Trader’s State of Mind Group Course for Newbie-Trader

Instructor – Rande Howell

Five Live Trainings
(All Sessions Will Be Recorded)[contentbox width=”800″ borderwidth=”0″ borderstyle=”none” bordercolor=”000000″ dropshadow=”0″ backgroundcolor=”FFFFFF” radius=”0″][list style=”Check1green”]

  • Class 101:  Emotional Regulation — Calming the Body, Stilling the Mind
    January 14th, 2014
  • Class 102:  Mindfulness Training — Creating an Observer of the Mind
    January 28th, 2014
  • Class 103:  Awakening Your Heroic Nature For Success in Trading
    February 11th, 2014
  • Class 104:  The Nature of Your Internal Struggle
    February 25th, 2014
  • Class 105:  Developing Your Plan
    March 11th, 2015[/list][/contentbox]

$995 Single Payment
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The Mindset That You Bring to the Uncertainty of Trading Determines the Probability of Success

How have you gone about training and building your mind for trading?  Full of beginner’s confidence, most traders only give lip service to the need to build their psychology so that they can direct their methodology from a peak performance state of mind.  Several years down the road, the success they envisioned when they began trading is still an elusive dream.  Just parking their emotions at the door of their trading room becomes hollow advice.  And, for awhile, they stay stuck believing the answer to discipline and impartiality lies in their methodology rather than in addressing the self-limiting beliefs they bring to the arena of trading.

They have learned the mechanics of trading and a proven methodology but have neglected to develop the part of trading that actually engages the risk of uncertainty with their methodology — their mind.  Until a trader comes to acknowledge that it is they themselves who keeps blowing up the opportunity that trading can deliver for them, they stay stuck in trading purgatory.  This is when a real student of trading realizes that the psychology (beliefs and thinking) that lured him (or her) into trading is not the same psychology that will bring him the success with his methodology that he knows is possible.  The edge he is seeking is in the psychology of self that he brings to his methodology.  This is the opening to an empowering new possibility for trading.

Rande Howell – A Very Different Approach

Rande Howell has more than 15 years of practice as a licensed therapist with a Masters in Counseling. In addition to this, he has worked for many years as a personal development coach teaching individuals how to affect positive change, peak performance, personal growth, and leadership potential.

His work centers on how to break the fear-based, self limiting patterns to which the brain adapts us for survival and how to reorganize the self to a higher level of functioning. This is accomplished by learning how to manage biological fear (and its impact on thought) and thus access much more empowered parts of the self that shift our capacity for positive performance. (Most traders trade in a state of fear, so they never can open the possibility of performing on a higher level.)

Rande’s work teaches you how to change the way you understand and work with your biology; which allows you to succeed in regulating your emotions and breaking out of life-limiting patterns (really important in trading success). His emotional regulation training has been used to treat violent prisoners, break the cycle of domestic violence, and free people from the limitations of fearful thinking.

His belief is that, until you understand the power of your biology and how to manage it, you will be overwhelmed by it.  Momentary success will be sucked down the drain of the pattern-making machinery of your brain.  To break free of old limiting patterns, you must reorganize the brain — not the mind.  The mind follows the brain.  What does this look like?  Go to any standard motivational seminar and feel the emotion — it feels like you can change the world and it will last forever.  Then where are you 4 weeks later (or less) — back to the same old place.

His work with traders began when one came to him seeking improvement in his trading performances.  Applying his emotional regulation and peak performance training to the trader’s lack of performance produced a dramatic impact on the trader’s fortunes.  More traders showed up seeking training due to this success.  And now he is expanding his focus on developing this aspect of his peak performance coaching.  What Rande likes about working with traders in particular is that they are motivated.  Being successful and making money is survival for a trader.  They are willing to do the work that is required to reorganize their personal psychologies in order to be successful in trading.  Whereas many people outside of trading can avoid the real work of transforming themselves — traders (if they want to survive) cannot afford this deception.

Rande is the author of three books and maintains both a counseling and personal development practice in Charlotte, NC. He is married to his best friend and takes great joy in his two grown children.

Course Description

Introduction — Recording of a webinar that Rande presented on Wall Street in 2011.  This is a training for traders.  It gives an overview of the process that you are going to be learning.  You get to see how all the elements are linked together to produce a Traders State of Mind.  The course becomes more cohesive by understanding the process from the get-go.

Class 101:  Emotional Regulation — Calming the Body, Stilling the Mind

Before you are able to work with the self-limiting beliefs that sabotage your potential in trading, you will be taught first how to manage emotional reactivity.  Until you can regulate your out-of-control fear or impulse, getting into a position to work with the mind is not possible.  Consequently, breathing and self-soothing skills are taught so that you can interrupt emotions before they sweep your trading mind away.  The training is applied directly to trading situations that cause you the most problems including evaluating set-ups for entry points, pulling the trigger, being in the trade, and losing a trade.  Thought-stopping techniques are conditioned to be an automatic response to increased arousal and agitation.  Literally, you will train your brain to trigger to a state of calm as you begin experiencing stress.

Why teach breathing?  Breathing is important for emotional state management.  Each emotion has a particular breathing signature associated with it.  And by using this knowledge, you will be trained to mindfully use breathing to interrupt the spiraling of fear.  Fear requires a short, fast style of breathing to maintain itself, and you will be trained to use diaphragmatic breathing to interrupt this part of the arousal of fear.  Until fear is managed, accessing the mind and changing it to a more productive position is not possible.  Breathing is the base skill to begin this process of transformation of yourself as a trader.

Then you will be taught how to generate a sense of safety so that your mind calms down.  It is at this point that the mind itself can be worked with…and then you will have the skills to manage the explosion of emotions that have dominated your trading.

Class 102:  Mindfulness Training — Creating an Observer of the Mind

The next element taught is mindfulness.  You will learn how to take a pause (from your emotional regulation training) and take a step back from the frenzy of your thinking.  You will be taught how to take a step back from becoming fused with fear-based thinking and begin to realize that you and your thoughts are not the same.  Developing this new tool of mindfulness allows you to observe your thoughts and emotions and begin to realize that there is a distinct pattern to your fears in trading.  There is a powerful freedom that comes with realizing that you and your thoughts are not the same.  Mindfulness is the door to change.

Automatic Assessments

We are blind to the self-limiting beliefs that drive our lives, including our trading.  We don’t see these assessments operating in the backwater of our mind.  In this section, these automatic assessments, masquerading as unexamined beliefs, are revealed.  You will see how they are driving your mindset from which you trade.  They appear in the light of your awareness so that you can challenge them. Here you begin to separate your competence to perform in a domain (trading) and your inherent worth as a human being.  Most traders have been trying to prove their worth as a human being by their performances in trading.  This produces disastrous results.  Here the first step to understanding automatic, negative assessments and the thoughts in your mind is uncovered.  Your performance in trading becomes a measure of your competence in trading rather than a measure of your worth as a human being.  Competence in trading can be improved.  Character assassination as a measure of your performance is released.

Discovering the Internal Dialog

With your new-found skill of mindfulness, you begin to discern your thoughts as internal conversations between different parts of yourself.  You discover that there is a fearful child-like part of the self that is constantly sucked into destructive ways of thinking that leads to bad trading decisions.  And you discover that there is a highly critical element in this historical internal dialog that judges, criticizes, and predicts negative outcomes.  Most people have lived with this historical internal dialog for so long that it just seems to be who  they are.  In mindfulness training you learn that this is deception.  The truth is that there are many different possible organizations of who we can be.  And the historical internal dialog is but one of them.  And as long as you are mindless of the power of the historical Internal dialog, it will keep you stuck in trading purgatory.

Without freeing yourself from the tyranny of this unseen set of self-limiting beliefs, you stay stuck in your current trading pattern.  This is described as the Money Script, which controls the emotional nature of your relationship to money and trading – and you will learn more about this in the course as well.  Disrupting it opens up the possibility of building the elements of your peak performance state of mind.

Class 103:  Awakening Your Heroic Nature For Success in Trading

In the same way that you experience fear and self doubt (because they live within you as possible organizations of the self), there also exists discipline, patience, courage, and impartiality.  In this course you learn to bring into your awareness these elements of the self and develop them as part of the skills training in this course.  The internal dialog becomes more complex.  It becomes a committee meeting where you reorganize the committee, through your new-found awareness, into a much more highly effective mindset for trading. You will learn how to locate these parts of your personality and act from them rather than the fear-based internal dialog that brings with it fear and self doubt.

You will learn that discipline, patience, courage, and impartiality are inherent parts of the human condition and that you can bring them into your awareness  so they become part of your decision making process.

Memory Enrichment

Memory Enrichment is based on the brain’s way of embedding the meaning of an event.  You will learn how to take an actual memory (where you were challenged by the risk of uncertainty and you managed to push through) and re-work the memory so you are able to call forth the qualities of discipline, courage, patience, and impartiality (the exact qualities of mindset needed to trade well) while in the act of trading.  This is a powerful process.  It is based on Emotional Intelligence and the building of a memory to produce a particular state of mind. (You will not find this process anywhere else.)

Class 104:  The Nature of Your Internal Struggle

This is where traders who know how to trade but not manage emotions, fail.  Most of us have skillfully avoided the internal struggle that goes on within every human being.  In trading, this cannot be done.  You have to face your psychological demons or you will continue to fall victim to self-doubt, fear, and impulse.  But this time, you will be entering this struggle from a position of strength and mindfulness, rather than weakness and mindlessness.  You will find the strength to confront your fears.  And you will discover that your psychological demons only had power because you gave them permission to judge you — and therefore, keep you in fear and self-doubt.  This has enormous influence in your trading. Think about the struggles you have in particular moments of trading.  Avoiding the struggle doesn’t work — you know that.  Coming to that struggle with the skills and tools taught in this course makes all the difference in the world.

Intentionally Creating Your State of Mind From Which to Trade

The last element of the course is about making this new process intentional.  With your skill sets and new tools in place, you build the state of mind from which you will enter your trading day.  Instead of mindlessly drifting into your trading day, you mindfully bring forth the elements of the self that know how to trade from discipline, patience, courage, and impartiality.  You become the creator of the state of mind that manages the uncertainty inherent in trading. The difference is that instead of a fearful state of mind interacting with uncertainty (setting the stage for negative outcome) you bring a calm authority to the uncertainty inherent in trading.  It is this state of mind that produces peak performance and brings the psychological edge of risk management to your trading.  It is the state of mind that you bring to uncertainty that most influences the outcome of probability.  This is the Trader’s State of Mind.  That’s what you will learn how to produce in this course.

Class 105:  Planned Intentionality and Vigilance as Part of the Psychological Trading Plan

Getting equipped for the internal struggles of trading is never enough for permanent change.  The trader has to become intentional about the mind that he brings to trading each day and each moment within a trading cycle.  In this class, a trader-student develops a psychological trading plan that works cohesively with his or her trading rules.  He no longer just “shows up” to trade.  Instead he learns a process that allows him to establish a peak performance state of mind (Traders State of Mind) on an intentional basis, much like a baseball player going through a ritual that prepares him for the challenges of hitting, while under the pressure to perform.

Each student writes a personalized plan (based on the skills he has learned during the course) and begins the process of putting the plan into action while trading.  The result is a prepared mind, focused on disciplined impartiality, that engages the pressures of trading — rather than an unprepared mind that is easily triggered to fearful thinking.

The need for vigilance is also encouraged.  Many traders fall into the trap of believing “now that I know how to do it, the rest is history”.  This is not the way success in trading happens.  Success in trading demands that you remain vigilant to the “slacking-off” effect.  The performance mind of a trader, once developed, has to be maintained or the skill will erode over time.  The skills learned have to be practiced on a consistent basis to stay in peak performance shape.  Eternal vigilance is the price for freedom.

The last class takes all the student has learned and condenses it into a personalized psychological trading plan based on the trader’s needs.  Much of the mystery of choking in the moment of pressure is gone and in its place is a mind built for the management of the probabilities of uncertainty.

Cost:

What would it be worth to you to trade from a disciplined, patient, courageous, and impartial state of mind?  How much would it save you?  Most traders acknowledge the price of this online course can make an invaluable contribution to their growth as a successful trader.  Considering that, Developing Trader’s State of Mind is a bargain.

$995 Single Payment
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Full Risk Disclosure

The following statement is furnished pursuant to Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) Regulation 1.55(c).This brief statement does not disclose all of the risks and other significant aspects of trading in futures, forex and options. In light of the risks, you should undertake such transactions only if you understand the nature of the contracts (and contractual relationships) into which you are entering and the extent of your exposure to risk. Trading in futures, forex and options is not suitable for many members of the public. You should carefully consider whether trading is appropriate for you in light of your experience, objectives, financial resources and other relevant circumstances.

The risk of loss in trading commodity futures contracts and foreign currency can be substantial. You should, therefore, carefully consider whether such trading is suitable for you in light of your circumstances and financial resources. You should be aware of the following points:

  1. You may sustain a total loss of the funds that you deposit with your broker to establish or maintain a position in the commodity futures market or foreign exchange market, and you may incur losses beyond these amounts. If the market moves against your position, you may be called upon by your broker to deposit a substantial amount of additional margin funds, on short notice, in order to maintain your position. If you do not provide the required funds within the time required by your broker, your position may be liquidated at a loss, and you will be liable for any resulting deficit in your account.
  2. The funds you deposit with a futures commission merchant for trading futures and forex positions are not protected by insurance in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the futures commission merchant, or in the event your funds are misappropriated.
  3. The funds you deposit with a futures commission merchant for trading futures or forex positions are not protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation even if the futures commission merchant is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a broker or dealer.
  4. The funds you deposit with a futures commission merchant are generally not guaranteed or insured by a derivatives clearing organization in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the futures commission merchant, or if the futures commission merchant is otherwise unable to refund your funds. Certain derivatives clearing organizations, however, may have programs that provide limited insurance to customers. You should inquire of your futures commission merchant whether your funds will be insured by a derivatives clearing organization and you should understand the benefits and limitations of such insurance programs.
  5. The funds you deposit with a futures commission merchant are not held by the futures commission merchant in a separate account for your individual benefit. Futures commission merchants commingle the funds received from customers in one or more accounts and you may be exposed to losses incurred by other customers if the futures commission merchant does not have sufficient capital to cover such other customers’ trading losses.
  6. The funds you deposit with a futures commission merchant may be invested by the futures commission merchant in certain types of financial instruments that have been approved by the Commission for the purpose of such investments. Permitted investments are listed in Commission Regulation 1.25 and include: U.S. government securities; municipal securities; money market mutual funds; and certain corporate notes and bonds. The futures commission merchant may retain the interest and other earnings realized from its investment of customer funds. You should be familiar with the types of financial instruments that a futures commission merchant may invest customer funds in.
  7. Futures commission merchants are permitted to deposit customer funds with affiliated entities, such as affiliated banks, securities brokers or dealers, or foreign brokers. You should inquire as to whether your futures commission merchant deposits funds with affiliates and assess whether such deposits by the futures commission merchant with its affiliates increases the risks to your funds.
  8. You should consult your futures commission merchant concerning the nature of the protections available to safeguard funds or property deposited for your account.
  9. Under certain market conditions, you may find it difficult or impossible to liquidate a position. This can occur, for example, when the market reaches a daily price fluctuation limit (“limit move”).
  10. All futures, forex and options positions involve risk, and a “spread” position may not be less risky than an outright “long” or “short” position.
  11. The high degree of leverage (gearing) that is often obtainable in futures and forex trading because of the small margin requirements can work against you as well as for you. Leverage (gearing) can lead to large losses as well as gains.
  12. In addition to the risks noted in the paragraphs enumerated above, you should be familiar with the futures commission merchant you select to entrust your funds for trading futures positions. As of July 12, 2014, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission requires each futures commission merchant to make publicly available on its Web site firm specific disclosures and financial information to assist you with your assessment and selection of a futures commission merchant. Information regarding this futures commission merchant may be obtained by visiting the websites of the respective FCM partner of NinjaTrader Brokerage: Dorman Trading ( www.dormantrading.com), Phillip Capital ( www.phillipcapital.com), FXCM (www.fxcm.com)

ALL OF THE POINTS NOTED ABOVE APPLY TO ALL FUTURES AND FOREX TRADING WHETHER FOREIGN OR DOMESTIC. IN ADDITION, IF YOU ARE CONTEMPLATING TRADING FOREIGN FUTURES OR OPTIONS CONTRACTS, YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING ADDITIONAL RISKS:

  1. Foreign futures transactions involve executing and clearing trades on a foreign exchange. This is the case even if the foreign exchange is formally “linked” to a domestic exchange, whereby a trade executed on one exchange liquidates or establishes a position on the other exchange. No domestic organization regulates the activities of a foreign exchange, including the execution, delivery, and clearing of transactions on such an exchange, and no domestic regulator has the power to compel enforcement of the rules of the foreign exchange or the laws of the foreign country. Moreover, such laws or regulations will vary depending on the foreign country in which the transaction occurs. For these reasons, customers who trade on foreign exchanges may not be afforded certain of the protections which apply to domestic transactions, including the right to use domestic alternative dispute resolution procedures. In particular, funds received from customers to margin foreign futures transactions may not be provided the same protections as funds received to margin futures transactions on domestic exchanges. Before you trade, you should familiarize yourself with the foreign rules which will apply to your particular transaction.
  2. Finally, you should be aware that the price of any foreign futures or option contract and, therefore, the potential profit and loss resulting therefrom, may be affected by any fluctuation in the foreign exchange rate between the time the order is placed and the foreign futures contract is liquidated or the foreign option contract is liquidated or exercised.

THIS BRIEF STATEMENT CANNOT, OF COURSE, DISCLOSE ALL THE RISKS AND OTHER ASPECTS OF THE COMMODITY AND FOREIGN CURRENCY MARKETS.