The art of mind reading

Without a doubt, reading the mind of another person is the most desired desire of many. Wanting to know what our partner, boss, children, friends or subordinates think of us is one of the most coveted needs by those who motivate us by curiosity deep down. Do you remember the Mel Gibson movie “What Women Want”? It is based on this desire.

Can you read someone’s mind like Patrick Jane’s character in The Mentalist? Yes and no! How so? Well, correctly reading an individual’s emotions and even their deepest secrets is possible with the right training, asking the right questions and observing in detail the behavior of the person of interest at all times, and of course, under the research parameters. accurate. To do it the way Hollywood presents it to us, well, I’m sorry to tell you, dear reader, that it’s not possible.

Institutions like the FBI have a very interesting department where they analyze the behavior of persons of interest, and thanks to this department, terrorists, pedophiles, psychopaths, serial killers, swindlers… in short, criminals who came to commit crimes most atrocious in history. This particular department was the one that inspired the series Criminal Minds and Bright Minds.

Are we entering the world of non-verbal science? Studies from the Faculty of Psychology at Harvard, Princeton and Yale together managed to discover that there are 450 emotions, which are the result of seven very specific ones: sadness, happiness, anger, disgust, fear, surprise and contempt. Each emotion can be revealed to us like an open book through micro or macro gestures, depending on the context, however, facial gestures do not come alone; They are accompanied by body language and certain words that serve as a guide, creating clusters or groups that reveal, through non-verbal behavior, the pure truth.

Chris Voss, one of the FBI’s top hostage negotiators, and by Fabulous Things in Life one of my coaches in my professional walk, uses very subtle tactics that guide us to enter the mind of a person.

When I learned them, I discovered how easy it is to obtain key information to get to the truth of many facts, and even discover something that he calls “the black swan”, which is a series of data that is difficult to obtain but that, with the right questions, , who is questioned will say them without thinking. There are no screams, blows, torture or threats, the information comes out smoothly and even voluntarily in most cases.

Tactics such as “reiterative truth”, “reflections” and “labelling” are among the simplest and fastest to apply, of course, there are other more complex intelligence tactics that are used in situations where life or death is even at stake.

I tell you something? The human brain is one of the most wonderful organs in the body and at the same time the most malleable and easy to fool. If you laugh, he thinks you’re happy and, as if that weren’t enough, Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) studies have revealed that it only takes 21 days to change a habit.

There is also something that few take into account and it is called the subconscious, this man is responsible for betraying our deepest secrets and, in the least expected moments, he will release the information even in the most candid way.

Many have interpreted that mind reading can only be done by psychics or people with paranormal powers. We could make an endless debate about it, because there are believers and detractors. What cannot be denied is that a “psychic” has keen observation as a secret weapon.

In a psychic session, whoever is anxiously seeking answers will show through their body language that need to resolve the concerns that lie in wait for them, they will unintentionally uncover data or facts that a shrewd person who, if they know how to listen and observe carefully, will use in their favor to make him believe he has powers beyond…

Remember this, the body does not lie to the body and for this reason, when there are open dialogues, but without words, the truth will always come to light since communication is to a relationship, what breathing is to life.

I must also remind you of something key: just as this tool is used by people of integrity to do good, there are also those who use it for evil, which results in a lot of problems and crimes.

The mind remains a mystery and is complex, there is no doubt about that, but with the right tools and the right studies with the right professionals, the wonders of thought have been discovered, as well as its most atrocious nightmares.

Today, due to pandemic issues, investing in mental health within companies is no longer eccentricity or unnecessary luxury, it is an urgent need that due to the sum of covid-19, globalization, day-to-day economic pressures, social isolation, layoffs, suspension of contracts, etc. the mental health of many is not only being challenged, but without help and alone, it will be difficult to face. There are those who succeed, there are those who don’t. If your company has a human resources department, I recommend that you take a non-verbal communication workshop.

I close with these figures: in Panama, 1 out of 3 people lies in their job interview and resume. Suicides are committed every 2 days and there are six attempts every day. 75% of couples divorce or separate after five years of living together, and 85% of dismissals in a company occur due to poor communication and personal relationships.

Do you want to read the mind of others like an open book? Start by listening and observing with your five senses engaged in your here and now.