nicely put bundlemaker. what a pity that the people who stand to benefit most from such information are exactly the types to dismiss it as "psychobabble". how the hell did i miss this thread... nlp and hypnosis are both right up my alley. gonna go read through it now.
I realized that some of you may have thought all this talk of beliefs have gotten us off track. Not to worry, heres more on hypnosis and beliefs. Because the very way in which our language and our senses work we, as humans, tend to live in hypnosis. It's not something you need to do, it's something you need to control. Consider the case of learned helplessness. Due to a narrow range of focus (hypnotic by definition) it's but a short trip to reinforce anything you want to belief, whether the evidence agrees or not. Take a fish tank. Place a fish in the tank. Now place a sheet of glass down the middle, the fish being on one side. Place the food on the side opposite the fish. The fish, of course, will try to get at the food, but will be unsuccessful. The fish will continue to try and try until it gives up. Now remove the glass. The fish won't even try to swim to the other side. You have conditioned it to believe the food is inaccessable. Yes, fish are animals, and we (well, most of us) are humans. And ya know what, we're even worse than the animals. Because we are reasoning creatures, it is relatively easy to find "evidence" why we are "right". Pretty soon you can't see, hear, feel anything other than what you are focused on. The next time you start thinking trading is impossible, or it's only for insiders, or you really can't make the kind of returns you wanted, or perhaps you've come to the conclusion it's all a big hoax and no one really makes any money; remember learned helplessness and do something to change the belief. My belief change info will have to wait for tomorrow. Thanks for all the support about my comments. I'm finding it an incredible review for some good stuff I haven't thought about in a while.
Forgot to finish the fish story: the fish died. I'm not kidding, this is a real experiment. Moral: don't let this happen to you, there are many ways to die; the wrong belief can destroy a potential fabulous life.
nothing in stock trading is science. All we have is a bag of tricks. Positive belief is certainly a trick worth exploring. Do you have any certain affirmations or beliefs that are specific to stock trading ?
bundlemaker, let me begin by saying that i have no doubt that hypnosis and nlp work for some people. this doesn't mean, however, that they work in the ways or for the reasons that the proponents of these techniques claim. take a look at the critique at http://skepdic.com/neurolin.html, for example. i don't think that this is a balanced look but it does raise some interesting questions. as someone who has benefitted, can you help us sort through the junk to get at what really works? can you be more specific about how you've used (or what you consider to be the more effective methods to use) nlp or hypnosis? when you describe a technique, can you identify the source or a useful reference? i'm not looking for a grail here. you've made some general comments about nlp and hypnosis and i was wondering if you had some critical views as well.
underdog, I briefly skimmed over the link about NLP. As near I can tell, their beef is it's not "scientifically" supported. Who cares? Richard Bandler, himself, has stated on numerous occaisions that NLP is NOT science, it is a methodology. He is not interested in whether an idea can be proven, scientifically validated, or otherwise intellectually justified. He is only interested in whether or not something works. I have chosen to make that my modus operandi also. Thus, I am not interested in arguing the scientific basis of hypnosis or NLP. In my posts I have tried as best I could to share my experiences and ideas. As long as someone is finding benefit, I will continue to share along the same lines. I'm interested in making money, not proving it's possible. I would caution those that require proof for everything, you may well be left in the dust of those willing to risk. By it's very nature, the scientific method is self limiting and non-creative, two elements that prevent innovation. I'm interested in innovation. It just the same in trading. If you wait for certainty, you miss the trade. You need to create your own certainty. To answer a previous question about my beliefs related to trading, here a some of them. The most important ones are global in nature, not directly trading related, but they have the most impact on how I act and think. 1) I am one with infinite intelligence 2) I am a master trader 3) Everything happens for a reason and a purpose and it serves me 4) There is always a way, if I'm committed 5) I live with the knowledge and expectation that at any moment something great could happen that would change my life for the better 6) Nothing can stop me. I have the will, imagination, and the inner strength to accomplish anything I set my mind to. 7) Everything I need is in me now 8) I am a wealthy man because of the constant experience of abundant love in my life I review and repeat these daily. I condition them in. I do it in a spirited, emotional way for a very specific reason. It is documented that brain waves work at a different frequency when you are in emotional states of joy, happiness, humor and excileration. Conditioning sticks much better under those circumstances. These are not affirmations, they are incantations. There is a world of difference.
It's hard to admit... but I do have those helpless thoughts sometimes. It's usually when I confront adversity. I feel as if I can't do it. By talking to my dad he helps give me the courage to deal with it... but he won't be here forever, so I must be able to become self-reliant.. right? So by telling myself over and over that I have the ability I can condition myself to believe and act that way? Bundlemaker, it's interesting how you mentioned that hypnosis and nlp is a methodology rather than science, and that this does not work 100% of the time. Well it seems better than doing nothing and blaming others for my mistakes. As far as hypnosis, I apologize if it was mentioned earlier... but how does hypnosis tap into the subconscious and change our beliefs? thanks, andy