Do you suffer from performance anxiety?

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1. Do you suffer from performance anxiety?

When you're performing at a level that's disappointing, don't you wind up feeling you need to make an important change in your thinking that you don't know how to orchestrate?

Recently I had a client with a fear of public speaking come to me for a phone coaching session. I relate this story to you with his permission.

"Jim's" job requires him to give talks at various venues for publicity purposes. As a marketing executive Jim was highly successful. As a public speaker he was (in his own words) "a failure." He had already been to see a therapist and a voice coach to delve into "why this problem existed," and said such explorations had actually worsened his performance. Instead of "Why" I suggested we explore "How". Here's what transpired.

I asked Jim if he'd be willing to go through the first few paragraphs of a prepared speech that he'd given in the past. With a good deal of trepidation he agreed to do so.

After he talked for about thirty seconds, he began to falter and I asked him to stop and tell me what he noticed in his body while talking. He said his mouth immediately went dry. So much so that he had trouble swallowing as he talked.

I asked him to bravely try again, but this time I wanted him to talk without looking at his notes, while instead giving all of his attention to the moisture content of his mouth. I explained that in order to do so, he would need to give up being concerned about the quality of his performance.

This time Jim spoke for about a minute before faltering. I gently stopped him again and asked what he had noticed. He said his mouth was not nearly as dry as before, but he noticed he was blinking his eyes a great deal and still felt tense.

"Good to know you noticed some changes," I said. "This means you are learning."

For the next round I asked Jim to pay attention to the moisture content of his mouth, while also passively noticing his eyes.

The results were pleasingly profound. This time after talking for about a minute he appeared to get into a flow, and his enjoyment and confidence became evident. After about three minutes I asked him to stop and again report on what he noticed. He related in an excited voice, that his mouth felt fine, his eyes blinked much less, and that at some point he spontaneously adjusted his posture to be more upright. He said, "When my posture changed ‘on its own' I felt myself ‘click into gear'. My goodness, how can doing something so simple lead to such a major change in my performance?!"

I related the following to him: "Usually, each time you unsuccessfully try to remedy a situation, your ‘problem' seems to become larger. The larger you perceive your problem to be, the more energy you expend trying to 'fix it'. Instead of simply focusing on your task, you wind up focusing on what isn't working. Your thinking and judgments get in the way of your performance, because the solution you're searching for gets drowned out by your internal dialogue!"

A month later Jim called to touch base. He told me he had given four talks and that the results were highly gratifying.

Jim pleasantly surprised himself and so can you:
-- Choose a task you don't feel competent at.
-- Notice how your body feels as you perform the task, without attempting to correct your performance.
-- Stay absorbed in non-judgmental awareness, and your body will correct itself, without any critique from "you."

Sound simple? It is. The more you learn to simplify the task at hand, the more you'll notice just how competent you truly are!

Workshop Announcements
Click on the event's title to find out about the details
When?	Where?	Workshop/Event & Presenter(s)
July 15, 2006 14:00–17:00	Antwerpen, Belgium	Seishindo Study Group in Belgium Marleen Adriaensen Info in Dutch in French
October 5, 2006 19:30 - 23:00	Antwerpen, Belgium	Introducing Seishindo - The role your body plays in helping you to maintain your health and emotional well-being Charlie Badenhop, Originator of Seishindo Info in Dutch
October 7, 2006, 9:30 - 17:30	Antwerpen, Belgium	Finding Inner Peace - Exploring the body language of migraine headaches and chronic pain Charlie Badenhop, Marleen Adriaensen Info in Dutch
October 11, 2006 18:00-20:15	Antwerpen, Belgium	Aikido - A gentle yet powerful martial art Charlie Badenhop Info in Dutch
October 14-15, 2006 9:30-17:30	Antwerpen, Belgium	EMBODIED PRESENCE - Use "Verbal Aikido" to resolve conflict and build relationships Charlie Badenhop Info in Dutch in French
October 27-28-29, 2006 9:30-5:30	Washington, DC, USA	EMBODIED WISDOM - The Dance of Intellect, Intuition, and Emotion Judith DeLozier, Co-Founder of NLP Charlie Badenhop, Originator of Seishindo, Dorothy Pietracatella, Certified Specialist in Somatic Experiencing
January 26-27-28, 2007 9:30-5:30	Antwerpen, Belgium	EMBODIED WISDOM - The Dance of Intellect, Intuition, and Emotion Judith DeLozier, Co-Founder of NLP Charlie Badenhop, Originator of Seishindo

2. Judith DeLozier, NLP, and Seishindo

Today, I have the great pleasure of introducing you to my dear friend and colleague, Judith DeLozier. In the process I'll also talk a bit about NLP so you can understand how Seishindo and NLP are related.

NLP stands for "Neuro-Linguistic Programming", a name that at first glance might not seem all that user friendly.

(Neuro) Your nervous system regulates how your body functions, and your emotional response to all you encounter.

(Linguistic) You use verbal language to communicate your experience and model of the world. One person might describe a foreseeable calamity, when in the same circumstance another person might describe an opportunity to adapt and learn. Different models of the world lead to different verbal descriptions of what we perceive to be "reality."

(Programming) Each person has a complex set of habits that determine which parts of their experience they attend to and learn from. To a large extent it is our habits that determine what we do and don't notice, and our ability to adapt and change. In general the more we are aware of, the greater our ability to perform with excellence. This is exactly what you read about in Jim's story just above. He changed his habits and gave himself the opportunity to notice what had previously been eluding him. In the process of changing his habitual behavior, he "all of a sudden" performed with grace and power.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming thus describes the fundamental dynamics between the way you use your body, and the language you use to describe your experience, and how this interplay leads to habitual behaviors and thought patterns. "As you learn to pay attention to various aspects of your experience that have habitually been outside your conscious awareness in the past, you can greatly improve your ability to survive, adapt, and thrive." This basic premise of NLP is also one of the basic premises of Seishindo.

Judith DeLozier is one of the small group of explorers who followed the lead of John Grinder and Richard Bandler, in developing the field of NLP. Judy is well known as a highly creative thinker who has played a pivotal role in the ongoing evolution of NLP. She has an uncanny ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, and she is a master at creating supportive learning communities that honor the learning style of each individual.

In the early 1980's I had the honor and pleasure to begin studying with John Grinder and Judith DeLozier. I learned many wonderful things from John and Judy, but what attracted me most was their appreciation of the role the body plays in learning and adapting to life. What they taught very much mirrored what I was learning in Aikido and the Japanese healing modality of Noguchi sei tai. The principles of NLP I learned from them are woven throughout the fabric of Seishindo.

In my upcoming workshops with Judy in Washington D.C. and Belgium we will engage in "The dance of intellect, intuition, and emotion" and explore the "knowledge networks" distributed throughout the body. You will experience how these networks are organized and orchestrated by a sophisticated body language that determines the way you think, feel, and respond to life's many challenges and opportunities. Judy has a vast experience in dance, horseback riding, native cultures, and "growing up as a country girl" that she will share with us. We invite all of you to join us for this exciting, celebratory experience. These workshops will offer you the chance to begin or further your knowledge of NLP and Seishindo, while helping you to enrich your overall experience of life.

Further background on Judith:
She has co-authored: Neuro-Linguistic Probramming Volume 1; Patterns of The Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, M.D., Volume 2; Turtles all the Way Down; and Leaves Before the Wind.
Read an article by Judith by going here:
http://www.seishindo.org/judith_delozier.html

If you'd like to find out more about these workshops please use the following links:
For Washington DC on Oct. 27, 28, 29, 2006
Judy DeLozier, Dorothy Pietracatella, Charlie Badenhop
http://www.seishindo.org/workshops/seishindo-nlp.html

For Antwerp, Belgium on January 26, 27, 28, 2007
Judy DeLozier, Charlie Badenhop
http://www.seishindo.org/workshops/seishindo-nlp-belgium.html

3. Seishindo Teleclasses

Well, our complimentary "taster" teleclasses in Self-Hypnosis and Embodied Presence are well underway! Thanks for such a robust response to our invitation. Your interest is very much appreciated. Because of your enthusiasm we filled up all of the original classes and added two more. The dates and times for the remaining classes are as follows:

Taster for Seishindo Self-hypnosis:
August 22 (Tuesday) 8-9:30PM NYC time
Use this link to find our more:
http://www.seishindo.org/teleclasses/self-hypnosis-taster.html

Taster for EMBODIED PRESENCE -- Live a more fulfilling life as you come to understand more about the language of your body:
August 24 (Thursday) 8-9:30 PM NYC time
Use this link to find our more:
http://www.seishindo.org/teleclasses/body-language-taster.html

In September we'll convene our paid telecourses.
This is when the real learning and fun begin!

Four Session Introductory Beginner's Course:
Seishindo Self-hypnosis: For Self-Renewal And Healing
August 28, September 4, 11, 18 (All Mondays) 8-9:30 PM NYC time.

You'll receive definite benefit from this class if you'd like to learn simple techniques to help you :
-- Feel more alive and attuned to life.
-- Ease feelings of anxiety and stress.
-- Feel more at peace with yourself and the world around you.

To learn how you can nurture your spirit with Seishindo Self-hypnosis and to find out about the details please use this link:
http://www.seishindo.org/teleclasses/self-hypnosis.html

Four Session Introductory Beginner's Course:
EMBODIED PRESENCE -- Live a more fulfilling life as you come to understand more about the language of your body
September 6, 13, 20, 27 (All Wednesdays) 8-9:30 PM NYC time

This telecourse is a good fit for you if you'd like to:
-- Engage the world with greater enthusiasm, creativity, and joy;
-- Interact with people in a more heartfelt manner;
-- Be a person that inspires others to be all they can be;
-- Be received as a person who is kind yet powerful.

If you want to learn how to listen and respond to the non-verbal language of your body and the body of others, and to find out about the details, please use this link:
http://www.seishindo.org/teleclasses/body-language.html

Additional information
In order to maximize your experience, we will limiit each course to 8 participants. This is a much smaller class size that what is offered by most other programs. The cost of either series is: $195.

All sessions will be recorded and available on MP3 for your download and private use. If you have to miss a class you'll have a complete transcript to listen to and learn from.

Your satisfaction is of utmost importance to us. If you are not fully satisfied we will quickly refund the unused portion of your tuition.

Thanks again for your warm response so far. I hope to meet more and more of you over time.

Charlie

Questions? Email me at: charlieATseishindo.org.