Session 86: Focus, Empathy and Weird Word Whiskers

Here are the show notes for this episode: Mike has arrived from Bob Lake, because he cares about you! Hypnothoughts Live is nearly here! It’s the best hypnosis conference on Earth. Mike wants to talk about …but Chris interjects that his attention span is next to zero. (No kidding! He didn’t let Mike finish what he was saying!) Television used to be black and white with slow scenes and character development. It’s all about focus, folks! Does acetaminophen really reduce empathy? Apparently, if you take it, you just don’t care! Mike keeps trying, but somehow, just can’t seem to care! Microexpressions are not being judged accurately and we are saying goodbye to the power of mirror neurons. If we stop caring about each other…what kind of therapists will we be? Chris used to read 1,000 word articles, but something’s gone horribly wrong. Even Mike’s not immune (gasp!) It takes a couple of days for Mike’s brain to slow down. Switching on and off like a crazy monkey! It’s like a drug, and Chris is onto something… Mike studied neuroscience and gives the example of coffee and the brain beginning to expect it. It’s the same with stimulation from images. Chris talks about mental fasting, which is really clever. Beware of word whiskers! English is extremely precise. Use it like a tool…you know? The filler phrase attack! Nice one Chris!!! Mike coughs like a lunatic from the tickle created by laughing. Like? The one that drives Mike insane, although “I mean…” is even worse. So anyway…   Anyway has a legitimate purpose as a recentering phrase. Please don’t say “Yada Yada Yada” or yeah…no…yeah…now… You know what? We have to stop talking about this. Let’s put an end to word whiskers! Awareness is the first step! It’s okay to pause! Chris’ Dad is doing a horrible throat sound whisker. Mike brilliantly invokes Gus Grissom. He goes on to explain the elderly woman’s horrible musical sound whisper: “Uh…hmm…mmm…” Mike is actually beginning to annoy himself! Hypnosis is an enhancing of focus. What a great definition! Focus created a throbbing thumb… The Reticular Activating System again! You can tune it. Mike used the RAS to find The Peterkin Papers again… The Engineer speaks! The brain is tuned by wanting the book and presenting it to conscious awareness. Mike and Chris are NLP people. The Magic Number 7  +/-  2 By putting stuff in your environment to remind you of your focus, it helps bring it into being. LTP is long-term potentiation…leading to permanency through Hebb’s Law. Mike bought a camera and camera advertisements appeared everywhere… MTV in the 1980s with Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles led to lack of attention! Lack of growth in a cancer is good! Mike talks about being at effect rather than being at cause. The 4 Love Languages Reprise… We all need things in the foreground to habituate connexions… You can use focus to help relationships too! “Uh…hmm…mmm” Mike admits to a rare relational error and actually apologized. When we ask you an empowering question it enables you to step outside the situation with a new focus… When things go wrong, someone’s lost track of the target state! Refocus, people! What would you like to have happen? (Thanks David Grove) Mike’s Word of the Year is back to Alacrity! Flow did not work for Mike. It made him way too laid back. Mike hits Chris in the solar plexus, purely for his own amusement. Mike says that Chris’ word Strength “will kick in at some point”, which is hilarious! Empowering Question: In what area of your life is focus lacking, and what will happen when you re-engage it today? Empowering Metaphor: The missing memories… Mike’s Introduction to Ericksonian Hypnosis 2 day class at Hypnothoughts Live is SOLD OUT!!! Note: The November 13 – 17 Architecture of Hypnosis training at the University of Toronto is already half full! Book now or wait until May 2018 for the next one! Clickhere for details! Our first UK training is also coming up in November! It’s a hypnosis Master Class, so come on out! You get full certification in MINDSCAPING too…Go to the UK Hypnosis Academy Facebook page for details! Ending: Dave Ambrose, the People’s Physicist! Please leave a rating in iTunes, and send in your questions by email to info(at)mikemandelhypnosis.com