Sleight of Mind

Magic and mystery are threads woven integrally into the life fabric of every person inhabiting this planet. They can be sources of of great wnonderment, love and enjoyment. They can also form the basis for megalomanic behaviors, bigotry, paranoia and conflict.

We are all slaves to our brain’s embedded thoughts, those memories that were implanted in our minds beginning in early childhood. Our minds can create magical illusins causing us to believe things that have no basis in reality such as superstitions, placebo medical miracles, religious myths and many others.

Brain researchers today know how lasting memories are instilled in childhood by cultural beliefs. Memories can last for a lifetime and create the very nature of one’s personality and thoughts. When we are young, we tend to accept without much disagreement whatever we are taught by our parents, teachers, ministers and other authority figures. Thus is our social fabric and culture formed. We know today that stimuli can arise from within the brain using the same neural pathways that can be activated by outside stimuli from the environment. We also now know that brain cells and nerve pathways, activated by thoughts and perceptions, are linked to the pathways that produce our emotions. In these ways, the brain exposes us daily to to deceptive thinking. We do not submit the thoughts thus arising to a careful, logical examination. Our thinking is most often misdirected away from a careful scrutiny of the thoughts that arise. Just as our belief can be swayed by a magician’s dexterity, so we are ruled by our brain’s habitual manipulations, which might well be termed”Sleight of Mind.”

In 1972, Dr. Ulett left public psychiatry and opened a private practice in Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, in which he used a scientific no-needle, electrical stimulation variant version of acupuncture in a successful practice of treating patients with chronic pain and anxiety.

He has been an amateur magician since boyhood and has given his performances to many hospital, civic and childrens groups where he stressed how the mind can be fooled into accepting many false beliefs.

Today we will see a previously produced video of both a presentation by Dr. Ulett and a few brief segments of one of his magic shows. Following that, we will have Dr. Ulett here to chat with us and to answer your questions live.

For $10 we offer the following accreditation which can be purchased during the Web Conference: The University of Missouri-Columbia Missouri Institute of Mental Health (MIMH) will be responsible for this program and maintain a record of your continuing education credits earned. The Missouri Institute of Mental Health will award 1 clock hour or 1.2 contact hours (.1 CEU) for this activity.MIMH credit will fulfill Clinical Social Work and Psychologist licensure requirements in the State of Missouri. Attendees with licensure from other states are responsible for seeking appropriate continuing education credit, from their respective boards for completing this program.