How easy is it to start a Coaching NLP Practice? This and ‘how easy is it make money with NLP?’ are questions I am frequently asked.  Here is the answer to both…you can start an NLP Coaching Practice and make a very healthy six figure income – if you are prepared to put in some hard work.  It also requires some creativity to get your name to stand out in the marketplace, and you will need business skills and practice management skills to become very successful.

A good question from here is, ‘If it’s so easy why isn’t everybody who takes NLP Practitioner training earning a six figure income?’ Here are some common reasons people do not reach their potential:

Three top reasons people do not succeed in an NLP Practice

• The course they chose did not give them the skills to be confident to start a practice.
• The course they chose did not teach them how to take action and begin their business after training.
• They lack simple business skills and do not know how to proceed.

So to succeed in NLP you can make the following choices

• Choose a course that gives you all the skills and practice time for you to be confident in your work as a coach/NLP Practitioner (Institute of Mind Sciences offers business and legal courses as well as a supervised internship).
• Apply NLP techniques on yourself. Good NLP Practitioners are congruent and open to attracting and creating wealth, living healthily and having constructive relationships.
• If you do not already have them, learn the business and marketing skills to enable you to be successful

I am amazed at the number if well trained NLP Practitioners and Coaches who really know how to effect change in another person BUT do not achieve their own business goals. These people operate from a limited mindset and lack the abundant attitude that attracts, creates and builds wealth. The same people lack core business skills including sales and marketing and thus do not attract clients to work with.

Building an NLP coaching practice involves the interplay of several factors that include a triad of skills. These are developing very strong NLP skills, NLP these skills in your own life, and business & marketing skills.

The Institute of Mind Sciences offers Neuro Linguistic Programming training and certification that is exceptional in the depth of information it covers.  You will graduate our program a fully prepared and capable professional.

You will have the option to become registered in the State of Colorado as an Unlicensed Psychotherapist by the end of your course work.  In addition, each student is paired with a mentor for the duration of their supervised internship to make sure you are confident in your skill level and self-confident about your ability to be successful in the field.  We are here in a step by step fashion to make sure you are successful!

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I feel a loss when being realistic wins over the possible. There are so many obstacles in life and so many people ready to tell you that your dreams can never happen – that you should just be realistic and settle for what you get.  But for those with vision and faith there is a greater magic at work.   Connecting to ‘Source’ (something higher than yourself) can help you achieve your vision with ease.

I’ve spent many years in the medical world and in the service and education industries.  Allowing those hard-work competitive principles go to operate out of my higher purpose in life has been one of the most difficult challenges I’ve ever faced.   So why face it? Why not stick with the old ways?

Simply put, the mystical, the divine, the source, or God if you like, wouldn’t let me go.  No matter how hard I worked, I simply did not see the results I desired and I was never really satisfied.  I did not know then that there was a transformation already underway in me and I would soon be embracing a new way of living. You cannot deny who you truly are.  As I moved away from working hard to get ahead (as most Americans do) and focused more and more on my gifts, passion and purpose, synchronicities and ‘lucky’ things began happening.

In spite of all my marketing and business focused activities, few of my prospects became clients and none of my projects came fully to life. But then I realized I was operating from a competitive ‘lacking’ mentality.  I was (unconsciously) worried about money, thinking there was limited opportunity out there and I needed to get a share, eager for ANY clients.  This is the way most small businesses operate.

When I realized my attitude was really just fear, I shifted my focus to what I had to offer this world, what I could give that was really valuable and how could I connect with people.  In other words, I connected to my purpose.  As long as I engaged in a relationship with source and exercised faith, clients began showing up.  Clients that were looking for what I had to offer and the transformation I had to share.

This has pushed me deeper into a relationship with the metaphysical, the spiritual – so many words to describe the same thing – and is inspiration to practice a new way of being in this world. It is much simpler, much more organic, much more peaceful, and in many respects, very easy.

There have been times when I’ve been worried over what was not materializing.  I have come close to reverting to old patterns and, as a result, headaches showed up – resistance in mind, body, and spirit.  Within a couple of days, I’d back off from my worries, unable to give-in and give up the dream. I’d trust and just as suddenly, abundance again made itself known in my business and my life.

Now I see these things as gifts to let me know if I am on track with my purpose or if I need to get reconnected.  I see this pattern, these ‘ups & downs’, as part of the training I am receiving to deepen my relationship with the divine. To trust source.  To trust my true calling, passion and purpose. To express more fully who I am and thereby be a much better guide and teacher to those who wish to engage in the same relationship with the source of creation.

Magic lives everywhere.  Being pragmatic can work, but do you really want to work?

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Are you tired of going through life feeling like you are in a mental fog?  Like you can’t seem to focus your thoughts anymore?  Here are ten easy tips to help you have clear thinking again.

1. Take a walk.

Science will eventually prove this to be a great way to improve the quality of your thinking, but don’t wait for the proof. Exercise, blood pumping, oxygen to the brain…  Aren’t there enough other reasons to take a walk anyway?

2. Stay away from sugar.

If you want to understand what brain fog is, eat a sugary donut on an empty stomach, then do math problems twenty minutes later. What you will experience, along with the “sugar blues,” is brain fog. At least lay off sugar and simple carbohydrates when you need to think clearly.

3. Organized space means clear thinking.

It’s rare that a person can actually work better in clutter. Organized working space means you won’t have the thought “where is that…” distracting your mind.  Saves you time and mental energy.

4. Get better sleep.

Having worked for years in the sleep field, this is one of the most important elements of mental clarity.  Sleep requirements vary, but the minimum for most is somewhere around six hours. Some suffer if they sleep less than eight hours. Find the amount of sleep that’s right for you and get it regularly.

5. Try meditating.

No time? Just close your eyes, relax, and focus on your breath for a while.  Accept that your mind will wander, but continually return your attention to your breath.  Five minutes of this, and afterwards you’ll feel a boost in your brainpower.

6. Resolve your mental worries.

Watch your busy brain. What has been bothering you, just below consciousness? Find these stressors, and do something to let them go. For example, make that call, or put it on a list, and your mind will let go of it for now. Just seeing a problem and saying, “There’s nothing I can do about this until Friday,” will often stop unconscious worrying.

7. Don’t drink alcohol.

At least don’t drink too much. While moderate amounts can be conducive to creative thinking, all the evidence says that it is bad for the long-term health of your brain.

8. Make decisions quickly.

Nothing gets in the way of clear thinking like a dozen decisions hanging around unmade.  Indecisiveness is the enemy of mental clarity.  If nothing else, decide when you’ll make the decision.

9. Get some fresh air.

Go outside and breathe deeply through your nose. You’ll get a good dose of oxygen to your brain, and the change of surroundings can help clear your mind.

10. Satisfy your physical needs.

Clear thinking is easier if you aren’t too hungry, thirsty, or hot.

You can think more clearly starting today. There are certainly more than ten ways, but you really only need to make a few of them a habit to have a more powerful brain. Why not try one or two right now?

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Mentoring at the Institute of Mind Sciences provides an opportunity for a counselor or coach to develop their careers and an opportunity to train for leadership positions.   A mentor should be able to teach and guide a newbie Hypnotherapist, NLP Practitioner or Coach to better understand and preform in the profession.  Mentors should be able to give support and reinforcement to motivate and to increase the competence and confidence of the new counselor or coach.  Mentoring is a wonderful method that allows you to share your skills and expertise with those who are new to the field.

Mentoring is…

• A relationship that is professional and based on free will.

• A relationship that has communal respect and goals.

• A relationship that is beneficial to all individuals involved.

The two types of mentoring are…

• Formal: a peer kind of mentor-mentee relationship – This is the case in our internships.

• Informal: mentor-mentee relationship that is usually a more knowledgeable professional ‘sponsoring’ a less experienced person.

Mentoring relationships need…

• Trust

• Respect

• Commitment

• Confidentiality

• Accessibility

• Flexibility

The crucial facets of a mentoring relationship are…

• Objectives and goals.

• Shared networks and resources.

• Time and process for evaluation.

Mentors may assists mentees by…

• Making new practitioners understand their role with clients.

• Providing valuable insight and suggestions regarding clients or practice management.

• Being an introduction to professional networks and peer organizations.

• Helping to set clear goals and acting as a career coach to help reach those goals.

The benefits and advantages of being a mentee is…

• To understand how a private practice as a counselor or coach functions.

• To build up interpersonal skills.

• To receive encouragement, support and feedback.

• To acquire know-how about practical clinical skills.

• To have a chance to expand networks and lessen isolation in the profession.

• To get help in clarifying career pathways and goals.

The benefits and advantage of being a mentor is…

• To take part in the chance to contribute one’s experience and wisdom.

• To build up interpersonal skills.

• To achieve a feeling of personal and career satisfaction.

• To achieve further know-how in a new role.

• To achieve recognition and acknowledgement among colleagues for the contribution to the field as a mentor.

• To have a chance to expand networks and lessen isolation in the profession.

What Mentoring cannot replace:

• Mentoring is in NO way a substitute to meet education needs.

• Mentoring is in NO way a universal remedy for all concerns, issues and problems.

• Mentoring is in NO way a substitute for your own responsibility and liability.

Mentors should not be expected to know all the answers to all questions and queries, but they will be able to give guidance and assistance to significant matters that may need relevant information and sources.

If you are a student who wants to be paired with a professional mentor contact your instructor or IMS with your request.  If you are a professional who would like to volunteer to become someone’s mentor contact Coach Kimberly or IMS directly.  We would love to have you!

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Let’s say you’ve got an amazing attitude, an extensive set of skills, enthusiasm and energy, and the right philosophy.  Fantastic!  You’re on your way – somewhere.  If you don’t have the right direction planned out, you’ll simply wander aimlessly.

Ever feel like you have no direction in life?  You don’t attempt even the smallest of construction jobs without a plan, and yet many people work in a field they just happened to “fall in to” because someone suggested it, or a friend was doing it, or even worse—they didn’t have anything else to do.

Wandering through your career can be just as deadly as wandering through a desert without a compass and canteen—in both places, you can die a slow death of hopelessness, thirst and exhaustion.

You must know where you want to go in order to set a direction for your life and career.  You’ve probably heard the adage, “No one plans to fail, but they do fail to plan.”  So determine where it is that you want to go (i.e., what you want to do) and set a course for it.

I recommend doing something you love.  Not something that you can tolerate or achieve a reasonable pension from after 30 years of work (do pensions even exist anymore?), but something you are truly passionate about.

If you have found your way to this site, I am guessing you are inspired by helping people or you are fascinated by the mind.  A career in Clinical Hypnosis, Neuro Linguistic Programming or Life/Business Coaching would inspire you.

Now that you know where you want to go, you must plan and prepare for your destination.  IMS offers exceptional training in all three of these occupations.  As you plan and prepare, expect that you will achieve your goal—expectations play a large role in success, no matter what field you choose.  If you plan well and are committed to the training and work involved, then you can expect to achieve the desired results in your life.

We here at the Institute of Mind Sciences are here to help you every step of the way- from training and certification to supervised internship and starting your business.  We help you all along.

Check out our programs, specialized certifications, and our opportunities to open you own training school.

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Look for these things and consider them well as you walk your road to success:

• Know that Failure is Just Learning What Not to Do Next Time 

If you ‘fail’, it doesn’t define you—it just puts you back a few steps with your idea and plan- only this time a lot wiser.  It is just falling so you can learn how to walk.

• Consider Your Responsibilities Before Your Rights

Our American culture drums it in to us that we are entitled to the good life…entitled to success and comfort.  Move your focus from your “rights” to your “responsibilities”.  How can you be a creator and ‘of service’ in this world?  Take responsibility for your life’s outcome and stop being a victim of fate.

•  Fill Up on Faith, Hope, Love, & Gratitude

Your outlook determines your output, and your output determines your outcome.  Choose to be optimistic, to read uplifting books, to listen to inspirational speakers.  When you put faith, hope, love, and gratitude in your mind and heart, you’re able to overcome adversity and live free from anger, greed, guilt, gossip, and envy.

• Make Friends with Your Past—and then Look Ahead

You can use your past as a stepping stone to your future or you can let it cripple you.  Either way, it’s your choice.  When you accept your past, focus on the present, and have a bright opinion of your future, you have succeeded, no matter what your goal is.

•  Know that Success Doesn’t ‘Make You’

Understand that a win doesn’t make you and a loss doesn’t define you.  If you win, you’ll still have more wins to make, and if you lose, you’ll have more opportunities to turn that around in the future.  Life is a journey.  Enjoy the ride.

•   Stand up for Morality

If you take a stand for what is right, even if it’s unpopular or costs you your job, you are successful.  There is no disputing that living according to your ethics and code of honor will bring you greater happiness and life satisfaction then if you are compromising what you believe in daily.  Life a life you can be proud of.

• Seek to Serve

Success isn’t defined by how many people wait on your every whim or need; it’s defined by how many people you can help or serve while you achieve your goals.  If you can help others as you climb, you’ll learn more and climb quicker.  A servant’s heart is the true hallmark of a leader and shows the character of the person in the position of leadership.

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The first step to becoming a coach is to understand what coaching is.

What is Coaching?

Coaching is helping someone go from the life they have- no matter what their current circumstances- to the life they want, the life they deserve.

This means that you need to understand how the human mind operates and what you, as a coach, must do or say to get the changes to occur in your client’s life.

What Does The Average Day for a Coach Consist of?

The average coaches’ day is very relaxed yet exciting. Most coaches work from home (although quite a few coaches use their coaching training and certification to work in large companies) and thus they have ample time to take care of themselves and put the needs of their family’s first.  Coaches design their own day but it may look something like this:

8:00- 9:00 Meditate and Exercise

10:00- 10:30 Coaching Call

10:30- 11:00 Coaching Call

11:00- 2:00 Lunch and “Free Time”

2:00-2:30 Coaching Call

3:00-3:30 New Client Session

“Coaching Call” refers to the amount of time spent coaching a client. The client calls you from their place of convenience (work or home which ever works best for them) and the coaching call is conducted.

“New Client Session” refers to a first time session with a potential new client.

Through your training at the Institute of Mind Sciences you will learn what is discussed during both coaching calls and the new client sessions.

How Much Do Coaches Earn?

The most recent ICF study indicates that the average North American full time coach earns more then $80,000 annually (USD).   Business and Executive coaches often earn more.

What Are Some of the Ways I will Earn Money as a Coach?

Here at Institute of Mind Sciences we train coaches to earn money using several methods that include:  Motivational and life changing audio recordings, book sales, key note speaking, seminars and of course coaching (both group coaching, in person coaching and phone coaching).

During your training you will learn about all these specific ways, and many more, to earn money in the coaching profession.

Do I need Training?

You need professional training for a variety of reasons:

• Clients and companies want to know you are certified.

• You need to know how the human mind operates. What stops clients from attaining goals? What is the easiest and most effective ways to attain goals? These are just some of the questions that as a coach you need to know the answer to.

• You need to learn how others made the switch from their current job to their career as a coach.

• You should always have a supportive network of people who have been where you are (your instructor and mentor) and who are making the career change to coaching just as you are.

• You will complete a hands-on internship and earn coaching hours toward becoming ICF Credentialed.

We invite you to contact Coach Kimberly or IMS with any questions you may have about coaching.  Explore our other articles and forums and check out our Coaching Certification Program. Or, consider a career as a Clinical Hypnotherapist or a Neuro Linguistic Programmer!

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NLP gives us many tools to better understanding and communication.  One of the primary concepts of neuro linguistic programming is that we all make mental “maps” of our world based on the information we have gathered, through our senses, about the external world.  Since we have no other way to take in information, all of our experiences are first a product of our senses.

Our five senses are the main avenues by which we receive information from the outside world. As we first develop as babies, we learn to use our senses through a combination of heredity and environment.

Our brain seems to code information the way it was received (visual information gets turned into pictures while auditory info turns into sounds and words).  When information is received it activates memories to produce behaviors.  When information is recalled, the brain accesses and delivers the memory the same way it was stored.

As we grow up, we automatically catalog each new experience, first attempting to match it to a previous experience, and then storing it as something apparently new (to us, anyway).  Thus, we begin to make a ‘map’ of the world.  The way we store this sense-information in our brains becomes our version of reality.

Once this ‘reality’ becomes information stored in our brains, each person has a tendency to recall it using one of his or her favorite senses: touch, sight, or sound. The pictures in our heads are symbolic information, but when recalling it we use our senses to make it more real.

We can see it in pictures, feel it kinesthetically, or hear it as sounds. You can tell which sense you resonate with the most by the words you use to describe the information pulled out of our brain.

For example, you could say roughly the same thing in these different ways:

• If you’re kinesthetic, you might say, “I am out of step.”

• If you’re visual, you might say, “I don’t see what you mean.”

• If you’re auditory, you might say, “It doesn’t sound good to me.”

If two people are trying to communicate but are using different dominant senses, they might not understand each other as well as they could. For instance, your supervisor might tell you to “jump on it” (kinesthetic).

You might say, “I’ll take a look at it” (visual). Your supervisor might feel that you don’t understand the urgency of the matter that he was trying to convey to you.  If instead you had responded with a kinesthetic reply along the lines of “I’ll get moving,” he would more likely feel that he had communicated effectively with you.

When you’re talking to co-workers, bosses, spouses – or anyone, for that matter – pay attention to the types of words and images that they use when they are talking to you. Do they prefer pictures, words, or sports clichés?  Try speaking to them in the same dominant style (auditory, visual, or kinesthetic) that they are using.

Of course, don’t make the mistake of simply assigning a single category to everybody, since no one is exclusively visual, auditory, or kinesthetic. People may prefer different modes for different situations.  Actively listen to them each time, and then respond appropriately.

Just noticing their style, and responding in kind, can make all the difference in the connection you will make.  But, this is just ONE tool.  Learning more about NLP will make you a ‘communication god’!

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People are fascinated by hypnosis and in particular the possibility of discovering and re-experiencing one of their ‘past lives’ through regression.  Much has been written about regression therapy (and past life regression therapy) and books like ‘The Search for Bridey Murphy’, ’20 Cases Suggestive of Reincarnation’, and ‘Many Lives, Many Masters’ have spread the idea of past lives into main stream awareness.

Past Life Regression is a hypnotic technique that is used to recover ‘memories’ of ‘past lives’.  To the person in the hypnotic regression, the events often feel completely real and the memory is undistinguishable from any other type of memory.   Is this a ‘real’ memory or an ‘active imagination’ fabrication?  There is considerable debate about that but one thing is entirely clear, the therapeutic use of regression and past life regression is a remarkable tool for self-discovery; and the experience is usually profound and moving for the subject.

Whether you, as a professional hypnotherapist, believe in reincarnation and past lives is totally irrelevant.  At some point in your work with clients YOU WILL have someone spontaneously experience a ‘past life’.  How you deal with it, if you even know what is happening, is up to you but you must be prepared for this inevitable outcome.

For those that are curious to try this technique or just want more practice, here are some methods on how to conduct a past life regression.

1.            Induce a hypnotic state until your subject is deeply relaxed and receptive.  If you do not know how to do this click here for the steps of hypnosis.

2.            Use a deepening technique to start the regression.  Many of the visualization induction   techniques for standard hypnosis can successfully lead the subject into a regressed state – either prenatal or past life.  For a deepening technique you can have the client visualize themselves going down stairs, down an elevator, down a long dark tunnel with a light at the end, or, my favorite, going down a long corridor with numerous doors on each side.

‘Each breath you take (stair you take, step you take) takes you deeper and deeper.  You are becoming more and more relaxed…. Going deeper into yourself, deeper into your mind, connecting with all that you are, easy and effortlessly…’

3.            Start regression suggestions.  ‘Now, as I count backwards from ten to one you will find yourself  in front of the door on the left.  Behind this door is a happy event that happened to you last year…. When you are ready, just when you feel ready, you will open the door and tell me what   you are experiencing…. Ten, walking in the hallway, nine, totally relaxed,… etc) .  You can use the door technique for age regression of past life regression – each door representing a different time.  Tell them it will be easy to talk to you and tell you what they are experiencing.

You can use a spaceship and have them land in another ‘time’

You can have them walk into thick fog and as it clears they can find themselves in an ‘important event’ (sometimes this is a current life – sometimes a ‘past life’)

You can have them walk down into a sacred garden with a temple and inside is a magic pool that contains the reflection of things that ‘once were’

You can have them cross a bridge from this time into a significant time in their past

You can have them find a ‘Book of Life’ containing a record of all their past lives, open a page,    and enter the picture or story inside…

YOU ARE REALLY LIMITED ONLY BY YOUR IMAGINATION.

4.            If they ‘SEE’ nothing.  Sometimes people experience nothing (behind the door or in the reflection or whatever).  Tell them it is just fine and to ‘go forward until something begins to happen’ for them.  Some people experience strong connections and describe their body, surroundings, occupation, family dynamics, etc.  Some people have strong visual images (like they are there), some see it on the screen, some see only a still picture, some see nothing but have ‘impressions’, some hear the story…. If they are having trouble use other senses (ask if they can hear their name, if the can ‘sense’ anything…).

Try very hard not to LEAD them (ask leading questions like “Are your eyes blue or green?” (It may not be either).  Instead, ask open ended questions like, ‘What’s happening now’.  Interfere as little as possible.  Be patient.  Some people are slow and quiet talkers.  Do not rush their experience.  Watch them closely to try and gauge what they are experiencing.

5.            Abreactions.  Abreaction is ‘reliving’ an experience in order to purge it of its emotional pull on   you.  Past Life regressions are often powerful emotional experiences that people feel they are experiencing.  If someone is having a very powerful reaction you can distance them by having them ‘step out of the scene’ or ‘watch it on a screen’ or ‘fly above it’ or you may choose to allow them to experience it.  You are the guide and it is your job to lead them and keep them safe.  If you client opens their eyes in the middle and is upset have them relax and close their eyes again.  They are NOT out of hypnosis.

6.            Bring them out of the regression and hypnosis.  Often you can just reverse your deepening technique.  For instance bring them back through the fog, back through the tunnel or hallway, back up the stairs… and with ‘each step they take’ they are’ returning to this time’, ‘reorienting to their body’, ‘bringing with them all the important realizations’, ‘the memories of what was experienced’.  You may want to give them a suggestion that as they are coming back (ten to one) they are ‘becoming more clear on the meaning’, ‘more clear on who that was’… etc.  Or, that they ‘will continue to have realizations over the next few days…’  Don’t forget to suggest a‘sense of profound peace’, and ‘energy returning to them – wide awake, fully alert and feeling fantastic’ or other suggestions that will help them.

Past life regression is a personal and profound experience.  Whether it is a ‘safe metaphor’ for a problem in your client’s life, an interesting ‘symbolic dream like’ experience, or true memories of a person you once were is not the point of this article.  It has proven to be a unique, often astonishing, tool for accelerated self-awareness; a tool that is highly recommended.

Enjoy experimenting with past life regression and be sure to post your experiences in the forum!

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These eight stages are based on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs that he proposed in the field of psychology in 1943 describing the stages of growth in humans.  Maslow studied ‘exemplary people’ instead of sick or depressed people to identify these basic universal types of motivations.

The largest and most fundamental needs are at the bottom of the hierarchy with the higher, more abstract, needs at the top.  Maslow’s theory is that the more fundamental need has to be met before a person will strongly desire the higher level needs.  This model can help you recognize where your clients may be stuck and the areas of motivation you are working with.

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