I've Always Liked Will Smith...

Body & Soul Event In Glasgow August

Oh dear. I used to do these events and have a stand as an exhibitor, and to be really honest, I couldn't remember why I stopped. But having done this one, now it all comes flooding back to me...

In a room full of therapists, psychics [well, some of them maybe...] and alternative retailers I set up my stand to promote my practice building programme at www.fullpractices.com I figured this was a good place to meet my target market client. There's a piccy of my stand.

I had 2 psychics on either side of me - one had a pal working the door and sending her leads, the other had loads of repeat customers from their last visit. Both saw a client every 30 minutes at £35 per time, over the 2 days. Do the math. Time to get my palmistry books out again... No problem filling their practices! Then one of the other psychics clocked them and an argument ensued. Never seen a bust up at an alternative event before.

What I found astounding was the fact that several stands in there were really quiet, yet not one of the exhibitors asked me about how I could help them. Therapists working on other therapists cos there was noone else coming close. Some stands even made it really difficult to know what they were promoting!

Didn't get many enquiries, but the ones I did get were all quality people who really want to grow their business. Some have joined Full Practices as a result. And I'm booked to do the next one, but unless I become a Druid I'm not so sure...

The Sequel To "The Secret"...

If you've watched "The Secret" or "What The Bleep", then you HAVE to watch this new groundbreaking movie...

This has truly changed my life and I pass it on to you with love, light and twinkly feathery angel blessings...

http://guruyouu.com/

6 Figure Practice Building Coach makes astounding FREE offer:

Are you a New Therapist Or Coach...Or do you Want To Be...?

Would you like to have a practice with all the clients you can handle...?
Want to learn how to make qualified prospects pick up the phone and call you... ?
Would you enjoy picking and choosing the people you want to work with… ?
Are you interested in becoming a well-known and recognised specialist in your industry...?
Enjoy controlling your own appointment book...?
Would like to attract more clients without feeling pushy or like a salesperson...?

...then you might be interested in what Jonathan Clark has to say.

Jonathan and The Witchhiker's Guide are offering you the chance to win Jonathan Clark! No you don't get to take him away and keep him in your house, it's even better than that! Jonathan is offering his expertise for FREE to one lucky reader, he will work with you personally to launch a profitable practice, fill your diary with paying clients & build a waiting list...Even if the thought of marketing makes you squirm... Even if you're newly qualified, aren't sure how much to charge & have no idea even where to start..

This unique new project means Jonathan will work one on one with you for FREE, instead of what would normally cost you a minimum of £2,250…over a period of six months and your progress will be reported in the WitchHiker's Guide magazine and website.

All you need to do is send your application and you could be in with a chance of turbo-charging your journey to your dream career. Click here to apply

Can't Read Can't Write

Superb series running on Channel 4 with the rebellious [and therefore successful] Phil Beadle, who you may remember from a previous series called The Unteachables teaching equally rebellious children how to learn. This time he's got 6 months to turn a group of adults around. And its working!

"Today in Britain, over five million adults have a reading age of 12 or less or, worse, cannot read at all. From dealing with bills, letters, helping with their children's homework, shopping, and finding work, this illiteracy blights nearly every aspect of their lives, especially their self-esteem. Ashamed and embarrassed, many keep the fact that they can't read a secret, sometimes even from their own family."

I love this series - watch as a 58 year old woman who's never read a book before reads one aloud to her mother just to prove how far she's come in such a short time. And the kinesthetic learner who just wasn't "getting it" until Phil made pipe-cleaner letters on the floor and she could get her hands onto them, thus building the neurological connections. Pure NLP at its best in the real world!

There is a quick and easy 20 question free dyslexia test on the website http://www.xtraordinarypeople.com/ but this is not a diagnostic test.

Inspires me to run my Accelerated Learning weekend again this year - what do you think? Maybe even Photoreading too. Would you be interested in being able to Read More, Learn More? Comments please.

Revealed: How To Get Everything You Want, & Change Anything You Don’t!

Tired of dragging around a painful past, or facing a dull looking future? GET out of your own way and meet the silent partner who's been running your life!

You can let go of past hurts, old hang-ups and bad habits that up until now you haven't been able to shake. And you can do it in September…

My name’s Jonathan Clark and I'd like to gift you a Profound Mind Technology with all of the answers to help you run your own head, reprogramme your habits and boost your self-confidence in a fun and easy way. Let me train you in HGE™

How? With my 10 day live seminar “Get Everything You Want, Change Anything You Don’t”.

There are lots of -ologies out there with no heart, that are too cold and "techniquey". They exclude people who want a more spiritual approach, are usually stuck in the 70's and haven't evolved much since then. They also tend to ignore the physical body, which is your foundation for everything else.

Instead, this 10 day course is the VERY LATEST personal development system that integrates every mind action approach you can think of, both mainstream and the esoteric, so you can change physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. It even covers ALL of the NLP syllabus, and a lot more!.

You’ll get a complete training in Hypnosis for self and others, a complete training in Time Line Therapy, cutting edge emotional balance techniques and all of the surprisingly fast NLP tools for change. You'll be able to let go of any past pain or trauma in minutes not years, AND design your future the way you want it.

Finally, you'll be able to destroy problems and build new solutions, in yourself and anyone else. You'll be able to change dumb beliefs that hold you back, neutralise triggers that fire you off, and increase your motivation and confidence - all in 10 days!

How? Using simple self-relaxation exercises you'll have the key that unlocks the vault to your brain, dump the rubbish and replace them with healthier thoughts, more upbeat feelings and more useful habits.

“I have received everything I expected and a whole lot more. This has been a very emotional, fun and profound experience. If people are interested at all in growing and changing for the better, you have to start training with Jonathan!” – Liesha Ross, Firewalk Instructor

According to the Office of National Statistics, 1 in 6 adults between the ages of 16 and 74 years old have a neurotic disorder - a phobia, depression or anxiety. They also said these disorders affect women more than men. A lifetime of stress can eventually lead to physical illness and disease. Don't become another statistic…

If you could change just one thing about your feelings, beliefs or habits, what would you change?

Full Hypnosis training, Time Line Therapy and all of the NLP tools -- plus the pre-study materials on 31 CDs and a full colour 193 page, easy to read manual.

• 2 Certificates for the price of 1 – NLP and HGE™
• Full money back guarantee so your money is safe.
• Repeat the training as often as you want for only 10%
• Come back and assist me on future courses and I'll pay you.

Most people come for their own personal development. Others want to become therapists or coaches, and we can even show you how to get clients & fill your practice.

www.theNLPcourse.com

Live Phobia Cure On BBC Radio

On Friday the 11th of July I was a guest on BBC Radio Scotland's Fred MacAulay show. This was all arranged by a friend of a friend. We had a spider phobic called Martin, a tarantula called "Rosebud" and a spider handler called Clare... you can see where this is going.

Basically the challenge was could I "fix" the phobia on air in 30 minutes. The good news is I did, and the photos of Martin holding Rosebud are on my website below. The bad news is that it happened after the show in the green room!

You can listen to the replay at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00cd5lz

You can see the webpage I'd already set up in advance at www.jonathanclark.org The big hairy spider pics are RIGHT at the bottom of the page [not for the feint hearted!]

Welcome Technorati

Technorati Profile

You Mean There's 4 of You?

The Kahuna explains - FORMATION OF THE 4 BODIES

The four bodies mature at different times in your life. The Emotional body develops between 18 and 22, the Mental Body between age 28 and 32, and the Spiritual Body between 38 and 42. Most people experience big shifts in their identity during those periods as the body activates and grows. How about you? These are huge learning curves, and we may or may not optimise that body’s development at that time.

The spiritual body activation is often called a “mid life crisis”. Unresolved emotional issues come up, and if they are cleared, all is well. If not, men may find problems with relationships, expressing intimacy, and family values. This can lead to heart disease if unresolved. In women, who they are and what they want comes up. If resolved, the life shocks will spill out and she’ll become very expressive. If blocked, it can cause thyroid problems. Again, all the more reason to learn Huna, build your energy and clear out any unresolved issues.

ENERGY
Mana is life force energy. It’s called Chi in China, Ki in Japan, Shakti or Prana in east Indian system. The hypnotist Mesmer called it “animal magnetism”. Huna was originally called Ho’o mana – the Hawaiians said there was only one real difference between someone who was dead and someone who was alive – one has energy, or mana. And only one’s breathing…

Really simple, and really profound. But then, profound things are really simple. Like that last sentence.

Anything that adds life – is good. Anything that takes away life/decreases aliveness is bad. So some days you have tons of energy and you race to work. Other days are heavy gravity days, when you look over the quilt, the sun is too bright, the sheet wraps itself around your ankle and you just slide slowly back into sleep…

So begin now to pay attention to the energy in your body. The Huna diet book would be one page:

Eat it and have low energy, stop eating it. Eat & energy up? Eat more!

What is your energy doing inside you? How is it feeling inside of you?

You see low levels of mana leads to sickness and dis-ease, and premature ageing. Most esoteric studies taught that if life force energy was low or depleted, or maybe stuck and stagnant, ultimately that would lead to physical dis-ease. High levels of mana leads to empowerment and health, youthfulness and longevity. Imagine sending mana up to the Higher Self, and then having it come back down into the Unconscious Mind, turbo charged. Like rocket fuel.

Max Doubt Replies: OK, so now there's 4 of me? C'mon, you only have one body and that's the one I'm about to bitchslap you with in a minute... The other things aren't 'bodies' - my emotions, my thoughts and my spiritual beliefs are just electricity and chemicals in my bloodstream, making me feel things. And they're part of me, like everyone else.

Trying to say that people go through big stuff at key ages is a big claim to make.

Mid life crisis is just you looking back and taking stock - there's nothing "spiritual" to it, its just time to add up the scores on the doors and see how well, or how badly, you've played the game. And its a good excuse to start chasing skirt that's half your age! I'll show you some animal magetism darlin'....

Profound things are really simple yeah - like this is all tree-hugging hippy crap! See? Simple!

By the way, its a well known fact that every animal that eats gets tired afterwards cos it's digesting the food and that takes it out of you - Christmas pudding and the Queen's speech - works every time.

Who's right? VOTE NOW!

What Exactly Is A Kahuna, And Where Do I Buy One?

The Kahuna went on…

Let’s start with the definition of word “Kahuna”

Ka the light
Huna secret, spiritual, concealed knowledge or wisdom protected like a treasure
Kahu honoured or high servant who takes charge of persons, property or knowledge
Na calm, centred, balanced

So a Kahuna is anyone with specialised knowledge, PhD, a Jedi Master. Someone who protected a state of calmness and balance. Keeper of the calm, centred state. There were all types of Kahuna – in politics, government, planting, fishing, child birth, negotiation, farming, canoe building, navigation, tiki (statue) carving. The areas we’re interested in here include:

La’au Lapa’au doctors of medicine, herbal
La’au Kahea Literally “We call the medicine” - psychologists, faith healers
Kilikilo prediction, divination, runes
Na’auao mystics

It is rumoured that Huna was the secret teaching behind all other secret teachings. Certainly there are legends of an advanced island civilisation sinking and the people of the land sailing to the four corners of the globe, talking their lore with them. The Hawaiian islands are mountain tops centred on a tectonic plate resting above an active hotspot. The volcano on the Big Island is active to this day.

Polynesian is the oldest language on the planet. In fact 80% of the content of Huna has never been published in writing. Originally it was called “Ho’o mana”.

Ho’o = to make
Mana = Energy, Chi, Ki, Life force [as in mana from heaven]
Ho’o Mana = empowering yourself.

Think about it - everything you do requires energy, and the more energy you have, the longer you will live, and the more you can do with your life. Huna is all about making connections with sources of Mana. Now that may sound weird and “out there” to you, but there are corresponding systems that you may already be familiar with:

Having a Higher Self/Guardian Spirit— Native American, Hermetic(western Europe) and alchemy
4/5 Elements— Alchemy, Hermetics, Egyptian Magic, Tantra, Western and Japanese astrology
Entering the Dream Time (Moe Uhane)— Native American, Maori in New Zealand, Aborigine in Australia.
Herbs in Healing— Native American, Chinese, etc.
Energy Healing— Philippines psychic surgery, Reiki, Chinese Acupuncture
Numerology— Cabalah, Pythagoras, Japanese astrology, numbers and their vibrational essence
Astrology— Most systems use the stars and planets to predict
Chanting - Native American, Aborigine, Maori, Tantra

Of course these should all correspond if they all came from the same source…? Now is the time for the revival of ancient teachings – a shift is occurring…

Max Doubt’s response?

One way to “big up” yourself is to give yourself a fancy shmancy title! I thought a Ka was a crap motor!

You hear the words “Na” and “Ho!” on the streets of Glasgow ever day!

Methinks that these people keep a calm centred state by smokin’ the wacky backy!

See, you lost me at “faith healer” – are you honestly yelling me that people believe in this hokum? That I can heal myself through the power of spirit or divine intervention or whatever mumbo jumbo you’re pushing? I’ll stick with crawling up to the health centre and coming back with a bottle of penicillin mate! That’s white man’s “Ju ju”

Prediction and runes- it gets worse. You can find these freaks at any health fair, pretending they can read the future from the shape of your belly button fluff. Please! I predict I’m going to stop reading this shortly.

Come back Arthur C. Clarke, all is forgiven.

You get energy from calories, which is food and drink. And the occasional can of Red Bull. Looking at the average Hawaiian I’ve seen on TV there’s no shortage of McDonalds on those islands!

The Muppets had a song about this. “Mana mana doo doo do do do”

Wait a minute – Tantra you say? That’s that kinky stuff that Sting gets up to? Now this might be getting interesting…

Its your turn – tell us who’s right HERE

Can't Accept You If You'll Misuse It

The Kahuna was explaining that there are numerous ways to express the same thing. Sometimes people get caught up in their philosophy, getting almost righteous about it and that’s always bothered her. People try and tell you the real reason why something is the way it is. According to whom right? And in the process of teaching this she’s trying to stay true and to honour the original teachings.

Any training in esoteric studies should increase the positive character traits in the student. I think we’d all agree with that? It should bring increasing balance of the mind. What is the point of achieving a connection with the creator and infinite possibility, if you lose your rationality, livelihood, possessions and friends? The result should always be balance. You have 4 aspects to your personality – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual – any esoteric study should balance all of these. If not, there’s something wrong…

The Huna author Laura Kealoha Yardley said that “The key to becoming a strong, self-contained Kahuna means creating an inner balance so strong that nothing in the external material world or the internal spiritual world can throw one off centre without the individual being aware of it and possessing the ability to re-establish that balance at will. The reason for this is that balance is not a static state that, once achieved, remains forever. Balance is ever changing, constantly shifting and rearranging itself in order to be established. There is no such thing as static balance. Therefore, in order to experience balance, a Kahuna must learn to constantly shift and rearrange himself or herself according to the exterior world he or she is experiencing. And experience is the key.”

And no real teacher would ever withhold knowledge from anyone who was worthy to receive it. On the other hand, he or she cannot accept as a pupil someone who would misuse that knowledge or betray that trust.

Max Doubt’s response: Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. And facts are facts – you can’t argue with facts. This is the way it is – this is all there is. I believe it when I see it. I can touch it, see it, smell it – it’s real. There ain’t anything else.

OK, I can understand being true to your roots. But what’s this Hawaiian mumbo-jumbo got to do with the price of cheese?

Increase positive traits? Dunno about that. People are people, and they don’t change. I’ve been hoping the wife would change for years! Nah, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

My connection with my creator will be when I pop my clogs! But, I do agree with the old dame – if you’re expecting me to shave my head and wear robes then you can shove it! That’s a quick way to lose my friends all right!

There’s the physical yes – me, my car, my house and my money. And my kids. That’s the emotional part. And yeah it can be mental! Spiritual I’ll leave to the happy clappys and the bible bashers.

Listen, shit happens, that’s all there is to it. You deal with it. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Balance IS ever shifting – especially after a few pints!

And as for trust – you keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

Your turn: Who do you agree with? The wise old woman, or the cynic? Cast your vote online at www.HunaNow.com

Join The Great Debate...

The Kahuna sat on a tall stool in the room with the lights turned down a little, and her students sat looking up at her in expectation of what was to come. They were a small group of enthusiastic beginners who’d heard stories about Hawaiian Huna and were keen to learn more.

“Aloha!” she began, which means welcome, share my breath[ha], share my space.

We’re going to explore some of the ancient teachings of old Hawaii – get our hands into some real hands on concepts you can take away and use after this week. We’re going to be talking about Spiritual growth, healing and psychology in an art that was rich in language, song and legends. Now Huna’s not for everyone – some people see it and are turned off by the “s” word – spirituality. So it can be a tricky subject to look at. I’d like to show you some ancient ways that I’ve looked into and I’ve certainly had my horizons expanded as a result, and I hope you’ll have the same insights.

These concepts are easy to learn, and easy to use in daily life. There are some gems here that you’ll find nowhere else. So lets begin, and the best way to begin is to begin at the beginning…. And so let’s begin in the ancient way with a chant. In Hawaii the highest compliment you can pay someone is to write a song for someone, or better, sing a song to them…. This is a traditional chant to the goddess Laka, and it says:

Oh goddess Laka
0 wildwood bouquet, 0 Laka
0 Laka, queen of the voice
0 Laka, giver of gifts
0 Laka, giver of bounty
0 Laka, giver of all things
I greet you with love.

The Initiation Chant: “E Laka E”

E Laka e
Pupu we'uwe'u, e Laka e
E Laka i ka leo
E Laka i ka loa'a
E Laka i ka wai wai
E Laka i na mea a pau
Ano ai ke aloha e

…and with that, they’d begun.

Max Doubt says: Oh here we go – a happy clappy new age meeting! Room full of saddos who need to get out more. And to think they’re actually paying for this!

For starters, we’re not Hawaiian, so who cares? Give me some fags, Big Brother and a Saturday night out and I’m a happy man. I mean, what else is there?

Spiritual growth? I’ll show you a 50 year old malt whiskey – now that’s spiritual growth! Listen, here’s the deal - you’re born, you work hard and if you’re lucky you get a watch, then you die. End of. Nothing more to it. No afterlife, no higher power – you’re just gone. Game over. El deleto.

All of this pseudo-religious stuff is just a fall back option for folk who need propping up. Life’s hard – live with it. We’ve all got battle scars, and it toughens you up. Life’s really simple – learn your craft, work hard, save the pennies and hope for the best, because that’s all there is. And if you’re lucky you make it to the end with all your faculties. Some poor buggers don’t – they get kept in the basement for 20 years, or gassed by their suicidal Dad’s exhaust fumes. That’s them, not me. Nothing I can do about it.

And there’s the kicker – a Hawaiian chant?! I’ve always been a good wee chanter myself! But C’mon, what’s that all about? GET A LIFE!

Your turn: Who do you agree with? The wise old woman, or the cynic? Cast your vote online HERE

Who Else Wants A Free iPod?

Meditation On The Spanish Retreat

This week I'm in the Murcia region of Spain at the world class La Manga resort. Walking up the hill in the blazing sunshine I said to Cheryl that I didn't feel any real connection with Spain. Totally unlike Hawaii, where everyting is sacred - the
trees, the winds, the land, the rocks. To me, and only having been here for 3 days, I felt no affinity or bond with this country.

Then Cheryl made me stop and wonder - she said that was because I'd had no spiritual training or history with Spain, whereas I first started studying Hawaiian Huna in 1996 and then subsequently trained in Hawaii over two and a half years. And I've
often said that when my feet touched the ground in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, I immediately felt that "homecoming" feeling that I'd only ever read about. In sharp contrast, Spain felt arid, dry and impersonal.

Until today - today we spent the afternoon at La Cala [pictured above] - a small, private beach surrounded by tall cliffs and thrashing ocean, and there I felt compelled to repeat a 5 Element Meditation on the lava rocks jutting out into the sea, just as I'd done at the city of refuge Ho'naunau in Hawaii...

Feeling the scorching fire element on my skin, thankfully cooled by the air element of the sea breeze, sitting on roasting hot lava rock with sand particles between my toes connecting me back to earth. All the while looking out over the powerful water element rhythmically pounding the outcrop down to a smooth, polished ramp that slopes steeply into the frothing waves...

And then it struck me - the five elements have no nationality, no regional accent and no political preference. They're just there. Ever present. It doesn't matter where you are. The Hawaiians say Hawaii is a place inside you - its a feeling - its
a connectedness to the five elements [including the etheric I'o that permeates everything] that make up everything, even you and me.

So Spain now feels different. Or rather, I do. I had a hunch that coming to Spain to run a Retreat would have other effects on me...

Life Coach & Therapist Training Funded For You...Or Not?

As you did your training to become a Life Coach or Therapist, you might have come across training providers who were members of the Career Development Loan scheme.

This arrangement allows you to take out a loan from a high steet bank to fund your training, and you pay it back as you go along. Its a fairly good way for people to fund their qualifications.

Now I've run over 20 NLP Practitioner Certifications over the last 7 years and had Registered Provider status with the CDL organistion since 2003. After a
cabinet reshuffle within that organisation, I was recently asked to renew my status by reapplying. The whole process took over 2 months waiting to hear back from them.

Imagine my surprise last week when I was told they rejected my application, on the grounds that, and I quote: "There is no evidence to suggest that an NLP Practitioner can make an adequate income doing NLP".

I'd better go back to a 5 figure income and start lookin for a real job then...

Know Your Debt Consolidation Options And Avoid The Money Minefield

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

The Release Retreat

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

This Touched Me, It'll Touch You Too

I'll let the video say it all...

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.