Ed's FAQs September 11, 2009

Contributors Say (Quotes from Ed in Red)	Ed Says
Sunday, September 20, 2009 Abandonment Hi Ed ! A Tribe member calls this week, saying he needs a Tribe meeting. He lost his job. I agree and we meet for a hardball session. An hour and a half passes. We progress. Then he says "I feel guilty about not being home with my wife," and wants to end the session. We do. For the next three days, up to now, I feel pain and heartache. Prior to the meeting I feel clear. I feel the effects of his opening up, and the effects of incomplete process. Since intentions = results, I guess I intend to feel the effects of not completing a process.	Thank you for sharing your process. You might consider taking your feelings about <abandonment> to Tribe. One Positive Intention of Abandonment is to remind you to check the intentions of the other party to stay in the relationship. Clip: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WDYA8EB_XW8/ SmCC_a31ZSI/AAAAAAAAAq0/y_nLnFeOPyU/ s400/abandonment-autistic.jpg
Saturday, September 19, 2009 Severing Fingers Dear Ed, I stopped by a friend's house on Sunday. Their on-site rental property is being renovated. They were showing me the renovation work when I saw their carpenter severe two fingers with a table saw. I saw it from an unusual vantage point and my friends didn't see it. I knew the man needed help even before he started screaming. I told my friends "he needs help" and then the injured man started screaming. My friend went to his aid quickly, the wife went to the phone to call 911. I saw the fingers dangling and the blood spilling. My friend wrapped the hand in a towel and drove the carpenter to the emergency room. Aside from the shock and horror, I am experiencing what the Tribe might call a cause-and-effect related vertigo. I can't figure out what my part in this is. I can't figure out what is the positive intention of my feelings. I can't figure out what is the positive intent for the injured man. I think there is probably a very simple physical explanation for what happened. Maybe his hands were sweaty and the wood slipped and his hand moved into the saw. I felt some strange misplaced sense of responsibility for witnessing this. As if I was somehow a cause of the accident, maybe my presence caused a tiny wrinkle in the gravity field surrounding the saw and caused the wood to slip? Or maybe I am being too self absorbed. Maybe my part was simply to be there a little early and mobilize my friend before the carpenter started screaming.	Thank you for sharing your process. You might consider taking your feelings about this incident to Tribe. Accidents are intentional incidents for which no one wants to take responsibility. When everyone stays in the now and takes responsibility for everything accidents disappear. Clip: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_a_1BQ8Kh2P8/ SNE42xCH0eI/AAAAAAAAAUo/Ze3qNklrsk0/ s400/fingers+cut+off.jpg
Saturday, September 19, 2009 Longing Hi Ed I am reading your recent post to FAQ dated 9/17/09 Catharsis. You discuss loneliness and I reflect on myself. I am making new friends in a new area I moved to a year ago. I talk to anyone. I feel I am open, intelligent and caring. I am interested in many topics. At night I feel the desire for a close intimate relationship. So how do I make the distinction between if I am medicating my loneliness or just really want to be with the person I feel I love, have a deep connection with, and knows me well but who is frequently unavailable. I understand the nature of their business and personality makes them unavailable. I still long - pine for this person. I don't like to "sleep around" and find that scene superficial. I am noticing the more mature I become the more selective I am in companions. "Love (have sex with) the one you're with" doesn't work for me.	Thank you for sharing your process. Pine (v) To grieve or mourn or long for. You might consider the positive intention of <pining>. Pining can be an indication to connect and / or medication for deeper feelings about Right Livelihood. Clip: http://witsaboutme.files.wordpress.com/ 2009/04/pining-woman.png?w=313&h=342
Thursday, September 17, 2009 Catharsis Dear Ed, I receive an email from the [City] Tribe leader on 08Sep09 asking me how I am feeling and what is happening on my front. I reply to email stating my recurring feelings of Depression, Frustration, Despair and Confusion. The Tribe leader replies and invites me to attend as a guest at their Tribe meeting on 16Sept09. I am confused and depressed and do not want to meet anyone as I have been avoiding calling or meeting my friends since past 3-4 months. The day to attend the Tribe arrives and I think in the morning that I’ll [text] the Tribe leader and skip the meeting, it is noon and I have still not sent the [text] of me not attending the Tribe meeting. Post noon I receive an email from the Tribe leader asking confirmation of my attendance and even if I chose not to attend the meeting to call the leader and inform him. Reluctantly, I call the Tribe leader and got irritated by him asking me who is it on the call. I think least one can do is save the person’s # whom you email and ask to call. I don’t know what came over me I instantly said that I am attending the meeting while all these days I was thinking how to avoid not going to the meeting. Excited and thrilled I reach the venue where the Tribe meeting is held. I ask questions on how to feel the feelings and the Tribe members explain to me with examples, but I am still confused as to how to feel the feelings. The Tribe leader asks me to witness a hot seat and later if willing take the hot seat. - The Tribe meeting starts with the drumming session. I also participate in the drumming session at times I feel I am not in sync with the drumming of the Tribe members and at times I am in sync, I try to get in sync with the rhythm sometimes my drumming is with the rhythm and sometimes its not. The drumming session end after 20-25 minutes. - Check in starts after the drumming session. Members state what they are feeling and so do I. - Then follows the "atta boy" round and ends when all the members are done. - Then follows the issues round and ends when all the members are done. - Following the issues round one member takes the hot seat. - HOT SEAT 1: The person on the hot seat starts with an issue he thinks and goes on and on explaining what the issue is and his concerns. Relentless validation and prompting by the members the hot seat gets into forms. The forms get intense and then more intense. The person on the hot seat is rubbing his head and his hand and rolls his palm over his chest and stomach he gets intense and utters his need to seeks thrills, seek danger, dangerous thrills, he abuses himself verbally for following the middle path and not paying any attention to his thrill seeking personality, he says he do not care anything and just want to have dangerous thrills. The members encourage him to show us more of the forms and we encourage the hot seat to tell more about the danger seeking and thrill seeking needs, the hot seat gets hot his body is stiff and he stretches his body as if lying on an incline chair. His body is firm and he says he is feelings like a corpse, chills running through though his spine, chest and stomach. The hot seat says he seeks dangers and dangerous thrills and burst into tears, the forms continue and after some more time the hot seat is done with the session and informs the members. - Post the hot seat members do the check-out and provide their feedback. The member’s points to the person on the hot seat that his issue is not what actually is what he thinks but different. The hot seat is pointed out his feelings to seek danger and dangerous thrills. The hot seat realizes that he started with an issue and in the hot seat his inner urges and needs to seek dangerous thrills is unraveled. The hot seat acknowledges his new awareness post the hot seat and thanks the members. - HOT SEAT 1 ends with the Check-Out. - HOT SEAT 2: I am on the hot seat, the process manager ask me what I am feeling I say I am feeling sad and then go story telling saying what is making me sad. I say I have failed myself. I say I have renege my promise to myself of being into the situation I am. I start asking for forgiveness I start asking forgiveness from my father, I plead my father to forgive me and let me go and not punish me, I am crying and begging for forgiveness, I sob softly and then burst into loud cries for forgiveness. I am hiding my head in my arms deep into my chest and wave my palms asking not to hit me and keep pleading to stop the punishment. I start stomping the floor with both my foot simultaneously and then one after another I feel a cold burning sensation which is coming from being hit on my legs, I reach out to god and ask him to end this pain. I continue to plead my father and sob softly, again I start crying loudly and pleading to be forgiven. I swear on god and my mother that I will not repeat whatever I have done and plead to be forgiven. I then sob softly and my cries soften I wipe tears and continue to say that I’ll not do it again. Tribe members ask me what I am feeling I say my chest is feeling cold and I am feeling light. (I think that I am feeling cold in my chest because of tears that has trickled and sweating because me holding my head and arms being pressed hard to be chest). I am done wiping my tears and feeling light, very light. Without much of prompting I start smiling start throwing my shoulder in the air and am playful. This ends again with me crying and asking for forgiveness I feel the pain in the body and my the thrashing on my legs and me stomping my feet to protect my self from the thrashing on my legs. I plead my father to stop beating me and offer to trade the beating with being in the hen position. I sob and wipe my tears and promise my father I will not repeat the mistakes. - I am calming down; I rearrange my self on the chair. I start smiling and get into a playful mood, I say I am getting bored and I want to do something I am getting restless and want to play. I start rolling the chair round and round with my legs and says look mother how am I swinging in the chair, I keep asking my mom to see me swinging on the chair round, I am laughing and happy playing. All of a sudden I stop rolling my chair and start saying, I was only playing, I was not doing anything papa, papa I was just playing nothing else, I start feeling being hit and I start crying and covering my head with my forearms and snuggle my head in my chest. I am crying out loud and pleading for forgiveness but the punishment is not stopping and I am jumping on the chair to protect my self from the thrashing. I stomp my feet to avoid the thrashing, I continue to swear on god and my mother that I will not repeat the mistake, I hear my father saying that always say that I will not repeat and keep doing the same thing or different things to get punished. I beg my father to spare me. I even cry out to my mom to tell my father to stop the thrashing, I see my mother standing herself sobbing for me being thrashed. I am crying and continue pleading for forgiveness. I sob softly and wipe my tears and say I will not repeat I won’t do it again. - I am calm and feeling light my body is feeling very light and I feel getting restless I tap my feet to floor and say I want to do something I am getting bored sitting. I get restless and move the chair to my right and to my left. I smile and run my fingers in my hair vigorously rearranging my hair, I set my hair with my fingers and get up from the chair and straighten my dress I see my self checking my self as if in the mirror turning sides and checking again. I sit back in the chair and relax and tilt my head back I feel some pain in my head on my left side of my head I feel the pain going and coming back and subsiding. Tribe members prompt me to feel the pain, and ask me to intensify it. I snap at the process manager and say “stop saying that again and again”. I am asked to say what I said and I say “I don’t like being told the same thing repeatedly”. I am prompted more but I do not pay any heed, I am sitting comfortably in the chair, I am calm. - I tell the Tribe members that I think I am done. I open my eyes and find my self not facing the Tribe members and I find my self sitting bending on the chair. I stand up and check each and every member intensely, I check the place and utter where am I. I look into every nook and corner each and every object for couple of minuets I am feel disoriented. I think my Hot Seat is over. - Checkout begins and Tribe members thank me and provide their feed back. I feel disoriented throughout the journey back home. Thanking [Name] Trading Tribe Members and ED. PS: Reference to prior post on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 title “Random Acts of Violence”	Thank you for sharing your process. Tribe Meetings provide a supportive environment for abreaction (catharsis) of tension. If the tension returns, you may find temptation to use Tribe Meetings medicinally, as a way to make the feelings go away. You might consider engaging the Rocks Process, in which you learn to honor and respond to your feelings with pro-active strategies. Loneliness You can medicate the feeling with drugs, alcohol, whining and even with abreaction therapy. You can pro-activate the feeling by getting off your butt and making some friends. Clip: http://img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/ 03_04/lonelyDM2803_468x562.jpg
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 Trading System Frequency Response Study Dear Ed, I complete a fun exercise this morning. I create a price data series in the shape of a sine wave and observe the behavior of various simple trading rules. Some insights from the exercise: (1) I learn how to create a data series in the shape of a sine wave in Excel. (2) My favorite lags make pretty curves in my charting software. I am reminded what low-pass and high-pass filters do. (3) I consider the importance of granularity of prices and lags in a trading system and their relationship to ">" or ">=". If I am trading a fast & slow exponential average crossover system, for example, how does my trading software respond if the slow and fast cross over at 2 decimal points? 5 decimal points? (4) More granularity: If a trading system rule is to cut losses at x%, what precisely does that mean? Less than x%? Less than or equal to x%? To how many decimal places?	Thank you for sharing your process.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 Overwhelm and Disappointment Dear Ed, I thoroughly enjoy visiting your TT website. What is the positive intention of feeling overwhelmed? What is the positive intention of feeling disappointed? Thank you very much!	The positive intention of a particular feeling depends on the person and the situation. In general the feeling of overwhelm can be a signal to drop back and regroup while the feeling of disappointment can be a signal to re-negotiate expectations. Disappointment may indicate attachment to expectations Clip:http://disappointmentinabox.com/_ wizardimages/milkcereal.jpg
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 Origins of EcoNowMics Dear Ed, You might consider (not at all you "should") putting those snapshots you have put on the site around April, on the top of the section of "EcoNowMics". It might be amazing for readers to see that those small ugly white papers have preceded the great job done till now for "EcoNowMics". With them we may all appreciate you live what you say in the now and you say what you live... Of course, with or without them on the site we know that you do what you say. It's an invitation from a fan reader.	Some of the early sketches appear at http://www.seykota.com/tribe/ecofunomics/
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 Embarrassing and Frustrating Ed, I have watched so many major moves run away (that I have anticipated) without me that I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever get to a solution on this problem. Maybe I'm doomed to watch this forever. That idea scares me - because then I'll never get rich, meet my goals, achieve my ambitions. The times I have succeeded it has been on the back of the courage of my convictions and staying with my positions and analysis. Most (but not all) of my failures have been bailing from things that I have expected during tiny time frames relative to the time frame of my outlook - this is an embarrassing and frustrating truth that I have wrestled with for a long time. I wonder what to do.	Thank you for sharing your process. You might consider taking your feelings about <embarrassment> and <frustration> to Tribe.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 Trying Too Hard Ed, I've been realizing this year that "ambition" and "trying too hard" is often an impediment to learning things and getting things done. For some reason being too ambitious and trying to get somewhere too fast is a problem that I've suffered greatly from. Over the last few years (and particularly the last 6 months or so) I've managed to slow down and just do things bit-by-bit and get things done much more easily - except with my trading. Today I realized more deeply that I have been trying far too hard to make money quickly - I had all sorts of cash goals to reach in short periods of time - I wanted to get somewhere really fast. The related side of this is that I was using much more leverage than I knew how to handle relative to my net worth. Sure, sometimes I could do it and made big dollars, but generally the larger trends that I anticipated would escape me; as my position sizes scared me out. I having been trying to "get rich" too quickly. I mentioned in a previous post that I didn't have trouble holding onto smaller positions because I could wait out the fluctuations more easily. In general I have found my management of smaller positions to be much more successful. My rush to "get there" has prevented me from actually making it "there" - wherever there is. I was obviously over leveraged when I awoke and stayed awake for 5 hours the other night nervously monitoring my positions. Given how busy my life is (I'm also a medical student as well as trader) I have been over extended with my trading. Also, the leverage makes it much more likely that the stress will interpenetrate. I had previously thought that my inability to hold positions through the fluctuations of market was a function of some psychological inadequacy, But now I think a large component was that I was too ambitious and trying too hard and trying to get somewhere too fast. I'm still not sure "where" I was trying to get, but what I have been doing has not been helping. I have decided to take 2 weeks off trading and reassess my approach. I welcome your thoughts.	Thank you for sharing your process. You might consider taking your feelings about <over-extension> and <stress> to Tribe. Some People Use Stress as a way to medicate fear of intimacy. Clip: http://www.scribes.net.au/images/ stressed_man.jpg
Tuesday, September 15, 2009 On Sept 7, 2009, Ed's response: When people perceive an advantage in being confusing, they tend to become confusing. See the Greenspam quote!	OK.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009 Capital Idea Hi Ed, I want to thank you again for your article on capital and tool creation. I notice that software engineers are natural capitalists. They like to create tools. There is so much supply of software tools that some categories of software products are essentially free. It is difficult to make money selling operating systems. It is impossible to make money selling compilers. On the other hand, many engineers I know look down on developing short-life-span, consumer software like games or shopping sites. In tune with what you say about our consumerist society, this is where the money actually is. I notice feeling guilt over consuming resources instead of investing in tools when I read your article, and I notice that it's similar to what I experience when I hear about consuming and throwing away instead of reducing, reusing and recycling. I notice that recycling is a major trend in fashion and politics. I notice that I like this feeling of guilt. It guides me to a business opportunity. At the confluence of consumption, guilt, tool-making and my search for right livelihood, I start developing tools to recycle compact discs into consumer products. My first prototype is a spirograph.	OK.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009 Spikes in Data Dear Ed, I find that sometimes there are spikes in the stock data that I purchase. The High or the Low of the daily bar looks like it is "too high" or "too low." I would like to write a program to find these spikes and correct them by using a safe assumption. Could you please guide me to do this? Thanks and Regards.	If you seek specific guidance with coding and / or system design see my consulting terms at the bottom of the Ground Rules page.
Monday, September 14, 2009 Lady Bug Patterns Dear Ed, A ladybug walks on my foggy bathroom window creating an interesting pattern. She starts in the upper right, moves left, then heads back to the right. Common patterns transcend individual market behavior. For example, bond prices have a lot in common with the way [ladybugs] crawl up and down [my bathroom window]. Unfortunately for [me], there is usually no one around to take the other side of a trade.	Thank you for the photo. I wonder if you are following a plan for trading the bonds - or if you are still wandering in a fog - or, perhaps, if some lady is bugging you lately.
Monday, September 14, 2009 Paper or Plastic Hi, I was wondering if there was anyway to order the book using a regular credit card payment? Please let me know if this is possible.	I accept PayPal and checks.
Monday, September 14, 2009 Playing for Humiliation Hi Ed 9/6/09 Humiliation I'm not sure if this is a typo in your response. (Playing) Paying for humiliation ...	Playing for humiliation means that in the game you create humiliation as the prize. One Positive Intention of Embarrassment is alignment with community standards. Clip: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_U4n4doyBGZs/ Rskw3r3JBFI/AAAAAAAAA9g/JX1QUwahZqA/ s1600-h/priceless+3.jpg
Monday, September 14, 2009 Fred as Cause Ed, In [Country] we have a new road safety campaign which might be a good joke for you. Its title is "Accident never happens by accident", showing young driver focused on her mobile phone writing [text message] while driving, then killing a child crossing the road...etc... Finally, a word might cover several realities as you wonderfully explain on the TTBook. I find two great ways to prove that Intention does not equal result in our western society but they are not that new as we all see everyday: 1) using the word "accident" when I don't like the result 2) convincing all my interlocutors that my Fred is not myself and they all have to empathize with my results because Fred might sometimes push me to act at the opposite of my Conscious mind. Myself is only my Conscious mind full of good intentions. It depends on the way I appreciate the result: when I like it, it's my intention, when I don't like it, it's an accident caused by my Fred and the rest of the world ... but please, be more empathizing with my Fred ;)	OK.
Sunday, September 13, 2009 Typo Hi Ed A typo I noticed in your response to Dr. Phil joke dated 9/9/09 "the significant other in you(r) life" I felt your response is sage advice. As always you have a gift for cutting to the core of an issue even when the sender may not be aware of it yet and providing a life lesson for all that read FAQs. Thank you for your continued support.	Thank you for the catch.
Sunday, September 13, 2009 Dear Big Wave Support Team, I humbly enclose my latest Big Wave Newsletter. Thank you for your support. My Big Wave is to be a Bodhisattva – someone who is wise and compassionate. I am feeling quite embarrassed to report that I have not been keeping good record of my Big Wave Measurement. In July, my in-laws (who are the primary caretakers for my then 9-month-old son) left the country for a month due to visa issues, and my parents came to visit and stayed with us. I took a couple of weeks off from work to baby-sit my son full time. It disrupted my routine and I stopped keeping track of my measurement. That also partially explains why there is no July or August Big Wave Newsletter from me. Even after my in-laws returned and I resumed my normal schedule, I lost the desire to measure my progress. It seems that I am avoiding the feedback from reality, just like I notice how I stop looking at the price when a position goes against me. By ignoring or even avoiding to receive the feedback (from prices, from measurement, or from feelings), it seems that I am running away from feeling disappointment, failing to embrace the gap between what I wish and what is. Measurement Here are the four areas I am measuring regarding my Big Wave: 1. Trading Tribe • Took several weeks off in July / August and resume regular participation recently 2. System Dynamics • Stopped my weekly Roadmap commitment • Not quite sure why but I am still very much interested in learning the subject, and I am reading other system dynamics articles 3. Basketball • Still playing regularly on weekends but now cutting back on the weekday morning practice • Shows flashes of brilliance in my weekend games but lacks consistency 4. Mandarin • Stopped having lessons with my mother-in-law Feeling Obviously I feel disappointed and embarrassed at my results. Paraphrasing Michael Jordan regarding his first retirement from basketball, I feel lost – not a burnout as I am still somewhat passionate with the four areas listed above – but lost. I feel the urge to walk (stay) away, even though I’d still love to invest my time and effort to be proficient in System Dynamics and Mandarin. My hope is that I can come back stronger like Jordan in his second stint with the Chicago Bulls, but my fear is that I am merely using this as an excuse. Outlook Right now I only hold one commitment. I have agreed to support a tribe member to finish his trading system design and testing. This is something that this member has put off for 15 years, but we’ve agreed to have December 31st, 2009 as the deadline. There seems to be a change in him that he is finally ready to devote himself to the endeavor. I feel glad to have this opportunity to support him. I feel hopeful that this experience may help me tremendously in reigniting the fire in me and draw me back to ride my wave. I feel fear that I may not be up to task, and that we both end up failing. I intend to keep reporting my Big Wave progress, “good” or “bad.” Thank you for being my support team.	Thank you for sharing your process.
Sunday, September 13, 2009 Dynamic Systems Hi Ed, I just finished reading "Leverage Points - Places to Intervene in a System" by Donella Meadows. I wonder if you know her personally, since she is also a student of Jay Forrester. In any case, the paper is hugely interesting to me, and I find it equally fascinating as Peter Senge's The Fifth Discipline. Beyond Roadmaps (and obviously your website / workshop), where can one learn more about Systems, Feedback loops, Leverage Points and etc? What is in the new Oct Workshop that is not covered in the last one in April? I really like how you apply the system dynamics in relationships, and it helps me see clearly the futility in blaming other people "causing" my own issues. Thanks.	Donella H. Meadows dies February 20, 2001 after a 2-week battle with bacterial meningitis. The content of the October Workshop, like the content of all workshops, follows the interests of the participants. I am adding an extra day to allow for deeper treatments of the Rocks Process, Trading Systems and System Dynamics.
Saturday, September 12, 2009 Poznan Tribe Hi Ed, I want to start a new tribe in Poznan, Poland TTID attached.	Welcome Poznan!
Saturday, September 12, 2009 Ed, I believe you have this from an earlier send of mine. I send again on this topic FYI. ....this approach appears to be consistent with TF and TT ideas.....I have a high interest in anything you might have to say about it: http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q= grounded+theory&aq=f&aqi=g10&oq=&fp= 250f6443bc2460ad	"Grounded Theory" seems to me like one more senti-phobic attempt to convert the AHA process into a set of logical rules. The process surrounding the abstraction of codes, concepts and categories seems to have as a pre-requisite, some notion of a parsing algorithm - and this would imply a theoretical framework already in place. Using The Glasser and Strauss model, and the Glasser and Strauss situations, you might conclude that thinking about death causes grounded theory. You might consider taking your feelings about <wanting to make some logical sense of your feelings> to Tribe.
Saturday, September 12, 2009 Dear All, It is a sunny morning here, and I am so happy to have All of you in my support Team. Since last mail I achieve the below: ) I have been in vacation. I really enjoy it. I feel both relaxed and active. ) I am successfully running the fund since last month. I am looking to create a plan for the days when I go on vacation or when I am away from office. ) I am working to flatten any differences between my software and my real-time results. ) I have completed all the available material on the net on System Dynamics. I read, enjoy and love the material available on www.tradingtribe.com , amazing. Thank you Ed and all the Contributors. *) Using Stella, I plan to build the Von Mises business cycle model and Friedman one and do some simulation.	Thank you for sharing your process.
Saturday, September 12, 2009 Wants to Know About ATR Dear Ed, I just would like to request that you explain to me the ATR. What is it ? What does it mean?	If you consult Google, you can find references such as: http://stockcharts.com/school/ doku.php?id=chart_school: technical_indicators:average_true_range_a You might consider taking your feelings about <wanting your mother to take care of you> to Tribe. Loving Mothers Provide Nourishment and Security If this process does not complete naturally, the child may become "needy" and attempt to convert others to their own personal nipples. Clip: http://www.achildgrowsinbrooklyn.com/ a_child_grows_in_brooklyn/images/2008/08/18/ breastfeeding.jpg
Saturday, September 12, 2009 Cognize Hi Ed, What is feeling cognize in trading ? How can somebody could understand that he cognize core principle of something. In our situation to cognize core principle of trading.	Answer: It's crackers to snip a rozzer the dropsy in snide. Note: You might consider asking one of your friends who is fluent in English to look over your contributions before you send them in.
Friday, September 11, 2009 Because Hi Ed, I notice that I don't use the word "because" very often now. Sometimes it creeps in from habit. I notice telling my daughter, "I am opening the shades because I want to have more light in the room." I stop, think about what I'm saying, and say, "I am opening the shades. I want to have more light in the room." I notice that I can omit "because" from the sentence without changing the meaning at all. I wonder if "because" is simply a filler word.	"Because" lends linguistic support and confirmation to the causal model. If you catch yourself using words like "because," "why," and "reason" you may be in transition from using the causal model to using the system model.
Friday, September 11, 2009 Feelings are Like a Scanner Dear Ed, If you asked me the same question a year before I am sure I would answer you different from now. After exchanging with you some letters and reading all your resources and all your FAQs - which I found on the internet, I start to look at the world from other angle. What is for me thinking and feeling? Thinking is the comparison process inside of our brain. The comparison provided by the information which brings our feelings to the brain. It is like, the feelings is a scanner like on a computer. For me feelings do the same thing which make scanner. And comparison process of course work by the way of to the direction of low resistance. It looks like the same things as in computer-software. Our software is "to do the things which brings us low resistance". And all the process is going "NOW". Of course , I would like you to tell us your opinion about thinking and feeling.	Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the matter. She May Look Like She Wants to share a life of feeling and emotion Secretly, longs for logic and an occasional scan. Clip: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_PGM5komqCws /SeFGWbFBQhI/AAAAAAAAG8c/c-dbb48RiDg /s400/Grace-Kelly-Bride-790440.jpg
Friday, September 11, 2009 Comment Assimilates Graphics Hello Mr. Ed Greetings from [Country]. I thought you might enjoy the attached picture that has been inspired by FAQ. Thanks a million for your wit & wisdom. It truly has profound effect.	Thank you for the clip.
Friday, September 11, 2009 Dealing with 9/11 Loss Dear Ed, I watch the history channel --the documentaries from 9-11; I feel the loss of my best friend and fishing buddy; also 2 former co-workers and a college football teammate of mine. I allow myself to feel the feeling -- I embrace it -- I can't say that I enjoy it --but I acknowledge and accept it. I do not judge it. May they rest in peace.	Thank you for sharing your process.
Friday, September 11, 2009 From Control to Intimacy Ed, The last weeks generate a collection of anecdotes. 1. A lady friend tells me on the phone that her boss is abusive and menaces to kill her (Tuesday, March 31, 2009, Healing Effect of Receiving). Everybody tells her what she should do (leave her job), and she does not dare. I receive her and acknowledge her doing whatever she wants to do. At the end of the conversation, she says “now I KNOW what to do!”. I see again. She tells me that in the following days she completely loss her fear in front of her boss; as he insulted her, she softly says “it seems that you are angry”; this puts him completely out of balance and makes him speechless. Very soon he starts respecting her. Anyway, she leaves her job and starts working at my Hospital. Just by listening and accepting her she is healed. 2. My employees start talking about the “magic” that I apply. I do not invite people to do TTP. However, several patients consult me by mistake, believing that I am a specialist in a certain disorder. As I mention that I am not, and that I rather listen to people who want to tell me about their feelings, they start crying and tell me about their most intimate troubles. Some patients tell me things that they kept hidden for years. As they talk to my secretary, they are astounded. One of them says “I never told anybody what I told the doctor today after 5 minutes!”. And we never met before… 3. Today I see a patient who travels more than 150 miles to see the wrong doctor (me…). Some people travel 200 miles to attend our Tribe meetings. I seem to turn into a very loud carrot (Saturday, January 31, 2009 Catching Rabbits - by Receiving). 4. My secretary asks me “what do you do with the patients? They tell me that they never experienced something like that before!”. And I answer her, sincerely, “I do absolutely nothing: I just sit there, accept the people the way they are and enjoy them!”. “Herr Doktor”, she says, “but the patients are extremely moved and say that they never experienced something like that before!”. “Well”, I say, “maybe nobody accepted them the way they are before…”. 5. I think for several days about the “pacing” that you showed me at your home and wonder if I am able to use it. A patient with a so-called “severe depression” consults me. To me, she just forgot how to play. But I wonder what a psychiatrist would think about my diagnosis…She returns after a first consultation, saying that I am somehow different to all psychologists she knows: I am the first person in front of whom she could cry, in many years. Then, I do…what do I do? I don't know. I am just there, sharing the moment with her, leading some times, letting her lead some other times. I wonder about the effects of receiving her feelings on her “depression”. I plan to report about it. 6. Two psychologists and one psychiatrist take the hot seat. They have a long professional experience and have worked for years with patients, but yet they just cannot believe what they experience on the hot seat. They want to learn the method. I invite them to my Tribe. One psychologist sends me a specially troubled patient. 7. One patient mentions “you do not tell me come again in one week: you say maybe you want to return; in this case, well, I am here!”. I think “Sure: I do not fix people, and I do not even dream about controlling them!”. 8. The more silent I am, the loudest the people hear my call…Weird… 9. As I write this report I think “do I try to manipulate Ed, to get an "atta-boy" from him?”. No, I don't. I just want to share my amazement and my joy with you. I keep wondering the whole time about the development. TTP is giving my professional life an unexpected turn. I am happy and excited about it, very curious, and open to the development, whatever it is. Thanks, Chief.	Thank you for sharing your process. PS. Atta-boy!
Friday, September 11, 2009 Intimacy Dear Ed, Frequently I encounter the word intimacy in your FAQ replies. How do you define intimacy? Can you give some examples of intimacy in a relationship?	Intimacy derives per: Latin intimare (to bring into, impress or make familiar) < intimus (innermost) < intus (within) < in (in). In TTP we draw a distinction between intimacy-centric relating and control-centric relating. In the former, the parties share feelings and vulnerabilities and co-create their experience of the moment of now. In the later, one party dominates the other, often through concealment and conjuring of the illusions of causality and past-future.
Friday, September 11, 2009 Snapshot Precedes EcoNowMics Dear Ed, The more I want to understand the concept of snapshot the more I remember those strange small pieces of paper you put on the site around April. At that time, there was not yet the "EcoNowMics" section as now. Around April, I remember there were white pieces of paper on which someone wrote "EcoNowMics ...Big Wave"(...) written by hand. They looked like to be scanned. Were those strange papers your "snapshot" or your "bumper sticker"? By 5 months later, now we have this great section "EcoNowMics".	Yes, sometimes this stuff actually seems to work.
Friday, September 11, 2009 Snapshot See Previous Ed, Actually I don't understand well the concept of snapshot or bumper sticker in this case of diet. Which image or what image I might consider putting on my snapshot: an image of myself slenderer or something else?	Snapshot formation is effective as a group process. You might consider taking your request for snapshot clarification to Tribe. Slim People Enjoy Doing Things that associate with maintaining their weight such as getting plenty of exercise, and eating right. Clip: http://www.herbsforbetterlife.com/site builder/images/thin_woman_copy3-195x315.jpg
Friday, September 11, 2009 Milk Glass Model Dear Ed, I think the glass filling game gives a good insight in to a person's (trader's) natural make up. When trying to fill it as quickly as possible I opted for the 'slam-shut' method instinctively. I think it is easy to make a guess from that what my trading p/l over time looks like. This makes me think of a book I read by Nasim Taleb, I can't recall which of his two books it is but he says something (or I remember it like this) that sticks in my mind. Essentially his point is that it doesn't matter how large the odds of a 'negative' outcome of a game, if you don't want to the consequences of that outcome don't bet. In my mind I see it as Russian roulette with 1,000 chambers and one bullet and a £1million prize each time you pull the trigger. What he says (or how I take it) is that if you don't want to die don't play. I don't judge the risk of overspill in the milk game, or 'blowing up' my account as seriously as I 'should' mainly because I've been protected from my recklessness by well meaning, if maybe misguided parents. I wonder if an overspill in the milk game leads to a loud horn going off or something discouraging it would alter peoples behavior. I am sure if it leads to bankruptcy it would! I have frozen my trading with the prop firm I joined. I can see people in the office making money and with long track records and although I love the 'buzz' I don't feel the approach I adopted there is inline with what I truly want. For now I am trading on paper only and trying to educate myself to setting firm risk parameters before I trade. I feel I have an edge in the FTSE futures and have a track record over time until blow up that backs this up. Now I need to figure is the blow up inherent in my method or my lack of strict application of the method.	Thank you for sharing your process.