Standing in the gents loo in a service station on the M76 last week, I was reading one of those strategically placed posters. It gave an example of a couple £30,000 in credit card debt and paying over £700 per month in loans.
The poster claimed that after using the advertised service, they were now paying £300 per month and would be debt free in 2 years. Then I read the very small print, and I was ready to write to trading standards [if only my hands weren’t full at the time].
If I could sum up the pros and cons of 9 of the most often peddled debt-recovery options (including bankruptcy, debt consolidation, and IVAs), then you will gain an insight into why I usually advise against each and every one, and why I almost insist you do too.
Bankruptcy – Huge social stigma attached to it, takes years to shake off afterwards, your self-esteem and credibility will take a hard knock – this is the last resort. It will be displayed in the local newspaper under Public Notices. Anything of value that you have, or acquire, can be seized to pay off the debt. You have to shut down any and all bank and building society accounts so you can’t get paid by BACS. And with no ability to set up Direct Debits, Standing Orders or cash cheques, you’d better get familiar with the Post Office, cos you’ll be in the queue a lot from now on.
Informal agreements – you write and ask for a compromise, and a renegotiated timetable for repayment. Not legally binding though, so they can revoke it at will. Speak to Citizens Advice about it.
Debt management – some companies will offer to act as middle man and will charge a fee to handle your affairs for you. This usually means lower monthly payments and over a longer term. Sounds good, but overall you end up paying more in the long run, so you’re actually getting in deeper.
Credit counsellors – Professional advice freely available. They may even negotiate terms for you with your creditors. Watch out for cowboys who offer to clean your credit record for large fees [I fell for that one once]. Watch out for heavy sales patter and pressure.
Remortgage – borrow more money against the equity in your home. Good way of reducing the interest rate, but beware of adding credit card debt to a mortgage. That £3000 holiday may now take 25 years to pay off, making it more like a £12,000 holiday long term. Hope the beaches were nice. You’ve also just turned an unsecured debt [your home under no risk] into a secured debt [you’d better glue it to the ground!]
Individual Voluntary Agreements – a third party acts as middle man between you and the creditors, usually over 5 years. Repayments are renegotiated, and sometimes small balances are written off. However, there are admin costs and that puts you more in the red.
Administration – If there are CCJ’s against you then an administration order may be issued. You pay through the court, but if you later break the agreement, it’s as bad as bankruptcy long term.
Debt consolidation – you see these ads on TV every day. Pile all of your debts into one to them, and now the only people who need paid is the debt consolidation company. Lower payments, and longer to pay them, which looks good on paper. Simplifies the whole picture, because now its one debt. But the monthly fees stack up and again long term you end up paying more.
Personal loan – you go to your bank and ask for a good deal. As an existing customer they will probably offer you a good deal. But again look what you’ve really done – never mind Peter, you’ve just robbed Paul to pay the next guy in the line…
The simple solution is to dig yourself out of the hole, make amicable arrangements with your creditors, increase your income, decrease your outgoings and get to work working your plan. There's virtually no debt situation that cannot be recovered, and recovered quite quickly.
------------------------------------------------
You know how you never have enough money and you feel tied down and restricted? Jonathan Clark teaches 7 simple steps to financial independence which means you’re debt free in 3-5 years. For the ultimate training visit www.ReleaseRetreat.com
Friday, May 16, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Personal Growth NLP & Money Retreat In Spain
5 Days In The Sun, A Massage Every Morning, World Class Money Mastery Seminars In The Afternoon, All In A Luxury Hotel & Spa On The Spanish Coast...
On May 31st - June 4th 2008, you can make time for your mind, your security and detox your body...
Join us in the Retreat that gets your money under control once and for all, rapidly puts your body & mind back into balance and gets you "insider privileges"…
Dear Friend,
Imagine spending 5 days in luxury learning money skills of the rich and famous while detoxing your physical, emotional and mental bodies. And what if it was all a short journey away? Would you like to relax your body and de-stress your mind?
If so, this may be the most interesting message you will ever read.
Here's why: My name is Jonathan Clark and I want to invite you on a very special holiday package of a lifetime.
Have Your Cake......And Eat it Too
I'm thrilled to announce a revolutionary new concept in holidaying... with a priceless twist -- You see, The Retreat is for PERSONAL GROWTH ENTHUSIASTS ONLY and members share the experience as a group, having fun while making life-long relationships...
Introducing... The Release Retreat.
Picture yourself, and your spouse or a friend relaxing in the lap of luxury, surrounded by other self help fans where you can:
A week of healthy eating and daily pampering - shed the toxins built up over the past few months
Make contacts for life
Learn profitable new skills from world-class experts in an intimate setting of cooperation - master your money, your energy and your time once and for all!
Relax in elegant and spacious surroundings and build supportive relationships
Enjoy new adventures with exciting people in sunny Spain while everyone you know has their head to the grindstone...
Boost your energy and detox your body while having fun at the same time!
And the best part is... it's so affordable, you'll feel like you're stealing your membership. For a free brochure just click here
On May 31st - June 4th 2008, you can make time for your mind, your security and detox your body...
Join us in the Retreat that gets your money under control once and for all, rapidly puts your body & mind back into balance and gets you "insider privileges"…
Dear Friend,
Imagine spending 5 days in luxury learning money skills of the rich and famous while detoxing your physical, emotional and mental bodies. And what if it was all a short journey away? Would you like to relax your body and de-stress your mind?
If so, this may be the most interesting message you will ever read.
Here's why: My name is Jonathan Clark and I want to invite you on a very special holiday package of a lifetime.
Have Your Cake......And Eat it Too
I'm thrilled to announce a revolutionary new concept in holidaying... with a priceless twist -- You see, The Retreat is for PERSONAL GROWTH ENTHUSIASTS ONLY and members share the experience as a group, having fun while making life-long relationships...
Introducing... The Release Retreat.
Picture yourself, and your spouse or a friend relaxing in the lap of luxury, surrounded by other self help fans where you can:
A week of healthy eating and daily pampering - shed the toxins built up over the past few months
Make contacts for life
Learn profitable new skills from world-class experts in an intimate setting of cooperation - master your money, your energy and your time once and for all!
Relax in elegant and spacious surroundings and build supportive relationships
Enjoy new adventures with exciting people in sunny Spain while everyone you know has their head to the grindstone...
Boost your energy and detox your body while having fun at the same time!
And the best part is... it's so affordable, you'll feel like you're stealing your membership. For a free brochure just click here
Friday, May 02, 2008
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Am I Normal?
9pm on a Monday night I swear at the TV, because the BBC 2 “Am I Normal?” series comes on led by clinical psychologist Dr Tanya Byron. And oh that woman’s language patterns….
This time the supposedly objective discussion was around attitudes towards religion and the supernatural. Specifically the fine line between devotion vs. psychiatric disorder. What’s the difference between eccentric and abnormal? Is speaking in tongues a sign of God or a sign of mental illness? What’s the difference between a Priest and a religious zealot?
Byron described a middle aged woman living in seclusion with strict routine and little contact with the outside world as a manic depressive, then she introduced us to the Nuns. Ah, the contrast frame, often used in sales to get us to compare two things to make them appear similar, even if they’re not.
Then the Sister was asked what’s the difference between fulfilling a personal need vs. having a spiritual calling and I loved her answer – “You know in your heart vs. knowing in your head”. That would stump our Tanya then.
To really understand how loaded this programme commentary was, you have to understand how presuppositions work. They are ideas, assumptions or beliefs that are presupposed, i.e. taken for granted and acted upon, or assumed to make the communication make sense. NLP author L. Michael Hall describes them as “Silent assumptions, unspoken paradigms”. NLP creators Bandler & Grinder said “Presuppositions are particularly insidious as they are not presented openly for consideration”.
Presuppose means “suppose first”. Suppose (from Latin) means “to put under”. They act as the supporting structure of a given statement, and within them they hold that person’s beliefs about their map of reality. They don’t appear in the surface structure, they are direct “pillars” coming up from the deep structure. They work covertly, unconsciously and indirectly as we have to accept them to process what we read/heard.
After 8 minutes I noticed the following suggestions.
“Religious belief depends on faith, not proof, and it can never be proved” she said. So what’s the point of this documentary then?
“The Priest is asking you to believe you’re eating the flesh of Christ”. No wonder those wafers taste funny…
“There is a high correlation between schizophrenics and religious believers”. Now there’s a not-so-subtle inference.
“People undergoing therapy are scared to discuss their religious beliefs in case it gets them labelled as crazy”. That tells us more about the beliefs of the therapists surely?
“If you speak to God its prayer. If God speaks back its schizophrenia”. LOL!
“The brain is susceptible to suggestions from within, and without”. Yeah, and to careless suggestions from Clinical Psychologists.
“If society talked more about madness, perhaps there would be less mad people”
“The UK is one of the least overt religious countries in the world, therefore we find overt worship odd”.
“There’s a belief that sudden religious faith equals mental breakdown”. Well there is now…
“Maybe this is where I demonstrate my own prejudice”. Err, you did that after the credits dear.
“Desperate people are drawn to irrational beliefs”. So rational people aren’t desperate?
“The man who’s putting her into trance…” Err, wrong again.
“There’s no evidence that Spirit Release is safe or effective”. Who mentioned safe? Oh yeah, the psychologist.
Now Tanya has a nasty habit of listening to someone, then feeding it back with her interpretation. She says “It sounds like you’re saying…” or “So that means…” but then ends with something the other person never said. And I was delighted when 3 of the guests finally called her on it! Well done Dr Alan Sanderson, doing spirit release therapy and using a technique similar to one I learned in Huna. When Tanya concludes “So all spirits are parasites then?”. “Actually no, that’s not what I said” he replied. Finally!
You have to look at the big picture – Dr Byron has a clinical bias, and here she’s attempting to scrutinise spiritual and religious phenomenon, which by definition won’t pass her tests. It’s the conscious mental body trying to comprehend the super conscious spiritual body, trying to describe with words something that’s beyond words.
Her conclusion - “Show me the evidence, or stop raising false hopes.” So the next time you Coach someone in a dreadful situation, rather than offer them positive hope [which is often based on nothing tangible] remember to tell them their statistical chances. Jeez!
My conclusion - The religious rallies arouse trance states using rhythmic music, hypnotic lighting, showmanship and rapid trance inductions. So does Tony Robbins. When you enter a trance state your entire nervous system switches from “sympathetic” adrenaline and stress to “parasympathetic” relaxed and dozy. That’s one of the reasons people have so called spiritual experiences, feeling peaceful, cosmic euphoria and connected. This is often thought to be divine. Unfortunately there’s very little follow up to see if the miraculous cure actually lasted.
Sometimes the conscious mind needs to go through some kind of ritual to give the unconscious mind permission to do what it already knows how to. People have different rituals, which they believe in and which work for them. Believers could be healed, but non-believers couldn’t. It’s your belief in the ritual that permits the unconscious mind to affect you. And even non-desperate rational Tanya has rituals… Like her belief in clinical psychology, which is her religion, and that’s good for her.
Jeremy Vine was superb – he said certainty equals ignorance. The surer you are that something is true, the less you actually know. A bit like quantum physics…
This programme was skewed from the start, and anything that disagrees with the presenter’s model of the word becomes dubious, and that’s the inherent danger of these programmes – they are inherently biased. If you don’t believe me, just listen to the presuppositions.
The highlight for me was the euphoric young dude after the Christian rally. She asked “What’s so good about this experience?” and he simply said: “JC on the hookup”. Amen brother.
This time the supposedly objective discussion was around attitudes towards religion and the supernatural. Specifically the fine line between devotion vs. psychiatric disorder. What’s the difference between eccentric and abnormal? Is speaking in tongues a sign of God or a sign of mental illness? What’s the difference between a Priest and a religious zealot?
Byron described a middle aged woman living in seclusion with strict routine and little contact with the outside world as a manic depressive, then she introduced us to the Nuns. Ah, the contrast frame, often used in sales to get us to compare two things to make them appear similar, even if they’re not.
Then the Sister was asked what’s the difference between fulfilling a personal need vs. having a spiritual calling and I loved her answer – “You know in your heart vs. knowing in your head”. That would stump our Tanya then.
To really understand how loaded this programme commentary was, you have to understand how presuppositions work. They are ideas, assumptions or beliefs that are presupposed, i.e. taken for granted and acted upon, or assumed to make the communication make sense. NLP author L. Michael Hall describes them as “Silent assumptions, unspoken paradigms”. NLP creators Bandler & Grinder said “Presuppositions are particularly insidious as they are not presented openly for consideration”.
Presuppose means “suppose first”. Suppose (from Latin) means “to put under”. They act as the supporting structure of a given statement, and within them they hold that person’s beliefs about their map of reality. They don’t appear in the surface structure, they are direct “pillars” coming up from the deep structure. They work covertly, unconsciously and indirectly as we have to accept them to process what we read/heard.
After 8 minutes I noticed the following suggestions.
“Religious belief depends on faith, not proof, and it can never be proved” she said. So what’s the point of this documentary then?
“The Priest is asking you to believe you’re eating the flesh of Christ”. No wonder those wafers taste funny…
“There is a high correlation between schizophrenics and religious believers”. Now there’s a not-so-subtle inference.
“People undergoing therapy are scared to discuss their religious beliefs in case it gets them labelled as crazy”. That tells us more about the beliefs of the therapists surely?
“If you speak to God its prayer. If God speaks back its schizophrenia”. LOL!
“The brain is susceptible to suggestions from within, and without”. Yeah, and to careless suggestions from Clinical Psychologists.
“If society talked more about madness, perhaps there would be less mad people”
“The UK is one of the least overt religious countries in the world, therefore we find overt worship odd”.
“There’s a belief that sudden religious faith equals mental breakdown”. Well there is now…
“Maybe this is where I demonstrate my own prejudice”. Err, you did that after the credits dear.
“Desperate people are drawn to irrational beliefs”. So rational people aren’t desperate?
“The man who’s putting her into trance…” Err, wrong again.
“There’s no evidence that Spirit Release is safe or effective”. Who mentioned safe? Oh yeah, the psychologist.
Now Tanya has a nasty habit of listening to someone, then feeding it back with her interpretation. She says “It sounds like you’re saying…” or “So that means…” but then ends with something the other person never said. And I was delighted when 3 of the guests finally called her on it! Well done Dr Alan Sanderson, doing spirit release therapy and using a technique similar to one I learned in Huna. When Tanya concludes “So all spirits are parasites then?”. “Actually no, that’s not what I said” he replied. Finally!
You have to look at the big picture – Dr Byron has a clinical bias, and here she’s attempting to scrutinise spiritual and religious phenomenon, which by definition won’t pass her tests. It’s the conscious mental body trying to comprehend the super conscious spiritual body, trying to describe with words something that’s beyond words.
Her conclusion - “Show me the evidence, or stop raising false hopes.” So the next time you Coach someone in a dreadful situation, rather than offer them positive hope [which is often based on nothing tangible] remember to tell them their statistical chances. Jeez!
My conclusion - The religious rallies arouse trance states using rhythmic music, hypnotic lighting, showmanship and rapid trance inductions. So does Tony Robbins. When you enter a trance state your entire nervous system switches from “sympathetic” adrenaline and stress to “parasympathetic” relaxed and dozy. That’s one of the reasons people have so called spiritual experiences, feeling peaceful, cosmic euphoria and connected. This is often thought to be divine. Unfortunately there’s very little follow up to see if the miraculous cure actually lasted.
Sometimes the conscious mind needs to go through some kind of ritual to give the unconscious mind permission to do what it already knows how to. People have different rituals, which they believe in and which work for them. Believers could be healed, but non-believers couldn’t. It’s your belief in the ritual that permits the unconscious mind to affect you. And even non-desperate rational Tanya has rituals… Like her belief in clinical psychology, which is her religion, and that’s good for her.
Jeremy Vine was superb – he said certainty equals ignorance. The surer you are that something is true, the less you actually know. A bit like quantum physics…
This programme was skewed from the start, and anything that disagrees with the presenter’s model of the word becomes dubious, and that’s the inherent danger of these programmes – they are inherently biased. If you don’t believe me, just listen to the presuppositions.
The highlight for me was the euphoric young dude after the Christian rally. She asked “What’s so good about this experience?” and he simply said: “JC on the hookup”. Amen brother.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Project FP - We have lift off!
OK, we are now officially “launched” at www.FullPractices.com…and things are pretty busy at this end.
The web stats have been clicking and we’ve just had member # 33 sign up, but things are starting to slow down. Good thing otherwise we’d go through all 150 Founder Memberships in the first day.
Just a couple of things…I wanted to remind you that the report describing the state of the Coach and Therapist situation [and my solution] is at www.CoachTherapist.com.
A couple of people have called my office to say they feel “funny” about signing up and leaving their credit card details with an online system like Paypal, so we did it the old fashioned way.
It hadn’t crossed my mind that some people might not want to type their credit card or bank account details into a webpage [I do it all the time so it’s normal for me – big learning!] so if that’s you, call me on 0800 072 5792 and I’ll handle it personally.
Finally I wanted to highlight the Bonus teleseminar that comes with membership – open to the first 50 Founder Members only and to be held in late April.
As I write this everyone who’s already signed up is among the first 50 – they are all “in”.
If you haven’t joined us yet, then there is still room. However the “seats” are going fast so I can’t guarantee how long this bonus will be available. My best guess is that it will be full up by Friday.
And if you don’t want to read the full story and are keen just to get on board, just go to www.FullPractices.com
Take care,
Jonathan
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
What are you addicted to? [other than blogs]
This is becoming a weekly rant as I watch relevant documentaries on BBC 2 and come away either enthused or with my blood boiling. This time I’m somewhere in between…
“Am I Normal?” this time presented by Dr Tanya Byron [clinical psychologist] asked the controversial question “Is Addiction a disease or the excuse used by weak willed people to absolve responsibility?” More specifically, is being addicted to something like drugs, alcohol, porn, chocolate or online gaming an illness, or an excessive choice by the individual?
In our quote “therapy saturated culture” can addicts such as big name celebrities hide behind the label and plead “its my disorder that controls me”, or is it a chosen escape vehicle for the desperate and needy?
Fascinating to learn that early psychologists linked alcohol to mental health and the word “addiction” became a negative. This was one of the ideas that fuelled the prohibition laws in the 1920’s.
I found myself liking Dr Jeffry Schaler who categorically states society uses the label as an excuse for weak willed people to self-indulge. Addicts choose to stay addicted.
Here’s the science part - we were shown clinical evidence that shows the troublesome behaviour/substance stimulates the release of Dopamine in the brain, making you want more of it.
But at what point does a passionate pastime become an addiction? One definition was that “its an excessive enthusiasm if it adds to your daily life, and its an addiction if it takes away from your daily life”. My response is “according to whom?”
Computer games give you the Dopamine rush from killing foes or gaining levels. Online gambling sites are designed to give you “nearly won” more than “won” because the Dopamine rush of a “nearly won” makes you want to bet again.
And oh dear, the TFT guy went down like a lead balloon. His crusading “I can cure 98% of issues because I come from the university of results and I can fill seminars” spiel sounded embarassingly like the gung ho lines I used to come out with, until I realised that the person’s conscious mind needs a ritual to go through to let the unconscious mind change, and therefore no one ritual fits all.
The EMDR guy just used trance, suggestions and negative imagery to pattern interrupt his smoking client, and guess what? He started smoking again. Quelle surprise!
By far the most important, and I’d say most understated conclusion in this documentary, was the revealing statistics that say 60-70% of addicts eventually grow out of the behaviour of their own accord. It’s like a “phase” they’re going through. Unfortunately, some addicts phases can last decades, if not a lifetime!
- - - / / / - - -
Breaking news – The “Project FP” countdown has begun:
http://www.CoachTherapist.com
- - -/ / / - - -
Even if we answered the question posed, my response is “So what next?” If all addictions are illness, so what next? A boom in therapy? If addictions are all conscious choices, so what next?” The death of therapy?
Debate raged around the idea of control of use versus responsibility of use. Surely its not an either or but includes both?
And another thing – I have to point out that Dr Byron does a lot of “mind reading” when she listens to what a client says, then interprets it and suggests her label for what they just said. Clean Language and NLP prohibited that addiction decades ago!
Tony Robbins suggested [or rather borrowed someone else’s model and renamed it as he was taught to do by Jay Abraham using Jay’s Maven Strategy] that any behaviour that meets 3 of the 6 human needs becomes an addiction. And that’s a very individual thing. Until they find another more effective vehicle that meets those needs, which would tie in with the “phase” concept.
By the way, if you’re a TFT or EFT user [and I chose that term carefully] is it normal for you to tap the client? I always practice a hands off approach and get them to learn tapping points themselves, and besides, I don’t like litigation. Feedback please…
Dr Byron’ conclusions? Addiction is an illness and there are loads of unproven complementary and alternative practitioners making boatloads of cash out of it.
That makes me so angry, I’m off to play World Of Warcraft for 3 days…
“Am I Normal?” this time presented by Dr Tanya Byron [clinical psychologist] asked the controversial question “Is Addiction a disease or the excuse used by weak willed people to absolve responsibility?” More specifically, is being addicted to something like drugs, alcohol, porn, chocolate or online gaming an illness, or an excessive choice by the individual?
In our quote “therapy saturated culture” can addicts such as big name celebrities hide behind the label and plead “its my disorder that controls me”, or is it a chosen escape vehicle for the desperate and needy?
Fascinating to learn that early psychologists linked alcohol to mental health and the word “addiction” became a negative. This was one of the ideas that fuelled the prohibition laws in the 1920’s.
I found myself liking Dr Jeffry Schaler who categorically states society uses the label as an excuse for weak willed people to self-indulge. Addicts choose to stay addicted.
Here’s the science part - we were shown clinical evidence that shows the troublesome behaviour/substance stimulates the release of Dopamine in the brain, making you want more of it.
But at what point does a passionate pastime become an addiction? One definition was that “its an excessive enthusiasm if it adds to your daily life, and its an addiction if it takes away from your daily life”. My response is “according to whom?”
Computer games give you the Dopamine rush from killing foes or gaining levels. Online gambling sites are designed to give you “nearly won” more than “won” because the Dopamine rush of a “nearly won” makes you want to bet again.
And oh dear, the TFT guy went down like a lead balloon. His crusading “I can cure 98% of issues because I come from the university of results and I can fill seminars” spiel sounded embarassingly like the gung ho lines I used to come out with, until I realised that the person’s conscious mind needs a ritual to go through to let the unconscious mind change, and therefore no one ritual fits all.
The EMDR guy just used trance, suggestions and negative imagery to pattern interrupt his smoking client, and guess what? He started smoking again. Quelle surprise!
By far the most important, and I’d say most understated conclusion in this documentary, was the revealing statistics that say 60-70% of addicts eventually grow out of the behaviour of their own accord. It’s like a “phase” they’re going through. Unfortunately, some addicts phases can last decades, if not a lifetime!
- - - / / / - - -
Breaking news – The “Project FP” countdown has begun:
http://www.CoachTherapist.com
- - -/ / / - - -
Even if we answered the question posed, my response is “So what next?” If all addictions are illness, so what next? A boom in therapy? If addictions are all conscious choices, so what next?” The death of therapy?
Debate raged around the idea of control of use versus responsibility of use. Surely its not an either or but includes both?
And another thing – I have to point out that Dr Byron does a lot of “mind reading” when she listens to what a client says, then interprets it and suggests her label for what they just said. Clean Language and NLP prohibited that addiction decades ago!
Tony Robbins suggested [or rather borrowed someone else’s model and renamed it as he was taught to do by Jay Abraham using Jay’s Maven Strategy] that any behaviour that meets 3 of the 6 human needs becomes an addiction. And that’s a very individual thing. Until they find another more effective vehicle that meets those needs, which would tie in with the “phase” concept.
By the way, if you’re a TFT or EFT user [and I chose that term carefully] is it normal for you to tap the client? I always practice a hands off approach and get them to learn tapping points themselves, and besides, I don’t like litigation. Feedback please…
Dr Byron’ conclusions? Addiction is an illness and there are loads of unproven complementary and alternative practitioners making boatloads of cash out of it.
That makes me so angry, I’m off to play World Of Warcraft for 3 days…
Medication or Meditation Part 2
Did you manage to catch the documentary on BBC during the week with Professor Kathy Sykes investigating the myths, facts and benefits of meditation?
She started in a monastery in Nepal by interviewing “the happiest man in the world” and then went on to start an impressively disciplined meditation practice. When most people first try meditation or self-hypnosis they usually can’t sit still for very long cos their conscious mind races with thoughts and distractions. You’ve probably found that to be true.
But give it long enough, and something inevitably happens. Yup, her stuff came up! Sadness about her father’s death and all this repressed emotion that she didn’t even know was in there. And this is the essential first step in my HGE method - to strengthen the connection between the conscious and the unconscious minds through trance.
When asked what the benefits of meditation are, the monk stated “emotional balance, the banishing of anxiety and a change in the way you experience every moment of your life”. Not bad for a built in, no cost approach!
What struck me was here is a professor, a physicist no less, making a meal out of something really basic and easy to comprehend. She was surprised that the relaxation response affected the physical body! At this point I’m shouting at the TV!
Next we’re taken to a closed community in the US where they practice TM – transcendental meditation. But did they have to focus on the guys bouncing across the floor in the Lotus position? “You won’t actually see them levitate” she was told. Didn’t do much for their street credibility.
So there you have it – the big revelation is that, and I quote “Meditation might help anyone deal with life”. Get away…
What was far more intriguing was the medical research that shows the more you meditate, the thicker the Insula gets. The Insula is a thin layer of brain tissue that helps you feel internal states – hunger, thirst and emotion. Science proves that he more you meditate, the more you physically change the structure of your brain tissue. Thus strengthening the connection between the conscious mind and the unconscious mind.
Which brings me right back to where I started this discussion.
So my advice is this – if you don’t close your eyes and go inside on a regular basis, why not start right after you finish reading this? Take 5 minutes to breathe deeply, close your eyes and listen, really listen for what comes up…
And if you are a seasoned meditation veteran, I bet you could do it more often…
She started in a monastery in Nepal by interviewing “the happiest man in the world” and then went on to start an impressively disciplined meditation practice. When most people first try meditation or self-hypnosis they usually can’t sit still for very long cos their conscious mind races with thoughts and distractions. You’ve probably found that to be true.
But give it long enough, and something inevitably happens. Yup, her stuff came up! Sadness about her father’s death and all this repressed emotion that she didn’t even know was in there. And this is the essential first step in my HGE method - to strengthen the connection between the conscious and the unconscious minds through trance.
When asked what the benefits of meditation are, the monk stated “emotional balance, the banishing of anxiety and a change in the way you experience every moment of your life”. Not bad for a built in, no cost approach!
What struck me was here is a professor, a physicist no less, making a meal out of something really basic and easy to comprehend. She was surprised that the relaxation response affected the physical body! At this point I’m shouting at the TV!
Next we’re taken to a closed community in the US where they practice TM – transcendental meditation. But did they have to focus on the guys bouncing across the floor in the Lotus position? “You won’t actually see them levitate” she was told. Didn’t do much for their street credibility.
So there you have it – the big revelation is that, and I quote “Meditation might help anyone deal with life”. Get away…
What was far more intriguing was the medical research that shows the more you meditate, the thicker the Insula gets. The Insula is a thin layer of brain tissue that helps you feel internal states – hunger, thirst and emotion. Science proves that he more you meditate, the more you physically change the structure of your brain tissue. Thus strengthening the connection between the conscious mind and the unconscious mind.
Which brings me right back to where I started this discussion.
So my advice is this – if you don’t close your eyes and go inside on a regular basis, why not start right after you finish reading this? Take 5 minutes to breathe deeply, close your eyes and listen, really listen for what comes up…
And if you are a seasoned meditation veteran, I bet you could do it more often…
Monday, April 14, 2008
Coach/Therapist Challenge # 2
This update coverns Challenge #2 that we’ve heard from our readers about the impending release of "Project FP" - the complete turnkey solution to attracting clients and building a fully booked Practice.
[We already addressed the #1 challenge about difficulty getting clients in an earlier post below]
CHALLENGE: Where do I find the time to study, do my day job and find clients?
BACKGROUND: When I released the sneak preview of Project FP lots of people were stunned by the size of the thing. A major concern that came out as a frequent issue amongst the Coaches & Therapists in our online survey was finding the time to fit it all in.
SOLUTION: While the concern is completely understandable, I want to reassure you that I’ve taken care of that too. This resource is broken down into easy baby steps which you take at your own pace, so you devote as much time as you’re willing to commit. If that’s only an hour a week, then this will still work for you.
Yes, Project FP is big [right now 144 different resources and still growing] but a great deal of the strategies and methods outlined are actually QUICKER and more IMPACTFUL than some of the inefficient practice building I’ll wager you’re doing [or not doing!] right now.
Most Coaches and Therapists I’ve met think that all they need is a website, a nice brochure and shiny business cards and the clients will flock to you. If all it took was a brochure website, a leaflet and a business card, then we’d all be fully booked. Yes we need the logical, left brain legwork to market ourselves, but that’s actually a very small part of what actually works.
When I trained with CoachU one of the things I noticed about most of our teachers was that hardly any of them had brochures and business cards, and their websites weren’t the usual format [About me, What Is Coaching? Blah blah blah] that you see everywhere.
BOTTOM LINE: So expect a higher level of strategy – Mindset and Motivation, empowering beliefs of business pioneers, the secret hidden strategy behind every major flourishing practice, positioning techniques to get noticed above your competition, creating an irresistible offer, systemisation, automation and attraction principles that bring business to you [I’m not kidding!].
The FP approach also comes with free fast track teleclasses every day for 5 days straight, to let you hit the ground running, as well a host of tools that actually save you time, or work to build your Practice 24hours a day, even when you sleep…
Stay tuned for more details. We will be opening the doors to “Project FP” on Wednesday the 16th of April at precisely 11.59 am UK time. The best way to stay informed is by joining our VIP announcement list.
If you haven't already, you can add your name to the red carpet at
http://www.coachtherapist.com/vip-notification-list.html
Best regards,
Jonathan
[We already addressed the #1 challenge about difficulty getting clients in an earlier post below]
CHALLENGE: Where do I find the time to study, do my day job and find clients?
BACKGROUND: When I released the sneak preview of Project FP lots of people were stunned by the size of the thing. A major concern that came out as a frequent issue amongst the Coaches & Therapists in our online survey was finding the time to fit it all in.
SOLUTION: While the concern is completely understandable, I want to reassure you that I’ve taken care of that too. This resource is broken down into easy baby steps which you take at your own pace, so you devote as much time as you’re willing to commit. If that’s only an hour a week, then this will still work for you.
Yes, Project FP is big [right now 144 different resources and still growing] but a great deal of the strategies and methods outlined are actually QUICKER and more IMPACTFUL than some of the inefficient practice building I’ll wager you’re doing [or not doing!] right now.
Most Coaches and Therapists I’ve met think that all they need is a website, a nice brochure and shiny business cards and the clients will flock to you. If all it took was a brochure website, a leaflet and a business card, then we’d all be fully booked. Yes we need the logical, left brain legwork to market ourselves, but that’s actually a very small part of what actually works.
When I trained with CoachU one of the things I noticed about most of our teachers was that hardly any of them had brochures and business cards, and their websites weren’t the usual format [About me, What Is Coaching? Blah blah blah] that you see everywhere.
BOTTOM LINE: So expect a higher level of strategy – Mindset and Motivation, empowering beliefs of business pioneers, the secret hidden strategy behind every major flourishing practice, positioning techniques to get noticed above your competition, creating an irresistible offer, systemisation, automation and attraction principles that bring business to you [I’m not kidding!].
The FP approach also comes with free fast track teleclasses every day for 5 days straight, to let you hit the ground running, as well a host of tools that actually save you time, or work to build your Practice 24hours a day, even when you sleep…
Stay tuned for more details. We will be opening the doors to “Project FP” on Wednesday the 16th of April at precisely 11.59 am UK time. The best way to stay informed is by joining our VIP announcement list.
If you haven't already, you can add your name to the red carpet at
http://www.coachtherapist.com/vip-notification-list.html
Best regards,
Jonathan
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Coach/Therapist Challenge # 1
We have heard 3 major challenges from our readers about the impending release of "Project FP" - the complete turnkey solution to attracting clients and building a fully booked Practice. This update addresses the #1 challenge...
[By the way, I have just loaded a sneak preview of “Project FP”. You can look at the “spy photos” right now at this link:
http://coachtherapist.com/sneak-preview.html
[Shameless plug ;-) - feel free to pass this link onto any other Coaches & Therapists you know who needs help growing their practice]
CHALLENGE: How do I attract a steady stream of clients who can afford what I offer?
BACKGROUND: A couple of months ago I let it slip to my clients that we were getting ready to release a Practice Building resource all about marketing and promoting yourself as a Coach or Therapist, even if you squirm at the word "marketing"...
That little slip created a bit of a flurry of emails from my client bank. And funnily enough, the biggest concern was exactly what I suspected all along. I often see small circles of therapists sitting drinking tea together in clinics all over the place, because none of them have anyone to treat!
Or Coaches who have huge gaping spaces in their diaries and they just aren't paying the bills from their Coaching practice, so they rely on the other breadwinner in the family, or they have a "real job" as well.
SOLUTION: So given that background, I've compiled a complete list of 48 ways to get clients. Every method I can think of, that I've used. In fact, number 49 will be added shortly if it pans out the way I think it will.
You see, the problem isn't knowing what to do - there's plenty of information out there - books, websites, teleclasses. Any good Coach Training programme will cover "Getting Clients" at some point, and if it didn't I'd ask for my money back! We spent at least 8 weeks on that topic alone at Coach U.
The solution is having a step by step, prioritised baby steps game plan in place, so you do things at your own pace, but in the right order. Actually, getting clients is Step 7 in my system - there are FAR MORE vital steps to implement FIRST, and that's why people struggle.
So when we go live [which will hopefully be week commencing April 14th] the first 150 Founder Members will get all 48 methods + audio training + cheat sheets + free teleclass support for a ridiculously low special offer price.
When we open "Project FP" back up again for new members, I will be raising the price drastically. Raising the price keeps the group size manageable and will pay me back for the enormous effort and costs involved in setting this thing up.
BOTTOM LINE: If you implemented just one of the 48 Pillars as I call them, one per week, and you had 48 sources of new clents working for you, just imagine how busy your diary would get. You'd need a waiting list!
Speaking of waiting lists :-) I am promoting the launch FIRST to those on my internal mailing lists. The best way to stay informed is by joining our VIP notification list. If you haven't already, you can add your name to the red carpet at
http://www.coachtherapist.com/vip-notification-list.html
[By the way, I have just loaded a sneak preview of “Project FP”. You can look at the “spy photos” right now at this link:
http://coachtherapist.com/sneak-preview.html
[Shameless plug ;-) - feel free to pass this link onto any other Coaches & Therapists you know who needs help growing their practice]
CHALLENGE: How do I attract a steady stream of clients who can afford what I offer?
BACKGROUND: A couple of months ago I let it slip to my clients that we were getting ready to release a Practice Building resource all about marketing and promoting yourself as a Coach or Therapist, even if you squirm at the word "marketing"...
That little slip created a bit of a flurry of emails from my client bank. And funnily enough, the biggest concern was exactly what I suspected all along. I often see small circles of therapists sitting drinking tea together in clinics all over the place, because none of them have anyone to treat!
Or Coaches who have huge gaping spaces in their diaries and they just aren't paying the bills from their Coaching practice, so they rely on the other breadwinner in the family, or they have a "real job" as well.
SOLUTION: So given that background, I've compiled a complete list of 48 ways to get clients. Every method I can think of, that I've used. In fact, number 49 will be added shortly if it pans out the way I think it will.
You see, the problem isn't knowing what to do - there's plenty of information out there - books, websites, teleclasses. Any good Coach Training programme will cover "Getting Clients" at some point, and if it didn't I'd ask for my money back! We spent at least 8 weeks on that topic alone at Coach U.
The solution is having a step by step, prioritised baby steps game plan in place, so you do things at your own pace, but in the right order. Actually, getting clients is Step 7 in my system - there are FAR MORE vital steps to implement FIRST, and that's why people struggle.
So when we go live [which will hopefully be week commencing April 14th] the first 150 Founder Members will get all 48 methods + audio training + cheat sheets + free teleclass support for a ridiculously low special offer price.
When we open "Project FP" back up again for new members, I will be raising the price drastically. Raising the price keeps the group size manageable and will pay me back for the enormous effort and costs involved in setting this thing up.
BOTTOM LINE: If you implemented just one of the 48 Pillars as I call them, one per week, and you had 48 sources of new clents working for you, just imagine how busy your diary would get. You'd need a waiting list!
Speaking of waiting lists :-) I am promoting the launch FIRST to those on my internal mailing lists. The best way to stay informed is by joining our VIP notification list. If you haven't already, you can add your name to the red carpet at
http://www.coachtherapist.com/vip-notification-list.html
Monday, April 07, 2008
Quick announcement and a favour…
Hi there,
Jonathan Clark here, and I need to ask you for a favour...
I’m going to help new and experienced Life Coaches and Therapists who hate marketing and don’t really know how to get clients consistently. “Project FP” will be launched within the next week or so...
We have literally been working on this all-out for the last 8 months solid, putting together the ideal package as voted for in an email survey that you probably took part in. But before we roll it out officially, we need to ask you a couple of questions. Can you help us out?
Please take a minute to answer this super-short survey - there are only 2 questions.
You can answer the questions [and get the FIRST sneak preview of this amazing resource] at this web page:
http://coachtherapist.com/questions.html
Many thanks in advance,
Jonathan
Jonathan Clark here, and I need to ask you for a favour...
I’m going to help new and experienced Life Coaches and Therapists who hate marketing and don’t really know how to get clients consistently. “Project FP” will be launched within the next week or so...
We have literally been working on this all-out for the last 8 months solid, putting together the ideal package as voted for in an email survey that you probably took part in. But before we roll it out officially, we need to ask you a couple of questions. Can you help us out?
Please take a minute to answer this super-short survey - there are only 2 questions.
You can answer the questions [and get the FIRST sneak preview of this amazing resource] at this web page:
http://coachtherapist.com/questions.html
Many thanks in advance,
Jonathan
Friday, April 04, 2008
The Force Is Strong In this One...
I couldn't resist putting these on here...
My mobile phone deal lets me get a new model every year for free, so I grabbed the new Sony Ericsson. However, I had all these great photos of baby Luke from the day he was born right up to his 2nd birthday in February this year. Trouble was, I was concerned I might lose them when I switched over to the new phone.
So thanks to the great God Ebay, conflicting advice from different mobile phone shops, and a lot of patient fiddling, I present to you..in all his glory...young Skywalker...
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Coaching Weapons Of Mass Distribution
McDonalds isn’t a place I find myself in very often. We prefer to eat in a restaurant where the menu isn’t on the roof. But pressed for time, a ravenous two year old in tow and rush hour just starting, it seemed like a good idea…
So there we are standing in line, wondering what we’ll have, squinting to read the options from the back of the queue, and it struck me. Is this really an efficient way of running a business, or not?
In my role as a Practice Building Coach, I teach an invisible secret weapon strategy that adds profits to any practice, makes business easier for the owner, adds massive value for the client, stimulates creativity and allows you to capture the sales that you’d otherwise have missed.
The magic bullet [though there isn’t one] is the Conveyor Belt analogy – to firstly have in place a funnel at the front which draws prospects to you. This is sometimes called an “ethical lure” – a free report, an e-book, a 5 part e-course, some kind of information in exchange for the customer’s contact details. This is also known as “front end acquisition”, acquiring new leads at the front end of the conveyor belt.
Every good Coaching or Therapist website should have some kind of free information available in exchange for the prospect’s email address, thus building a list of interested possible clients.
Think back to McDonalds. Just how do they get people in the door in the first place? Apart from high visibility in the main street, and the occasional TV advert, just how do they “get you”? We had no plans to go there till we spotted the familiar red and yellow signage [and aren’t they all the same colour? The colour Red stimulates appetite. Think red light district. Red for danger…]
Or is it the case that they have such a strong brand awareness that they don’t need to promote themselves?
And what else could they be doing while we stand in the obligatory line? Wasted opportunity # 1. What about screens on the walls with offers, or adverts, or club memberships? A child’s entertainer, close up magician, or a customer services rep at least. Seems like a missed opportunity to have us all just stand there like patient cattle…
What then happens is the client is offered the chance to “upgrade” and actually make a small purchase. In internet marketing you often get what’s called an OTO [one time offer], a screen that will literally only appear one time and if you don’t take it you lose it. This is a real moment of truth in the business ladder as the prospect becomes a paying client, albeit with only a small purchase. But it demonstrates trust and starts the buying cycle.
The aim of the game is to have that client now move along the conveyor, purchasing bigger and more expensive products and services as they continue their client relationship with that company. This is what’s termed as “the upsell”. Think what Amazon does – as you browse books, they let you know that “buyers of this book have also bought…” at the bottom of the page.
So in McDonalds, we pick our meals and we’re asked if we want to “go large”, thus adding an upsell to the offer, giving the customer added value and increasing their profits in one fell swoop.
Now we’re in the backend – where all the money is – the client will come back and buy more, and more often, because now they know you, like you and trust you.
And when you get the Amazon book in the mail, guess what’s included in the box? More offers for other products and services that they think you might be interested in. Amazon really have it sewn up because now they’ll even buy your used books back off you, so they can resell them at second hand prices. A tight business model!
Does it work? Think how quickly Amazon has grown into a household name.
And once they have you on their books, you will get followed up with offers, discount vouchers and updates, just to keep them in the front of your mind so that next time you want one of those products, you’ll naturally go to them.
But what about McDonalds? Wasted opportunity #2. Have they ever contacted you after you’ve been in? Not me. At no point do they capture my name, email or postal address. Can they really rely on the fact that because we bought once, we’ll always come back? That’s a dangerous assumption…
So what does this mean to you? Well, if you run your own business as a Coach or Therapist, you need to have front end acquisition tools in place to capture prospects. They should then be offered a small purchase decision to convert them into paying clients.
And once they are on your books, I recommend you regularly follow up with a series of valuable information, offers, updates and helpful material. That builds loyalty and converts more prospects into paying clients who’ll partake of your main product/service/treatment.
Another thing about MacDonald, and maybe you can tell me because I don’t know. Why don’t they do home delivery? Wasted opportunity #3. OK, there’s drive through, but think how many people would call a phone number and get a Big Mac and fries delivered to their door on a Friday night. Surely they’ve looked into that as an add-on.
Far be it for me to go up against the big boys, but I’m seeing gaps here. Gaps that any good Coach or Therapist should fill and exploit in their professional practice.
Action Steps For You:
1. What front end free information will you offer to get prospects?
2. What small product or service will come next in your conveyor belt?
3. How can you make sure you capture their contact details?
4. What will your follow up message look like?
Now I’m off to play with my free Shrek toy…
Jonathan Clark is a 6 figure Mentor Coach who helps Therapists and Coaches to make their annual income their quarterly income. For more startling truths about the industry visit www.CoachTherapist.com
So there we are standing in line, wondering what we’ll have, squinting to read the options from the back of the queue, and it struck me. Is this really an efficient way of running a business, or not?
In my role as a Practice Building Coach, I teach an invisible secret weapon strategy that adds profits to any practice, makes business easier for the owner, adds massive value for the client, stimulates creativity and allows you to capture the sales that you’d otherwise have missed.
The magic bullet [though there isn’t one] is the Conveyor Belt analogy – to firstly have in place a funnel at the front which draws prospects to you. This is sometimes called an “ethical lure” – a free report, an e-book, a 5 part e-course, some kind of information in exchange for the customer’s contact details. This is also known as “front end acquisition”, acquiring new leads at the front end of the conveyor belt.
Every good Coaching or Therapist website should have some kind of free information available in exchange for the prospect’s email address, thus building a list of interested possible clients.
Think back to McDonalds. Just how do they get people in the door in the first place? Apart from high visibility in the main street, and the occasional TV advert, just how do they “get you”? We had no plans to go there till we spotted the familiar red and yellow signage [and aren’t they all the same colour? The colour Red stimulates appetite. Think red light district. Red for danger…]
Or is it the case that they have such a strong brand awareness that they don’t need to promote themselves?
And what else could they be doing while we stand in the obligatory line? Wasted opportunity # 1. What about screens on the walls with offers, or adverts, or club memberships? A child’s entertainer, close up magician, or a customer services rep at least. Seems like a missed opportunity to have us all just stand there like patient cattle…
What then happens is the client is offered the chance to “upgrade” and actually make a small purchase. In internet marketing you often get what’s called an OTO [one time offer], a screen that will literally only appear one time and if you don’t take it you lose it. This is a real moment of truth in the business ladder as the prospect becomes a paying client, albeit with only a small purchase. But it demonstrates trust and starts the buying cycle.
The aim of the game is to have that client now move along the conveyor, purchasing bigger and more expensive products and services as they continue their client relationship with that company. This is what’s termed as “the upsell”. Think what Amazon does – as you browse books, they let you know that “buyers of this book have also bought…” at the bottom of the page.
So in McDonalds, we pick our meals and we’re asked if we want to “go large”, thus adding an upsell to the offer, giving the customer added value and increasing their profits in one fell swoop.
Now we’re in the backend – where all the money is – the client will come back and buy more, and more often, because now they know you, like you and trust you.
And when you get the Amazon book in the mail, guess what’s included in the box? More offers for other products and services that they think you might be interested in. Amazon really have it sewn up because now they’ll even buy your used books back off you, so they can resell them at second hand prices. A tight business model!
Does it work? Think how quickly Amazon has grown into a household name.
And once they have you on their books, you will get followed up with offers, discount vouchers and updates, just to keep them in the front of your mind so that next time you want one of those products, you’ll naturally go to them.
But what about McDonalds? Wasted opportunity #2. Have they ever contacted you after you’ve been in? Not me. At no point do they capture my name, email or postal address. Can they really rely on the fact that because we bought once, we’ll always come back? That’s a dangerous assumption…
So what does this mean to you? Well, if you run your own business as a Coach or Therapist, you need to have front end acquisition tools in place to capture prospects. They should then be offered a small purchase decision to convert them into paying clients.
And once they are on your books, I recommend you regularly follow up with a series of valuable information, offers, updates and helpful material. That builds loyalty and converts more prospects into paying clients who’ll partake of your main product/service/treatment.
Another thing about MacDonald, and maybe you can tell me because I don’t know. Why don’t they do home delivery? Wasted opportunity #3. OK, there’s drive through, but think how many people would call a phone number and get a Big Mac and fries delivered to their door on a Friday night. Surely they’ve looked into that as an add-on.
Far be it for me to go up against the big boys, but I’m seeing gaps here. Gaps that any good Coach or Therapist should fill and exploit in their professional practice.
Action Steps For You:
1. What front end free information will you offer to get prospects?
2. What small product or service will come next in your conveyor belt?
3. How can you make sure you capture their contact details?
4. What will your follow up message look like?
Now I’m off to play with my free Shrek toy…
Jonathan Clark is a 6 figure Mentor Coach who helps Therapists and Coaches to make their annual income their quarterly income. For more startling truths about the industry visit www.CoachTherapist.com
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
The Survey Results Are In...
Hi there,
The Feedback poured in from the Coach/Therapist survey with hundreds of responses. Not bad for a 15 question online survey. Thanks for taking part if you did.
Want to know what the most pressing problems are for Coaches and Therapists as we enter April 2008?
I’ve included the full results at www.CoachTherapist.com
New helping professionals continue to struggle to get off the ground, and 81% are still earning less than £10,000 a year.
Wow! Makes you wonder why bother?
Now I am committed to identifying the roadblocks and creating resources that help people break through.
As a result of the feedback, I am in the process of completing “Project FP” which specifically solve these headaches once and for all.
To put your name on the VIP notification list so you get first shout when we launch, just go to www.CoachTherapist.com and click the link on the left.
Thanks again for the feedback. Rest assured I am hard at work creating the very resource you’ve asked for.
Watch this space!
Jonathan Clark.
The Feedback poured in from the Coach/Therapist survey with hundreds of responses. Not bad for a 15 question online survey. Thanks for taking part if you did.
Want to know what the most pressing problems are for Coaches and Therapists as we enter April 2008?
I’ve included the full results at www.CoachTherapist.com
New helping professionals continue to struggle to get off the ground, and 81% are still earning less than £10,000 a year.
Wow! Makes you wonder why bother?
Now I am committed to identifying the roadblocks and creating resources that help people break through.
As a result of the feedback, I am in the process of completing “Project FP” which specifically solve these headaches once and for all.
To put your name on the VIP notification list so you get first shout when we launch, just go to www.CoachTherapist.com and click the link on the left.
Thanks again for the feedback. Rest assured I am hard at work creating the very resource you’ve asked for.
Watch this space!
Jonathan Clark.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Medication or Meditation?
I just watched “How does your memory work” on BBC2’s Horizon programme, and it was fascinating. Let me see if I can remember the highlights…
Clearly by the title the hour was spent looking at how memory works, and what happens when it starts to break down.
The Hippocampi are the part of your brain that record everything that’s going on right now, 24 hours a day – they never switch off. They take in 200 bits of information per second [that’s up on the 134 figure that I usually teach]. That information gets stored in your long term memory. We then imagine a future based on fragments of memories from the past. So if we imagine ourselves outside in the snow next winter, we create that image from our past experience of snow and winter. Fascinating.
The implication is that without our past we can’t conceive of our future.
Memory and future imagining starts at about age 5 [which is when we think the Conscious mind kicks in], and is mastered by age 9 when you’re completely aware of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years.
Your memory is operating at optimum capacity by age 25, yet starts to deteriorate by age 27!! Brain shrinkage actually starts at age 20, and by the time they are 85 years old 50% of people have dementia. “Memory is like a machine – it can be overworked and can wear out” we were told. Interesting belief system – I must try not to remember that!
Events in your memory cannot be deleted at will [so they said]. And about 10% of us experience something we’d rather forget [I’m surprised that the figure isn’t higher?]
The example given was Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which they described as a £close encounter with death” [generalisation?]. The emotional imprint is so strong in some people that it stays fresh.
Now here’s the scary part! They discovered that a common beta blocker that has been in use for years has a curious side effect – it dulls the emotional intensity of a memory. They described this reduction in an emotion as a breakthrough!! [For those of us who know Time Line Therapy, EFT and various other interventions, this is not news!]
The drug inhibits the formation of protein, which in turn reduces the neurological connections in the brain – thus making the memory harder to remember. [Does this sound like a good thing to you?]
A ‘recent’ finding says that just recalling a memory makes it malleable and fluid [I learned that in my NLP training in 1997]
The woman in the study who had been sexually assaulted, was asked to take the pill and then write down an account of her assault. [So dope her then fully associate her, lighting up the neurology]
After 6 weeks of doing this, when the account was read back to the poor woman, according to their measurements and charts there was a 30% reduction in intensity. And she reported that the memory came back less often.
Officials stated that “we are on the verge of an important breakthrough”, and that erasure of a memory is a bad idea as our memory of our past forms our identity and gives us continuity. “Your memory is you”. Plus, “it’s important to learn from the past so we can anticipate and avoid danger in the future” [Uh, Time Line Therapy anyone?]
So in conclusion, which would you prefer – a course of 6 weeks of beta blockers, or 15 minutes of Time Line Therapy?
Clearly by the title the hour was spent looking at how memory works, and what happens when it starts to break down.
The Hippocampi are the part of your brain that record everything that’s going on right now, 24 hours a day – they never switch off. They take in 200 bits of information per second [that’s up on the 134 figure that I usually teach]. That information gets stored in your long term memory. We then imagine a future based on fragments of memories from the past. So if we imagine ourselves outside in the snow next winter, we create that image from our past experience of snow and winter. Fascinating.
The implication is that without our past we can’t conceive of our future.
Memory and future imagining starts at about age 5 [which is when we think the Conscious mind kicks in], and is mastered by age 9 when you’re completely aware of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years.
Your memory is operating at optimum capacity by age 25, yet starts to deteriorate by age 27!! Brain shrinkage actually starts at age 20, and by the time they are 85 years old 50% of people have dementia. “Memory is like a machine – it can be overworked and can wear out” we were told. Interesting belief system – I must try not to remember that!
Events in your memory cannot be deleted at will [so they said]. And about 10% of us experience something we’d rather forget [I’m surprised that the figure isn’t higher?]
The example given was Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which they described as a £close encounter with death” [generalisation?]. The emotional imprint is so strong in some people that it stays fresh.
Now here’s the scary part! They discovered that a common beta blocker that has been in use for years has a curious side effect – it dulls the emotional intensity of a memory. They described this reduction in an emotion as a breakthrough!! [For those of us who know Time Line Therapy, EFT and various other interventions, this is not news!]
The drug inhibits the formation of protein, which in turn reduces the neurological connections in the brain – thus making the memory harder to remember. [Does this sound like a good thing to you?]
A ‘recent’ finding says that just recalling a memory makes it malleable and fluid [I learned that in my NLP training in 1997]
The woman in the study who had been sexually assaulted, was asked to take the pill and then write down an account of her assault. [So dope her then fully associate her, lighting up the neurology]
After 6 weeks of doing this, when the account was read back to the poor woman, according to their measurements and charts there was a 30% reduction in intensity. And she reported that the memory came back less often.
Officials stated that “we are on the verge of an important breakthrough”, and that erasure of a memory is a bad idea as our memory of our past forms our identity and gives us continuity. “Your memory is you”. Plus, “it’s important to learn from the past so we can anticipate and avoid danger in the future” [Uh, Time Line Therapy anyone?]
So in conclusion, which would you prefer – a course of 6 weeks of beta blockers, or 15 minutes of Time Line Therapy?
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Project FP Is Coming...
On February 2nd I started an online survey at www.CoachTherapist.com to ask the marketplace the true state of the Therapy and Coaching industry today, and the feedback so far has been startling.
Initial survey results show that the majority are female, aged 36 - 45 and earn less than £10,000 per year.
Now the survey is still on line, and if you're a Coach or a Therapist of any kind then go and take part - its anonymous.
So much for the "Million Dollar Coach" or "Superstar Therapist" hype that gets bandied about so much.
On the same site you can add your name to the VIP Notification list for "Project FP".
What the heck is "Project FP"? I'm not telling just yet, but suffice to say that if you're a new or struggling practitioner, you're about to be handed the solution on a plate.
So cast your vote and get on the VIP list - you'll kick yourself if you miss it...
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Calling All NLP Practitioners...
As you know we're in the run up to my 22nd NLP + HGE Practitioner Course.
To celebrate it, I've even dedicated a new website just for that programme, and its at www.theNLPcourse.com
I've put a Forum on that site, but it's feeling lonely and empty inside...[awww]
If you're already a Practitioner, would you be kind enough to log in and leave some comments in there, to start off the conversation?
Comments on your course when you did it, what's happened since then, your best result using NLP?
Any comments would get the discussion board from empty to buzzing, so it won't need a breakthrough session.
Hope to see you in there,
Jonathan
To celebrate it, I've even dedicated a new website just for that programme, and its at www.theNLPcourse.com
I've put a Forum on that site, but it's feeling lonely and empty inside...[awww]
If you're already a Practitioner, would you be kind enough to log in and leave some comments in there, to start off the conversation?
Comments on your course when you did it, what's happened since then, your best result using NLP?
Any comments would get the discussion board from empty to buzzing, so it won't need a breakthrough session.
Hope to see you in there,
Jonathan
Friday, February 22, 2008
Shocking Report
There's 2 things I wanted to tell you about.
Those who know me know that I am patient and polite. In school my
friends used to call me "Gentleman John" [embarassing or what!]
You'll usually catch me in a really good mood.
But lately something's really crawled under my skin. I've been
talking to lots of people by phone and email...trying to be
patient and bite my tongue...but I just can't do it anymore.
My next NLP + HGE Practitioner Course starts on March 22nd, so I've
been kept very busy handling enquiries and talking to guys and gals
who want to learn NLP, Huna, Time Line Therapy and Hypnosis either
for their own personal development, or to get into a new career as
a Coach, as a Therapist or Consultant.
In fact, the Early Bird £430 Discount is still valid till Midnight
tonight Friday 22nd February. See www.theNLPcourse.com
But, and it's a big but, I'm getting to hear a lot of horror stories
about people signing up for NLP courses, getting poor training and
not being able to get their money back. Or being confused by the
Trainer and then being told they're STUPID. And coming out of a 7
day course impressed, but totally incapable of doing NLP themselves.
The most unbelievable one for me is dodgy characters that give you
a certificate because you bought their CDs on Ebay!
So I've written a Consumer Advice Guide to make sure you can avoid
this kind of thing, if you're thinking about learning NLP. Who am
I to take this kind of a stand? I'm an NLP Trainer, Author and
passionate enthusiast, and these cowboy tactics harm my reputation
and my industry.
As an Independent Financial Advisor in the UK, I was under the
close scrutiny, continual assessment and strict codes of practice
enforced by governing bodies that had full legal clout behind them.
If a client was unhappy or had felt they were misled, the full
weight of the law could be brought down upon the Company that was
responsible.
This doesn't exist in the NLP world! The so called "Governing
Bodies" in the NLP community have no real power, no enforcement and
weak assessment. Frankly, you can buy your way up the NLP ladder
and become a Trainer even if you've never seen a real live client
in your life. So when a student asks them "How have you used this
with real clients?", how can they answer honestly? And do you
really want to be one of their first ever students?
Here's the truth - I know of one NLP Trainer who, despite
allegations against him for child abuse, continues to work
exclusively with children. Unbelievable! Ironically, the same
individual has set up a fictitious "Institute for NLP Ethics"!!!
Hmmm...
Several female clients have complained to me [privately of course]
about seduction and hypnosis techniques being used inappropriately,
but they're all too scared to challenge the male NLP Trainer doing
it. Can you imagine?
I know of 3 so called "Life Coaches" whose experience consists of
a 3 day training course and 12 written homework assignments! But
will it tell you that on their brochures and websites? I doubt it.
It's no wonder that there are hundreds of people who think NLP is
a bit dodgy. AND, they are giving my chosen industry a bad name,
and that affects me.
Now you tell me, how can the "powers that be" prevent people like
this from practicing?
Do I have a bee in my bonnet about this? Yes I do. However,
it's not in my power to stop them. So I'm going to offer you the
next best thing...
In the next few minutes alarm bells might go off as you become aware
of some of the pitfalls of going into an NLP training blind...and the
ugly side of this industry that noone else has told you about.
It's not my intention to slam or offend anyone in particular here - there
will be no "naming and shaming", but I know you might get hot under
the collar after reading this report.
If you're not planning on studying NLP then give this a miss. But if
you are, or know someone who is planning to, then please make them
aware.
You can download the Guide here.
To your personal growth,
Those who know me know that I am patient and polite. In school my
friends used to call me "Gentleman John" [embarassing or what!]
You'll usually catch me in a really good mood.
But lately something's really crawled under my skin. I've been
talking to lots of people by phone and email...trying to be
patient and bite my tongue...but I just can't do it anymore.
My next NLP + HGE Practitioner Course starts on March 22nd, so I've
been kept very busy handling enquiries and talking to guys and gals
who want to learn NLP, Huna, Time Line Therapy and Hypnosis either
for their own personal development, or to get into a new career as
a Coach, as a Therapist or Consultant.
In fact, the Early Bird £430 Discount is still valid till Midnight
tonight Friday 22nd February. See www.theNLPcourse.com
But, and it's a big but, I'm getting to hear a lot of horror stories
about people signing up for NLP courses, getting poor training and
not being able to get their money back. Or being confused by the
Trainer and then being told they're STUPID. And coming out of a 7
day course impressed, but totally incapable of doing NLP themselves.
The most unbelievable one for me is dodgy characters that give you
a certificate because you bought their CDs on Ebay!
So I've written a Consumer Advice Guide to make sure you can avoid
this kind of thing, if you're thinking about learning NLP. Who am
I to take this kind of a stand? I'm an NLP Trainer, Author and
passionate enthusiast, and these cowboy tactics harm my reputation
and my industry.
As an Independent Financial Advisor in the UK, I was under the
close scrutiny, continual assessment and strict codes of practice
enforced by governing bodies that had full legal clout behind them.
If a client was unhappy or had felt they were misled, the full
weight of the law could be brought down upon the Company that was
responsible.
This doesn't exist in the NLP world! The so called "Governing
Bodies" in the NLP community have no real power, no enforcement and
weak assessment. Frankly, you can buy your way up the NLP ladder
and become a Trainer even if you've never seen a real live client
in your life. So when a student asks them "How have you used this
with real clients?", how can they answer honestly? And do you
really want to be one of their first ever students?
Here's the truth - I know of one NLP Trainer who, despite
allegations against him for child abuse, continues to work
exclusively with children. Unbelievable! Ironically, the same
individual has set up a fictitious "Institute for NLP Ethics"!!!
Hmmm...
Several female clients have complained to me [privately of course]
about seduction and hypnosis techniques being used inappropriately,
but they're all too scared to challenge the male NLP Trainer doing
it. Can you imagine?
I know of 3 so called "Life Coaches" whose experience consists of
a 3 day training course and 12 written homework assignments! But
will it tell you that on their brochures and websites? I doubt it.
It's no wonder that there are hundreds of people who think NLP is
a bit dodgy. AND, they are giving my chosen industry a bad name,
and that affects me.
Now you tell me, how can the "powers that be" prevent people like
this from practicing?
Do I have a bee in my bonnet about this? Yes I do. However,
it's not in my power to stop them. So I'm going to offer you the
next best thing...
In the next few minutes alarm bells might go off as you become aware
of some of the pitfalls of going into an NLP training blind...and the
ugly side of this industry that noone else has told you about.
It's not my intention to slam or offend anyone in particular here - there
will be no "naming and shaming", but I know you might get hot under
the collar after reading this report.
If you're not planning on studying NLP then give this a miss. But if
you are, or know someone who is planning to, then please make them
aware.
You can download the Guide here.
To your personal growth,
Sunday, February 10, 2008
I've Added 3 Days To NLP Practitioner At No Cost
March 22nd will see my 22nd NLP and HGE Practitioner launch, and this time its 10 days of NLP, Hypnosis, Time Line Therapy and personal development - at the same price as the 7 day course last year!
And here's what people are saying about it...
Take a look at the brand new website which tells the full story.
Remember, if you're already certified you can refresh your training for £213.
If you're one of my affiliates, you'll earn £426 for every friend or colleague that you recommend who does the course. [And if you're not in the affiliate programme yet, go to www.latentprofit.com and sign up for free.]
Hope to see you there!
Jonathan
And here's what people are saying about it...
Take a look at the brand new website which tells the full story.
Remember, if you're already certified you can refresh your training for £213.
If you're one of my affiliates, you'll earn £426 for every friend or colleague that you recommend who does the course. [And if you're not in the affiliate programme yet, go to www.latentprofit.com and sign up for free.]
Hope to see you there!
Jonathan
Saturday, February 02, 2008
If You're A Coach Or Therapist...
I'm putting together what I consider to be the most practical, easy to use and profitable Practice Building for Coaches and Therapists resource on the market, but I can't launch it until I know its EXACTLY what therapists & coaches really need.
So I need your help. If you could fill in the short survey below, I can tailor make the new service to suit the needs and hassles that Therapists or Life Coaches have in the real world today.
In return, I'm going to gift you 9 Power-Packed Secrets To Dominate Your Market & Build A Waiting List of Customers...And They Work Like Magic!
Just go to www.coachtherapist.com
And if you're not a Coach or Therapist, would you be so kind as to help them, and help me, by passing on this message?
Many thanks in advance,
Jonathan
So I need your help. If you could fill in the short survey below, I can tailor make the new service to suit the needs and hassles that Therapists or Life Coaches have in the real world today.
In return, I'm going to gift you 9 Power-Packed Secrets To Dominate Your Market & Build A Waiting List of Customers...And They Work Like Magic!
Just go to www.coachtherapist.com
And if you're not a Coach or Therapist, would you be so kind as to help them, and help me, by passing on this message?
Many thanks in advance,
Jonathan
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