<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>keystothemind.com</title>
	<atom:link href="http://keystothemind.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://keystothemind.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 12:43:13 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3</generator>
		<item>
		<title>Three Mind Blowing Hypnotic Reframes</title>
		<link>http://keystothemind.com/2012/05/three-mind-blowing-hypnotic-reframes.html</link>
		<comments>http://keystothemind.com/2012/05/three-mind-blowing-hypnotic-reframes.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 12:43:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>nathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[NLP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conversational hypnosis]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keystothemind.com/?p=1064</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Discover three powerful hypnotic reframes to create rapid change and transfomation.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Reframing is the core of influence and transformation. If you want to make changes in yourself and help others move beyond problems, you need to become a master of reframing.</p>
<p>Reframing is also a phenomenally powerful persuasive tool, used by politicians and salesmen to instantly change the way people think and feel about a situation.</p>
<p>These three categories of reframe are extremely effective, and can be used in any situation you choose.</p>
<p>Remember these are not scripts. Do not  just say what I write here. These are examples. Demos. Options. These three categories are the ones I&#8217;ve found most useful but I challenge you to let them fuel &#8211; but not limit &#8211; your creativity and freedom.</p>
<p><strong>Three Effortless Reframes To Create Instant Change</strong></p>
<p><strong>1: Time</strong></p>
<p>Let&#8217;s say someone has a problem: something, someone, or somewhere is in someway &#8216;broken.&#8217;</p>
<p>Ask them (or yourself), in one weeks time, will it really have mattered?</p>
<p>What about in 1 month? 1 year? 10 years?</p>
<p>On your death bed, would you really have cared that you failed that instant hypnosis induction? Or would you be glad you lived, and you gave it a shot?</p>
<p>Orientating people towards the future is a particularly powerful way to reframe a problem, and<br />
to begin to shake up and reduce the emotional power of a problem.</p>
<p><strong>2: Distance</strong></p>
<p>When people are experiencing problems, they are usually pretty associated into the here and now.</p>
<p>One way to loosen the grip the problem has on them is to to do what we did in 1, and shake them up temporally.</p>
<p>Another way is to increase the mental distance between them and the problem.</p>
<p>There are SO MANY ways to do this, it&#8217;s hard to pin point one quick example for you here.</p>
<p>The one I like to do with myself when I have a problem, is to star gaze. I look up, and I zoom out.</p>
<p>I realize that I&#8217;m just one person in a city of thousands. This city is just one in a country of millions of people. This country is just one out of hundreds. The human race is just one species out of millions and millions! The planet is just one out of 9 (ok, now 8), in our solar system, which is just one out of thousands in our galaxy, which is just one out of countless numbers in the impossibly vast universe.</p>
<p>Just try and still give your problem the weight of importance it used to have after doing that!</p>
<p><strong>3: Humor</strong></p>
<p>Humor is an awesome reframe. This is why I LOVE watching stand up comedy when I&#8217;m working through a challenging task.</p>
<p>Laughing at a problem is a phenomenal way to stop it from draining you emotionally. Learn to laugh at the bad things in<br />
your life, and you&#8217;ll find that many of your problems just melt away.</p>
<p>Laughter injects a powerful burst of positive feeling or &#8220;energy&#8221; into what you&#8217;re thinking about, which can help you see the positive side, and break away from the negative feelings that have been bogging you down.</p>
<p>Now you need to be a little careful when doing this in ordinary conversations with others, as some people may think<br />
you&#8217;re mocking them.</p>
<p>And of course there are some issues where humor can just be rude and insensitive.</p>
<p>But for the most part with the little problems people tend to wrap themselves up in, a bit of humor is exactly what we all need!</p>
<p>You KNOW how to make people laugh &#8211; you do it all the time! It&#8217;s an awesome tool you have &#8211; use it well.</p>
<p>All these categories of reframe are super powerful. I&#8217;ve given you a pile of powerful,<br />
implementable tools in this article.</p>
<p>Use them, and you&#8217;ll notice a massive difference!</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll see you soon,<br />
Cheers,<br />
Nathan Thomas</p>
<p><em>For more resources on Hypnotic Reframes, check out the training program &#8220;Reframe Magic&#8221; available from <a href="http://www.reframemagic.com">www.ReframeMagic.com</a></em></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://keystothemind.com/2012/05/three-mind-blowing-hypnotic-reframes.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Milton Erickson and the Horse &#8211; How Hypnosis Really Works</title>
		<link>http://keystothemind.com/2012/04/milton-erickson-how-hypnosis-really-works.html</link>
		<comments>http://keystothemind.com/2012/04/milton-erickson-how-hypnosis-really-works.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:15:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>nathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[NLP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conversational hypnosis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[personal growth]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keystothemind.com/?p=1056</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Learn from legendary hypnotist Milton Erickson about how to go beyond the surface, and use hypnosis to create positive changes and transformations which last. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>About a year and a half ago I launched a training program called &#8220;Core Inner Game.&#8221;</p>
<p>My goal with this program was to create resources that help people understand hypnosis at a deeper level, so that rather than just relying on techniques and scripts you could GET the process of change and transformation, and be able to develop your own approaches and style.</p>
<p>Core Inner Game is now <em>closed </em>but I&#8217;d like to share with you an article I wrote for it whilst it was still active.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s called &#8220;Milton Erickson&#8217;s Biggest Secret.&#8221; Milton Erickson was the founder of indirect hypnosis, whose work formed the basis of NLP, conversational hypnosis, and everyday hypnotic influence.</p>
<p>Erickson revolutionized the field of hypnotherapy by moving people away from old fashioned authoritarian hypnosis, and opening people&#8217;s eyes to the power of story and metaphor.</p>
<p>Whether your interests lie in Street or traditional hypnosis, self improvement or in improving your communication and influence skills, you&#8217;ll find some useful insight and ideas in this short article.</p>
<p>Here it is:</p>
<p><strong>Milton Erickson&#8217;s Biggest Secret</strong></p>
<p>I wanted to share with you some thoughts about the legendary hypnotherapist, Milton H. Erickson. You see, Milton Erickson was one of the few early hypnotists who really GOT this whole idea of Core Inner Game.</p>
<p>While NLPers were running around trying to break down what he did into a bunch of tiny surface level techniques, Erickson was not fooled.</p>
<p>He knew what was really going on. In fact, when talking about NLP he famously said: &#8220;They have me down to a nutshell. Trouble is, they left out the nut, and just took the shell.&#8221;</p>
<p>Trying to break down the entire incredible process of how Erickson created such powerful changes within ordinary conversations into tiny techniques seems almost laughable when you think about it.</p>
<p>True change comes from the unconscious mind, so relying on very conscious, analytical techniques to get there has lead many people down the wrong path. This is why I am so delighted that you are here!</p>
<p>So, I want to treat you to some words from Milton Erickson himself. Here is the story he tells &#8211; in his own words &#8211; about how HE goes about creating transformations. While he applies this to his work in psychotherapy, it obviously can be applied to all forms of communication.</p>
<p>This is an earth shattering insight which you need to pay attention to. Now, over to Milton:</p>
<p>=========================<br />
Milton Erickson on how HE really does hypnosis&#8230;<br />
=========================<br />
&#8220;I was returning from high school one day and a runaway horse with a bridle sped past a group of us into a farmer&#8217;s yard, looking for a drink of water.</p>
<p>The farmer didn&#8217;t recognize it so I jumped up to the horse&#8217;s back, took hold of the reins and said &#8216;Giddy-up&#8217; and headed for the highway. I knew the horse would take me to the right direction; I didn&#8217;t know what the right direction was.</p>
<p>And the horse trotted and galloped along. Now and then he would forget he was on an highway and would start off into a field. So I would pull on him a bit and call his attention to the fact that the highway was where he was supposed to be.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;And finally about four miles from where I had boarded him he turned into a farmyard and the farmer said, &#8216;So that&#8217;s how the critter came back. Where did you find him?&#8217; I said, &#8216;about four miles from here.&#8217;</p>
<p>&#8216;How did you know he should come here?&#8217; I said, &#8216;I didn&#8217;t know; the horse knew. All I did was keep his attention on the road.&#8217;; I think that is how you do psychotherapy.&#8221;<br />
====================================</p>
<p>Now, I&#8217;d love to break that down for you, and help you consciously spot all the patterns and concepts. I&#8217;d love to help you analyze the syntax and structure, and pacing and punctuation. I&#8217;d love to expose your conscious mind to every angle and nuance, and reveal to you the real &#8216;meaning&#8217; of that story.</p>
<p>But that would NOT be helping you.</p>
<p>Sit back, relax, and just this once, let your unconscious mind do the work. I assure you, it&#8217;s up to it.</p>
<p>Cheers, Nathan Thomas</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://keystothemind.com/2012/04/milton-erickson-how-hypnosis-really-works.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>9</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>How To Do Street Hypnosis &#8211; Your Questions Answered</title>
		<link>http://keystothemind.com/2012/04/how-to-do-street-hypnosis-your-questions-answered.html</link>
		<comments>http://keystothemind.com/2012/04/how-to-do-street-hypnosis-your-questions-answered.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:12:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>nathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[learn hypnosis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[street hypnosis]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keystothemind.com/?p=1027</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Listen to this free audio lesson to discover the secrets of Street Hypnosis. You'll discover instant hypnosis induction, awakeners, suggestion giving and more. ]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A couple of days ago I invited Keys To The Mind readers to ask their questions on Street Hypnosis.</p>
<p>Earlier today I answered <a href="http://keystothemind.com/2012/04/what-are-your-street-hypnosis-questions.html">those question</a> on this audio recording.</p>
<p>If you want to learn how to do real hypnosis with almost anyone, almost anywhere, then listen to this free audio lesson. It&#8217;s about 35 minutes of pure content and even if you missed your chance to ask a question, you&#8217;re bound to discover exactly what you&#8217;ve been looking for.</p>
<p>A few of the things you&#8217;ll come across are:</p>
<ul>
<li>The easiest instant induction for a beginner</li>
<li>What to do if something you try fails</li>
<li>How to safely emerge people from hypnosis</li>
<li>What  hypnosis *really* is</li>
<li>One of Derren Brown&#8217;s biggest secrets</li>
<li>How to approach people as a hypnotist</li>
<li>How to rapidly achieve advanced hypnotic phenomena</li>
<li>Much more!</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Listen Here:</strong></p>
<p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="400" height="27" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="flashvars" value="audioUrl=http://www.keystothemind.net/Street%20Hypnosis%20Q%26A.mp3" /><param name="src" value="http://www.google.com/reader/ui/3523697345-audio-player.swf" /><param name="quality" value="best" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="27" src="http://www.google.com/reader/ui/3523697345-audio-player.swf" quality="best" flashvars="audioUrl=http://www.keystothemind.net/Street%20Hypnosis%20Q%26A.mp3"></embed></object></p>
<p><strong>Download Here:</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.keystothemind.net/Street%20Hypnosis%20Q%26A.mp3">How To Do Street Hypnosis &#8211; Your Questions Answered</a></p>
<p><strong>Resources:</strong></p>
<p>For the complete Street Hypnosis training course, click here: <a href="http://streethypnosiscourse.com/special">Street Hypnosis Training Special</a></p>
<p>Hope you enjoyed that, and I&#8217;ll see you soon,<br />
Cheers,<br />
Nathan Thomas</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://keystothemind.com/2012/04/how-to-do-street-hypnosis-your-questions-answered.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
<enclosure url="http://www.keystothemind.net/Street%20Hypnosis%20Q%26A.mp3" length="37231899" type="audio/mpeg" />
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What Are Your Street Hypnosis Questions?</title>
		<link>http://keystothemind.com/2012/04/what-are-your-street-hypnosis-questions.html</link>
		<comments>http://keystothemind.com/2012/04/what-are-your-street-hypnosis-questions.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Apr 2012 08:20:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>nathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[learn hypnosis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[street hypnosis]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keystothemind.com/?p=1009</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What do you want to learn about Street Hypnosis? Leave your questions in the comments section, and I'll do my best to answer it on a free audio recording I'll be making shortly.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The last few posts on Keys To The Mind have focused on self development and everyday communication, however my inbox keeps being flooded with questions about Street and Impromptu Hypnosis.</p>
<p>So, to help you guys out, I&#8217;ve set aside some time later this week to make an audio recording specifically answering your questions on Street Hypnosis.</p>
<p>Comment on this blog post with your question, and I&#8217;ll do my best to answer it for you. The audio recording will be posted for free download on this blog as soon as it&#8217;s edited, so you&#8217;ll have your answer extremely soon.</p>
<p><strong>What do you want to learn about? </strong>Instant and rapid inductions? Suggestion giving? Preventing failure? Let me know in the comments section, and I&#8217;ll do my best to help you out.</p>
<p>Cheers,<br />
Nathan Thomas</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://keystothemind.com/2012/04/what-are-your-street-hypnosis-questions.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>30</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>NLP: Discredited?</title>
		<link>http://keystothemind.com/2012/03/nlp-discredited.html</link>
		<comments>http://keystothemind.com/2012/03/nlp-discredited.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Mar 2012 02:31:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>nathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[NLP]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keystothemind.com/?p=940</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Neuro-linguistic Programming is a hugely popular system of self improvement, therapy and personal influence, yet it is being increasingly shunned by the scientific community. Is NLP a discredited system? This article will help you find the answer.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you&#8217;ve stopped by the Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuro-linguistic_programming">Wikipedia page</a> lately, you&#8217;ll have noticed that NLP is apparently widely considered &#8220;discredited&#8221; by the scientific community.</p>
<p>NLP is hugely popular in the personal growth sphere as a means for self improvement and effective communication, as well as an alternative therapeutic modality. NLP is also big in the hypnosis world, with many hypnotherapists and street hypnotists using NLP style techniques to enhance the effectiveness of what they do.</p>
<p>The heyday of NLP was in the 1970s and &#8217;80s, yet today it seems as if the wheels may be falling off the wagon.</p>
<p>Why do many top scientists now seem to think NLP is not all it&#8217;s cracked up to be? I&#8217;ll try and present the discussion in the most unbiased light. I look at this neither as an NLP disciple nor as one who would profit from discrediting it. My goal is to present you with the full story, so you can make up your own mind. This article lays out my opinion &#8211; I strongly encourage you to share yours in the comments section.</p>
<p>There are two main reasons why NLP is often condemned by the scientific community. The first is that there is a notorious lack of empirical evidence or real scientific research to back up the claims of NLP teachers.</p>
<p>NLP practitioners in the therapeutic sphere &#8211; ie those who use NLP much like a hypnotherapist to help people stop smoking, lose weight, get over phobias etc &#8211; do not tend to maintain records or follow up to the same standards of mainstream psychotherapists. Sure, they can all show you a long list of satisfied clients, most of whom I&#8217;m sure are genuine, but while their success may be convincing, it&#8217;s not rigorous enough to be scientific.</p>
<p>A proper scientific experiment comparing therapeutic NLP to conventional therapies and a placebo would be fascinating to see. If anyone has heard of such a study, please let me know in the comments.</p>
<p>Lack of evidence isn&#8217;t the only issue, however. The other (perhaps, the biggest one), is that NLP seems by it&#8217;s very nature to be deceptive. Now before the NLPers reading this article get upset, let me explain what I mean.</p>
<p>Perhaps the biggest issue with NLP is that no one really knows WHAT it is&#8230; Is it a method of therapy? Is it a collection of self help techniques? Or is it, like many trainers explain, actually just a system of modelling.</p>
<p>NLP as a modelling tool certainly seems to have it&#8217;s merits. Seeing how the best people do their thing and then methodically breaking it down into something the rest of us can replicate makes great sense. In this regard, the attitude behind NLP certainly has some real value.</p>
<p>Where NLP becomes a little deceptive is not with modelling. It&#8217;s with the collection of techniques and tools it creates and then teaches based on the people it has modeled. Scientists accuse NLP of being a pseudoscience &#8211; ie something that pretends to be a legitimate science, but in reality is not.</p>
<p>The first clue is in the name. &#8220;Neuro-linguistic programming.&#8221; It does well to <em>sound</em> scientific, and <em>seems</em> convincing&#8230; but, um, does it really mean anything?</p>
<p>There&#8217;s a nice myth that NLP co-founder Richard Bandler invented the phrase &#8220;Neuro-linguistic programming&#8221; when a traffic cop asked him what he did for a job. The story probably isn&#8217;t true &#8211; but it&#8217;s a good one!</p>
<p>The second clue that bellies NLP&#8217;s pseudo scientific nature is the frankly cult-like system of titles and ranks. The NLP hierarchy is rigorous. It&#8217;s hugely compelling to an insider, but from the outside looking in, it&#8217;s both amusing and worrying. People shell out thousands to be certified as a practitioner, master practitioner, trainer, master trainer, and beyond.</p>
<p>Any given NLPer can have a string of letters after their name to rival an Oxford don. What they won&#8217;t tell you is that half of those &#8220;certifications&#8221; may have been picked up on weekend course, and the other half could have been easily bought online.</p>
<p>Despite the problems above, NLP is still a system which has some use. Some of the insights it provides have a lot of practical value, and as I mentioned above, the attitude and mindset behind modelling is very helpful.</p>
<p>Discrediting certain aspects of the system of NLP does not mean discrediting everything NLP touches. Some of the techniques are based on true to life principles that do hold water in the real world. Many NLP practitioners are also in it to do real good, and indeed have helped many people.</p>
<p>The work that Richard Bandler and John Grinder did when they  modeled therapists such as Milton Erickson, Virginia Satir and Gregory  Batson has yielded some fantastic tools and techniques, many of which  are explored on this blog. The store of NLP wisdom has also been added  to through the years, and expanded to touch fields far beyond therapy.</p>
<p>The fact that NLP begins with modelling success means that a lot of the NLP tools are useful in a number of contexts. As a self help tool, NLP finds out how successful people think, and teaches you how to think that way. As a tool for influence or effective communication, NLP discovers how the most charismatic people behave, and breaks that down into a sequence of behaviors anyone can imitate.</p>
<p><strong>The bottom line</strong> is that all modalities are imperfect, but that does not mean they are useless.  NLP has a lot of faults, and I think you&#8217;d be most unwise to commit yourself fully to everything it teaches, or, in particular, the system it teaches through. This being said, NLP also has some tools which work, and there is some real value there. Take it with a pinch of salt, don&#8217;t get sucked in, and always think critically about what you learn, and NLP will become a useful addition to your skill set.</p>
<p>All the best,<br />
Nathan Thomas</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://keystothemind.com/2012/03/nlp-discredited.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>32</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Controlled Insanity &#8211; The Art of Living in Your Own Reality</title>
		<link>http://keystothemind.com/2012/03/controlled-insanity-the-art-of-living-in-your-own-reality.html</link>
		<comments>http://keystothemind.com/2012/03/controlled-insanity-the-art-of-living-in-your-own-reality.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Mar 2012 02:48:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>nathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[NLP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conversational hypnosis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[personal growth]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keystothemind.com/?p=958</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Discover how to create your own "Reality Distortion Field" that gives you the power to live life on your own terms, and help others create rapid transformations.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On the 5th of October last year, Steve Jobs passed away.</p>
<p>From nothing, Steve Jobs founded, built and championed a company which today is worth over 100 billion dollars.</p>
<p>His vision, passion and drive revolutionized the way we interact with each other, experience entertainment, and view the purpose and potential of technology.</p>
<p>How did he do it?</p>
<p>Friends and colleagues of Steve commented that one of his most compelling traits was what they called his &#8220;<strong>Reality Distortion Field.&#8221;</strong></p>
<p>With the combination of a charismatic speaking manner, an unwavering gaze, and complete self certainty, Steve was able to convince people to believe, and later do, the impossible.</p>
<p>Throughout his career Steve Jobs often encountered doubt and resistance.</p>
<p>Many of the ideas which we now know were brilliant &#8211; from the iPhone to Apple Stores, were first met with ridicule and scorn from many extremely intelligent people.</p>
<p>Steve&#8217;s reality distortion field blew those doubts out of the water, and caused people to take action, and create changes and transformations that, to use Job&#8217;s own phrase, would &#8220;Put a dent in the universe.&#8221;</p>
<p>The power of the reality distortion field stems from one simple secret:</p>
<p><strong>In order to convince others, you must first convince yourself.</strong></p>
<p>People in the world of hypnosis and NLP call this &#8220;Go There First.&#8221;</p>
<p>What makes the reality distortion field such a rare gift is that most people don&#8217;t know how to convince themselves.</p>
<p>Most people source their beliefs from the world around them.</p>
<p>They constantly &#8220;ping&#8221; or reality check the people and inputs around them, constantly seeking to confirm that what they believe is true.</p>
<p>We search the reactions and behaviors of others to make sure we&#8217;re not our of line, and rapidly abandon out independence and sense of self when lost in a crowd.</p>
<p>Going against the raging tide of social pressure is a hugely demanding task.</p>
<p>Achieve it, however, and you&#8217;ll no doubt be able to pull others along with you.</p>
<p>Of course, what the masses believe is not always wrong.</p>
<p>In fact, most of the time it&#8217;s actually right on the money.</p>
<p>Ignoring everything everyone else believes and living in a world entirely of your own design is a pretty good definition of insanity.</p>
<p>Ignoring other peoples limitations and creating a world entirely of your own design is a pretty good definition of genius.</p>
<p>Like everything, it&#8217;s a sliding scale.</p>
<p>A sensible solution would be to be aware of the inputs of the world at large, and pay good attention to what others think, feel and believe.</p>
<p>After all, you are a part of humanity, and while there may be areas where you want to break free and carve your own ground, conformity is not always a bad thing.</p>
<p>However, ask Mark Twain said, whenever you find yourself on the side of the masses, &#8220;<em>it&#8217;s time to pause and reflect.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>Don&#8217;t go on a bender of anarchic reality denial, in which you refuse to believe what others do.</p>
<p>Likewise, don&#8217;t be yet another sheep in the herd, believing only what society gives you permission to think.</p>
<p>Make a conscious decision to live a life of your own design, and set out to create a set of beliefs which are useful and empowering.</p>
<p>Your beliefs, particularly about yourself, create reality. They don&#8217;t follow it.</p>
<p>So, ask yourself what is most useful and valuable to believe right now.</p>
<p>If it&#8217;s completely untrue, then believing it will <em>not </em>be valuable. If you&#8217;re broke yet you try and believe your a millionaire, you&#8217;ll probably end up in a cardboard box.</p>
<p>Yet if you&#8217;re broke and you believe that you have the potential to become a millionaire&#8230; <em>and </em>(this is the most important part) you take action based on those beliefs, you may well become one.</p>
<p>Reality is persistent, and social pressure will often try and force you to adopt a particular belief set. Ask yourself only &#8220;is it useful,&#8221; and believe it only if the answer is yes.</p>
<p>Cheers!<br />
Nathan Thomas</p>
<p>PS</p>
<p>To learn more about personal influence, and discover how to create your own &#8220;reality distortion field&#8221; check out the <a href="http://10influencetools.com/">10 Influence Tools</a> training course.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://keystothemind.com/2012/03/controlled-insanity-the-art-of-living-in-your-own-reality.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Power of Silence</title>
		<link>http://keystothemind.com/2012/02/the-power-of-silence.html</link>
		<comments>http://keystothemind.com/2012/02/the-power-of-silence.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Feb 2012 04:20:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>nathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keystothemind.com/?p=949</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Discover how to use this little known influence tool to create rapid and positive change and transformation - I'll reveal everything to you in a free PDF report.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In the fields of hypnosis, NLP and effective communication, 90% of the emphasis tends be on what you <em>say.</em></p>
<p>Language is generally thought of as the primary way we interact with each other, and the most powerful way we get our point across.</p>
<p>However, what people miss is that the words you say are only one piece of a very big puzzle.</p>
<p>Master influencers and people who are extremely effective at creating rapid change know the power of <em>silence.</em></p>
<p>When well timed and well used, silence can be an extremely powerful negotiation tool, and, if you&#8217;re working as a hypnotherapist or an NLP practictioner, a very effective way to bypass obstacles, and help people create true transformation.</p>
<p><strong>Get Your Free Report on the Power of Silence Here:</strong></p>
<p>This report will tell you everything you need to know about using <em>silence </em>as a powerful influence tool, whether as a salesperson, a therapist, or even just in everyday life.</p>
<p>What you&#8217;re getting is the transcript of lesson 5 in my new &#8220;10 Influence Tools&#8221; online training program.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.keystothemind.net/Silence.pdf">Click Here to Download Your Free Report Now</a></p>
<p>To discover another 9 influence techniques even more powerful than this one, then have a look at the complete&#8221; 10 Influence Tools&#8221; online program.</p>
<p>You can find out how to get the full course AND get a free audio lesson on the Handshake Induction, if you sign up to the newsletter with the form on the top right of this blog, or by entering your name and email here:</p>
<p><a href="http://10influencetools.com">10 Influence Tools Online Training Program</a> (enter your name and email for a free audio lesson on the hypnotic handshake interrupt)</p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<p>Cheers,<br />
Nathan Thomas</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://keystothemind.com/2012/02/the-power-of-silence.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Confidence Myth</title>
		<link>http://keystothemind.com/2012/02/the-confidence-myth.html</link>
		<comments>http://keystothemind.com/2012/02/the-confidence-myth.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:47:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>nathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[conversational hypnosis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[personal growth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[persuasion skills]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keystothemind.com/?p=905</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[People will tell you that confidence is everything, in hypnosis, influence and more. Unfortunately, there's something BIG a lot of people are missing, and what you've probably been told about confidence, is really a myth.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8220;Confidence&#8221; is becoming a bit of a buzzword. Want to learn how to do hypnosis? People will tell you that you <em>must</em> be confident, otherwise it won&#8217;t work.</p>
<p>Want to communicate with impact and power? Again &#8211; no &#8220;confidence, no chance.&#8221;</p>
<p>The problem is the &#8220;confidence myth&#8221; sets a lot of people off in the wrong direction.</p>
<p>It starts with people missing one big distinction:</p>
<p><strong>Confidence is Not Certainty</strong></p>
<p>A lot of people think <em>confidence </em>is the same as <em>certainty.</em></p>
<p>That is, in order to be &#8220;confident&#8221; you need to be <em>certain</em> that whatever you&#8217;re attempting &#8211; from a hypnosis induction to an influence strategy &#8211; will be successful.</p>
<p>If you have any doubts, fears, nervousness or anxiety, then you lack certainty. If you lack certainty, so the myth goes, you lack <em>confidence.</em></p>
<p>Chasing certainty is chasing a red herring.  The truth is that in the real world (which most of us like to drop in on, on occasion) there is never true certainty about success.</p>
<p>Sure, you can be pretty certain the sun will rise tomorrow, but you can&#8217;t be certain that you&#8217;ll achieve a particularly goal to the letter, pull off a particular technique perfectly, or even that success &#8211; when you do achieve it &#8211; will look and feel like you expected it to.</p>
<p>Keep waiting for certainty, and&#8230;</p>
<p><strong>certainty becomes cement!</strong></p>
<p>No matter how brilliant you become as a hypnotist or influencer, there will never be 100% certainty that you be successful.</p>
<p>However, people who feel that they need to be <em>confident </em>before they succeed, and that <em>confidence = certainty </em>will wait forever, hoping that eventually success will be a given.</p>
<p>Wait for certainty, and you&#8217;ll be stuck in cement forever.</p>
<p>So, how do you move forward constructively, without certainty?</p>
<p>You now know that confidence is not certainty. There&#8217;s another distinction you need to become alert to:</p>
<p><strong>Outcome Dependence Vs. Outcome Acceptance </strong></p>
<p>If you&#8217;re waiting for certainty, you&#8217;re what people call &#8220;outcome dependent.&#8221;</p>
<p>You&#8217;re performance and sense of self &#8211; your &#8220;self esteem&#8221; if you insist on another buzzword &#8211; is connected inseparably from your outcome. If you succeed to the letter, you&#8217;re fine. If you fail in anyway, you&#8217;ve lost.</p>
<p>This tunnel vision win / lose way of thinking is all too familiar for most of us. At school, you pass or you fail. A correct answer is good, a wrong answer is bad.</p>
<p>At work, a mistake can mean you lose your job, doing what you&#8217;re told can lead to a bonus.</p>
<p>Often we learn to focus exclusively on outcome</p>
<p>And yes, of COURSE outcomes matter. I&#8217;d never pretend that they don&#8217;t&#8230;</p>
<p><strong>BUT</strong></p>
<p><em>Outcomes Aren&#8217;t Permanent!</em></p>
<p>One failure doesn&#8217;t spell doom. One upset doesn&#8217;t mean the world has ended.</p>
<p>When people get outcome dependent they blow the possibility of failure way out of proportion.</p>
<p>Psychologists know that people are dreadful at predicting our own emotional reactions to future events.</p>
<p>This plus our disposition to see outcomes as binary &#8220;failure = bad, success = good&#8221; events, means we make the idea of failure 10,000 times more powerful than it really is.</p>
<p><strong>Try this exercise&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>Think about something that you think you would like more &#8220;confidence&#8221; for. A hypnosis or influence techniques, or anything at all.</p>
<p>Ask yourself what the old fashioned way of thinking would define as a successful outcome, or a failed outcome.</p>
<p>Imagine that whatever you&#8217;re attempted failed. Run it through it your mind. Actually make it as realistic as possible.</p>
<p>Move forward a month in the future, and imagine looking back on the event from then. Was it really so bad? Probably not. Move forward another year, and then ten years, and you&#8217;ll probably laugh over how much time and energy you spent worrying about such a small failure!</p>
<p><strong>Here&#8217;s Where Certainty Returns&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>So, failure ain&#8217;t that bad.</p>
<p>Instead of account dependence, you now have outcome acceptance. You accept any possible outcome, and make yourself ok with this.</p>
<p>You do this by giving yourself <em>certainty </em>in your ability to survive the outcome.</p>
<p>Listen: When it comes to learning a skill and try new things, no matter WHAT the outcome is, you can survive it! Sure you may go through some negative emotion, but it&#8217;s not just a cliche that this stuff makes you stronger.</p>
<p>This is where certainty returns.</p>
<p><strong>You are certain that no matter what the outcome, you&#8217;ll be just fine.</strong></p>
<p>Now &#8220;confidence&#8221; becomes irrelevant! No matter <em>what </em>happens &#8211; dazzling success or blinding failure &#8211; you&#8217;ll be OK!</p>
<p>Spend a moment thinking about all the reasons you used to have that convinced you that failure was devastating &#8211; break them down, and you&#8217;ll realize that, actually, you&#8217;re a lot stronger that that, and that no matter the outcome, you <em>will </em>be just fine!</p>
<p><strong>Seneca and Certainty&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>At my live seminars, I tell the story of the stoic philosopher Seneca&#8217;s answer to greed:</p>
<p>If you are greedy for wealth, the philosopher says, it is actually because you fear poverty.</p>
<p>How do you alleviate this fear? For one week a year, dress yourself in nothing but rags, eat only watery soup, and sleep not on your bed, but on the floor. Wander around in your shabbiest attire and abstain from any expense or luxury.</p>
<p>Do this for a week, and you&#8217;ll realize that actually, what you feared was not all that bad. You still had your health, your friends, your faculties.</p>
<p>Having faced your nightmare, you can be <em>certain </em>that you&#8217;ll be able to survive it. Therefore, you can relax!</p>
<p><strong><em>The Story Isn&#8217;t Over Yet&#8230;</em></strong></p>
<p>Make this perspective your reality, and you&#8217;ll free yourself from a massive amount of anxiety and fear.</p>
<p>Plus, you&#8217;ll be able to take sensible risks and face new situations whole heartedly, without fear, because you know that no matter what happens, you&#8217;ll be equipped to deal with it.</p>
<p>Know that failure is not permanent, and think of it as part of the learning curve &#8211; a part that you&#8217;re more than capable of coping with, and you&#8217;ll be just fine!</p>
<p>Hope you enjoyed this one! If you think someone else might benefit from a living with less fear, feel free to share this link with them!</p>
<p>Cheers,<br />
Nathan Thomas</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://keystothemind.com/2012/02/the-confidence-myth.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>9</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hypnotic Language Patterns</title>
		<link>http://keystothemind.com/2012/02/hypnotic-language-patterns.html</link>
		<comments>http://keystothemind.com/2012/02/hypnotic-language-patterns.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:15:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>nathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keystothemind.com/?p=902</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[About 40 years ago, a linguist named John Grinder and a computer programmer named Richard Bandler sat down with a pen and paper, and set about picking apart the conversational patterns of a man named Milton Erickson. The result was what we now call "hypnotic language patterns."]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>About 40 years ago, a linguist named John Grinder and a computer programmer named Richard Bandler sat down with a pen and paper, and set about picking apart the conversational patterns of a man named Milton Erickson.</p>
<p>Milton Erickson was a therapist and hypnotist based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a few unusual knacks.</p>
<p>Erickson noticed that when his clients came to see him, they often phrased their problems in strange ways. They&#8217;d speak in such a way that their totally irrationally problems somehow seemed real, concrete and unchangeable.</p>
<p>Dr. Erickson thought that if these patterns kept people trapped inside problems, then they could probably be used to free people from problems as well.</p>
<p>He began talking to clients in that same language, feeding there patterns back to them. Patterns like&#8230;</p>
<p><strong>The Bind</strong>, two ideas linked together: <em>&#8220;<span style="text-decoration: underline;">the more you</span> read about language patterns, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">the more you</span> notice people using them naturally in everyday speech&#8221;</em>&#8230;</p>
<p><strong>The Double Bind</strong>, the illusion of choice &#8230; <em>&#8220;people find they either find language patterns easy to use <strong>or</strong> simple to implement in their daily communication&#8221;&#8230;</em></p>
<p><strong>Presuppositions</strong>&#8230; <em>&#8220;<span style="text-decoration: underline;">when</span> </em>(presupposition of time, it&#8217;s not if, it&#8217;s when)<em> you <span style="text-decoration: underline;">realize</span> </em>(presupposition of awareness, it&#8217;s not whether it&#8217;s happening, it&#8217;s whether you&#8217;ve noticed) <em>how easy it is to use these language patterns, you&#8217;ll <span style="text-decoration: underline;">notice</span> that you&#8217;ve <span style="text-decoration: underline;">already</span> made massive changes in the way you communicate&#8221;</em>&#8230;</p>
<p><strong>Embedded Commands</strong>&#8230; <em>When you <span style="text-decoration: underline;">read this post</span><strong> </strong>you&#8217;ll discover more ways to <span style="text-decoration: underline;">use these patterns</span><strong> </strong>in your interactions&#8230;</em></p>
<p><strong>Cause &#8211; Effect patterns</strong>,<strong>.</strong>.. <em>Reading this post <span style="text-decoration: underline;">means</span> you&#8217;re learning about hypnotic language patterns, and <span style="text-decoration: underline;">because</span> you&#8217;re learning these patterns, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">it means</span> you can use them naturally in your everyday interactions.</em></p>
<p>And a lot more besides! Grinder and Bandler broke down these patterns, and called the model they created &#8220;The Milton Model.&#8221;</p>
<p>The patterns aren&#8217;t logical, but they play into the way the mind thinks, and creates a compelling motivation for actions and beliefs.</p>
<p>The Milton Model is today used by therapists, businessmen, marketers and more to connect with people, change their beliefs and attitudes, and motivate them to take action, and create change.</p>
<p><strong>How To Use Hypnotic Language Patterns <em>without </em>Sounding Crazy&#8230;</strong></p>
<p>There are those who say language patterns are absurd, that they could never possibly be used in a real life conversation, and are at best a crutch for the anxious or nervous hypnotist.</p>
<p>They assume that in order to use language patterns in normal conversations, you have to drastically change the way you speak.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s the secret: you don&#8217;t!</p>
<p>The fact is, language patterns <em>are</em> used by us in our everyday lives, all the time! The trouble is, they&#8217;re normally used for negative things.</p>
<p>Every time someone says &#8220;<em> I&#8217;ve realized I&#8217;ll either fail now, or give up&#8221;</em> (presupposition of awareness followed by a double bind), or &#8220;<em> the more I talk to him, the more annoyed I get&#8221;</em> (bind), they are using language patterns!</p>
<p>Open your ears, and you&#8217;ll find people use patterns of the Milton Model all the time! They are a natural function of English language communication!</p>
<p>So, rather than allowing us to trap ourselves into our problems with these patterns, why not use them to help free our minds, get what we want from life, and help others do the same?</p>
<p>Keep an ear out for language patterns in your everyday interactions, and ask yourself how you can use these patterns for the results you want.</p>
<p>Cheers,<br />
Nathan Thomas</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://keystothemind.com/2012/02/hypnotic-language-patterns.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Tools of Influence: Stop Doing &#8211; Start Being</title>
		<link>http://keystothemind.com/2012/01/tools-of-influence-stop-doing-start-being.html</link>
		<comments>http://keystothemind.com/2012/01/tools-of-influence-stop-doing-start-being.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:31:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>nathan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[conversational hypnosis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[persuasion skills]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://keystothemind.com/?p=908</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The first in the "Tools of Influence" series of articles. Discover the real secret of effortless ethical influence, and avoid the core problem that causes far too many to fail before they even start.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The trouble with the world of influence / self development, is that it&#8217;s core question is often a harmful one.</p>
<p>People ask &#8220;how can I <em>act differently </em>so that I get more from life.&#8221;</p>
<p>The very premise of that question concedes that how you are is wrong, but rather than improve yourself on a deep level, you should simply modify a few external behaviors, and <em>pretend</em> that you&#8217;re something that you&#8217;re not.</p>
<p>So, people learn techniques, and tools and patterns and principles, and set about trying to consciously change their behavior, without changing themselves.</p>
<p>While the patterns and techniques certainly are powerful and are used by many for great effect, at the end of the day they are empty&#8230; unless you are <em>congruent!</em></p>
<p><strong>What Is Congruence</strong></p>
<p>Congruence is when your beliefs and your actions are aligned.</p>
<p>It is when you <em>are </em>what you <em>do.</em></p>
<p>If you look to anyone who is truly charismatic and persuasive, you&#8217;ll notice that while they probably are using techniques of influence, consciously or otherwise, what really makes the difference is that they are congruent with what they are doing.</p>
<p><strong>Why Is Congruence So Powerful?</strong></p>
<p>There are dozens of answers to this question.</p>
<p>Congruence is powerful because <em>incongruence</em> is extremely noticeable &#8211; if you are using techniques to veil or hide your personality, I&#8217;m afraid it tends to stick out. People can tell that you aren&#8217;t really being you, and while you make get some results, it will only be a faint shadow of what you&#8217;d achieve whilst being congruent.</p>
<p><strong>How To You Become Congruent?</strong></p>
<p>Well, actually congruence is <em>easy!</em></p>
<p>It&#8217;s what we naturally are. The answer is simply <em>stop being incongruent!</em></p>
<p>Of course, there&#8217;s a lot more to it than that. But the first step is always awareness. Become aware of the importance of congruence, and start consciously stopping yourself from acting incongruently in your interactions.</p>
<p>It can be confusing at first &#8211; many of us have been stopping ourselves from being congruent all our lives, and it&#8217;s a real effort to remember which behaviors <em>are</em> authentic to us, and which ones are the masks that we&#8217;re simply accustomed to wearing.</p>
<p><strong>How to Use Tools of Influence Whilst Being Congruent</strong></p>
<p>There is nothing more powerful than someone who is both congruent <em>and </em>a skilled and well trained influencer. These people truly live free and fulfilled lives, and help others do likewise.</p>
<p>When I teach persuasion and influence skills, my goal is to always help you balance <em>technique </em>with <em>congruence. </em>This means that as well as learning the cool tricks of influence that are so popular &#8211; pattern interrupts, language techniques and so on &#8211; you&#8217;ll learn to integrate them into your natural, congruent way of interacting.</p>
<p>This means you can walk through the world whilst <em>naturally </em>being a powerful influencer &#8211; without having to fake it.</p>
<p>The key to this is to realize that <strong>who we are changes. </strong>So, rather than asking yourself &#8220;how can I <em>pretend</em> to be a better influencer than I am&#8221; simply ask yourself &#8220;how can I <em>become</em> a better influencer than I am&#8230;&#8221;</p>
<p>It may seem blindingly simple, but this one fundamental shift will free you from the baggage which seems to trap 99% of society!</p>
<p>For some powerful influence training, keep your eyes peeled for a free audio lesson on pattern interrupts and the hypnotic handshake induction, which will be ready for you shortly!</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll see you soon!<br />
Cheers,<br />
Nathan Thomas</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://keystothemind.com/2012/01/tools-of-influence-stop-doing-start-being.html/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

