EMBRACING THE ELUSIVE INTANGIBLE MYSTERIES OF THE UNCONSCIOUS in an industry that’s focused on hard facts and numbers has drawn its fair share of criticism along the way. I was inspired by the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer who once said, “All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”
One time, I was asked to review advertising in development and provide feedback on the relative strengths and weaknesses of campaign options through the lens of my seven steps. When I sent my thoughts out in an email, a clever, good-natured digital creative director converted the text of my observations into speech, sharing the audio file with the group replete with a stilted robotic voice that made me laugh out loud. But when the snickering and wisecracks about my neuroanatomical references and hypnosis demonstrations turned into outrage and table pounds, that’s when I knew I was getting somewhere. We all at times are quick to judge new ideas that threaten old comfortable ways of thinking. But we are sometimes equally compliant to jump on the bandwagon of popular belief when the tide shifts. I acknowledge not only those who supported this endeavor but also those who challenged it, since they helped strengthen my resolve and deepen my inquiry.
I am most grateful that Jim Levine supported this project when it was just a working title and a rough proposal. Thanks to Kerry Sparks and Elizabeth Fisher at the Levine Greenberg Literary Agency for being so helpful and responsive throughout this process. My editor Laurie Harting was among the first to find originality in my ideas and best qualified to help bring them to my audience. Thanks also to the many other smart and dedicated people at Palgrave Macmillan including: Alan Bradshaw, Lauren Dwyer, Andrew Varhol, and Roberta Melville. I am fortunate that Dan Smetanka taught me about the publishing business and introduced me to Kristen McGuiness who helped me at every step from proposal to endless endnote, adding structure, fluency and thoughtful input from Intro to Afterword. Jon Ritt not only brilliantly designed the cover of this book, but he also demonstrated the power of the branding principles contained within it. I am truly grateful for Anna Villano, my parents, Marie-Louise and Robert, and my siblings, Viviane, Connie, and Robert.
I must acknowledge the authorities in the cognitive and behavioral sciences, the amazing doctors, scientists, and professors who are far more qualified than myself to make these arguments and without whom this book could not have been written. Some of them I have had the pleasure of meeting; all of which I have had the benefit of learning from their work. I respectfully recognize: Antonio Damasio, Joseph LeDoux, V.S. Ramachandran, Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker, Leda Cosmides, John Tooby, Daniel Kahneman, Dan Ariely, Timothy Wilson, Geoffrey Miller, Read Montague, Chris Frith, Matt Ridley, David Eagleman, Paul Zak, Rob Kurzban, Paul Ekman, Edward O. Wilson, Giacomo Rizzolatti, Eric Kandel, Robert Trivers, John-Dylan Haynes, George Loewenstein, Baba Shiv, Douglas Hofstadter, Michael Gazzaniga, Gerd Gigerenzer, Gad Saad, Daniel Goleman, Robert Cialdini, Mark Turner, Louann Brizendine, Naomi Eisenberger, David Buss, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Robin Dunbar, Paul Bloom, Andrew Newberg, Bianca Wittman, Emrah Düzel, Nico Bunzeck, John Medina, Allen MacNeill, Thomas Crook, Beatrice de Gelder, Wolfram Schultz, Greg Stephens, Joshua Brown, Barry Schwartz, Ellen Langer, Jeff Brown, Mark Fenske, George Viamontes, Bernard Beitman, Robert Provine, Vittorio Gallese, Daniel Wolpert, Christopher Chabris, Daniel Simons, Dylan Evans, John Sarno, and more . . .
Thanks to George Kappas and his staff at HMI College of Hypnotherapy for teaching me about the unconscious mind and helping people lead better more fulfilling lives. I would also like to acknowledge the pioneering work of his father, the late Dr. John Kappas, a founder of the profession of hypnotherapy who intuited the inner workings of the mind about half a century ago. The revolutionary work of the late Dr. Milton Erickson was also highly influential to this book, and I respect his contributions to the hypnosis, medical, and psychiatric communities in offering people better, quicker paths toward mental and emotional wellbeing.
Behind every great ad or marketing effort there is always a great client so I would like to thank my many great clients past and present, especially the people at Volkswagen with whom I have spent much of my time in recent years, including: Jonathan Browning, Tim Mahoney, Kevin Mayer, Justin Osborne, Brian Thomas, Jeff Sayen, Steve Neder, and Tim Ellis.
And last but never least, many thanks go to my many good friends and colleagues at Deutsch LA. I have worked at a few good ad agencies but none as original, intelligent, and capable as Deutsch. Our philosophy for hiring people with “big brains, big hearts, thick skin, who are two degrees off-center” has assembled one of the most creative and innovative teams in the business. Special thanks to Mike Sheldon, Eric Hirshberg, Jeffrey Blish, Mark Hunter, Kim Getty, Kyle Acquistapace, Winston Binch, Vic Palumbo, Chad Saul, Jeff Sweat, Tom Else, Michael Kadin, Matt Ian, Eric Springer, Monica Jungbeck, Chris Carter, Nargis Pirani, Bryan Clurman, Stuart Foster, Bud Caddell, David Povill, Ryan McLaughlin, Craig Melchiano, and all the other great Deutschers that make our agency what it is today.
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