I Got GeniusMapped
Jonathan Altfeld, the developer of a method of modeling based on his work in Artificial Intelligence and which he calls “GeniusMapping”, did two “taster” sessions with me as the exemplar back in August and September of 2022. He says:
Mike may be one of the best people in the world at quelling violent responses in people. He’s developed this skill, and the belief system that enables it, over many years. It began with a tragic childhood in a violent home, was augmented by unique work experiences in healthcare security, including psychiatric wards, ambulance services, and was enhanced by fabulous unique training courses arriving at key moments. And now, we get to unpack and benefit from his wisdom and knowledge, without having to go through the same difficult journey!
The process was a lot of fun and I learned some things about myself. We’ve discussed doing a third one; that’s up in the air right now but I’m in if he is.
The process was done via Zoom and was recorded. You can get the replays here.
Remember What The “P” Stands For
Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it.
—Brian W. Kernighan, computer programming pioneer
Taking the White (Sugar) Pill
Four placebo pills a day work better than two. Blue placebo pills are superior at improving sleep; you’ll want green placebo pills for reducing anxiety. But placebo capsules beat placebo pills—and placebo injections were even better. Oh, and expensive, brand-name placebos beat cheap generic ones. Huh? Why would the method of administration make such a difference when the (inactive) substance delivered was always the same? And the craziest result of all? Placebos even worked when they were “open label” placebos—yes, you could tell people that the fake medication was fake and they’d still feel better.
Turning On Your Like Switch
Rapport is a fundamental NLP skill, and if you can’t get rapport with the person you’re helping — or who is helping you — everything is much, much more difficult.
I doubt you’ve been in a more difficult situation that Dr. Jack Schafer, though. He is a former Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI, and part of his job was turning foreign spies into double-agents. His life depended on his ability to establish and maintain rapport with people who could be quite hostile if things went wrong.
He wrote a book, The Like Switch, on the topic, and I highly recommend it. (I highly recommend everything he’s written, for that matter.)
Podcaster Jordan Harbinger (an excellent interviewer, by the way) pulled Dr. Schafer in for a two-part interview on the skills taught in The Like Switch. Go have a listen:
Save a Life. Tell A Story.
Dr. Jack Schafer, a retired Special Agent for the FBI, described how telling a story can help you prevent suicide.
OODA Loop
When you combine Pattern Interruption with High-Stakes Decision-Making, you get this:
If You Don’t Call It “Anchoring…”
…then it isn’t NLP, it’s science. Right?
A 21-yr-old student reacted with severe anxiety in test-taking situations. She was successfully treated by cue-controlled relaxation methods. The procedure involved (1) training in deep-muscle relaxation, and (2) pairing of breath exhalations while relaxed, with a self-produced cue word—“calm”. After five weekly training sessions, follow-up results were reported on the Interpersonal Anxiety Scale and for midterm and final exams. The potential advantage, under certain conditions, of cue-controlled relaxation over systematic desensitization is discussed.
You Need a Push
Dr. Jordan Peterson on propulsion systems.
Those Persistent Interruptions
NLPers have been saying for decades that you can change your internal experience by way of interruption. Science is catching up.
A new study shows that distractions might change our perception of what’s real, making us believe we saw something different from what we actually saw.
Research Into Pacing
There’s some suspicion among researchers that pacing of behavior is associated with a feeling of closeness and trust, and that it makes it easier for people to talk with one another. Have you ever heard of such an idea?
The UK-based Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (CREST) is currently funding Ph.D.-level research into “nonverbal mimicry.”
My research aims to find out whether it is possible that if the interviewer was properly trained in mimicry they could use it as an information elicitation technique.
By the end of 2019 I will have completed the first experimental study of my PhD. Results of this study will illuminate whether nonverbal mimicry does increase according to relationship closeness. I will then be carrying out my second study, based entirely on the outcome of study one.
Is nonverbal mimicry an important tool in eliciting information?