|  AUG 1993

Physiology And Trading by Ruth Roosevelt

Physiology And Trading by Ruth Roosevelt Developing a winning attitude for trading may be easier than you think if you start with some basic physical adjustments to the way you relate to your workstation. In this month's article on trading psychology, Ruth Roosevelt, director of the Wall Street Hypnosis Center, examines how to correct habits that may be inhibiting your ability to achieve. The three basic ways to change your mental state are through changing your beliefs, changing your mental focus or changing your physiology. The simplest and most immediate of these is to change your physiology. Facial expression, posture, movement, gesture, breathing and voice tonality and tempo can be considered physiology. Your physiology profoundly affects your emotions, thinking, behavior and self-image, as well as the image you project to the world. You are the message, and that message feeds back to you through your subconscious and through the responses of others to that message, creating more and more of the same. As you read this, try slumping your shoulders forward and bending slightly at the waist while dropping your head down so your chin practically touches your chest. Turn the corners of your mouth down a little. Breathe shallowly or barely at all. Notice how easy it would be to get depressed doing this. Now, if you really want to experiment, add belief and focus. While sitting like this, start thinking about all your past trading losses and then worry about future losses. Try believing that it's just not possible to beat the market, no matter what you do. How do you like it?

by Ruth Barrons Roosevelt