On NLP Itself --- heres an interesting review http://www.psychcentral.com/psypsych/Neuro-linguistic_programming This article on TFT (a technology I have found useful in overcoming fear of heights but have since found another explanation for why the tapping strategy might have worked) could also be applied to NLP. http://www.srmhp.org/0302/media-watch.html
That is a great observation. I struggled with that concept in golf. Whereas in tennis if I am motivated and moving I drop into the zone on my own. In golf I struggle with the right amount of relaxation because it can turn into not giving a crap very easily. When I was scalping stocks I was always paying attention and concentrating because of the size. When it is small swing postions I do get a little lose. Sort of interesting. Perhaps we should be focusing on the right size to get us to pay the right amount of attention rather than trying to focus on our own easlily manipulated states of mind. We shoud really be striving to hit the right concentration vs. risk zone.
Kiwi, you make a good point. One shouldn't be too relaxed when trading or doing anything else where concentration is required. Being overly relaxed is sure to cause lethargic trading. The calm, clear mind achieved through meditation is a highly focused state that allows one to block out all extraneous sensory inputs and to concentrate intensely on the relevant ones. Often referred to in athletics as "being in the zone", it allows an athlete to perform without being distracted by the crowd, or a trader to perform without being bothered by the jackhammer outside the window, the phone ringing, or the guy at the next desk bragging about the killer trade he just did. NLP is a mild form of this and while it may have some benefit (it certainly doesn't hurt) it is not the meat and bones I'm looking for in trading education.
Hey Folks: Although I do not claim "insider" information, I have read quite a bit on this subject, especially as it relates to modeling of specific performance (Athletics, Military, etc). What I notice is that some of the concepts do help (when intelligently used) a person to accelerate the learning process. I have used some of the techniques to help my performance in sports activities, and seen them used in the context of athletic competition, both amateur (Olympic Games) and professional. For traders, if you have some basic talent, you may benefit from reading some of the early works as relates to Dr. Milton Erickson from example. Interested parties can PM me for specifics (I can provide book titles given your specific areas of interest). Best Regards, Steve