Fiming Tomorrow – ooooh the boots

Well there you are, I couldnt even manifest a pair of new boots for the filming tomorrow with Channel M.
I am blessed with Channel M filming 4 segments tomorrow on the different aspects to what I do but I do have a social anxiety person missing which oculd mean having to create trauma for someone in the offices so as to give them social anxiety.
Hey ho – its all in a days work!

Hope and the Eternal Fire of the Human Spirit

Hope and the Eternal Fire of the Human Spirit.

Hope and the Eternal Fire of the Human Spirit

Hope

It’s a little big word. It means so many things to so many people from the minor hopes of “will there be a parking space” to “I hope I can make it through this”.

Pandora’s Box, the keeper of envy, disease and every noxious thing known to man was opened and out it all flew. At the bottom of the box was one last thing – the one thing that could offset all those things…………..and that was hope.

For most of us at some time in our lives we have encountered heart ache and atrocities that stay with us forever but the one thing that can pull us through all of that, even when we think we cannot go on any more is the glimmer of hope that things will get better, we will survive somehow afterwards or just that having been on this earth at all and smiled and seen the sunrise is enough.

Today, we battle our way through the complexities of money, career, success, relationships, society, war and just getting through the day and almost lose the reason for being here at all. The daily grind can start to cloud your vision of the dreams you had and what you once held sacred that made you stop for a moment, just for a split second and notice the amazing place we live in. Its almost as if we forgot to be alive and are only here to repeat the same monotonous routine until we shuffle off our mortal coil having only experienced one way of life.

Even at our darkest time in our own mind when we feel lost and that it might be easier just not to wake up – there is a reason why we stay. The glimmer of hope, that one what if, the moment where your heart flutters briefly reminding you that you are alive and there is something pulling you back. Its as though in the dark there is the pull of the life that that can be, the moments of spark and light giving you a glimpse of what you really can achieve.

Then the climb begins and if you keep your eyes firmly affixed on the flame and this is the flame of the human spirit. That elemental secret that overcomes and defies situations far beyond our imagination and turns us from mere mortals into mythological creatures of our history.

My job is to make sense of the human behaviour and thoughts and re-conjure it into a format that works better for the client. For all the neurology, chemistry, physics and scientific underpinning of our behaviour and biological fragile state there is no explanation for the spirit that keeps the body and the mind driving when it should fade away and constantly defies the odds. And maybe, we should leave it that way.

For all of us – at the bottom of the box, no matter how deep it is, there lies a living, breathing part of us that we maybe forgot about and if you take the time to grasp it and look just for a moment, you can see that hope, belief, passion and our human spirit waiting for us to use it once again and regain that vitality, excitement and anticipation of what can be.

Hope – take it. It’s yours. 

Visualisation Techniques for Sport – brought to you from IronPsyche and Vyomax

Now, for many of you visualisation is something that F1 drivers and tree hugging hessian clad muesli eaters use but it is something that goes so far beyond the “idea” of visualisation and directly hits your physiology it is jaw dropping.

There are numerous people who talk about and give advice on visualisation techniques but without understanding the neurological feedback that happens when you create the visual image in your mind and frequently leave out the most important part of that – which is the movement.

It has been around for many years but only recently has research understood why it works and therefore the vital components required to make it really work and oddly enough the key came from brain imaging of people who had a physical dysphasia – a limb or digit that had started to refuse to work due to loss of communication in particular areas of the brain.

For us, we use it in our sport to help recreate what we want to do, be it a tackle, a lift, a strike or any of the movements that are core to us at that time.

So, our attention and what we focus on sparks areas of the brain to react and connections are formed along all the paths that create the movement (output) that we want. What normally happens is that we do that movement over and over again until all the signals are embedded and we find that we do it automatically without thinking about it and there we create an automated embedded response so we don’t have to think about it, we just do it. An example would be driving.

Now – interestingly, we can form those same connections (as long as the basic work has been done) to add some vital elements like power, flow, a specific manoeuvre etc. using our visual part of the brain where we play what we want to happen in our head and the neural connections can be activated and inlaid as well. It’s all part of the attention factor and how we make physical movements happen.

To make visualisation techniques really work for you, there has be an order it happens in. First you have to construct the sequence and the image in your mind. It has to be realistic and based on something you already do. So, for instance if you want that squat you have been trying so hard to get for ages, run the movie of actually doing it, through your own eyes  as though it is happening you right now. This then activates a recognition system and a couple of other parts of the brain to start firing signals to the physical areas needed to complete the movement.

The next step and the VITAL one is to actually do the movement. Of course this is always fraught with the possibility of looking like a prize pratt, but would you rather look like a pratt for a moment with your eyes shut with a big squat or just carry on with an average one?

From running the physical movement along with the visual rehearsal, it allows the brain to marry up the two centres responsible for the physical and visual sections and create new connections so that the pathways are now laid. So, when you come to do it for real, it is almost as though you have done it before and everything fires as though have.

Most of my clients use this technique now from boxing to bodybuilding to powerlifting and with momentous success. For me, I have been using it for years and imprinting what you want to do before you go ahead and do it can give you insights into the real potential you have – if you just use your head.

 

 

Excerpt from IronPsyche The Book – Chapter on Your Training and Depression in the section covering physical pain symptoms

IronPsyche – The Book. Currently being written and due to be published February 2012. Ironpsyche – the psychology of strength www.ironpsyche.com

 

. As with everything there are multiple approaches. Of course you can take pain relief but there is some suggestion that due to the nature of the type of pain this is, a lot of pain killers are unlikely to work to the extent required. There is a huge for and against anti-dep…ressants and frankly, whatever works for the client is perfect.  Styles suggestion is that an anti-depressant which deals with the malfunction of the signalling as well as the emotional symptoms (an anti-depressant that deals with the serotonin and also the norepinephrine eg an SSRI or any tricyclic approach which targets, emotional, fatigue and physical pain symptoms) would greatly improve results so that you can feel better physically and mentally which is certainly relevant to us as the physical aspect has a direct effect on the entire depression and recovery. For a lot of my clients, they prefer not to go down the medication route (if applicable) and obviously if it is severe, short term medication can really help recovery quickly.  Our dilemma at this point is how to deal with recovery, get you back into effective training and also manage results. Being aware of the limitations you might have at this moment in time is really essential and taking that into consideration when you are beating yourself up about not managing what you normally do will greatly help in the recovery process. You may have to manage expectations as well at this point in time if you are having physical responses to depression and finding training difficult. This isn’t giving in or not being positive but there has to be a change in approach so as to not cause more pressure. It all has to be about regaining confidence which in turn creates a shift in the chemical balance and levels which then aid recovery. First step is to re-evaluate what you can in fact manage right now. Although everything may be feeling like an effort, there are some things you can just about manage to do and those are what you concentrate on initially

Body Image Issues & Therapy – the SheDevil Within us all

Body Image – the she devil as we see her

Body image isn’t just the domain of those who want to be seen as perfection.
We all crave the feeling that we are the person who everyone is staring at as you enter the room, the one who stands out the most in a crowd – don’t we? Well, no.

Well, no. There are so many people for whom their body image is the one thing holding them back from the ability to be the person they want to be, dream to be and that absolute belief that they are not as good as anyone else in that room, being judged by others and have a total and clear picture of the person they think the others are seeing.

Body image not only stretches from what we see in the mirror ourselves, it’s a 3 angle view.
Body image revolves around the 3 aspects of our “self”.
1. The person you see in the mirror
2. The person you think your family and friends and those whom you feel comfortable with see
3. The person you think others see who have never met you before.

If one or 1 or all 3 of those parts of you is negative then this can in fact filter through to your self esteem, self belief, ability to interact with others, the way you read situations and how you believe others are responding to you.

Body image goes far past the skin depth – it goes into the very core of our belief systems and if you interfere with those then your perception of the world can change dramatically.

The way body image is dealt with in main stream medical intervention is often with direct psychiatric treatment, some of which can be effective but for others it is dealt with in the manner of a “disorder” on its own.

Frequently there is a misconception that this is the presenting problem – the distorted view of one’s self which then leads to paranoia and depression, eating disorders etc. However, in order to deal with body image issues you need to look at the root cause of the problem, the one aspect of which, if you deal with that then the entire system and pattern of negative imagery and thoughts will collapse.

For a number of clients over the years, the initial problem started as a minor doubt. The same thing that most of us encounter at some time in that when we are in a specific state of mind, then our own internal image of ourselves will reflect the way we are feeling at that time. We then project that when interacting with others and in turn we get a less favorable response which then convinces us that our sudden negative view of ourselves must be correct.

From that one occurrence, an entirely new behavior is born. A filter of self doubt based on a image we held in our mind for a fleeting moment of time which is then confirmed by the reaction of others to us.

If I give you a simple example.

A teenager wakes up in a low frame of mind. The day before had been awful for her, her friends didn’t have time for her, her boyfriend seemed to be more interested in someone else and her parents have other worries going on so no one seems interested in her. At that age, this is enough to be the world falling apart.

Her own self doubts begin to formulate putting her into a negative frame of mind. When she looks in the mirror, those insecurities change the perceived view of herself and she sees a less than perfect image. She concentrates on the parts of her she does not like which is in fact what she has been thinking about for the last hour anyway about her own personality.

When she concentrates on the negative aspects this then magnifies them and she focuses on what she doesn’t want and doesn’t like about her entire self.
She could feel unsure about many aspects and elements of herself and then also has a negative internal image. IE the picture she holds in her mind of herself which may be different from the one she saw in the mirror.

She then gets ready to go out – nothing looks right, nothing feels right so she then covers up to hide the imperfections she believes she has. When she does meet her friends, the image she believes they are seeing then cause her to be more withdrawn than usual.
Due to her change in her behavior and the way the girl is conducting herself with others, the reactions she gets from her friends is different, possibly distant or reserved.

So, she then has it confirmed to her that the negative image she believes they are seeing must be right due to the change in their attitude towards her and the spiral goes on.
There are so many ways this can go – eating disorders, social anxiety, aggressive behavior, low self esteem resulting in never achieving goals and so on.

So what has to change and what is the answer.

Well for each individual it is different. Frequently body dysmorphic disorder is not from a major traumatic event as so often stated. Normally there is no known “first event” and the client will state that it just started. Even with techniques designed to find the first event, there is nothing significant.
Also, each person has their own specific times and way that it occurs and almost always there will be situations where in fact it does not occur at all. It is purely individual and there is no fast and hard rule of thumb on how to treat body image issues except that it is the root cause, the self esteem issue which has to be addressed before any real effect can be made of the perception of the self.

If more time was spent on the evolution of therapy and work with the individual rather than various “authorities” looking to disprove the theories and treatment of others maybe more would and could be done in the main stream of body dysmorphia and related eating disorder patients in the UK and throughout the rest of the world .
We seem to forget about the individual and looking for the root cause, which when disconnected and dealt with will enable the rest of the chain to resolve, instead of following or disproving strict methods of others.

Only when the various main stream treatments become more flexible client orientated will our battle with the growing number of patients and clients begin to slow down. The amount of clients approaching me, having been through the normal medical system without success is rising. In the USA they have enlisted the assistance of other therapists from varying disciplines for input and treatment and we, in the UK are still stuck in the negative framework which in fact are moving us no further forward.

For further information on body dysmorphic disorder and related topics please see www.emmajames.net
Emma James MABNLP, MATLTA, MABH, Dip FTST

Excerpt From IronPsyche Book: What makes some able to access aggression more than others when competing?

Short excerpt from IronPsyche the book, for release in November 2011

What makes some people able to produce aggression states more easily?
This is a very watered down version and simplistic explanation which will have the pointy headed academics pulling all sorts of faces.

Your perception of a “threat” and that recognition system doesn’t just apply to being attacked by some coked up psychopath that just wont go down. It applies to anything where the resulting outcome is possible failure and what your most feared outcome might be and is “reactionary”.

If you are used to reacting aggressively to inappropriate situations and seem to have a “short fuse” then this allows certain areas of the brain to take over the response you have and the mechanisms that happen start to embed.

A study which was carried out by a very wonderful neuro scientist called Adrian Raine based at the University of Pennsylvania conducted a trial which showed that in people who were considered violent offenders, the area of the brain which reacted to perceived fear (fear then threat association and then aggression) in fact had an area of the brain called the Amygdala which was marginally more developed and had higher activity than the Pre Frontal Cortex which is the reasoning the decision making section.

The pre frontal cortex was in fact sluggish in comparison in relation to reactionary “uncontrolled” aggression.
Now, what you have to remember is that this generally only happens if you continually use this automatic response or that this is your normal behaviour you have come to naturally use unconsciously and the research suggested this was due to environmental learning and past experience.

For instance – if you grew up in an abusive household or had events happen which caused you to have view many situations as a possible threat which could only be resolved by aggression and /or violence then that behaviour becomes embedded. In order for that to happen some areas of the brain have to be used more than others. Think of it like the habitual masturbator who ends up with an overdeveloped forearm due to frequent use of that muscle group (amongst others). The more reliant you become one area and the more use it gets, the more developed it becomes and overtakes other groups which are ot needing to be used as much (do take into account naturally occurring imbalances which are not related to use).

My point is that for some people who have to use their pre frontal cortex more often – this will be the dominant area and therefore possibly less easy for you to access an aggressive state compared to those who have already have a predisposition or learned response from environment, stress, experience and habitual automatic use. Your reason centre will kick in overriding that reaction more readily and this is why a majority of us are not axe wielding maniacs as we have to use our higher level reasoning skills on a day to day basis and the way we view world and our environment is not as fraught with confrontation.

www.ironpsyche.com

Bigorexia/Adonis Complex – Fact or Psychobabble?

“Bigorexia”
“Muscle Dysmorphia” “Adonis Complex”

Fact or
misinformed psychobabble?

Sorry, it’s got to be misinformed
psychobabble formulated by people who have never competed or understood the
complexities behind this.

The “experts” believe that this
Muscle Dysmorphic disorder is where people believe they are too small which
leads them to constantly over train and injure themselves plus apparently
taking steroids.

Dangerous and ill informed information once
again labeling and generalising something which is in fact is a 3 dimensional
problem.

The overall problem which is raised is
regarding those who feel that no matter what they do, they feel small. The
small feeling generally is derived from a feeling either of lack of control,
self esteem issues or as a reaction to feeling powerless. It can come from
during the socialization period being smaller than your peer group, having been
bullied or an attempt to take control of issues which are perceived as being
taken out of their hands.

Now the problem here is that you have two
different clusters of people here. One is the people who just want to be become
larger and increase presence for various reasons which I will go into in a
moment – and those that compete.

Well now, this is where the whole definition
completely grinds  to a halt.

Many children and teenagers begin competing
and their body changes. In many sports the level of body fat carried is low and
they are used to having a toned and probably relatively muscular physique
depending on their sport.

For many, once into adolescence, hormones
and life takes over and having seen how their physique is and how it could be
potentially, can create then a shift into bodybuilding and increase in
muscularity. This is more a minority and is also tied up with the perceived
social preference in males to be “muscular” and may also have, of
course, the additional of getting more girls!

The other side of this is once you have
competed at a reasonable level and are used to having the low body fat and
physique from that training, it is incredibly hard to go off season or in fact
leave the competitive arena and not carry on with a certain level of training
to maintain that physique.

A small percentage of people have had
problems with plain old “body dysmorphia” as they lose their physique
if they stop training, and can go on to develop eating disorders from this
point onwards – and yes that is a problem but completely different from the
alleged “muscle dysmorphia” syndrome and what they purport it to be.

For people who give up competing, they know
how physically good they feel when they train and the mental agility they
derive from the constant challenge which transfers into the rest of their life,
so, why stop training even if they don’t compete?

Is this OCD?

Is this some kind of disorder?

Is this a problem?

Again, I am still discussing those that
compete and will discuss non competitive size issues in a moment.

The implication with the “muscle
dysmorphia” is that all those who have size must be muscle dysmorphic.

Now, for the men who have taken up
bodybuilding, many want to compete one day in a bodybuilding competition. They
see that as how they really want to look and again this is what society says is
what a “man” should look like.

For those who are not naturally muscular -
the battle and journey begins. It is a hugely complex sport which involves how
your body responds to different training methods, learning the correct diet,
using protein supplements, carbohydrate balance, timing etc.

The misunderstanding is that, for
bodybuilding, you have to bulk up to be able to then diet down and remove the
body fat to reveal the lean muscularity. People confuse this with “just
wanting to get big” – its part of the competitive process.

Here is the REAL problem with competitive
bodybuilding – for most men the feeling of the dieting down in pre contest is
very difficult. The size and power and strength they have built up and the self
esteem boost this also gives is wonderful. As they diet down, the strength
starts to be reduced due to the harsh diet and look needed for competing.

The training is changed to lighter weights
and different sculpting movements, the body feels smaller and softer due to the
change in carbohydrate and protein quantities – and so does the self esteem
until their lean physique starts to really be seen.

There is also another problem – once they
have competed, then you have to go back to the “off the season” look
and bulk up again. You lose that amazing sinued definition, watch as the cuts
between the muscles are covered in a thin layer of body fat and this is when a
problem can begin. Its like with athletes, as previously discussed who stop
competing.

What can happen at this point is the need
then to keep the physique at an unattainable level of body fat and so a cycle
of burning off what you put in starts and there you have the beginnings of a
very nice little eating disorder and the end of a great bodybuilding career

I have worked with many athletes and
bodybuilders and strength athletes who have had these problems and from
competing myself from age 16, have managed to effectively assist them to regain
true perception of self and also the difficulties associated with it, plus
reach real success in their competitive careers.

This isn’t “muscle dysmorphia” -
this is a multi layered plain old body dysmorphic disorder from varying
triggers in the competitive world written up by theorists.

This is where there certainly are issues
but once again I don’t believe that this is a “muscle dysmorphia”

There are the 3 categories:

1) The competitive athlete

2) The teenager who wants to gain

3) The adult who wants to gain

We have already covered the competitive
athlete and competitive teenager.

For those adolescents who need to gain size
this is often from self esteem issues. It could be from bullying, from having
what they perceive to be a “weak” frame, being small or a number of
other issues where they feel have to prove or defend themselves.

Size can be a very powerful way from
keeping people at arms length and a very effective way to project an image of
power and hide low self esteem.

Body dysmorphic disorder is in essence a
condition where the image you see of yourself is different to the true
physique. So, why would seeing yourself as small when you are large and visa
verse in fact be so different?

For those who continue to put on muscle
mass and size generally they will find a difference in the reaction they get
from people.

For some, it will intimidate and therefore
give them the feeling of power they feel they are lacking. For others it is, as
mentioned, ways of hiding shyness or self esteem issues as they project and
live the persona they create.

If the need to be noticed, the low self
esteem or the issues are still not resolved then the need to create more size
may be necessary and then the cycle begins.

This does not necessarily mean they then
take steroids or other illegal substances. For many, they will also put on body
fat as well which helps the size and is different from those who compete and
need to keep the body fat levels low.

The point raised is about feeling small. It
is exactly the same for those who have an image they are fat and therefore hide
how they look. It is also based on the emotional state of mind at the time.

So, if someone who has created size as
their projection is having an emotionally low period, their self perception
will also suffer and therefore feel small, cover up and not wish to be seen.

This will also propel them to want to put
on more size to regain the positive feelings they had previously from
additional size. Much the same way as someone who has lost weight gains the
positive feelings out of the initial
weight loss and then attempts to try to keep recreating that self esteem
boost by losing more weight.

Yes, there will be people who will also use
steroids but this is a minority rather than majority and somewhat of a
scaremongering from the press.

The constant training is usually within
boundaries and they have collected enough knowledge to know that over training
will decrease size so this is generally not issue.

The only time this is an issue is with
exercise anorexia which is discussed under the eating disorders section and not
relevant to the issue of increasing muscle – another myth.

Muscle Dysmorphia is in fact a body
dysmorphic disorder with all the same complications and issues except from the
other end of the spectrum.

Poorly researched and not separated from
the competing community and the essence of self esteem issues there are
sweeping statements attached to these problems.

From dealing with many athletes over a
number of years and clients outside of competing in eating disorders and body
dysmorphic disorders, these issues can be dealt with in an effective and
straight forward manner.

Remember, before you engage anyone in this
type of therapy to ensure they have the necessary competitive background,
understanding and experience to deal with these types of problems.

www.ironpsyche.com

www.emmajamesnlp.co.uk

www.emmajames.net

Excerpt from IronPsyche the book – on competing and training Anxiety

Emma James picture IronPsyche

Well I am pretty sure the excerpts I post will be copied, used badly etc by a few alledged therapists with no real international competing experience and it will appear in someones blog etc as previous excerpts have.

However – for those who actually want to use the work and techniques I do with so many other athletes and with my own competing then I hope you find these useful.

The IronPsyche Book will be out at the end of Septmeber and this is for strength and explosive power athletes so provide real insight and usable information to give you not only the edge but the real ability to tap into your optimum performance. The book should be out (publishing editing etc willing) by the end of September.

Excerpt from Anxiety in Competing and Training from IronPsyche

First of all, be aware of your shoulder position and
breathing rate.  Keep your shoulders down
and relax as much as possible.  This may
go against some of your previous training where you’ll be starting to try and
increase your aggression at that point but remember that increasing your
aggression as you’re wrapping up, as you’re getting ready to go out for the
lift which could be minutes prior to you actually needing it will be a constant
drain on all of the adrenal and neurological responses that you are going to
need to get your nest lift, to get your automated synapses firing whenever you
need to.  If you happen to have been
Braveheart, whenever William Wallace is with his army and he has the English
charging at them and is shouting “Hold, Hold, Hold” and the army are getting
closer and closer and closer until they are virtually in their faces, and he
suddenly shouts the attack signal, it is a little bit like that.  Imagine yourself as William Wallace, just
getting yourself to hold until that critical point and trust that that
explosive power that you need at that moment is going to come through, then
that will serve you well and get you some of your most explosive lifts and
powerful events that will not only blow you away but everybody else away that
is around you.

Chunking down the steps before you actually take your event
or go on to platform is one of the secrets behind this.  As previously stated, be aware of your
breathing rate, slow it down, drop your shoulders, notice the relaxation
running across your shoulders at that point but remember that you will get the
tautness and tension you require whenever you are setting up for the lift or
addressing the bar.

As you are getting ready, break it down in to tiny steps so
that you are looking at the wraps, you are noticing which way you are putting
your wraps or which way you are putting your boots or which way you are
gradually getting your shoulder straps up or getting chalk on your hands.  Concentrate on each of those tiny steps
rather than thinking about the lift because remember, you have done this a
thousand times before.  In fact, you’ve
done this so many times that if you even start to think about it, you’re going
to interrupt your body’s incredible ability to replicate the lift and the power
that you know that you have and the one thing that is going to get in the way,
believe it or not, is you and your conscious thought process.  Keep all the steps very tiny and very small
and then just as you’re getting ready for the event or getting ready to walk on
platform, and you hear the shout “Bar loaded”, that is when you suddenly focus
in, that is the second that the adrenal response will really kick in and that
is the moment you make the decision to allow it to happen because once you are
at that point, you are now focussed there is no conscious thought process and
you can allow your adrenal response to run because it is now fight or flight
and you are now under pressure.  As
William Wallace shouts “Attack” and as you attack your event or your bar, that
is whenever your explosive power will come and that is how you manage your
natural anxiety and sit on the nerves that so many people battle with and try
and conquer, you don’t, you harness them, you learn how to manage them and you
learn how to use them to your fullest advantage up to that point.

NLP and the degrading Training standards bringing it to its knees

As an NLP Trainer for some years and also having run trainings in a number of different countries, the standard of Trainers being produced and the momentum for a cash generating machine seen by the unethical seems to have brought a wonderful technique and tool to its knees.

Not only have we got badly trained NLP Practitioners being told they are “competent” and passed to go on to do some of the most appalling work I have seen including in the self-defense field and sport field which is nothing short of dangerous through to infective therapy and atrocious communication skills being touted as “experts”.

The integrity in my industry from a training point of view now has trainers producing 7 day courses with NO pre course study, high numbers and low prices on the courses making it impossible to properly assess if each student is in fact reaching a certifiable standard on each module. I am passionate about what I do and have seen the results well-trained students can get and also the ability to not only transform their own lives but also evolved the techniques even further but this is only possible if true understanding of the techniques is acquired.

On line training, now being market and the appearance of the ”Diploma” in NLP which is NOT a certification  – it is a 3 or 2 day introduction ONLY and used as a sale technique in order to get people to buy full NLP Practitioner courses is killing the integrity of this industry. Along with that, certain governing bodies who will certify you as a trainer in only 3 days is probably the most irresponsible and damaging money-making scam I have seen in some time and of course as there is no real regulation, is allowed to carry on.

This is probably one  of the reasons I had decided to back away from the courses, as only taking 6 people and charging £900 is still more than if you choose to do it on line, will pass as long as you pay the money and really wont be assessed at all.

Unless a real governing body (NOT owned by a training company) is produced we will continue to see this once wonderful discipline fall into even more disrepute than it already has and I am now to a degree almost ashamed to say I am a Trainer of NLP due to the level so many have brought it to.

We really must (those that still have some integrity left) call for some regulatory body which hopefully will stop these practices and bring into place the continued upholding of real certification standards which is not run by or associated to a training company which is frankly unethical in its very being and bring this once ecological

NLP Training

discipline back to the ethical state it was once in.

Emma James – who the hell is she??

I get pretty fed up with people taking one look at me and assuming by the physique that I just lift weights. Recently at a hospital appointment I had to repeat 3 times what I do before the woman actually could process that I was telling her something which didnt involve lifting weight or being “big”. So I though I would write a brief overview of what I have done and am doing. On top of that, apparently due to not “shouting” about what I do, quite a few people I know really dont get the ground breaking work we are doing and how this can take sport performance and also therapy to an entirely new level and I have been extremely proud to have involved with forward thinking scientific gurus who are so ahead of their time they leave everyone standing.

Of course, in the UK, the ability of many to either acknowledge, promote or even worse, be pleased for people who are winning or producing new material and challenging the old ideas is sadly lacking and it has been through the support of the few in the UK we have managed to get this far. My students, clients and colleagues here and in many different countries have left me breathless with their work where they have taken what I have taught them and applied it to their own areas of expertise. So – below is the list of my own stuff so I dont get asked any more ridiculous questions:

Trainer and developer of NLP and psychological performance in sport, developer of the pressure performance system,  leading UK and international therapist in eating related disorders, sexual dysfunction and social anxiety, published author of Rebel Diet, international speaker on Sport and therapeutic intervention. Worked with institutions like the Nepal Olympic Committee and Sports Council in Kathmandu, Italian Sports Council, RAF, MOD, HSBC, New Zealand Sports Council, The Womens College in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and the list goes on.

In the middle of my second book IronPsyche and the then the third NLP in Sport plus 4 handbooks to go with the IronPsyche book. Launched IronPsyche across the USA in 2010 and now developing the system further into other countries.

19 times British Champion, 13 times European Champion and 3 times world Champion in full powerlifting and now specialising in bench press. World record hold still in squat and benchpress and also competed internationally in bodybuilding. A breif encounter in strong woman and competed in Europe’s Strongest woman but was pretty rubbish at anything I have to run around in!

Holder of National Rally License, past competing in Formula Ford and a bit o a petrol head but not as much as I would like to be.