Key Points: Modern "Stoicism" is often misinterpreted as emotional suppression, a dangerous misunderstanding that activates the "Detached Protector" coping style and blinds you to market risks. True Stoic strength lies in emotional regulation and the "Dichotomy of...
DETECT: Catch It Before It Catches You
You can’t regulate what you don’t notice. Most traders recognize tilt only after the damage, after the revenge trade, after the third add. By then, your nervous system already made the decision.
Detection means catching internal shifts in seconds, not minutes. Your body signals dysregulation before your mind admits it: jaw tension, shallow breathing, chest tightness, racing thoughts. These mark the transition from regulated to urgent to tilted.
Skill: Recognize the shift before it runs the trade.
Using Theory of Mind to Out-Execute the Herd
Key points: Theory of Mind (ToM) is the technical ability to map the "Panic Thresholds" of other traders, turning market movement into a map of human distress. Maladaptive schemas like "Subjugation" force you to follow the herd for safety, while "Social Isolation"...
Locus of Control: The Roots of the Blame Game
Key Points: Locus of control is a psychological concept that affects traders' perception of control over their trading outcomes. Traders with an internal locus of control tend to be more proactive, resilient, and confident. Shifting towards an internal locus of...
Emotional Intelligence Part 3: Leveraging Anger
Key Points: Understanding the evolutionary origins and utility of anger. Exploring anger's role in modern settings, particularly in trading. Strategies to manage and harness anger constructively. Anger, a complex emotion deeply rooted in our evolutionary history, can...
Emotional Intelligence Part 2: Leveraging Greed
Explore how greed fuels innovation and resource acquisition while posing social and psychological challenges. Learn strategies to balance ambition with ethical practices for sustainable trading success.
Emotional Intelligence Part 1: Leveraging Fear
Fear is crucial for high performance, driving mastery, discipline, and best practices. Understand how a healthy relationship with fear can enhance your trading performance.
Motivation: Ask Yourself, Don’t Tell Yourself
Discover the science of self-questioning and its impact on curiosity, engagement, and self-awareness. Learn how this approach can significantly boost your motivation and cognitive performance.
Contextual Psychology: The Home Office Trap
Understand the role of context in trading performance. Explore values-based risk management and contextual awareness to enhance decision-making in both institutional and retail trading environments.
Mindset is a Verb: Setting Your Mind
Utilize practical tools like the Perspective Map and Emotion Wheel to maintain emotional clarity and balance in premarket trading. Develop self-awareness and acceptance for optimal trading performance.
Patience Pays: Behaving for Profit
Patience is vital for achieving long-term goals and mental resilience. Learn how high performers benefit from patience through improved decision-making and burnout prevention.
Sean Sawyer, MS
Psychotherapist | Trader
Sean Sawyer has been a psychotherapist since 2003 and a full-time trader since 2018. Sean helps traders prevent tilt & repeat the same mistakes by rewiring the brain patterns that fail them under pressure.