You act to control your perceptions?

Our minds influence the key activity of the brain, which then influences everything; perception, cognition, thoughts and feelings, personal relationships; they are all a projection of you.

Deepak Chopra

Do you act to control your perceptions? Are your perceptions the reality? The theories to support either the positive answer or the negative are many.

The behaviourist movement in psychology started with B.F.Skinner. Skinner supported that all biological systems respond a certain way to certain stimuli. Control the stimuli and you can control the behaviour. Condition the biological organism with rewards and punishment and you can teach it how to behave. Skinner called the use of reinforcement to strengthen behaviour "operant conditioning" .

Contemporary academia considers Skinner a pioneer of modern behaviourism along with J.B.Watson and Ivan Pavlov. If you are interested in reading more about Skinner and his work, you are in luck. Skinner was a prolific author who published 21 books and 180 articles.

So is your behaviour a reaction to stimuli?

Or are you the creator of your reality?

Old Newtonian physics claimed that things have an objective reality separate from our perception of them. Quantum physics, and particularly Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, reveal that, as our perception of an object changes, the object itself literally changes.
 

Are you familiar with perceptual Control Theory? For those of you who are not, these are the basic ideas behind PCT. PCT is a model of behaviour based on the principles of Negative Feedback. Negative Feedback occurs when some function of the output of a system, process or mechanism is fed back in a manner that tends to reduce the fluctuations in the output, whether caused by changes in the input or by other disturbances. PCT experiments have demonstrated that a biological organism controls neither its own behaviour nor external environmental variables, but rather its own perception of those variables.

An example is the thermostat. We all understand how a thermostat works. It is set to a specific point. If the temperature drops below that point, the thermostat turns on, until it reaches the set point and then turns off again. The thermostat has no control over its environment, it only "pays attention" to its perception of the environment. The thermostat controls the temperature of the room by comparing the existing temperature to the set point. it takes action if and only if the "perception is out of control". 

Human beings act, in a way, like a thermostat. The PCT theory stands by the idea that we only act to keep the perception we have of the world within specific boundaries.

Do you act to control your perceptions? 

I believe that part of our actions are to support our perceptions. This is our every day, automated response. We have certain thoughts- perceptions, that create certain emotions which make us go in to an automated action and bring a specific result. These are what we call in The Los Angeles Method convictions. If these convictions are not servicing you, we call them Confining Convictions.

Confining Convictions can be reprogrammed in a fast and easy way. In our workshops we teach you specific techniques. If you do not have the chance to join us however, a suggestion we can offer is to find ways to be in the Now. Understand that your thoughts create your reality. You do not have to control your perception, because your perception is not something outside of you with its own mind and will.

You do not have to struggle to control perceptions. Let go. Understand that your reality is created through your thoughts. Change the thought and the reality will shift.

Thank you for your attention.

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Why we should look into the Human Mind. [Real Story]

Mankind has landed on the moon- debatable by some, has explored the Universe and the Galaxies.

We are fascinated with what exists "out there", yet we pay little attention to what exists "in here".

The human mind is such a wonderful and extraordinary mechanism, for which we do not know much, still. Many people believe that we use only 10% of our brain. The reality is that there is no scientific evidence stating that we only use 10% of our brain capacity.

The 10% myth might have started by a misquote of Albert Einstein or a misinterpretation of the work of Pierre Flourens in the 1800s. William James wrote in 1908

"We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources."

The difference is that we are not aware of what we are using. We choose to run on autopilot and just react to our environment, when we have the power to Create.

Our life is the movie we write, direct and star in! Why would we give ourselves the role of the best friend or the villain?

 

Do you want to create and sustain a successful and fulfilling life? With everything that this encompasses for you?

Then you need to understand how you take in information, how you make decisions, how you decide what to do and what not to do, how you decide what you like and what you do not like, how you choose your values and your beliefs. 

You should look into the Human Mind and how it works.

Where does your brain come from? According to many scientists we are still working under the "Caveman" program, in other words experiencing the "Caveman Syndrome". Our biology is optimised for conditions that existed 100.000 years ago. We do not have to hunt, run all day to get our food to survive, we do not have to be in constant motion to protect ourselves from predators to survive. We have everything, yet we are facing challenges in surviving. We face many new threats like obesity, diabetes, heart diseases and more.

So don't beat yourself up!

You were just not build for the kind of work you are responsible for.

The Human Mind lives in Your Brain.

In The Los Angeles Method we help our participants Find their voice and Act on their lives. We all have that Voice inside our head. What we explain to our participants is that YOU are not that voice. 

You have the power to silence it, let scream and even tell her what to say. That voice is just like a sports announcer commenting on the game, on what your brain is doing.

Our brain is made out of layers. At its base there is the Hindbrain with its Medula, Cerebellum and Pons. The Hindbrain is responsible for keeping you alive. Anything physiological actions necessary for survival take their orders from your Hindbrain, also known as the Lizard Brain. It sends all the messages through your spinal cord and nerves.

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The layer on top of that is called the Midbrain. The Midbrain is a small central part of the brainstem, developing from the middle of the primitive or embryonic brain. The Midbrain is responsible for your emotions, your memory, processing sensory data and your ability to learn and recognise patterns. Your midbrain is constantly predicting, based on its calculations, what will happen next. That information is sent to the Hindbrain, which makes sure you are ready for what is coming. 

And who is responsible for your cognitive capabilities like self awareness, logic, decision making, inhibition and more? Your Forebrain; the newest addition to your brain. 

You usually run on autopilot. You have your habits and run your regular routine. When you encounter something new however, something unexpected and unfamiliar, the Forebrain takes over. The Midbrain is not available to predict what will happen and send the right messages to the Hindbrain, so the Forebrain comes to the rescue.

The Forebrain will assess the new situation and make a Decision. Once the decision is made "autopilot" comes back on- the Midbrain and Hindbrain take over and carry out the decision.

The brain functions under convictions. Thoughts that you made once and accepted them as Facts. These thoughts create emotions, which create automated actions, which create results. Most of these convictions are created between the ages of 0 to 7 years old. Some of these convictions are Confining. Confining Convictions are limiting you, are to allowing you to live your full potential and accomplish all the things that you deserve in life. 

The predictions the midbrain makes and then sends according messages to your hindbrain to act, are mostly based on the information you gathered from the age of 0 to 7.

You need to constantly update your system.

You can visit our site at The Los Angeles Method and download the Helpful Forms that will give you an idea of where to start and what to do to update your system.

Creativity is a wonderful place to start. Through Acting techniques you tap into your vulnerability and you go deep in to your system to identify and understand what services you and what stops you. Using the Acting Techniques, how to Create a Role, how to Set Objectives and more you can create the reality you wish for, instead of just reacting to it.

Now you have an idea of how the Brain, the home of the Human Mind, works. Continue with your research. The more information you have on a subject the better you can master it. Learn the parts, so you can make responsible decisions on how you can use them. True Story!

We would love to hear what you thought, so do not hesitate to leave a comment below. If you have any additional information that could be helpful to someone else, please share.

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Take care and Enjoy!

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The Recipe for StartUp Success | Empathy

Recipe for Startup Success.

Bill Gross , a successful entrepreneur and founder of IdeaLab, is interested in finding out what is the recipe for success when it comes to StartUps.

He narrowed his search down to these 5 elements:

1. Ideas
2. Team
3. Business model
4. Funding
5. Timing | is the world ready for what you offer

After looking for these elements in Startups that made it and those which did not, he concluded that the number one factor was

1. Timing
2. Team | execution
3. Idea | truth
4. Business model
5. Funding

The idea came third! How interesting is this!

Timing was number one ingredient for Success, meaning you need to know if consumers are ready to accept what you are offering.

How can you do that? 

Empathy.

Once you find your voice and act on your life, you will be able take the right actions. The right actions can only be in sync with the global vibration.

The moment you lower that voice in your head that keeps judging you and putting obstacles between you and the change you want to achieve- because let’s face it, that “voice” considers change to be death and who wants to die?- you will be ale to “listen” to what others are saying.

This is Empathy.

The moment you raise your self confidence and tell the world “This is me and here I am”, that is the moment that you will be able to hear the world.

The moment you will make selfish choices and put yourself first, that is the moment you will be at your strongest and will be able to help anyone else around you.

Putting others first and yourself last is called “victimisation”. You need to be strong to be able to pull anyone else up.

Take care of yourself, love yourself, listen to yourself and this way you will learn how to love and listen to the entire world.

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If you wish to learn the techniques to raise your self confidence, strengthen yourself, reprogram confining convictions that are blocking you and identify and accomplish your goals- you can join us at the Success Masterclass on September 15th, 2015 and for 5 sessions, in Amsterdam.

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The Los Angeles Method at the Noorderwind Retreat

In February 2015 I directed and produced "Oedipus Rex | World Premiere" in Amsterdam. As we were approaching opening night, I decided I wanted a combat scene between Oedipus and Creon. I needed to portray the battle between the new and the old, the free spirit battling the "rules". Our actors had never had any stage combat training. The person who came to our rescue was Youval Kuipers. Only one week away from opening, he trained our actors and choreographed a powerful scene between the two characters.

Youval is one of the founders of Noorderwind. They specialise in combat choreography and performance for film, television and live shows. Their work is inspired by more of eight centuries of European martial tradition. Youval and his team have worked on productions like "Michiel De Ruyter" | Feature Film | 2015, "The White Queen" | BBC | 2013, "Kidnapping Mr. Heineken" with Anthony Hopkins | Feature Film | 2014, and more.

Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind Retreat at the Loevestein Castle.

Yesterday I was invited to teach an Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind retreat at Loevestein Castle.

It was a wonderful experience for me. 

It is always rewarding and special to watch The Los Angeles Method participants. The work we do unblocks emotions and reprograms confining convictions, so all of our workshops are emotionally charged. Yesterday though, that experience was heightened by the surroundings and the "family" feeling the Noorderwind members generously offered me.

Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind Retreat at the Loevestein Castle.

Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind Retreat at the Loevestein Castle.

It was inspiring and hopeful to watch all of them, highly trained stuntmen and stuntwomen, be interested in educating themselves in everything regarding their craft and art. They are not required to be masters of the Art of Acting, yet all of them dove in the theory and the exercises and made the best out of it; showing their courage but also their love of what they do.

Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind Retreat at the Loevestein Castle.

Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind Retreat at the Loevestein Castle.

Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind Retreat at the Loevestein Castle.

Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind Retreat at the Loevestein Castle.

Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind Retreat at the Loevestein Castle.

The Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop was scheduled to last for three hours, but I ended up staying for the entire day. After the workshop, the Noorderwind team presents a live show to the visitors of the Loevestein Castle. I watched their performance. The dedication of the members was such, that they wanted to work more on their scenes even after the completion of the show. 

I would like to thank the entire Noorderwind team, it was a great privilege to work with all of you.

Many Thanks to Youval, for reaching out when we needed him at the International Theatre in English and Oedipus Rex, but also for giving me the chance to work with his team and feel part of their "family".

My special thanks to Selina, for organising all this and making all the arrangements for me to reach Loevestein Castle.

Thank you!

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Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind Retreat at the Loevestein Castle.

Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind Retreat at the Loevestein Castle.

Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind Retreat at the Loevestein Castle.

Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind Retreat at the Loevestein Castle.

Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind Retreat at the Loevestein Castle.

Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind Retreat at the Loevestein Castle.

Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind Retreat at the Loevestein Castle.

Introduction to The Los Angeles Method Acting Workshop at the Noorderwind Retreat at the Loevestein Castle.

Click on the photos for the slideshow.

Thank you.