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Archive for July, 2008

Forgiveness

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If you aren’t a member of NLP Connections, you’re missing a great thread on forgiveness.

I’m just sayin’.

Written by Michael DeBusk

July 30th, 2008 at 3:11 am

Do you work with the suicidal?

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The July 6, 2008 issue of New York Times Magazine has an incredibly powerful article on suicidal ideation:

…in 2005, approximately 32,000 Americans committed suicide, or nearly twice the number of those killed by homicide.

I’ve heard that 98-99% of people have contemplated it in their lifetimes. If you do client work, or even if you don’t but you like helping people, the article is worth reading. I especially appreciated this rather NLPish angle:

The bigger problem with this mental-illness rubric is that it puts emphasis on the less-knowable aspect of the act, the psychological “why,” and tends to obscure any examination of the more pedestrian “how,” the basic mechanics involved. But if we want to unravel posthumously the thought processes of the lost with an eye to saving lives in the future, the “how” may be the best place to look.

I found the part about the “British coal-gas story” enlightening. This story, and others like it, show that a key aspect of suicide prevention is simply this: “put more time between the person and his ability to act”.

I may have quoted too much for “fair use” already. I hope the NYT won’t mind, as the message is a massively important one. If you ever find yourself between a person ans his suicide attempt, I’ll ask you to remember this, one more quote from the article:

“I’ll tell you what I can’t get out of my head,” [Kevin Hines] told me in his San Francisco living room. “It’s watching my hands come off that railing and thinking to myself, My God, what have I just done? Because I know that almost everyone else who’s gone off that bridge, they had that exact same thought at that moment. All of a sudden, they didn’t want to die, but it was too late…”

Here’s a link to the printer-friendly version of the article and here’s a link to the regular page.

Written by Michael DeBusk

July 27th, 2008 at 3:44 pm

The Dumb Little Man and the Grasshopper

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FYI, I’ve cleaned up my blogroll a bit and added a couple of excellent blogs (in addition to Doug O’Brien’s recently-mentioned blog).

One is a productivity/lifehackish blog called Dumb Little Man. Here are three recent articles I enjoyed:

The other is hypnotist John Morgan’s blog, Grasshopper Notes. Three recent articles from him:

I trust you’ll enjoy them as I did.

Written by Michael DeBusk

July 26th, 2008 at 2:55 pm

Posted in Web sites

Learn Ericksonian Language from a master

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I got some great news from Doug O’Brien: he’s started a blog, and will be making regular posts on the subject of Ericksonian language patterns. Doug is an amazing trainer, and he’s sharing his expertise with the world for free!

Go to the Web site or subscribe to the feed!

Written by Michael DeBusk

July 26th, 2008 at 2:47 am

Are you naked?

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If you are, do you look good? If you aren’t, would you look good if you were?

I rarely watch TV, and when I do you can be damn sure it isn’t Lifetime TV. But I was flipping through the channel guide at my S/O’s house the other day when the name of a show caught my eye: How to Look Good Naked. Being male — er, curious — I checked it out, and I must say I was impressed.

This is not your typical makeover show. Yes, the ladies get new clothes, makeup, and hairstyle, but think about it: none of that makes them look good naked.

No diets, no exercise, no plastic surgery. No changes in their bodies at all. And by the end of the show, these self-loathing ladies are confidently posing nude for a photographer and strutting — in front of an audience — down a catwalk in their underwear. And loving it. Loving it.

How do they do it? You’ll have to watch the show:

Written by Michael DeBusk

July 23rd, 2008 at 11:36 pm

Zebu Cards are Back!

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We all got good news(letter) from Barb Stepp today: her company, Excellence Quest, has acquired the right to produce and distribute the famous Zebu Cards!

Get your Zebu Cards from Excellence Quest!

Written by Michael DeBusk

July 14th, 2008 at 12:26 am