha males? He’s going to get his arsed kicked that’s what. A similar thing will happen if he’s rejected by any of the other females in the group. If he does’nt actually get a kicking his position in the group is diminished and he’s probably not going to get a chance to reproduce.

So modern man is carrying this psycological baggage and shows this by hugging his pint in the corner and never approaching any of the available females. How many men come home after a night out utterly depressed that they haven’t pulled or at least flirted? I know because that used to be me – not that I consider myself a PUA but I now accept the responsibility that if I don’t pull/score then it’s my fault. I can live with that.

Some time ago I had the pleasure of accompanying a self-proclaimed Pick-Up Artist (PUA) on a night out. Needless to say it was an entertaining evening. Here’s my account of the evening:

Last week I went out for a few drinks with some friends from work and we were joined by a chap that is a PUA master (a bit like a Jedi master except objects don’t float about). I’d heard many stories about this guy and was obviously impressed by what I’d heard. He’s been studying NLP and PUA techniques for some time and spends a lot of time honing his skills. After meeting him I worked out that he’s got a lot of learnt skills but he’s also a natural. His body language, style, looks and personality are all fully in control. He’s fairly tall and goodlooking (why does it pain me to say that about another man?!).

Anyway, this chap, knew that I’ve started on this hypnotherapy course and was kind enough to let me try a few suggestibility tests on him – I actually had the whole (male) group of us doing some waking hypnosis tests which probably looked very interesting to the onlooking crowd – he thought these tests were pretty cool and said that he’d ‘open-up’ a group of girls that were sitting close to us so I could show them the same tests.

Needless to say this scared the crap out of me because I just don’t walk up and start talking to people in bars. After spending about 10 minutes convincing me this would be fun he went across to these ladies and said something like (I couldn’t hear axactly what he said because I had my head in my hands dying of embarrassment):

“Hi ladies, my friend over there is studying psychology and he’s got these really cool hypno things he’s showing us. Do you want to see them?”

He then waved me over. Surprisingly it all fell into place and I showed them the same suggestibility tests I’d done earlier. They were a group of three ladies; two sat down on a sofa and one standing just over my right shoulder. Now in order to do these tests I had to be facing one of these ladies but I made sure that I kept the other two in the conversation.

Once I’d done the tests and had a few minutes of banter I thanked them for their time and returned to my group. I felt GREAT! I felt like I’d lifted a barrier. This happened a few more times in the evening and I grew in confidence. These ‘tricks’ enabled me to enter their personal space without them feeling threatened. I’m not sure if I’ve got the courage yet to open up groups but I’m going to try and use my new PUA friend as a mentor and wingman so that I can gain some independence in future.

The important thing here is that it’s not going to help me chat-up (what a horrible phrase?!) women, because I’m too old for that kind of stuff, but it will be a great way to help me sell myself as a hypnotherapist. If you’ve got self-confidence/self-belief then everything else can fall into place – especially if you have a plan too.

Obviously I’m looking forward to honing my skills as a hypnotherapist and learning new ‘tricks’ for building rapport with clients. So as-well-as the course I’m looking for new books to read on the subject. I have just read Derren Brown’s ‘Tricks of the Mind’ which is great as it covers all the tools you need as a PUA for opening and making yourself seem interesting. It’s also got some great ideas on memory improvement that, although I’ve come across them before, seem to be written in a way that I’m really connecting with. I really recommend it to anyone has an interest in showmanship and psychology.

Hypnotherapy in Sport

admin — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 18:50:23 +0000

Often refered to by sports people as ‘The Mind Game’ sports psychology is now a major component in the competitive athlete’s preparation. This weekend I was lucky enough to attend a series of lectures by Dr Karl Morris (www.Golf-Brain.com) who is a leading expert in the field of sports psychology.

Dr Morris’s approach to helping Golfers, Cricketers and other athletes achieve their best is based on his extensive experience as a professional golfer. He is aware that athletes are interested in only one thing ‘performance’ and that all athletes need evidence. Using simple NLP and Hypnotherapy techniques Dr Morris was able to demonstrate to us that we could all improve our performance essentially providing us (those present at the lectures) with evidence that these techniques work.

The Four Sporting Types

The first link to NLP is how Dr Morris categorises the different types of athletes. Here they are relating to golfers:

Untrained Swing/Untrained Brain
Trained Swing/Untrained Brain
Untrained Swing/Trained Brain
Trained Swing/Trained Brain

At position one we have the beginner, neither their swing or mind game have been developed. At position two we have a golfer who’s worked on their swing, they have ‘functional technique’ and probably spent some time at the driving range and may have had a few lessons. Position three is the golfer that appears to not be able to hit the ball but still gets around the course in a consistent number of shots. Lastly we have the golfer that has a trained swing and is on top of his or her mind game.

The Four Quadrants to Mastery

Dr Morris then goes on to partition the times where the mind game comes into play:

Before Sport
During Sport
The ‘In Between’
After Sport

In golf the position three, the ‘in between’ stage is probably most interesting in that this is where the golfer is walking between shots. Just watching golfers physiology between shots is often enough to tell whether they’re having a good game. Dr Morris has a very simple technique for helping golfers work on their ‘in between’ stage – by simply telling them to keep their eyes above the level of the flag. If, for instance, a player has had a bad shot you can often tell this by the fact that they’re looking down at their shoes – by actively changing their physiology they’re changing their mood and thoughts. There is a famous quote that goes:

”Look up towards the Sun and your shadows will fall behind you.”

Dr Morris quoted Shane Warne who said that the most important change to his game was learning how to control his bodylanguage. By doing this he has managed to create an impressive fear in his oponents as he comes out onto the pitch.

Before Sport

When an athlete goes out to compete they take with them three things: Their Beliefs, Their Expectations and their level of confidence. So, before sport they need to bolster all of these.

Effective Practice: Training both the mind and the body in the practice arena.

For practice to be effective it requires three key elements:

Consequence – don’t avoid pressure.
More difficult than the game/event itself (stress the system)
Be based on Facts NOT Feelings

One thing that most of us are guilty of is negative self-talk. We’ve all experienced negative thought chains that are triggered by small minor things that go wrong but end up as major catastrophies. The golfer may experience a bad shot which escalates in his mind into “I’m rubbish always rubbish at this hole” and then to “I’m rubbish at putting” then “I’m rubbish at golf!”. This is where it’s important to base practice on facts and not feelings – having a bad shot at a particular hole should educate the golfer to question, constructively, ‘why’ they’re always bad at this hole and how they can build some practice routine around improving this specific area.

Here’s a simple visualization and action exercise for developing a new skill or move:

Think of someone in your sport whom you admire and respect for being an expert in the specific area in which you wish to improve – we’ll call them your model.
Be in the standing position and see, feel and hear your model.
View your model from numerous angels.
See your features on your model.
When you’re ready, step into your image.
Physically make the move or skill.
Step forward to a future time and see, hear and feel yourself making that move or using that skill – see, hear and feel yourself making this move or using this skill in COMPETITION!
Step forward in time again and see yourself making this move or using this skill whilst under pressure.
Now, step backwards in time and bring all that learning with you…

During Sport

Dr Morris explains that there are two twins in sporting disaster and these are: Nervousness and Anger.

What is nervousness?

Physiologically it is an increase in heart rate.
It is a FEELING

Golfers have all been conditioned to believe in ‘First Tee Nerves’, just as actors have all been conditioned to believe in ‘stage fright’. When Carly Simon stopped performing because she’d developed (learnt) stage fright she described her feelings in detail. When Bruce Springsteen read the description of how Carly Simon felt he exclaimed that those exact same feelings are what enable him to perform and that he absolutely could not perform without them. So, what would it be like if golfers were conditioned to believe in ‘first tee energy’?!

Dr Morris has had great success in helping athletes deal with this nervousness with the Heartmath Solution. This works by concentrating on the body in order to bring the mind to the present time. The athlete practices to become aware of their heart and breathing and how their body feels. Taking a moment to feel how good it is to be alive…

I had an experience at the conference which put this in perspective for me:

Dr Morris requested some volunteers to come up on stage and help him with a demonstration and although I attempted to avoid his gaze he selected me. Now, being on stage is something with which I’ve personally struggled with before and this time was no different. I coped with being in front of 190+ people by playing the fool a little. Dr Morris then got each of us to imagine we two buttons, one on each side of our heads. One button which would switch our attention inwards and one which would switch our attention externally. When I had my attention focussed inwards I was completely aware that my left leg was starting to twitch, my heart was pounding and my palms were sweating. Upon switching to an external focus I was aware of the light in the room and features of the decor I hadn’t noticed before. Once again switching back to an internal focus I was still aware of my heart racing etc. but it was as though I was looking at it from a different perspective – by looking at the crowd of onlookers when externally focussed they were not percieved to be a threat.

Here’s another method for focussing your energy (this is very similar to the NLP Fast Phobia Cure):

Focus on the feeling of nervousness so that you take your attention away from the story as to why you’re nervous.
Where, in your body, does the feeling start?
Where does the feeling move to?
Take the feeling out
Give the feeling a colour
Ask yourself “Is this feeling useful?”
Take the feeling and throw it away.

Dealing with Anger

Darren Clarke is famously quoted as saying “My temper has cost me well in excess of five million quid!” and because of our evolutionary learning we all contain a certain level of aggression. This is sometimes referred to as ‘The Caveman Within”.

Dr Morris goes on to explain: It is very difficult, if not impossible, to talk ourselves out of our anger but in just the same way that we could fly into a rage it is possible to ‘fly into a calm’ with the use of symbols.

In your mind, before you play, create a symbol of calm. This can be anything you like and is unique to you. Then simulate anger, imagine and really try to remember every detail of a time when you experienced anger. Then activate (imagine, see, hear & feel) your image of calm.

In a similar way to the NLP Swish technique (see previous article) you can learn to activate a trigger which fires you from one (undesired) state to a more positive (desired) state.

The ‘In Between’

Imperative to the ‘in between’ game is the ability to switch on and off. Sports like Tennis, Snooker and Golf all require bursts of focussed concentration and then the need to switch off.

Dr Morris has found that the analogy of the mind having two channels is a very useful and practicle metaphor:

BBC1 is the Outside Broadcast
BBC2 is Internal Affairs

This is a simple ‘picture’ to which Fritz Perls notable quote is apt:

“We need to STOP thinking and come to our Senses!”

Again body language is a very important part of the ‘in between’ game. In order to relax between shots start with your body language – relax your shoulders, open your eyes and take in the scenery. Look for something that you’ve not noticed before. Look up.

If you’re playing a team sport then the dynamics are no different except that you have to be careful not to mirror those on your team who are not displaying a positive physiology. If you’re the team captain for your soccer squad you’re feeling crap because you’ve just missed a goal then be very aware of how your body language is sending signals to the rest of your team.

After Sport

Tiger Woods is quoted as saying:

“The SECRET to the mental game is the ability to INSTANTLY recall past successes and LET GO of failure.”

The basic message here is to make sure that you anchor and enforce any and all successes and don’t anchor the mistakes and failures. Tiger Woods twists his club twice for every successful shot; what do you do?

At the end of your day make a good shot diary and make sure that you re-live at least three of those good shots. Write down, in detail, everything about those three shots. This will help you solidify your memory and create those positive anchors as well as providing that all important EVIDENCE.

Final thoughts:

You create your thoughts…

Your thoughts create your intentions…

Your intentions create your reality.