Something to think about from Dr. Wil Horton

Intro to NLP Today E-Zine

NLP Today E-Zine is a monthly series of articles that will bring you the best information in the world of NLP and Hypnosis. We will bring you articles that have been proven in the real world. Heavy with techniques and information you can use in your daily life, whether it's as a therapist with clients, business or sales, or just for self-development. We will get you the information you want and can't get. We focus on proven applications, not theory. Our trainers all "do the work." This is the difference that makes the difference. We cut the fluff and bring the main course. Mental Food you can use. NFNLP is the leader in this type of technology.

This is a service of the National Federation of NeuroLinguistic Psychology and Dr. Wil Horton. We want people to achieve their highest potential, and NLP is the #1 tool for this. If you feel you have been added to this list in error, check out an issue, and then let us know if you would like to be removed.

You can achieve your dreams.

Captains Chair:

As we go into the season for hypnotists, I am reminded of how much people need and want our services. As you know I recently opened a new clinic in Port Charlotte, Florida, a small city of around 60,000 in the area and after running 5 ads (full page) my schedule book is filling up. It is good to get back into the real work of helping people change. I also see the hurt in people who want to release the extra weight. I had a client who has been overweight her entire adult life, she started last fall and has made great strides (20+), dropping weight and gaining the self-confidence, self-esteem, self worth, and self-discipline she has always wanted. This is DEEP change work, as powerful as any we can do.

With success, however, come challenges for us as practitioners. The biggest is to not become complacent, to keep striving for better outcomes for our clients. I am not saying try every new idea or modality, but be open to new ideas, and listen to those that share what works for them.

What works for you in your clinic?

From the Road:

Last year in the January column I asked you to list your goals and objectives in every major area of your life. I had many. How did you do? Here is a recap of mine, both achieved and missed:

Achieved:

Got the sports car (well, a red Fiero that is a guilty pleasure);

Opened the new office;

Did 2 plays;

Spent more time at home as the year wound down;

Helped 20,000 people stop smoking and or lose weight;

I was there when my daughter’s ship returned from the Gulf War and then went out on; her ship as it made its last leg of the journey (Tiger Cruise);

Trained around 100 new NLPers;

Improved the relationships in my life;

Ready to do training in my new facility;

Started an internship program.

Almost achieved:

Got body fat down to 15% (wanted 12%);

Never quite finished the books I have been working on;

Traveling a lot less.

So now it’s your turn. How did you do last year?

What are your goals for this year?

Professional?

Financial?

Relationships?

Physical?

Mental?

Spiritual?

Remember it does not matter what your objectives are if you have no goal in mind, or do not know where you are at right now!

Theory into Practice:

Sent in by Joe Donahue:

Brain May Be Able to Bury Unwanted Memories, Study Shows

January 9, 2004

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

Unwanted memories can be driven from awareness, according to a team of researchers who say they have identified a brain circuit that springs into action when people deliberately try to forget something.

The findings, published today in the journal Science, strengthen the theory that painful memories can be repressed by burying them in the subconscious, the researchers say.

In the study, people who had memorized a pair of words were later shown one of them and asked to either recall the second word or to consciously avoid thinking about it.

Brain images showed that the hippocampus, an area of the brain that usually lights up when people retrieve memories, was relatively quiet when subjects tried to suppress the words they had learned. But at the same time, another region associated with motor inhibition, called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, showed increased activity.

The scientists also found that the more the subjects were told to resist thinking about a word, the more likely they were to have trouble recalling it later.

"This suggests a neurological basis for how people can actually shove something out of mind," said Dr. Michael C. Anderson, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at the University of Oregon and lead author of the study. "There's no question that we're tapping into something that's relevant to the experiences of people who survive trauma and find the memories become less and less intrusive over time."

Dr. Anderson said the burst of activity in the prefrontal cortex, an area that manages higher-order cognitive skills like planning, could represent an overriding mechanism, in which the hippocampus is prevented from dredging up unwanted memories.

Over time, continued suppression of those memories by the prefrontal cortex, he said, can push them from awareness.

"We could predict how effectively people would forget these words just by how much activation they showed in their prefrontal cortex," Dr. Anderson said. "I think this explains why the tendency to be reminded of something horrific, for example, eventually diminishes."

Dr. Larry Squire, a professor of psychiatry and neurosciences at the University of California at San Diego, who did not participate in the study, said it was difficult to say exactly what the brain images meant. Still, concluding that the activity in the prefrontal cortex points to a brain circuit that can block memories, particularly emotional ones, he said, might be too narrow an interpretation.

"This is a much debated issue," Dr. Squire said. "It's possible the subjects are simply directing their attention elsewhere and using a lot of energy and brain resources to think of something different. I don't think it is necessarily an indication of active repression."

But Dr. David Spiegel, professor of psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine, said diverting thoughts away from something was the first step to forgetting about it completely. And the study, he added, supported the notion that people could suppress traumatic memories and still regain them later.

"People have to manage vast amounts of information by keeping most of it out of mind, which is true of emotional memories and all others," said Dr. Spiegel, who was not involved with the study. "At any given moment you couldn't remember most of what you know or you'd be overwhelmed. But the memories are there, and you can still recover them down the line."

Technique and Tips:

The “Power Clap” Technique

By Kenneth F. Levy

This technique helps athletes perform at peak level. It uses powerful motions to create emotion, and moves from imagery to a type of praise and prayer.

1. Stand up straight and strong.

2. Imagine an animal that epitomizes the trait you desire. It may be a cheetah for acceleration, a pit bull for tenacity or a cat for its ability to jump.

3. Picture the animal in action, using its natural ability that you desire.

4. Move from seeing the animal in action to experiencing what the animal is experiencing. Imagine that you are inside the animal, looking out through its eyes. See what the animal sees. Hear what the animal hears. Feel what the animal feels. Notice its muscle movements, its eye movements, its thoughts.

5. Now, rather than looking out at the world through the animal’s eyes, look out at the world through your own eyes. Picture yourself in action, performing with all the animalistic feelings, movements, and sensory perceptions. Notice how you are performing at a higher level. Everything you do is faster, stronger and automatic. It is not second nature. It is your true nature. Like an animal using its God-given gifts naturally, so you are using your God-given gifts automatically.

6. Hold out your right hand. See the animal’s abilities in your right hand. Thank God that He gifted the particular animal you imagined with its special abilities.

7. Hold out your left hand. See your abilities in your left hand. Thank God that He gifted you with your special abilities.

8. Now with a powerful move, creating even more energy, bring your hands together in a clap. As you clap your hands together, see how the animal’s abilities and your abilities are alike. Verbalize a word with each clap. It may be “yes”; it may be “thanks” to God-any word that is one of accepting who you are and how you are-created with special abilities. Clap your hands again and again, starting slowly, then increasing the speed and intensity. With each clap, verbalize and acknowledge God’s gift to you, feeling stronger. Let your clap and voice be an offering of praise to your Creator.

9. Finally, acknowledge that just as it is natural for the animal to use its God-given ability, so it is natural for you to use your God-given ability. Thank God, and acknowledge that it pleases Him when you use the abilities that He gave you.

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