Twelve fundamentals that support learning, adaptation, and personal fulfillment
These are the principles that guide my work with clients
1) Human beings are self-organizing systems. We are each born with an innate ability to learn, and adapt to life. We each possess the instinctual ability to recognize, create, and maintain, health and well being. …

Perfection
I want to talk about the importance of “not-knowing”. Learning something new about ourself, and the world we live in, often requires that we first un-learn what we have learned in the past. We often get taught very powerful yet incorrect lessons as we go through life. For instance, a child incorrectly …

Correctness, profound truth, and paradox
Our usual and “correct” ways of explaining the world and who “I” am, are often severely tested. This is particularly true at times when we feel stuck, angry, confused, or demoralized, and we do not yet understand what will constitute “right action”. At such times our current understanding is not all …

Pre-verbal knowing
As we move from a pre-verbal somatic experience in very early childhood to a verbal rational experience as we grow older, we often tend to disassociate from our earlier and more intuitive form of “pre-verbal knowing”. As we grow up in an industrialized world, we get taught to disconnect from …

The body – the somatic self
The body can be considered to be a form of ongoing communication, a shaping of and container/containment of all of the messages (chemical, electrical, nutritional, verbal, etc) that we receive and transmit in the course of our lives. When considered as such, we can understand that …

The language of the somatic self
At every moment in time your subconscious mind speaks to you through your body, in a language that is as refined, systematic, and complete as your verbal language. This “somatic” language that your body communicates in forms the basis of the non-cognitive wisdom known as sixth sense, …

The similarities between Aikido and NLP
What you read here are the notes of a talk that I gave recently. I talked “from” these notes, and did not at all read from them verbatim. …

Melting The Thinking Mind
Do you ever find that your level of self confidence tends to go up and down like the stock market? Or perhaps it even goes up and down along with the stock market! Here is a story about a Japanese businessman that might give you a new perspective. …

Self Hypnosis
“Take a moment and breathe deeply……. as you begin to consider how all the factors of your life mesh together to create your past…present,…and future…..
As you imagine the possible panorama of your future, you can see….feel….and perhaps also …

Recipes For Stress
It is within your power to reduce the stressful reactions that you have. A key to changing your reactions is being able to track the way in which you generate stress. …

Integrating The Body’s Four Brains
We can understand a great deal more about why so many people struggle with integrating their emotions with their intellect by looking at the architecture of our total human intelligence. With regard to the information I would like to present here, and speaking simplistically, science currently …

The “Ki” of Aikido – an Oriental concept of self
This article is the first as a three part series. It will introduce you to the concepts of Energy, Self, and Mind, from an Oriental perspective.
The second article in the series will talk about cultivating “ki” within one’s self. …

Cultivating Ki Flow and Mindfulness
This article is the second in a three part series. In my first article in this series I talked about “Energy, Spirit and Mind” and introduced how these terms are used in Seishindo. In this article I am going to talk about how to cultivate “ki” the energy that is the source of all life. If this is the first …

The Paradox of One And Many in Aikido Philosophy
My Aikido teacher Koichi Tohei sensei used to say that in a healthy person the flow of their “ki” (the energy inherent throughout the Universe) is like the outpouring of an underground spring sitting at the bottom of a deep lake. The spring feeds water to the lake, much like we can feed the universe …

Mushin – Peak Performance States in Aikido Philosophy
In Aikido and Seishindo we practice embodying various “states” or ways of perceiving and being. We practice entering into various ways of experiencing “Life”. …

Learning and adapting with a dual perspective
We can consider each person to have at least two minds or “selves” (a somatic self and a cognitive self), and two brains – the brain in our skull and the brain in our gut (the enteric nervous system). This means that at the very least, each person is bilingual, speaking their native verbal language, …

The very first tasks of learning and adaptation
The very first instinctual learning task of every individual is the self-organization and development as an embryo in the womb of the mother. There is a tremendous amount of learning, communication, and self organization going on inside the mother’s belly as the fertilized egg winds …

Fundamentals supporting learning & adaptation
1) Human beings are designed as self-organizing systems. We are each born with an innate ability to learn, and adapt to life. We each possess the instinctual ability to recognize, create, and maintain health and well being. …

Somatic-emotional state
Your somatic-emotional state at any given time is made up to a large extent, of a specific habitual recipe of biochemical and neuromuscular activities that you tend to perform without conscious awareness. Bringing awareness to and regaining a natural relaxed control over the activity of your

Some parting thoughts and ideals to ponder
The meaning of your communication can be understood by the response it elicits in others.
The “map” that you use in order to help you “navigate” through your life should not be confused with the actual territory that the map is meant to represent. The world that you believe in, is very different than the world that …

Tapping into dual sources of intelligence
Let me begin by piecing together for you, how my work relates to Self-relations therapy. Some twenty five years ago I began to study psychology and Ericksonian hypnosis. The practice of hypnosis and self hypnosis began to open me up to the immense possibilities of the power of one’s …

Have you been lucky in life?
Each moment in life, “lucky” or “unlucky”, is to be savored, learned from, and appreciated. Easier said than done? Read this heartfelt story and see for yourself. …

The tyranny of “What if…?”
What you worry about determines the course of your life. Free yourself from the tyranny of your negative “What if…” scenarios, and you will discover that you have everything to lose, and everything to gain! …

From the perspective of a child
For a child, a summer day can seem to last forever. This is part of the beauty of a child’s perspective. At the same time, all of us, adult and child alike, sometimes freeze up and lose sense of the fact that we have a future that has not yet arrived. Here is a story of a child’s summer day in …

No thinking, no suffering
It’s our thinking that creates good and bad, right and wrong, sorrow and joy. When we actively engage in “no thinking” there is both no suffering, and no consolation. Read a striking story of the Zen master Seung Sahn adapted by Charlie Badenhop. …

Where do “I” begin and end?
You are invited to explore the boundaries of “self” and gain a new perspective on how all of life needs to be included in your definition of “I”. …

What is your primary identity?
About a year ago I was giving a demonstration of how I facilitate postural adjustments with clients. At the end of the demo a woman in the audience said: “I really loved watching what you do, and it was so obvious that you have worked with animals in the past. Can you please tell us more about your …

Feeling beneath our fears
Listening deeply to your own mammalian nature has the power to profoundly enrich your life.
Several years ago I made the acquaintance of a new friend named Tara. She is as beautiful a Shetland sheep dog as I have ever seen. Like many of us human beings, Tara had a sad tale to tell. …

What can you learn from a steam engine?
It is refreshing to see how a simple metaphor sometimes leads to a change in the way one perceives and lives one’s life. We hope this description of a steam engine will serve as a catalyst that leads you to meaningful insights. As you get a sense of how your system naturally slows down and speeds …

A small piece of carpet
Although many human beings might feel miffed by the thought, there is a profound set of similarities amongst all mammals, and especially between dogs and humans. …

Grassy plains and horses
The evolution of every person, every business, and every living thing in nature, takes place “in relationship with” all of the rest of life. Here is a story to explain this concept. In the industrialized world, man has decimated grassy plains, in order to build cities and urban sprawl. A major decrease …

I hope you are not too proud to learn from a dog
My German friend Kirsten has been volunteering at live-in facilities for older people. She goes to visit these people with her dog “Charlie.”
Recently, Kirsten visited a woman of 87, who was lying motionless in her bed, suffering from both …

[Anger Management] Is it finally time to forgive?
In order to free ourselves from the pain of anger and resentment we need to be able to forgive our self and others. The longer we dwell on hurtful situations from the past, the longer we keep our self from living fully in the present. Forgiveness is an act of kindness. An act of kindness to your self, as it leads to a sense of personal freedom. …

[Emotional Health] Are you feeling in control?
When it is all said and done, do you feel like you stay on an even keel emotionally most of the time? Here is a story about how easy it is to lose one’s emotional balance. …

The Web of Life
The web of life is always there, ready to teach us a “special” lesson of some sort or another, if only we would notice.

The rewards and risks of personal freedom
We all need to decide whether to “play it safe” in life and worry about the downside, or instead take a chance, by being who we really are and living the life our heart desires. Which choice are you making? …

Life is not a hardship to be endured
Life is always here, ready to teach us a “special” lesson of some sort or another, if only we would take the time to notice.

Biting the hand that feeds you
Learn how to join with and utilize a person’s current “bad” behavior. Rather than telling a person they are doing something “wrong” and suggesting a fix, validate their current model of the world, and change will occur “on its own.” …

The whole universe is learning and evolving. How about you?
This article is a broad perspective look at the topic of evolution, and how it relates to you and me. All of life is intelligent, all of life is learning and evolving, and all of life is adapting to change. It is quite fascinating to think about how the learning that you do is not all that different than the learning of an …

Trust in the moment, and trust in yourself
Do you often get yourself upset and feeling less than fully confident, as part of your preparation for facing a daunting challenge? You can improve your performance if you let your somatic intelligence lead the way.”You move too much to be effective.” Tamura sensei softly shouted at me. “You need ….

I’m always busy, but nothing much gets done!
I decided to finally clean out the shed in our back yard recently. My wife left the house early on a Saturday morning to run some errands and I knew that my cleaning the shed would please her greatly…

With a little help from our friends
The quality of one’s life to a large extent is determined by the quality of our relationships with others. When we feel we have no choice but to face the world alone, we suffer emotionally, physically, and spiritually, and no degree of outward success can replace or repair the lonely feeling in our heart. …

Anger Management Practice: The gift of forgiveness
This is a simple yet profound Practice. If you have been following and experimenting with our other Practices along the way, you might notice that today’s Practice has a very similar structure to two other Practices. These three Practices (“Today …”, ”Today, my anger is about …, and ) follow a …

The ebb and flow of life
This Practice is designed to give you a sense of being connected to the natural world, and knowing you are not alone. …

Tsunami: Bringing Forth a New Wave of Hope
Has the huge tsunami had a similar affect on you personally, as it did on much of Asia? Has any of what you believed in been washed away, shattered, or destroyed? …

Are you able to say both “Yes!” and “No!”?
I hear from many people that they see ever increasing expressions of anger in their everyday life. Understanding the process of anger is an important topic for all of us to take a closer look at. …

What is your relationship to Time?
Have you ever thought about how your orientation to time profoundly affects the way you are in the world? Each culture has its own unique way of relating to the concept of “time”. Some cultures perceive time as a room that is lived in. The “room” of time is a constant that stays the same, as we …

[Time Management] The Clock is Ticking
How do you react to deadlines? How would you feel if someone said “Hurry up, the clock is ticking and we’ve got to get this completed!”? How well do you cope with stress? Isn’t it amazing to notice how radically your experience of passing time changes depending on the circumstances, with little …

[Emotional Health] Are you feeling in control?
When it is all said and done, do you feel like you stay on an even keel emotionally most of the time? Here is a story about how easy it is to lose one’s emotional balance. …

Perfect Imperfections
Have you ever caught yourself sitting around thinking that if you were “just” a bit different when it comes to this or that, you would be so much more desirable, wealthy, or good looking? Such conversations can seem so believable while actually being so destructive. What would your life be …

We-dentity – “We Belong Together”
Have there not been times in your life when you felt separate from much of the rest of the world? Many people report having felt very much like an outsider during various portions of their high school career. Developing one’s identity during puberty can be a truly excruciating experience at …

[Conflict Resolution] The Philosophy of Fear and Confrontation
Is there now, or has there been, a person or two in your life that you have difficulty in maintaining a civil relationship with at times? It may be your spouse or lover; it may be a friend or a superior at work. We usually say “I have a love-hate relationship with this person.” …

You can’t mass produce uniqueness
Do you spend part of your time working on and worrying about “self improvement”? If so, it is important to not inadvertently stamp out your uniqueness, in favor of a mass produced version of “perfection.” …

The power and beauty of an ugly duckling
Consider the three different and separate domains a duck inhabits during the course of any one day….

[Business success] One person’s garbage can be another person’s good fortune
Do you ever find yourself slightly depressed because your life isn’t working as you would like? Here is a wonderful story that can help you to understand that life is always presenting you with opportunities to succeed. …

Appreciating your exceptional learning abilities
Over the years, have you perhaps lost sight of the fact that you are a brilliant learner?
“Huh?” you might ask. “Are you talking to me?”
Here is a story to illustrate my point. …

Love yourself. Is there a more important person to love?
It never ceases to amaze me how easy it is for me to lose contact with the part of myself that generates my emotional experience. Does the same happen to be true for you? …