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Success is Not an Accident: The Mental Bank Concept
The Mental Bank program, developed by Dr. John Kappas and the staff of the Hypnosis Motivation Institute, represents the culmination of 30 years experience in the field of subconscious and behavioral reprogramming. The text explains in easy to follow steps the five synergistic elements of the Mental Bank program and how to get them working in your life in less than five minutes per day. The Mental Bank program is a dramatic demonstration of how your subconscious mind is a goal machine, driven to achieve whatever it is programmed for. The Mental Bank program puts you in the driver's seat for programming your subconscious mind to achieve success, happiness and prosperity, easily and effortlessly
236 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 1, 2019
Hypnotherapist John G. Kappas wants to help you find success, happiness and prosperity in Success is not an Accident: The Mental Bank Concept (or, as my friend Carrie and I joked in our episodes about this program, the typography might lead one to pronounce it Success is not the Mental Bank an Concept Accident). The Mental Bank is a daily ledger in which you record your goals, accomplishments and affirmations in concert with a system of monetary values geared to inflate your sense of earning potential and move you toward your goals. Kappas has you calculate your annual pre-tax income and double that to set your target wealth. This then yields a flat or hourly rate (confusingly calculated on a 20 hour work week?) that you can use to credit yourself for various "value events" that you've determined will move you towards your stated goals. You add up these values, subtract any "reality income" you've earned (I'd be hard-pressed to explain the logic behind subtracting real-world income), and then add to your Mental Bank total until you reach the level of your multiplied income. Confusing? Apparently this is by design: the goal is to blend factual and fictional money in your head to the point at which inflated sums sound perfectly reasonable.
Though based on this number-crunching system, the Mental Bank isn't just about earning more money. You can use it towards improvements in relationships, parenting, fitness, sleep, learning, or whatever goals you'd like to plug in. This is where the hypnotherapy comes into play: by filling this out and stating your affirmations right before going to bed each night, you're subtly reprogramming yourself at the most impressionable time of the day, right as you're falling into the sleep state. A self-administered test in the book lets you calculate whether you are more physically or emotionally suggestible, and thus how concrete or abstract your goals should be. Also, by handwriting this ledger, you'll reinforce these changes on a hardwired level. The effects are meant to be imperceptible at any given moment, but detectable after months or years of accumulated progress.
I found out about this program in a class taught by John's son, George Kappas. Three weeks later, I've missed only one night's entry. The Hypnosis Motivation Institute (founded by the author) offers an online ledger, which I fill out every night before I go to bed. They've eschewed John's insistence on handwritten affirmations by suggesting that many of us are equally hardwired to typing (which might be true). I would have had a hard time keeping up with the handwritten process, so I'm glad the digital one is available. They have very kindly offered the tool for free, at least so far. It's kind of fun each night to give myself credit for activities like eating healthy meals, going running, using learning apps, reading, and working on my podcast. Then I get to record my "Mental Bank Happenings": positive developments throughout the day. Finally, I can write up to three affirmations: "I am tackling my short- and long-term goals with joy and efficiency." Or, "I am highly productive, but also take time to rest and relax." These are aspirational... even if they're not true yet, the idea is that I can state them affirmatively and hypnotize myself into the state of mind required to achieve them. At this point I've accumulated $44,421.75 in my Mental Bank.
Now, how effective is all this? Probably pretty effective, but not necessarily for the reasons John G. Kappas states in the book. Having the accountability of a daily journal and constant reminders of your goals is going to be helpful no matter what, and if it's a system that works for you, great! The "science" on hypnosis is not quite so settled as Kappas would lead us to believe in the book (originally published in 1982), and he makes a fair amount of unsupported (or disproven) claims, especially about the law of attraction and the role of miracles. While these kinds of daily records and affirmations are likely going to improve one's prospects, success is by no means guaranteed, and that distinction is missing from the book. It is implied that if life is working against you, that is on some level your fault. The examples pulled for the book are, of course, the outliers who have done incredibly well with the system. We don't hear about those who haven't made significant process, though I'd be willing to bet those examples abound. While the focus on positivity is understandable, a dose of reality would go a long way toward making me more willing to recommend this system.
If this kind of record keeping is motivating to you, it might be worth giving it a shot! Just take all the hypnosis and universe-intelligence claims with a grain of salt. Either way, here's wishing you lots of luck in achieving your life goals.
Though based on this number-crunching system, the Mental Bank isn't just about earning more money. You can use it towards improvements in relationships, parenting, fitness, sleep, learning, or whatever goals you'd like to plug in. This is where the hypnotherapy comes into play: by filling this out and stating your affirmations right before going to bed each night, you're subtly reprogramming yourself at the most impressionable time of the day, right as you're falling into the sleep state. A self-administered test in the book lets you calculate whether you are more physically or emotionally suggestible, and thus how concrete or abstract your goals should be. Also, by handwriting this ledger, you'll reinforce these changes on a hardwired level. The effects are meant to be imperceptible at any given moment, but detectable after months or years of accumulated progress.
I found out about this program in a class taught by John's son, George Kappas. Three weeks later, I've missed only one night's entry. The Hypnosis Motivation Institute (founded by the author) offers an online ledger, which I fill out every night before I go to bed. They've eschewed John's insistence on handwritten affirmations by suggesting that many of us are equally hardwired to typing (which might be true). I would have had a hard time keeping up with the handwritten process, so I'm glad the digital one is available. They have very kindly offered the tool for free, at least so far. It's kind of fun each night to give myself credit for activities like eating healthy meals, going running, using learning apps, reading, and working on my podcast. Then I get to record my "Mental Bank Happenings": positive developments throughout the day. Finally, I can write up to three affirmations: "I am tackling my short- and long-term goals with joy and efficiency." Or, "I am highly productive, but also take time to rest and relax." These are aspirational... even if they're not true yet, the idea is that I can state them affirmatively and hypnotize myself into the state of mind required to achieve them. At this point I've accumulated $44,421.75 in my Mental Bank.
Now, how effective is all this? Probably pretty effective, but not necessarily for the reasons John G. Kappas states in the book. Having the accountability of a daily journal and constant reminders of your goals is going to be helpful no matter what, and if it's a system that works for you, great! The "science" on hypnosis is not quite so settled as Kappas would lead us to believe in the book (originally published in 1982), and he makes a fair amount of unsupported (or disproven) claims, especially about the law of attraction and the role of miracles. While these kinds of daily records and affirmations are likely going to improve one's prospects, success is by no means guaranteed, and that distinction is missing from the book. It is implied that if life is working against you, that is on some level your fault. The examples pulled for the book are, of course, the outliers who have done incredibly well with the system. We don't hear about those who haven't made significant process, though I'd be willing to bet those examples abound. While the focus on positivity is understandable, a dose of reality would go a long way toward making me more willing to recommend this system.
If this kind of record keeping is motivating to you, it might be worth giving it a shot! Just take all the hypnosis and universe-intelligence claims with a grain of salt. Either way, here's wishing you lots of luck in achieving your life goals.
April 21, 2012
This book, along with The Mental Bank Ledger is absolutely a must have! I strongly recommend it!
December 22, 2015
There are a large number of typos and grammatical errors in this book. Many more then I would expect from something in its 5th edition. I would also have appreciated citing some sources for some of the scientific claims.
April 18, 2014
Loved it!
February 24, 2021
Saw a seminar on YouTube a few years back and commpletely forgot about this and the Mental Bank Ledger exercise book (also reviewing.)until Jan 2021.
There are a few typos in the book (PDF version available from HMI website)that don't detract fromm the read. Easy to grasp what self-hypnosis is and what possibilities it can bring. I found it over-all interesting!
4/5 stars? Because mmy feeling is the 13 self-hypnosis steps (very simmple process) could be worded better. I'mm critical that way. You'll see what I mmean when you read the book or PDF😉
isabelydancer00
There are a few typos in the book (PDF version available from HMI website)that don't detract fromm the read. Easy to grasp what self-hypnosis is and what possibilities it can bring. I found it over-all interesting!
4/5 stars? Because mmy feeling is the 13 self-hypnosis steps (very simmple process) could be worded better. I'mm critical that way. You'll see what I mmean when you read the book or PDF😉
isabelydancer00
March 16, 2021
The book is quite fundamental but repetition is important for learning. I think the methods will work well for those who create their own events and those who can set their own price for their products so they calibrate their activities to reach their goals.
April 30, 2024
I really enjoyed this book and its concepts. I also am trying the ledger that accompanies this. I do wish they would update this book, just bit. I think the concept is great and is extremely useful.
January 18, 2013
I highly recommend this book to anyone who needs daily motivation to keep working towards small, medium and large goals. I was introduced to the Mental Bank Program as part of my hypnosis training at HMI. I personally use the Mental Bank and also teach it to my clients to help them achieve their goals. www.margitwillems.com
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February 10, 2009This book easily allows you to match your subconscious mind with your conscious goals. It's easy and really cool. Check out www.mymentalbank.com
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews