Nov 19, 2006
Trader Peak Performance and biofeedback programs
By: Alvaro Fernandez
Brett Steenbarger, the renowned expert in Trader Performance and author of the blog TraderFeed: Exploiting the edge from historical market patterns, among many things, just posted a kind note on our Peak Performance/ emotional management solution for traders.
He says: “This is the first biofeedback application that I’m aware of that is uniquely marketed to traders. I’ve used biofeedback to monitor my body’s level of arousal during trading and have found it to be quite useful.”
How does this work?
Traders, or anyone involved in very complex and rapidly evolving environments, need to make split second decisions based on sound logic, instead of emotional impulses. It is not easy to deal with frustration, for example, when a trade doesn’t go the way we anticipate. Stress can also cause us to miss new patterns in the market, thereby preventing us from adapting to, and succeeding in, new circumstances.
A biofeedback-based Peak Performance/Stress Management program may be useful, because a tool such as The Freeze-Framer biofeedback system provides real-time visual feedback on our “internal performance” and helps us identify and learn how to manage the emotional arousal that can disrupt executive functions: judgment, planning, analyzing, and reasoning. The graphs above show the difference in our body rhythms between frustration and the smooth target pattern of “The Zone” in an optimal learning process and peak performance.
For more information on Trader Performance, an interview with Brett Steenbarger, or to buy this this program, click on Brain Fitness Program for Traders. You may also want to learn more about finding your trading niche.
Enjoy,
Alvaro
Alvaro,
Great job interviewing Dr. Steenbarger, he’s an innovative thinker, researcher and trading coach whom I have learned many insightful tips from over the years. The cutting edge performance management tool Freeze Framer and variations will likely gain interest among serious traders dedicated to practicing & improving their discipline. My colleague and I look forward to beginning our course in Feb’07 via Northwestern University & The Chicago Board of Trade teaching traders psychological tactics rooted in the self-regulation research of Steenbarger and others. The Freeze Framer will be a key learning tool or “practice field” where traders will experiment with locating the zone of high performance to improve confidence with trade execution, manage stress and hopefully lead to larger profits. I’ll keep you posted on our results; you keep up the insightful dialogues with great minds! – Ken
Ken, great to see you here, thanks for your comments. Please keep us posted-literally, feel free to share your insights through our blog, we can coordinate a guest entry if you’d like. Talk to you
The biofeedback machine and software sounds interesting. How long have this product been out? Any future updates coming?
I would like to hear some reviews by satisfied users who experienced improvement in their trading before making a purchase.
Albert, will contact you directly. Thanks for your interest
[...] In the post Trader Peak Performance and biofeedback programs we showed the Heart Rate Variability patterns correlated with levels of a) anxiety or b) Peak Performance, “The Zone”. Biofeedback supports our emotional self-regulation: we can visually track what is going on inside us and train ourselves to manage our emotional state. On the left you have an example of my own performance during a 5-minute experiment 4 months ago. At the top, you see my name; at the bottom, the duration of the session. Right axis, for top half, is Heart Rate. (This is only the half left of the screen in the program-the right half would give you more information.) I have highlighted several phases: [...]
[...] In the post Trader Peak Performance and biofeedback programs we showed the Heart Rate Variability patterns correlated with levels of a) anxiety or b) Peak Performance, “The Zoneâ€. Biofeedback supports our emotional self-regulation: we can visually track what is going on inside us and train ourselves to manage our emotional state. On the left you have an example of my own performance during a 5-minute experiment 4 months ago. At the top, you see my name; at the bottom, the duration of the session. Right axis, for top half, is Heart Rate. (This is only the half left of the screen in the program-the right half would give you more information.) I have highlighted several phases: [...]
[...] Alvaro Fernandez presents Trader Peak Performance and Biofeedback Programs posted at SharpBrains: Your Window into the Brain Fitness Revolution, saying, “This post describes a system for learning to manage your emotions in order to improve your ability to make fast, logical decisions under pressure and perform at your peak.” [...]