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FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line Newsletter of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume II, Number 10 - November* 2001
Welcome to the twenty first issue of the free newsletter of Applied Trading Psychology. Members of this mailing list are
automatically entered in a bimonthly drawing for a free Personalized Subliminal Reinforcement Tape from the Sierra
Center for Peak Performance.
It is our intention to provide short, easily read articles on Applied Trading Psychology to a select list of persons
with an expressed interest in the psychological aspects of trading. We hope to encourage an exchange of ideas and
we seek to expand understanding of the basic concepts of Applied Trading Psychology among those persons with a
desire to enhance professional performance with appropriate and responsible techniques and methods. Your comments,
suggestions and questions are strongly encouraged.
To be removed from this mailing list, please click here.
Choking can be operationally defined as a progressive deterioration of performance that the trader seems unable to stop without outside assistance.
Choking is thought to occur when physical arousal continues to escalate beyond the optimal level. This condition of over arousal, or being "Psyched up", causes an involuntary narrowing of concentration. Typically the focus of the choking person's concentration moves from a broader, external focus to a more narrow, internal one.
When attempting to understand the phenomenon of choking it is useful to think of attentional focus as being made up of four basic types:
Broad-external - used to quickly evaluate a situation
Broad-internal - used to analyze and plan
Narrow-external - used to focus on one or two external cues
Narrow-internal - used to focus on one or two internal cues
A trader in the process of choking usually has their attention move progressively from broad-external (looking for the signal in the movement of the market for example) or internal focus (what to do after the signal is taken) towards a more narrow-internal focus (how bad I will feel if the market moves against me and I lose big on this trade).
As the definition above implies, once choking has begun it is difficult for the trader to stop the process without outside assistance. In fact, while we can learn effective techniques to slow, and in some cases stop, the process once it has begun and put in place strategies and techniques to reduce the tendency to choke, we can not eliminate choking. Here are three suggestions that can help you slow or stop the process:
When you or the situation begin to get "tight", begin to take deep, belly breaths
When you start thinking of Outcome, immediately direct your attention to Process
When negative self-talk begins to occur use Thought-Stopping to re-establish positive self-talk
In general, the more important the trade the greater the potential for fear of failure and choking. We can reduce the likelihood of choking by:
Learning to use Voluntary Relaxation
Mentally rehearsing trading and the emotional and physical conditions that will
be present
Learning how to recover when mistakes are made or circumstances turn against us
Building confidence in our ability to perform well
with affirmations and Subliminal Reinforcement
Redirecting attention from the "Outcome" of a trade to the "Process" of trading well
It has been said that there are only two types of traders: Those that have choked and those that will choke. If choking is a recurrent problem for you please contact me for personalized assistance.
©Copyright 2002, Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Free Tapes |Free Affirmations| Ask Dr. Relax |Subscribe | Subliminal | Ordering | Alternate Site
*Published in January 2002
FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line Newsletter of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume II, Number 11 - December* 2001
Welcome to the twenty second issue of the free newsletter of Applied Trading Psychology. Members of this mailing list are
automatically entered in a bimonthly drawing for a free Personalized Subliminal Reinforcement Tape from the Sierra
Center for Peak Performance.
It is our intention to provide short, easily read articles on Applied Trading Psychology to a select list of persons
with an expressed interest in the psychological aspects of trading. We hope to encourage an exchange of ideas and
we seek to expand understanding of the basic concepts of Applied Trading Psychology among those persons with a
desire to enhance professional performance with appropriate and responsible techniques and methods. Your comments,
suggestions and questions are strongly encouraged.
To be removed from this mailing list, please click here.
One of the classic, early studies in
Sport Psychology demonstrates the potential power of Mental Rehearsal as a means
of enhancing human performance. The study was conducted with free throw
shooting in Basketball.
The researcher divided a group of athletes into four groups. Group I was
assigned to the physical practice of free throws. Group II not only practiced
shooting free throws but also mentally rehearsed free throw shooting. Group III
did not physically practice but did mentally rehearse. Group IV did not practice
or mentally rehearse.
Group I - Physical Practice Only
Group II - Physical Practice and Mental Rehearsal
Group III - Mental Rehearsal but No Physical Practice
Group IV - No Physical Practice and No Mental Rehearsal
When tested on their ability to make free throws after several weeks following the practice routines outlined above, the following results were achieved: Group II achieved the highest free throw shooting average, followed by Group I, Group III and Group IV.
Highest Average
Group II - Physical Practice and Mental Rehearsal
Group I - Physical Practice OnlyGroup III - Mental Rehearsal but No Physical Practice
Group IV - No Physical Practice and No Mental Rehearsal
Lowest Average
The researcher was able to conclude from
an analysis of the statistics that, in this study, when athletes were able to
pair physical practice with mental rehearsal they were able to produce a free
throw shooting average that was higher than those athletes who only physically
practiced and did not mentally rehearse. She was also able to conclude that when
athletes in this study only mentally rehearsed free throw shooting they were
able to produce a higher average than those athletes who did not practice and
did not mentally rehearse.
What this suggests to me is that mental
rehearsal has the power to boost performance above the level that could be
achieved with physical practice alone. These results also suggest that the mental
rehearsal of a skill, while not as good as physical practice paired
with mental rehearsal or physical practice alone, is better than no practice at
all.
What is the practical significance of
this study to traders?
(1) To maximize your skills as a trader you should not only trade as often as possible but you should also mentally rehearse trading.
(2) When unable to trade for an extended period of time, for whatever reason, you should mentally rehearse trading to keep your skill sharp.
Is structured, scientific, technically correct mental rehearsal a part of your preparation routine for trading? If the answer is "NO" you are probably not performing as well as you might.
Mental Rehearsal is a technique that holds great promise as a practical, legal and reliable method of enhancing your performance. Contact me if you would like to know how you could more effectively incorporate it into your preparation and by so doing gain that illusive, winning edge.
©Copyright 2002, Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Free Tapes |Free Affirmations| Ask Dr. Relax |Subscribe | Subliminal | Ordering | Alternate Site
*Published in February 2002
FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line Newsletter of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume III, Number 1 - January* 2002
Welcome to the twenty third issue of the free newsletter of Applied Trading Psychology. Members of this mailing list are
automatically entered in a bimonthly drawing for a free Personalized Subliminal Reinforcement Tape from the Sierra
Center for Peak Performance.
It is our intention to provide short, easily read articles on Applied Trading Psychology to a select list of persons
with an expressed interest in the psychological aspects of trading. We hope to encourage an exchange of ideas and
we seek to expand understanding of the basic concepts of Applied Trading Psychology among those persons with a
desire to enhance professional performance with appropriate and responsible techniques and methods. Your comments,
suggestions and questions are strongly encouraged.
To be removed from this mailing list, please click here.
To give you a better idea of how I use Mental Rehearsal with my clients, here is a sample mental rehearsal for your review. This Personalized Mental Rehearsal was developed to address the specific, identified needs of a specific trader and will be published in three parts.
Drifting...floating...dreaming
and in your dreams in the theater of your mind you can see yourself and feel
yourself wakening naturally, without any alarms, at the break of dawn. You feel
wonderful and refreshed from a great night's sleep. You turn on the TV to
check the market outlook while stretching and awakening your body you get up,
brush your teeth, wash your face, and say "Good Morning" to yourself. You
slip on some comfortable clothes. As you walk down the hall, you notice the
morning sun beaming through your kitchen window.
You
pick up your meditation pillow and a blanket. You step outside into the morning
air, take a deep breath, and bow to the east. You quietly sit down on your
pillow, back straight, legs crossed. You center yourself, and clear your mind.
You read aloud your affirmations. Like the great Masters, you create your day.
In your mind you see your day - you create the day the way you want it to
unfold. You hold the image in your mind until it is clear. You go through the
whole day. You now watch the day unfold as you have created it.
You
come back into the office, replace your pillow and blanket into their proper
place. The computers are humming, keeping track of all of the market activity.
You turn on the monitors and the computers come to life - waking up and
beginning their day. You look at the charts, noticing the stocks you selected
the evening before. You check to see if the market is to open up or down. You
check your email. You love to get email. You love the ease of communicating with
people from all over. You answer the important messages, always aware of the
time and how close it is to the opening bell. You turn on your subliminal
trading tape. You know today will be a good day in the markets, easily earning a
$1,000. From now on the deep breaths you take as a part of your meditation will
take you deeper and deeper relaxed...reading your affirmations aloud will cause
you to feel very confident and optimistic and rededicated to taking every step
necessary to achieve your goals...and turning on the monitors will be your
signal to feel confident of your ability to do very well in the market today .
Turning on the monitors will be your signal to
begin to direct your attention to the Process of trading well and to avoid all
thoughts of Outcome.
Is structured, scientific, technically correct mental rehearsal a part of your preparation routine for trading? If the answer is "NO" you are probably not performing as well as you might.
Mental Rehearsal is a technique that holds great promise as a practical, legal and reliable method of enhancing your performance. Contact me if you would like to know how you could more effectively incorporate it into your preparation and by so doing gain that illusive, winning edge.
©Copyright 2002, Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Free Tapes |Free Affirmations| Ask Dr. Relax |Subscribe | Subliminal | Ordering | Alternate Site
FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line Newsletter of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume III, Number 2 - February 2002
Welcome to the twenty fourth issue of the free newsletter of Applied Trading Psychology. Members of this mailing list are
automatically entered in a bimonthly drawing for a free Personalized Subliminal Reinforcement Tape from the Sierra
Center for Peak Performance.
It is our intention to provide short, easily read articles on Applied Trading Psychology to a select list of persons
with an expressed interest in the psychological aspects of trading. We hope to encourage an exchange of ideas and
we seek to expand understanding of the basic concepts of Applied Trading Psychology among those persons with a
desire to enhance professional performance with appropriate and responsible techniques and methods. Your comments,
suggestions and questions are strongly encouraged.
To be removed from this mailing list, please click here.
Here is Part II of the sample mental rehearsal for traders. This Personalized Mental Rehearsal was developed to address the specific, identified needs of a specific trader and will be published in three parts.
You
walk back down the hall, feeling alive and in control. You begin at least a
half-hour of Yoga and exercise. Slipping into a warm shower, you prepare to not
only feel your best but to look your best. You put on comfortable clothes,
feeling that you could never have a better work environment.
You
head to the kitchen to prepare breakfast making sure it is healthy including
plenty of fresh fruit. While eating, you review the morning business papers and
any of today's stocks picks. You go back to the office and quickly scan to see
what happened since you last took a look. You can feel that this will be a good
day in the markets - making you at least a $1,000.00.
You
turn on your subliminal trading tape and meditate for a few minutes before
trading begins. You are ready for the trading day. You gather your worksheets
and set up your computer screens. It is time; you are at your desk, in your
comfortable chair. The computers are ready to assist you in your abundance of
the day. 9:30 comes, the open flashes on the screen. You make note of the
opening price and make a few quick calculations. You are calm and focused. You
wait patiently for the trading signals. Knowing you do not have to trade today
if none of your trading signals are meet, but you feel confident you have picked
good stock that will hit your signals. The signal to trade is generated. It does
not matter if it is a Buy or Sell signal because you do not judge the signal.
You take all signals.
Is structured, scientific, technically correct mental rehearsal a part of your preparation routine for trading? If the answer is "NO" you are probably not performing as well as you might.
Mental Rehearsal is a technique that holds great promise as a practical, legal and reliable method of enhancing your performance. Contact me if you would like to know how you could more effectively incorporate it into your preparation and by so doing gain that illusive, winning edge.
©Copyright 2002, Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Free Tapes |Free Affirmations| Ask Dr. Relax |Subscribe | Subliminal | Ordering | Alternate Site
FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line Newsletter of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume III, Number 3 - March 2002
Welcome to the twenty fifth issue of the free newsletter of Applied Trading Psychology. Members of this mailing list are
automatically entered in a bimonthly drawing for a free Personalized Subliminal Reinforcement Tape from the Sierra
Center for Peak Performance.
It is our intention to provide short, easily read articles on Applied Trading Psychology to a select list of persons
with an expressed interest in the psychological aspects of trading. We hope to encourage an exchange of ideas and
we seek to expand understanding of the basic concepts of Applied Trading Psychology among those persons with a
desire to enhance professional performance with appropriate and responsible techniques and methods. Your comments,
suggestions and questions are strongly encouraged.
To be removed from this mailing list, please click here.
Here is Part III of the sample mental rehearsal for traders. This Personalized Mental Rehearsal was developed to address the specific, identified needs of a specific trader and will be published in three parts.
You mentally say
the signal. You say out loud what the trade is. You remain calm and focused. You
are quietly confident. You trust yourself; you're trading decisions and your
signals. You turn to the computer and enter your order. You remain calm and
focused throughout this process. You know that by taking all the signals you
will make money. The outcome of this particular trade is irrelevant to the
thousands of trades that you will take.
An alert is sent
to your computer, which lets you know that you are filled at your price. You get
your mental stop from your worksheets and review your exit strategies. You will
enter a stop loss if you leave the computer for any length of time. You stay
calm. you enjoy trading and making money. The trade moves in your favor. You are
still calm and focused. The market will tell you when to exit the trade. After
$1 of profit, you move your mental Stop to breakeven. You continue to watch the
trade unfold. When the trade hits your target, you enter your exit trade and
wait for a fill. The computer receives notification of a trade fill and you are
flat.
You drift...you float...you dream. From now on whenever the signal to trade is generated you will take a deep breath of relaxation vapor to help you stay calm and focused. You will mentally say the signal and then say aloud what the trade is. This action will cause you to feel very calm and completely focused and free of all distractions...you will say to yourself "The outcome of this trade is irrelevant to the thousands of trades you will take!" You will remain always calm and focused... and you drift...and float...and dream.
After
you go flat, you relax a little more for a few minutes. You prepare yourself for
the next trade. The day is unfolding as you have created it. The process of
waiting for the signal, and taking the signal, calmly, without hesitation
continues throughout the day.
You
remain calm and focused; taking anywhere up to 10 trades a day. Since you wait
for the best trades, you do not over-trade. It does not matter if the trade was
a win or a loss; you are always ready to take the next signal. Each trade is a
new event and has nothing to do with the previous trade.
The market day comes to an end. You go over your trades, and you smile because this has been another winning day in the markets. You made your daily goal and you feel satisfied. You are happy to have the best job in the world. You love the whole process of trading. You are grateful that the day has unfolded as you had created it this morning.
Is structured, scientific, technically correct mental rehearsal a part of your preparation routine for trading? If the answer is "NO" you are probably not performing as well as you might.
Mental Rehearsal is a technique that holds great promise as a practical, legal and reliable method of enhancing your performance. Contact me if you would like to know how you could more effectively incorporate it into your preparation and by so doing gain that illusive, winning edge.
©Copyright 2002, Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Free Tapes |Free Affirmations| Ask Dr. Relax |Subscribe | Subliminal | Ordering | Alternate Site
FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line Newsletter of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume III, Number 4 - April 2002
Welcome to the twenty sixth issue of the free newsletter of Applied Trading Psychology. Members of this mailing list are
automatically entered in a bimonthly drawing for a free Personalized Subliminal Reinforcement Tape from the Sierra
Center for Peak Performance.
It is our intention to provide short, easily read articles on Applied Trading Psychology to a select list of persons
with an expressed interest in the psychological aspects of trading. We hope to encourage an exchange of ideas and
we seek to expand understanding of the basic concepts of Applied Trading Psychology among those persons with a
desire to enhance professional performance with appropriate and responsible techniques and methods. Your comments,
suggestions and questions are strongly encouraged.
To be removed from this mailing list, please click here.
One of the
best ways to construct an effective Mental Rehearsal for trading is to begin by creating an outline of the basic
elements that should be present when you are performing at your best. Even if
you do not intend to create a personalized visualization in the near future, an
inventory of those internal and external conditions that are associated with
your best work is a step in the direction of more consistent productivity. The
five basic components can be defined as follows:
Sensory Elements - what you experience through all five senses
Attitude/Emotional
Conditions - what your ideal attitude
and emotions should be
Technical Routine
Mental Routine
Affirmations and Key Words
Here is a partial outline for the Sensory Elements and Attitude/Emotional Conditions that were projected to be present in the Mental Rehearsal that appeared in the last edition:
Sensory Elements Present
SEE -the computer; worksheets; telephone; desk; office supplies, etc
HEAR -the sound of your voice saying the signal; the hum of the computer; ring of the telephone, etc
SMELL - odors of the rooms; fresh cut flowers, etc
TASTE -flavors from breakfast; coffee; fresh fruit, etc
TOUCH -computer keys; pen; worksheets; telephone, etc
Attitude/Emotional Elements - comfortable bed, pillow, chair; good tasting breakfast and other physical comforts present; feeling safe/secure; belonging, love and affiliation with others (enjoying the receipt of email from friends and associates for example); esteem to achieve; to be competent, gain approval and recognition; cognitive elements like knowing; understanding and exploring; symmetry; order and beauty; finding self-fulfillment and realizing one's potential; to help others find self-fulfillment and realize their potential
The selected samples of the Technical and Mental Routines and the Affirmations and Key Words will be presented in future articles.
What sensory elements and attitudinal and emotional components are present when you trade at your best? If you don't know, how will you assure that they are present in order to maximize the potential for trading at your best? Are the sensory and emotional ingredients that are present working for you and are they helping you to maximize your productivity?
Contact me and let me help you move forward in your efforts to get the most from your trading.
©Copyright 2002, Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Free Tapes |Free Affirmations| Ask Dr. Relax |Subscribe | Subliminal | Ordering | Alternate Site
FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line Newsletter of the Sierra Center for Peak PerformanceVolume III, Number 5 - May 2002
Welcome to the twenty seventh issue of the free newsletter of Applied Trading Psychology. Members of this mailing list are
automatically entered in a bimonthly drawing for a free Personalized Subliminal Reinforcement Tape from the Sierra
Center for Peak Performance.
It is our intention to provide short, easily read articles on Applied Trading Psychology to a select list of persons
with an expressed interest in the psychological aspects of trading. We hope to encourage an exchange of ideas and
we seek to expand understanding of the basic concepts of Applied Trading Psychology among those persons with a
desire to enhance professional performance with appropriate and responsible techniques and methods. Your comments,
suggestions and questions are strongly encouraged.
To be removed from this mailing list, please click here.
PLAYING MIND GAMES THAT HELP YOU WIN
How to Build an Effective Mental Rehearsal: Part II
by Gary A. Beale, Ph.D.
One of the best ways to construct an effective Mental Rehearsal is to begin by creating an outline of the basic elements that should be present when you are performing at your best. Here is a partial outline of the Technical and Mental Routines from the sample Mental Rehearsal that appeared in the March edition:
Technical Routine - turn on the TV to check the market outlook while stretching; turn on the monitors; review the charts and review the stocks you selected the evening before; check to see if the market is to open up or down; check your email; answer the important email messages; turn on your subliminal trading tape; practice Yoga and exercise; review the morning business papers and any of today's stocks picks; scan to see what happened while you were mentally rehearsing, showering and eating; turn on the subliminal tape and meditate for a few minutes before trading begins etc.
Mental
Routine - Center yourself, and
clear your mind; Mentally Rehearse the day as you would like it to unfold;
*although the Mental Rehearsal presented
earlier contained Outcome statements, such as "... making at least a
$1,000.00...", thoughts should be directed exclusively to Process and
away from Outcome during actual trading
The selected samples of Affirmations and Key Words will be presented in future articles.
Do you have a practical and consistent Technical and Mental Routine that you follow each trading day? Is it consistently working for you and are your routines helping you to maximize your productivity?
Contact
me and let me help you move
forward in your efforts to get the most from your trading.
©Copyright 2002, Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Free Tapes |Free Affirmations| Ask Dr. Relax |Subscribe | Subliminal | Ordering | Alternate Site
FROM BRAIN TO MUSCLE WITHOUT ANY TUSSLE
The On-Line Newsletter of the Sierra Center for Peak Performance
Volume III, Number 6 - June 2002
Welcome to the twenty-eighth issue of the free newsletter of Applied Trading Psychology. Members of this mailing list are
automatically entered in a bimonthly drawing for a free Personalized Subliminal Reinforcement Tape from the Sierra
Center for Peak Performance.
It is our intention to provide short, easily read articles on Applied Trading Psychology to a select list of persons
with an expressed interest in the psychological aspects of trading. We hope to encourage an exchange of ideas and
we seek to expand understanding of the basic concepts of Applied Trading Psychology among those persons with a
desire to enhance professional performance with appropriate and responsible techniques and methods. Your comments,
suggestions and questions are strongly encouraged.
To be removed from this mailing list, please click here.
PLAYING MIND GAMES THAT HELP YOU WIN
How to Build an Effective Mental Rehearsal: Part III
by Gary A. Beale, Ph.D.
One of the best ways to construct an effective Mental Rehearsal is to begin by creating an outline of the basic elements that should be present when you are performing at your best. Here is a partial outline of the Affirmations and Key Words and the Conditioning Suggestions from the sample Mental Rehearsal that appeared in the March edition:
Here is a partial outline of the 30-plus Affirmations and Key Words from the Mental Rehearsal that appeared in the March edition:
Affirmations
and Key Words
I
AM A MASTER TRADER.
I
TAKE ALL SIGNALS WITH COMFORT AND EASE.
I
MANAGE EACH TRADE TO MAXIMIZE MY PRODUCTIVITY.
I
AM A CONSISTENTLY WINNING TRADER.
I
HAVE A LIFETIME OF SUCCESSFUL TRADING AHEAD OF ME.
EACH
TRADE IS JUST ONE OF THE NEXT 1000 TRADES I MAKE.
I
LET MY PROFITS RUN AND CUT MY LOSSES SHORT.
I
AM WEALTHY, HEALTHY AND HAVING FUN!
I
FOCUS ON PROCESS AND AVOID ALL Thoughts of OUTCOME.
Conditioning Suggestions should also be made to condition specific responses, or triggers, to specific actions, feelings or emotions. You can condition the ideal, desired responses to predetermined stimuli through the use of structured and frequent scientific mentally rehearsal.
Like Pavlov's dog you can condition your body and mind to react automatically to elements in our trading environment with the attitudes, emotions and actions that you determine are appropriate, productive and responsible. Here is a partial listing of some of the Conditioning Suggestions that were present in the sample Mental Rehearsal presented earlier.