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| FAQ May 01- 31,
2019 <-- back | down | forward --> |
| Contributors Say | Ed Says | |||
| May 30, 2019 Wants an Open Conversation Ed, I’m optimistic that this message will reach you, but am realistic enough to understand that you’re a very busy man. I have been a big fan of yours for quite some time, and have probably listened to your interview with Jack D. Schwager two dozen times. Today while listening to your interview again while typing out my daily emails it dawned on me that you may be the best person for me to seek out for assistance / guidance in order for me to better my trading. My father worked in the pits at the Minneapolis Grain Exchange for a number of years, because of this I have become somewhat obsessed with charting and analytics. My hope is that by sending this message to you I can gain even more insight into the markets and possibly have an open conversation with you someday. Sincerely, |
Thank you for sharing your process. You can have an open conversation with me here on FAQ. |
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| May 30, 2019 Meta-Systemic Experience Dear Ed, good morning from central London. My thanks for your response on FAQ. I find your riveting analogy fantastic and ponder this question for some considerable time. I feel confusion and a racing heart when I contemplate riveting. I plan to share more feelings on riveting with FAQ when they arise. Thank you for your invitation to share my meta-systemic experiences. I hold that a meta-systemic experience is an experience that increases self awareness and kindness. I also hold that self awareness and kindness leads to openness and fluidity in an individual's perceptions and responses to their experiences. My meta-systemic experiences include TTP, my vajarana Buddhist Sangha and meditation practice, breath work and psychedelic use in the right set and setting. I notice the results of my increasing self awareness and kindness are less tension, conflict and dissatisfaction in my life. I also begin to acknowledge that being open and fluid to what I perceive never ends. I feel like a work in progress and that my intentions equal my results - no exceptions. I feel excitement at being a work in progress and my heart races... TTP, in my opinion, is a meta-system as we test for willingness, encourage each other and listen attentively. TTP is limitless in the "forms" it elicits as we are all different and unique. Finally, I notice FAQ contributors bring up the idea to make TTP more accessible and widespread. I ponder this idea for some time and conclude that a razor sharp focus on accessibility without evangelism is an interesting endeavour. I am willing to assist make TTP content more accessible and plan to proceed by testing for willingness and encouraging and listening to others. Much love and appreciation for engaging on this topic. |
Thank you for shering your process. | |||
| May 28, 2019 Changing Links Ed, Good Afternoon! I’ve just been looking at your website and I came across these webpages: http://edseykota.com/tribe/FAQ/ 2006_Mar/11/index.htm http://www.tradingtribe.com/Tribe/ FAQ/2006_Mar/11/index.htm Unfortunately, when I click the link ... it redirects me to a payday loan site. I thought I should let you know so that you can remove the link. With best regards, |
Thank you for catching the redirect. | |||
| May
28, 2019 Tribe Meeting Report Ed, We meet, have a brief drum circle and then proceed to check in. Tribe Member #1 (TM1) has an issue with sticking to his trading system. He also reports feeling guilty about losing money and not providing for his family. He gets into his forms and sees he has a fear of receiving that associates with his father who scolds him for reaching for candy. He also notices he likes to gamble, since the “rush” he gets helps cover up his feelings, such as guilt. TM2 has an issue with communicating with others. He speaks so fast that others can’t understand him. He gets into his forms and notices a childhood nemesis who would get away with things by fast-talking his way out of them. Another Tribe Member acts as Process Manager (PM) and suggests that TM1 and TM2 seem to fit together – as seems to happen often in Tribe meetings. PM suggests TM2 can conduct a process with TM1, in which TM2 slows down and listens to TM1 and gets his feelings. They engage this process for about fifteen minutes. At the end of the process, both TM1 and TM2 report substantial breakthroughs with their issues. TM1 likes his new way of listening to others and plans to implement it in his daily life. TM2 plans to communicate his feelings when they arise and he also plans to stick to his system. During my process, I report difficulty engaging a long-term relationship. My PM instructs me to amplify my forms. I find my self crouching over and shaking my legs and having trouble breathing. Another Tribe Member helps make my experience more real by putting actual physical pressure on my upper body. I can feel my grandmother laying on me and smothering me. I shake with my legs and try to wriggle out. Eventually, I give up and play dead and hope for her to go away. I notice I have a Closeness → Shutdown Rock. The Tribe encourages me to try another strategy. They encourage me to ust the Heart Rock to wake up and communicate feelings with my grandmother. At first, I cannot relate to the instruction. With more encouragement and coaching, I tell my grandmother that I feel fear and anger at her treatment of me. She (the Tribe Member playing her role) says she loves me and does not want me to leave her or reject her. I tell her I do not find her treatment of me very loving and that I want a relationship with someone who makes me feel more powerful, not less powerful. I also notice my long-standing pattern of associating close, loving relationships with smothering and jealousy – and my deep visceral fear of inviting closeness. I also notice that communicating feelings helps resolve the danger. I resolve to implement my insights and to share feelings with others when I notice fear of control or suffocation. I notice my PM skips the part of the Rocks Process where I fore-give my Closeness → Shutdown Rock to my Rock Donor, likely my grandfather. The Tribe proceeds to final check out. We release each other from our roles in each other’s dramas and conclude the meeting. After the meeting, I apply my Heart Rock to various relationships whenever I feel like shutting down. I notice some people moving further away from me and others drawing nearer. |
Thank
you for sharing your process and for documenting your Tribe Meeting. Fore-Giving the Medicinal Rock to the Rock Donor, against resistance, helps to remove it and to make room for the Heart Rock. |
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| May
27, 2019 Tribe Meeting Report Ed, Trading Tribe Report 5-25-19 I start out on the hot seat. I talk about my inability to follow my trading rules repeatedly. I feel that I do not deserve the money even that I have in my account. I must give it to others who are more successful than myself at trading. I must give money away as a validation that I don’t deserve it. I discuss my guilty feeling about not providing for my family and constantly losing all the money that I save and even borrow to use in my trading. I feel this ball of guilt in the center of my chest. I feel a need to relieve myself of this guilt so, I start into a form of throwing my hand out palm up say I must give it away. This form is then encouraged by the Process Manager (PM)who is Tribe Member B. My other tribe members give me positive reinforcement on this issue as well. I develop this form faster and faster. Once the form is fully developed and frozen, I find the memory of two instances involving my father. He is criticizing me for reaching for a piece of Christmas candy in a crystal candy jar on Christmas morning. He just calls out my name in a scolding manner. I feel the ball of guilt for wanting Christmas candy on Christmas morning. As we discuss this, I try to justify his behavior. I defend him that he didn’t always do this to me. But the reality is that I have these feelings of guilt that seem pervasive in my life. Later without much resolution or my medication kicks in the feeling dissipates. After talking for a while, I starting spinning my hands rapidly as I am talking about this issue of the guilt and the need to give away my money that my family needs in order to relieve my guilt. I am using the form of spinning now. I am told to reverse direction, so I do so just as rapidly. PM tells me that I am good at it. I feel the encouragement given so I keep going. Eventually I am worn out and I no longer feel the guilt, so I just stop. I don’t feel a resolution to my trading issue, but I don’t feel the guilt either. Tribe Member A (TMA) has some issues, so it is his turn on the hot seat. He talks about his issue of dealing with people that he talks too rapidly. He wants them to get the information and is not very concerned with them or how they feel. He is wanting to work on the talking fast issue and the concern of having issues of connecting with others feeling. He spoke well enough recently to have passed a panel interview and get a promotion/better job. His concern is not connecting with coworkers since he doesn’t listen to their feelings. TMA is encouraged to talk rapidly, faster and faster. He works this until he has a fully developed form. The memory and associated feelings deal with a childhood bully who could beat you up and talk his way out of things. He once got into trouble when his teacher or mother was convinced by the bully and his following. PM ask TMA to speak with and connect with me. He does so, and he patiently listens to my answers as I answer questions about my trading issues. I come to realize that I simply could work more strategically outside of market hours as well as working on several other technical trading issues. In this discussion I realize that I have been letting emotions drive my trading since I have not been listening to them. It is the Aha moment that I have been looking for in answer my trading issues. TMA has done it as well he spoke slowly built rapport with me and connected with my feelings as well. We both have realized our goals in this discussion. Tribe Member B (TMB) discusses his issues of wanting close intimate relationship. Although he has several women whom he dates, he just can’t stand them for more than a few days. The only exception is if the relationship is long distance. I work one process with him that finds a memory of his father hitting him with a belt since he had a bad day at work. This leads to him shutting down. TMA then works another process with TMB as PM. This one develops into a childhood memory of grandmother smothering him. He hated it as a child, so he just shut down. He desires to role play this with me as grandmother. I press on him and role play out his Grandmother. He shares his feelings with his grandmother. I role play this out with him. He eventually shares his feelings with his grandmother to the point that the feelings are resolved. We all check out of our roles and share our progress. |
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| May
27, 2019 Tribe Meeting Report Ed, Trading Tribe Report for 5-25-19 I start out on the hot seat. I talk about my inability to follow my trading rules repeatedly. I feel that I do not deserve the money even that I have in my account. I must give it to others who are more successful than myself at trading. I must give money away as a validation that I don’t deserve it. I discuss my guilty feeling about not providing for my family and constantly losing all the money that I save and even borrow to use in my trading. I feel this ball of guilt in the center of my chest. I feel a need to relieve myself of this guilt so, I start into a form of throwing my hand out palm up say I must give it away. This form is then encouraged by the Process Manager (PM). Other Tribe members give me positive reinforcement on this issue as well. I develop this form faster and faster. Once the form is fully developed and frozen, I find the memory of two instances involving my father. He is criticizing me for reaching for a piece of Christmas candy in a crystal candy jar on Christmas morning. He just calls out my name in a scolding manner. I feel the ball of guilt for wanting Christmas candy on Christmas morning. As we discuss this, I try to justify his behavior. I defend him that he didn’t always do this to me. But the reality is that I have these feelings of guilt that seem pervasive in my life. Later without much resolution or my medication kicks in the feeling dissipates. After talking for a while, I starting spinning my hands rapidly as I am talking about this issue of the guilt and the need to give away my money that my family needs in order to relieve my guilt. I am using the form of spinning now. I am told to reverse direction, so I do so just as rapidly. PM tells me that I am good at it. I feel the encouragement given so I keep going. Eventually I am worn out and I no longer feel the guilt, so I just stop. I don’t feel a resolution to my trading issue, but I don’t feel the guilt either. Tribe Member A (TMA) has some issues, so it is his turn on the hot seat. He talks about his issue of dealing with people that he talks too rapidly. He wants them to get the information and is not very concerned with them or how they feel. He is wanting to work on the talking fast issue and the concern of having issues of connecting with others feeling. He spoke well enough recently to have passed a panel interview and get a promotion / better job. His concern is not connecting with coworkers since he doesn’t listen to their feelings. TMA is encouraged to talk rapidly, faster and faster. He works this until he has a fully developed form. The memory and associated feelings deal with a childhood bully who could beat you up and talk his way out of things. He once got into trouble when his teacher or mother was convinced by the bully and his following. PM asks TMA to speak with and connect with me. He does so, and he patiently listens to my answers as I answer questions about my trading issues. I come to realize that I simply could work more strategically outside of market hours as well as working on several other technical trading issues. In this discussion I realize that I have been letting emotions drive my trading since I have not been listening to them. It is the Aha moment that I have been looking for in answer my trading issues. TMA has done it as well he spoke slowly built rapport with me and connected with my feelings as well. We both have realized our goals in this discussion. Tribe Member B (TMB) discusses his issues of wanting a close intimate relationship. He just can’t stand close proximity them for more than a few days. The only exception is if the relationship is long distance. I work one process with him that finds a memory of his father hitting him with a belt since he had a bad day at work. This leads to him shutting down. TMA then works another process with TMB as PM. This one develops into a childhood memory of Grandmother smothering him. He hated it as a child, so he just shut down. He desires to role play this with me as Grandmother. I press on him and role play out his Grandmother. He shares his feelings with his grandmother. I role play this out with him. He eventually shares his feelings with his grandmother to the point that the feelings are resolved. We all check out of our roles and share our progress. |
Thank
you for sharing your process and for documenting your Tribe Meeting. |
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| May
27, 2019 Tribe Meeting Report Hi Ed, We have a Tribe meeting on May 25th, 2019. We think we don't have enough member to hold a meeting, but miraculously a member shows up at the door. One member checks in his issue on his trading. He violates his own stop loss rule and incur some loss in his recent trading. He wave his arms and later he mention he has back injuries and the process manager (PM) helps him find less invasive forms. He start to spin his forearms, back and forth. Tribe helps him gets into his forms. He recall several incidents in his childhood. He is molested by his cousin when he was 4 years old and almost get caught be Grandma. Another incidents when he reach for candy on Christmas day, his father stop him. I check in my issue, when I get excited, or emotionally, I always speak fast. I want to be able to keep a slow, low and calm voice, even when I am excited. PM says, so just tell people your are excited. I like such intimacy-centric model. I wish I could. So PM has me speak as fast as possible and keep going. Tribe cheers. I speak at top speed as I can. After a while, PM asks me who I am speak to. I tell him I am actually speaking to myself. You are just speaking out your thoughts, or thinking loudly, not communicating. I agree. PM then tells me communication need to be synchronized, What I do is sending asynchronous message to other person without caring if they receive it or not. Most people won't process information that fast. If I talk fast, they simply lose get confused and lost and lose interest listen to me. Then PM ask me to talk to another member, listen to what his issue is, and control my body movement, don't do anything to distract him. I start to talk to a member in a slow fashion, trying to pronounce each word clearly. I start to feel differently. I learn to pay attention to everything he says. Without giving him any advice, by just listening and receiving his feelings, the other member is able to sort out what his real issue is, and what he wants. We conclude this process and I share with the Tribe that I realize how important it is to talk slow and be attentive, and control my fidget. This help set up a wide space for the client to unravel his mind without any distraction. A member checks in that he wants to have a stable long term relationship with someone but he feels difficult to do so. When he is with someone for even a few, he cannot stand it. He gets into forms of bending over, pressing his chest and throat and start to stomp his feet. He tells the Tribe he feels trapped and suffocated. Tribe cheers his form and he recall that when he is child his Grandma lies on top of him. He can't break free and only think he can do is to kick his legs and have his mind go sleep. Tribe starts to do a role play on this incident. The member lies down on the couch and another member press his upper body on his chest. The member tells Tribe he feel trapped, and can't breathe. After a while, the Grandma stands up. With Tribe-member encouragement and some coaching by me, the member start to tell the Grandma when she does that to him, he feels trapped, out to breath and he really dislike it. He asks how the grandma feels. The grandma says she is afraid if he reject him so she stops him from moving freely. The member thanks Grandma for telling her how she feels and ask her to tell more. After the role play, we release each other from the roles. The member who has the trading issue checks out that after the process, he knows what he wants to do. When check out the meeting, I summarize what I learn from the process . I intend to continue my practice to be attentive when interacting with people and thank my fellow Tribe members for attending and participating in this meeting. Thanks, |
Thank
you for sharing your process and for documenting your Tribe Meeting. |
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| May
27, 2019 Tribe Meeting Report Hi Ed, We have an Austin Tribe meeting on May 4th, 2019. I am late for the meeting. My computer time is still set to Pacific time zone. Last time when I check the time, it's 9:00AM. I feel that I have enough time because the meeting is at 1:00PM. I start coding and. And I find it already passes 1:00PM. I tell the Tribe that it's my intention to be late. And every Tribe member says it's also their intention for me to be late. This brings me a familiar feeling I have from past Tribe meetings. I tell the Tribe how I feel. One Tribe member check in his issue. He is trying to learn some trading research software and he find himself stuck and get lost. His legs start to swing and Tribe Member #1 (TM-1) helps him develop into forms. I cheer his forms. TM-1 then freezes him. He recalls that when he is 3 years old, he is spanked by his father when he poops on his hands. I check in several of my issues. One issue is that, when somebody talks to me while I am doing something, I usually say "Ah?", even later I realize I already hear what he says. This always make the other person have to repeat what they say to me. TM-1 is the first one notice such pattern of me. I tell tribe I have one time hotseat on this in my local Tribe a year before. Two members spend half night and help me to exam feelings behind it. We make a little progress but not a lot. TM-1 asks me to do this: each time he talks to me, before I answer, I say 5 times "Ah". I start to do this. And Tribe cheers me to say louder, longer and magnify my forms (stick out my head or turn around my head). I start to enjoy it. When TM-1 freeze my form, I see my dad. He appears younger and he is doing the same thing, saying an long "ah". I don't recall the why he does that. I just see the image of him saying it loudly. I Tell the tribe that such behavior usually happens when I am alone, deep in my own thoughts, or space out. Then when a person approach me and say something to me, I would say "ah". Then I immediately realize I already understand what he says. My mind just can't switch attention to him as fast and I use "ah" to gain some time. When people talk to me and catch me off guard while my mind is wandering, I feel a very apparent feeling in my chest, that's like a claw is grabbing my stomach and churn, and pull it out to my right side. I tell Tribe such feelings. Tribe help me get into forms again. I try to stick to that feelings, and feel long time passes. Sometime that feeling goes away, sometimes it comes back. I can't recall any others. I tell the Tribe that when I am in elementary school, I am never able to focus in the class. I try hard, and my attention span can last only one minute. I have all kinds of fantasies. TM-1 asks who tells me I should focus on what the teacher say? I don't recall. I just believe I should and that's what I want to be able to focus, and it agonize me all my life I can't do it. TM-1 says that boring teachers often punish the students for not always following their teaching in the class. I recall my math teacher throws a metal eraser to another student when he is not paying attention. I see blood coming out of his forehead. I feel lucky it is not me, I feel I get away. I find I have feeling to disguise myself, or try to get away from being caught not pay attention when I say "ah". TM-1 guides me to allow my mind to wonder and not trying to focus. It's ok to have my mind free as long as I enjoy it. TM-1 teaches me to have my mind stay at the moment of now and focus on communication. I start to notice during my talk to TM-1, sometime when he says something really good, I feel excited, and I start to think of I should not stopped my local Tribe meeting for half year. After I think of that, I notice my mind does not pay attention to TM-1's words and I miss some. I tell what just happen because I feel excited. TM-1 says that mind spacing out during a conversation usually because I feel bored by what other people talking and my mind shutdown. I realize that I have always been a "good" listener. Since I am young, I am used to listen to others talking to me for long time, This happens to my best friend, who I consider outsmart me and I admire him. Also happens to authority figures like teacher, parents. I tend to be obedient and silent and willing to "listen" to people silently while my mind start to wander. When they suddenly stop their talking and ask me something, it wakes me up and I would say, "ah", to disguise my not paying attention, and gain some time. I realize a silent listener is not a good listener. Good listen actually interact. Ask question in time, even when having to interrupt the talker, to be able to keep in sync with what the talker is saying. Trying to be polite actually cut the connection. Later in the Tribe meeting, when another member is talking about his experience, he says something I don't understand, I immediately ask him. He explains to me. I later report my progress on such action. Taking proactive action to stay in tune with talker is what a good listener does. Another member check in his situation and his feeling of I don't know. Tribe helps him to get into forms. And later the entire Tribe realize we all share the same issue of I don't know. We then examine feelings behind "I don't know" forms. And we find that when we have both hands out, on a higher position, usually is a "I don't know and I don't care," a more wondering, positive attitude to the unknown or uncertainty. A form of lower hand positions has more tension on arms and shoulders. And it has more stress and frustration and anxiety. The meeting lasts 9 hours and time pass quickly. I don't have role play in this meeting and more interactive conversation. I also notice the PM starts to have member do form development during the initial checking circle. I want to thank my fellow Tribe members for making this all possible. |
Thank
you for sharing your process and for documenting your Tribe meeting. |
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| May
23, 2019 Wants to Attend a Workshop Ed, Is there any workshop planned? regards |
Thank
you for raising this issue. I now have sufficient interest to set one up, likely in September in Austin, perhaps also in London. |
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| May
23, 2019 Tribe Meeting Report Dear Sir, Please find the Mumbai Tribe Meeting Report for our meeting on 16 May, 2019. With 3 members present, we begin the meeting with drumming and continue to check in. Check In TM1- He shares his concerns about his mother getting diagnosed with with a disease. He is keeping his promise to himself of not having any market positions as we head into Indian election results. He also has concerns about having his mind on markets all the time, instead of devoting time to his family and friends. TM2(I) - I share concerns about being left out of a new business venture and some overwhelm about the tasks at hand. I also have feelings of sadness & missing out after I see my cousins bonding with each other & my paternal Grandparents, whereas I am not a very big part of their lives. I also wonder if I am “normal” where I rarely feel sad when changing cities or leaving people, except maybe for one or two people. TM3- His brother looks to him for advice on an arranged marriage and he (TM3) thinks that the prospective girl is not a good match for his brother. He feels guilty about rejecting the girl. His fears are allayed after the girl backs out of the proposal saying she’s not ready. TM3 also has some concern about how to migrate to another country in case his fiancee finds a job abroad after finishing her Master’s program. Hotseat I take the hotseat with TM3 as Process Manager. I begin with story telling about not missing people, moving cities in a moments notice and not wondering if it is normal. I feel a tension in my head and it extends down my spine. I also feel a tightness around my neck. The Tribe cheers me on as I continue to feel. I can feel the energy down my spine and the tightness in my neck. The tightness in my neck feels like a rough wooden plank. I begin to feel a vice around my leg. I recall an incident from my childhood where I am feeling sad & crying about leaving my cousins after the summer vacations and my parents tell me not to feel sad. During the process, the process management shifts from TM3 to TM1 in a flow. I continue to feel the energy going down my spine to my hips. I suddenly feel like all the feelings stop and elect to end the process. Hotseat Checkout TM1 & TM3 think that the childhood incident is a rock. However, they are unsure of whether I am hot enough to do a Rocks Process. As the other Tribe members discuss the possible rock, I feel very anxious. I concur that this is probably a rock and we agree to explore the issue further. About the pain in my neck, I recall feeling like this when a Doctor inserts a needle into a swollen lymph node around the area to extract some fluid. I notice that I am able to feel the energy down my spine more fully than the previous meeting. TM3 also points that the vice around my leg and the energy down my spine is a signature form. Regards, |
Thank
you for sharing your process and for documenting your Tribe Meeting. In the TTP Rocks Process, a Rock represents a method or transfer function, a way you respond to your feelings. For example, you might have a Rock with this function: Feel Sad --> Shutdown A Rock has two parts: (1) a feeling and (2) a response. Your Process Manager evidently uses "Rock" interchangeably with "Incident." During your Hotseat, you recall feeling sad and having your parents tell you not to feel sad. This establishes your Sad-->Shutdown Rock and establishes your parents as your Rock Donors. The process proceeds by returning (fore-giving) the Rock to your parents and then by accepting a Heart Rock from your Tribe - and then re-running the role play with the Heart Rock (All Feelings --> Share Them). Rather than follow the Rocks Process, you allow your Sad->Shutdown Rock to do its thing; it notices your sadness and shuts the process down. You might consider revisiting the Rocks Process that I document in "TTP Extensions." You might also consider visiting a Tribe that runs the Rocks Process - or attending a TTP Workshop. |
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| May
18, 2019 Wants to Join Austin Tribe Ed, May I join your Tribe? |
Thank
you for asking about the Austin Tribe. See the link below for more information. http://www.eseykota.com/TT/PHP_TT/ TT_Austin/TT_Austin_client.php |
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| May
18, 2019 Riveting Dearest Ed good morning and I hope my message finds you well. I stumble across [a meta-systemic blog] sometime ago. I find the author's articles and views intriguing and riveting. I also notice many overlaps with my own outcomes following breath work, TTP practice and Tribe attendance. I plan to reach out to the blog's author and explore more. I feel excitement and look forward to sharing my explorations with you if you have an interest. Much appreciation and love for FAQ and your support over the years. |
Thank
you for sharing your process. I wonder if you might like to share a little more about your own meta-systemic experiences - perhaps even about riveting.
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| May
17, 2019 Loses 75 Pounds and Gets a New Belt Ed, Here is the FAQ that I said I would have done by Saturday night. It has been quite a while since I wrote to FAQ. I have missed the companionship of the Austin Tribe. Since I am an independent trader, I do not have many friends that I can talk to trading about. My family has been tolerable of my droning on and on about it. As I start writing again on this to the FAQ, I feel a tightness in my throat for the realization that I told you last Saturday, 6 days ago, that I would have this in the same day. This bothers me a great deal. I have recently started to reevaluate my life in terms becoming a high performer by being the best I can each and every day. I have a feeling that this is an issue you will recommend to take to a Tribe meeting. I have hit a few goals in my life since we last spoke. I lost over 75 lbs total. My son is almost done with his 2-year mission with our church. It was a goal of mine that he serves a mission. I have reached a higher level of service with my church. I also was awarded a 6th degree black belt in Aikido. I also have had some EMDR therapy to deal with my issues with trading. This has proved to be directly related to many of the fears that I had related to my relationship with my father. We have explored some of these issues in Trading Tribe before as well. I have to admit that I largely think I was just flat out setting myself up for failure until these past few sessions of EMDR. I was just too afraid of success and failure. I look forward to exploring these issues in greater depth with more work. I hope you are well. I think of you often and the many lessons you have imparted to me. Thanks, |
Thank
you for sharing your process. |
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| May
16, 2019 Fake News Hello Ed, I came across a website that presents a graph of your track record during the 90s. I was surprised because I thought you were rather secretive of your performance. Is this chart real or fake? |
Thank
you for raising this issue. I no longer hold myself out as a fund manager or solicit funds or accept funds or publish a track record or make specific trade recommendations. Occasionally, someone publishes what they claim as information about my trading. You might consider viewing such claims, and the people who make them, with skepticism. For a summary of the non-secrets of trading, see the Essentials Card, in the store, via resources, above. |
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| May
14, 2019 Risky Business Hello Seykota, Good Day, How are you. I really appreciate you spending all this time to read my email and excuse for any errors in my language. Could I please ask you about the following things which I am curious to know from your experience? 1. How much do you risk in a single trade? 2. What is the maximum combined risk we can take across all the open positions at same time to survive longer in your experience? 3. Where can find about correlated and non-correlated assets, which I was trying to read to get some knowledge. If I have broken any of the ground rules, I am really sorry and ignore those questions because I understand how valuable your time is. I would really appreciate any reply or feedback or a spark of knowledge for me to go and explore more to help me achieve my desire. Thanks and Regards, |
Thank
you for raising these issues. The "optimal" values for your system parameters depends partly on the math and partly on your own risk and reward preferences. You can run back test simulations to see how position size effects returns and volatility. You might have to look inside for the rest. You might consider taking your feelings about <risk> to Tribe as an entry point. |
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| May 8,
2019 Tribe Meeting Report Ed, We arrive at the meeting and check in. The whole meeting is a bit of a blur. There are three of us and we all eventually are struggling with feelings associated with “I don’t know.” And we all have the same form: our palms facing up. I have a memory of going deep into the feeling of “I don’t know” and discover that there are two “I don’t know feelings/forms.” The first I-don’t-know form is when our hands are low with palms up. We, each in our own way, discover that the hands-low, I-don’t-know feeling represents a puzzle or struggle that we have no interest in solving or fighting. We can’t win that struggle, and the solution is not to partake in the invitation to solve that puzzle or continue in the toxic, control-centric relationship. One tribe member, T-2, uses his left hand to throw it away. T-2 doesn’t want it or need it. The next tribe member, T-3, executes a double “forklift” and tosses the puzzle or struggle over his shoulders. Each tribe member’s process opens up each other’s process and we go deep. The second I-don’t-know form is when our hands are raised higher with palms up. This is the “I don’t know feeling” that offers the opportunity to learn something, and to make new allies. This form we all enjoy. I go into a process which I rely on my fellow Tribe members to report. At the end of it, I’m able to “take the win.” Details of tribe member T-2 and T-3 processes: One tribe member, T-3, wants better, intimate-centric relationships with women, but has a selection process that ensures he effectively eliminates any possibility of that happening. We talk about physics and offer physic questions up for him to figure out. We give him physic problems to solve. For example, we ask him if the Universe at its lowest level is continuous or discreet. T-3 says that the question does not align with the nature of physics, and that the question does not really apply. It’s not a good question. Perhaps we could ask a better question. We do this several times. T-3 starts to recognize that his selection process is not a good process, that it is fundamentally flawed like the physic questions that do not lend themselves to any good answers. T-3 notices that if he changes his structure, his selection process for women, then, perhaps he may get change and different results. T-3 keeps talking for a long time seemingly jumping around justifying his current selection process that still yields poor results. We go deeper and unpack T-3’s selection process. T-3’s selection process for choosing women ensures he only enters into relationships where he receives their feelings and they do not receive his. This relationship is Intimacy-centric on one side; control-centric on the other. Women offer T-3 a control-centric unsolvable puzzle, and he continually accepts their offers. He wants a different selection process and wants to attract different offers: offers that are intimacy-centric. Another tribe member (T-2) has trouble staying present with his wife and others. He checks out with “Ah” sounds and a backward head jerk and does not remain present with them. He works through his process and remains present. I do not have much memory of T-2’s process as I’m cooking in my own process. T-2 gets to the other side of his process and he remains in the now during the next process with T-3. T-3 has an errant process for selecting women. T-2 listens intensely and wonders what T-3 really wants in his relationships with women. T-3 verbalizes clearly what it is he wants. It’s the first time T-3 verbalizes what he really wants. He wants one woman to share feelings and experiences with and that will support him in what he is interested in. He says, “Otherwise, what’s the point,” while executing the I-don’t-know form of hands low with palms turned up. Up until that point, T-3 could not verbalize what he really wants. I notice this and mention it to T-2 and T-3. I say it several times and something seems to click with T-3. T-3 says he notices that T-2 and I stay present during his process. T-3 goes deeper into his process. T-3 shares his feelings of fear in sharing intimate feelings with others, particularly feelings associated with anger. T-3 often receives feelings of others, but he does not share his most intimate feelings associated with anger. He fears others will not understand him; that they cannot receive him if he shares feelings associated with anger. He does not want to hurt them. He does not want to “scare them off,” so he hides this part of himself from them. He believes they cannot handle his feelings of anger. And he’s right! He has a selection process for women that ensures he does not attract a woman that has the ability or willingness to receive him and his feelings of anger. He spirals into another round of depression. Each time the depression gets deeper and harder to come out of. He fears he might check out completely. T-3 has experience of getting “smacked” when he shows feelings of anger. He is not supposed to express those feelings. He learns this at a young age. T-3 feels feelings associated with anger and eventually smiles as he feels those feelings. Now he really gets into the feelings. He does not hold back. The Tribe supports him in feeling his feelings. T-3 continues his process and utilizes the forklift maneuver to get rid of the unwanted control-centric offers from women. T-3 opens himself up to receiving new offers of intimacy-centric relationships with a woman that accepts all his feelings and supports him in what he is interested in. We have a final checkout, and I’m still processing during the checkout. I have what I describe as a peaceful feeling. It’s a feeling sans drama. Perhaps this is what right livelihood feels like. Days pass after the meeting, and I find that things come more easily now, a lot more easily. And I’m not sure how that happens, but it’s pretty cool. I also use the new double forklift resource. I experience peacefulness and sleep better. I thank my fellow Tribe members for their friendship, compassion, and willingness to share in this process of personal growth. I feel happiness when T-3 reports success in changing his selection process; declining offers of a control-centric relationship in favor or an intimacy-centric relationship. |
Thank
you for sharing your process and your meeting. |
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| May 7,
2019 Tribe Meeting Report Dear Sir, Please find below the Tribe Meeting Report for our meeting on 2 May, 2019. With 3 members attending, we start with drumming and proceed to check in. Check In TM1: He is happy that an event his firm organizes goes well. The event also brings out some communication issues among the team members. He is anxious about confronting these issues. His mother is also to undergo surgery and he is nervous about that. TM2: I am feeling hot about various issues like not being able to ask a girl out, a professional opportunity that is highly rewarding , feeling guilty about wasting time & gaining weight along with some anxiety & confusion about not knowing about what I really want in life. TM3: He visits his fiance who is living in another country. He is very happy to see her but not as excited as he imagined, he shares his feeling with his fiance. He describes how eventually he feels great throughout the visit and at the end of the trip he feels very sad while leaving. He also shares that he is somewhat anxious after a colleague of his is fired. He also questions about what sort of life he wishes to live & what he truly wants. Hotseat With TM3 as PM, I (TM2) take the hotseat. PM asks me about my issue & I state that I feel angry about not asking a girl out and I may not probably meet her again. I notice a throbbing pain in my forehead & PM encourages me to feel it. I go deep into the feeling. I feel like 2 points on my skull and forehead are caught between pincers. I also feel a tender spot in my spine with energy flowing down. I notice I tighten my back as this energy flows down. I sit with the tender spot on my spine. I also feel like my right calf is in a vise. PM encourages me to feel fully, testing for willingness. He asks me if I have any thoughts or images. I share that I think that I am worrying about taking too much time on the HS. PM asks me where I feel the worry & I notice something around my heart & chest. I also continue feeling the vise & forehead. PM tests for willingness. I am willing and we continue. I rub my forehead & head and PM encourages me to do more of that. I tell him that doing all this feels pointless. He encourages me to feel the pointlessness of this. I start shrugging. PM tests for willingness. I am willing and we continue the process. I also share that I need some reason or some project to be able to talk to a woman. I get into a form where I am moving my forehead & ears. PM encourages me to do more of that. I notice that as I get into the form, I feel the tenderness in my spine much more defined. I am able to sit with it till the tenderness is negligible. PM asks me if I have any thoughts or feelings. I wonder if PM thinks I am doing an adequate job on the HS. PM & TM1 encourage me to keep feeling. The vise around my leg loosens and I feel relieved about the pressure in my head is down significantly. I sit for a while and elect to end the process. Hotseat Check Out TM1 thinks that this is a good intense process. He sees new forms I am displaying. He also thinks that the vise like sensation around my right calf may be signature form & can be a good entry point for later meetings. PM also thinks this is a good hotseat. He feels like I am breaking through some old barriers. I agree with both Tribe members. I also share that I do recall feeling the tenderness on the spine while meditating, but I give up soon after. With the Tribe's encouragement, I am able to focus on the feeling deeply. I feel like a window is opened after a long time and there is new air coming in. I also have feelings of being irritated when TM1 & PM take too long during the checkout. I want them to come swiftly to the point. PM thinks that this too can be an entry point for later meetings. After this we elect to end the meeting. We are happy to be attending Tribe Meetings now. Regards, |
Thank
you for sharing your process and your meeting. Your Process Manager seems to have a good grasp on how to manage a process. You might consider taking <shyness> to Tribe as an entry point. Your PM may assist you in intensifying your forms until you connect with a critical incident in which someone teaches you the importance of shyness. (pases you a Shyness Rock). You might then, through role playing, negotiate the return of the Shyness Rock and practice using the Heart Rock. For more on this, see TTP Extensions. Alternatively, you can continue to run the process to express some feelings until they dissipate - and your symptoms go away. I call this the Zero-Point process. You can use the Zero-Point process medicinally and the Rocks Process pro-actively. |
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| May 6,
2019 Austin Tribe Report Ed, We begin our meeting with drumming and then check in by expressing our feelings, such as tightness in the chest and throat and back areas. This helps clear the space and we move on to review any changes in our lives since our last meeting. Tribe Member #1 (T-1) reports having more intimacy with his family. He “checks out” less frequently and stays present and listens more. He notices that the more he listens to others, the less they want to interrupt him. He takes the do-not-disturb sign off his office door, to the cheers and delight of his children – and finds out they now interrupt him less. His 8-year-old daughter, who traditionally stays up and fusses until 11:00 pm, now goes to bed peacefully at around 8:00 pm. T-1 also reports increasing rapport with his clients. One of them tells him that his competitors have a better product and that, nevertheless, he wants to continue doing business with T-1 and suggests that T-1 get his company to improve its product. T-2 reports getting less angry at his wife and kids and, instead, sharing his feelings when he feels sad. He notices his wife becoming less bossy and more supportive. T-3 reports letting his fun side show more – and not feeling like he has to act so seriously and professionally all the time. He also reports doing more fun things and giving up on overly difficult tasks and relationships. He notices that at least two of his current projects, formerly stuck, now seem to move along much more smoothly. Next, we turn to identifying issues to work on during this meeting. T-1 says that in working with some trading software, he winds up with forms about <I can’t figure it out> that include scissor-banging his legs open and closed, shaking his hands, palms up, in front of his chest and hanging his head in his hands and saying “Oh, Man!” We acknowledge him and encourage him to go deeper into his forms. He then recalls an incident in a clinic in which he gets a shot for poison ivy. He feels faint and tries to tell his mother, pulling on her dress to get attention and saying, “Mom, I feel like fainting.” His mom, busy writing a check to the clinic, does not attend to her son. He faints and falls on is head and suffers a concussion and wakes up two days later in a hospital bed. He then recalls other instances of fainting and blacking out. He sees this as some of his historical basis for his tendency to check out with his wife and kids. He then recalls a physics project in high school. The teacher suspends a cannonball by a fish line and also pulls it to the side of the room and ties it to the wall with a tie cord. He plans to burn the tie cord and release the pendulum. As the pendulum swings to the other side, the fish line runs into a sharp blade that severs the line and releases the cannon ball. The teacher wants the students to compute the eventual landing point on the floor for the cannon ball and to mark their prediction with a big X. T-1 asks the teacher about the pivot effect of the blade on the line and the teacher tells him he can just ignore it. Meanwhile, the class nerd and teacher’s pet comes up with an answer and places his mark on the floor. Several other students follow suit and place their X’s in a group around his. T-1 figures the blade might have a pivot effect after all and places his X about a foot further out than the rest. The teacher burns the tie cord, the cannon ball swings, pivots for a moment at the blade and then lands right on T-1’s X. The class nerd angrily demands to see T-1’s calculations and finds many inaccuracies, some of which cancel each other out. He complains loudly. T-1 can’t stand to hear the whining and tells the class nerd, “OK, you win.” That satisfies the teachers’ pet. It also leaves T-1 feeling humiliation. Through more discussion with the Tribe, T-1 comes to see that he can trust his intuition, despite what the “experts” have to say. While T-1 continues to get insights, we turn to T-2. T-2 notices he has a tendency to say “Ahhhggg?” in a loud tone of voice whenever someone asks him a question, prompting the other person to have to ask the question again. T-2 reports actually hearing and understanding the question in the first place – and noticing his noise irritates the other person who has to repeat his question. Still, he cannot seem to stop the behavior. We encourage him to go deeper into his form. As he animates his form, he recalls sitting in class in grade school, during a boring lecture, daydreaming. Suddenly, the teacher throws an eraser at one of the other students, saying, “Pay attention to me!” The eraser has a metal jacket that knife-cuts the student’s forehead and draws blood. T-2, seeing the similarity between himself and the other daydreaming student, forms all kinds of judgments about daydreaming and interruptions. He notices he uses his noise as a kind of warning to other people not to interrupt him during his frequent daydream escapes. We encourage him to make the noise on purpose five times in a row when anyone else says anything. He continues to reminisce about his childhood, and about his father who also daydreams a lot. He continues to make the noise five times whenever someone else says anything. T-2 also reports a feeling of having to rush when people interrupt him. He also reports increasing awareness about when he drifts off into daydreaming. He also says he finds he can focus better and stay in rapport better with the other Tribe members. We continue interrupting him and he continues making the sound five times while we encourage him. After a while, he forgets to make the sound. Eventually, he comes to a form of <I don’t know what to do about it> with his arms in front of him and with his palms up. We move on to T-3, with T-1 and T-2 still in process. T-3 says he has issues with not knowing what to do about his social life. He finds himself in a barely satisfying relationship in which the other person does not really understand or seem to care much about sharing feelings or in the details of his life. He also says that as he goes through the transition from doing things he has to do to things he wants to do, he doesn’t know exactly how to behave. He also shows an <I just don’t know> form in which he sighs deeply, keeps his arms at his side and then bends his elbows and extends his forearms forward with his palms upward. He says he seems to attract partners into difficult relationships, in which he feels that the other person doesn't care about his feelings or support him in his work, even viewing it competitively. He allows that he might do better in a mutually supportive relationship and fears that he just does not know how to attract or manage such a relationship. We encourage him to further explore his thoughts and feelings and to keep manifesting his forms. Then he says he thinks he sees something. He says he notices we all have the same <I don’t know> form. He says he actually sees three variations of the form depending on how high he holds his forearms. Forearms up at 45 degrees means I don’t know and I aim to find out, and enjoy learning something in the process. Forearms out at 90 degrees with palms up means I don’t like it and I don’t know how to get out of this rut. Forearms down with palms resting on knees or arms of chair means I don’t know and I don’t have any interest in it either. We encourage him to explore the one he does not like, the one at 90 degrees about not knowing what to do to get out of a bad situation. We ask him to crank up the form and smile and enjoy it at the same time. At first he resists, allowing only a stiff grimace. With more acknowledgment and support, he finally breaks through and smiles and then laughs and says, “OK. I know exactly what to do.” With that he extends his arms forward at 90 degrees with his palms up in what he calls his “forklift” form. He then keeps his forearms at 90 and rotates his arms forward and upward, thereby throwing whatever he has resting on his palms upward and backward over his head and then casting it off behind him. He repeats this motion several times, joyously discharging whatever weighty matter he has resting on his hands to the trash heap behind him. We all have a similar <I don’t know> form and we all start performing the “throw it back” maneuver. T-3 says he has no idea about what any of this means. He only knows he feels happy and lighter and feels some kind of deep resolution. He says he knows what do about his relationship issues. He says he can discharge most of the problems by using the intimacy-centric communication model and also by properly qualifying people for willingness before engaging in debates. T-3 says that after many years of wrestling with this problem through logic and other kinds of therapy he finds he can get right to the root of the matter physiologically, by getting into forklift mode, and simply throwing the weight behind him. We have a final checkout and notice how we all wind up working on the same form. We all feel a sense of freedom from our issues and a sense of optimism about living with this new freedom and with more rapport and intimacy in out lives. We joyously express our gratitude to each other. We adjourn the meeting. I would like to thank my fellow Tribe members for the opportunity to join with them in the magical and sacred alchemy of personal growth. |
Thank
you for sharing your process and your meeting. |
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| May 5,
2019 The Trading Tribe Book Review Dear Ed, I bought your book 10 months ago and I am so grateful to have read it. It gives me a much better understanding of myself and others. After that I did some research and found that all your teaching and approaches are really making sense in terms of psychology and are scientifically proven. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and you have made a better life for many of us. Best regards, |
Thank you for sharing your process and for acknowledging the work. | |||
| May 4,
2019 Ideas on Extending TTP Dear Ed, Thank you for your reply. You mention that sometimes you view TTP as being 'awkward and increasingly out of place' in society. I think I understand what you mean. When I look at society now, relationships are formed and maintained in very different ways than 20 years ago before the mass adoption of the Internet and in particular, social media. It is extremely difficult to convey feelings via a text message. A video call just isn't quite the same as a face to face interaction. The growing use of computers seems to put more focus on CM, while FRED is ignored. Here in the UK, I stumble across new reports each month about rising mental health issues as well as increased loneliness in young people. My hunch is that our new methods of communication and technology are to blame. I may be wrong and instead it is simply a result of there being an increased awareness and focus on mental health, where social media and the Internet have actually helped to facilitate this awareness. Either way it doesn't matter. It is clear to me that there is a market here. The idea of extending the reach of TTP excites me. If you wouldn't mind, I could think of some ideas on how to structure TTP for a global extension. Perhaps others with an interest to do so could also offer their ideas. |
Thank
you for sharing your process and your thoughts on the effects of social
media on the isolation of individuals. You might also consider the evolution of the entire linguistic matrix, including social media, as an element in the assimilation of the Free-Competition Sector by the Govopoly System. People typically maintain emotional connections to each other in small self-reliant communities. As Govopoly sets in and power centralizes, small communities disappear and with them, emotional bonding on the level of community. Some currently popular therapeutic practices follow the Govopoly model: seize on symptoms and respond medicinally to suppress them. TTP works by inviting development and expression of symptoms - as a path to discovery and release of underlying judgments. I look forward to your sharing further thoughts and feelings on this matter. |
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| May 1,
2019 Wants to Extend the Reach of TTP Dear Ed, Thank you for sharing your experience of TTP and offering some advice on how I could help others, should they have an interest in seeking help. I find it interesting that you mention heavy proselytizing as a means to invalidating people and looking to drive people away. I do not view TTP as a religion or way of life that should be adopted by all, and as such I have no intention of trying to convert others to this line of thinking. Rather, I simply notice the small community of mostly male traders, that have practiced TTP over the years since your first FAQ’s were posted in 2003. As you say, intentions = results. You mention that I could live my life to the fullest and if people ask, I could tell them about how I have achieved right livelihood. In my experience, most people never ask. Most people will not even ask their idol’s how they got to where they are. Perhaps their own K-nots are getting in the way of them asking. This seems like an ineffective method of extending the reach of TTP. So perhaps a middle ground can be reached, where TTP is not preached as a religion, but is easy to stumble across for someone who seeks to improve their general wellbeing. I notice that when I run an Internet search on several topics that could be associated with TTP, such as mental health, right livelihood, general wellbeing, self-improvement (the list goes on), there is no direct link to TTP. There is no Wikipedia page for TTP. I appreciate that you have several commitments. I am willing to help expand the reach of TTP, even if it's something as simple as creating a Wikipedia page. I wonder if there are others in the Trading Tribe community who share my views, and/ or are willing to help make TTP more accessible. The general population should know that TTP exists, and then they can make their own minds up as to whether they wish to practice it. Of course, I will only do this with your blessing. I hope that you can have an open mind about this. |
Thank
you for sharing your interest in extending the reach of TTP. TTP originates as a system for traders to help each other deal with the emotions that arise during trading such as hope, fear, greed and despair. Along the way, traders report surprising improvements in other parts of their lives, particularly in their personal relationships. At this point, most traders have some knowledge of TTP. Some practice it actively. I conclude that TTP already has a fair amount of market saturation. From now and again, I still deliver a Workshop to help people get the hang of conducting a Tribe meeting, complete with the Rocks Process. My Reach-Out / Registration page currently shows some 55 people wishing to attend a Workshop. I plan to host another one soon. To extend the reach of TTP, I might contemplate developing markets for TTP outside of trading, say in personal growth, personal relationships and team building. I suppose a formal TTP extension initiative might feature: - A formal mission statement. - A system for teaching the key principles, practices and exercises. - A business plan, including franchising agreements and practitioner certification. I do not know how TTP might survive away from its informal, low-key, word-of-mouth origins - and in the maw of accountants and savvy promoters. As I fantasize about the market for TTP in business and government, I might envision, people understanding each others' positions better and winding up aligning on common visions rather than engaging in adversarial conflict. As I wonder about such things, I sometimes view TTP as a gentle, somewhat naive child, awkward and increasingly out of place, in a world evolving toward control-centric language, adversarial behavior and personal isolation. People who base their personal strategies on control and opportunistic self-aggrandizement might view emotional openness and motivational transparency as upsetting to the power lines. From FAQ Ground Rules (c) 2003: "Ed's ultimate intention for The Trading Tribe and for TTP includes encouraging people to experience it, and then for it to disappear as another passing AHA." Sixteen years later, TTP seems well on its way to to fulfilling that intention = result and disappearing into the fabric of life, at least within the trading community. Extending TTP at this point might well require its implementation as a regular profit-making business. I, personally, don't fancy administration. As long as I continue to run things around here, you might expect things to proceed rather slowly. If TTP actually has some commercial value, I might expect a CEO to show up one day to take it over and to market it to a much larger audience. For now, I plan to continue to practice the principles in my own life - and to take my feelings about <extending the reach of TTP> to Tribe as an entry point. |
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