Podcast Summary: The Storytelling Advantage – How Doug O’Brien Uses NLP, Metaphors & Skill-Building to Transform Learning

Podcast: The Amazing Authorities Podcast
Host: Mitch Carson
Guest: Doug O’Brien (NLP Trainer, Author, Ericksonian Hypnosis Specialist, Pianist)
Date: November 28, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of The Amazing Authorities Podcast features Doug O’Brien, renowned NLP trainer, Ericksonian hypnosis educator, and author. Host Mitch Carson explores Doug's journey into NLP, the power of storytelling and metaphors in learning, and the parallels between mastering a craft like music and acquiring success through skill-building and passion. The conversation delves into Doug’s books, the foundational figures of NLP and hypnosis, and why storytelling is so critical for influence and transformation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Doug O’Brien’s Background and Books

• Doug has authored two main books: The User’s Guide to Sleight of Mouth (on a key NLP persuasion technique) and The User’s Guide to Storytelling (teaching the art of using stories and metaphors in communication).
  • Both are available via Amazon and his website, with a full-color, fully illustrated PDF version of the storytelling book available only on his site ([04:19]).
• Doug was trained by Robert Dilts, the creator of “Sleight of Mouth” in NLP, and wrote his user’s manual because Dilts’ version lacked practical applications ([01:56]).

Quote

“So I wrote the User's Guide to Sleight of Mouth... to explain it to people, how to actually use it. So it’s the user’s guide for a very good reason.”
— Doug O’Brien ([02:12])

2. The Power and Necessity of Storytelling

• Both Doug and Mitch stress that engaging stories are essential for learning and influence.
• Doug learned the hard way: delivering a business seminar without stories as ordered by the client was a disaster ([06:44]).
• The brain naturally processes and retains information via stories.

Quote

“People think in stories. That’s the way the brain works, for heaven’s sakes.”
— Doug O’Brien ([07:44])

3. Foundations of NLP and Ericksonian Hypnosis

• NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) is largely modelled after the revolutionary hypnotherapist Milton Erickson.
• Erickson’s innovation was his use of therapeutic stories and metaphors to guide clients into transformation ([08:58]).
• Discussion of Maxwell Maltz’s Psycho-Cybernetics—how one’s inner perception shapes outer reality ([10:19]).
• Both agree on the universality and flexibility of "altered state" modalities: NLP, hypnosis, guided imagery, Silva Mind Control, creative visualization ([13:05])—all work through suggestive, story-driven brain states.

Quote

“For Milton Erickson, it was like, is the person breathing? Then I can hypnotize them.”
— Doug O’Brien ([09:59])

4. Tools and Metaphors in Hypnosis

• Doug introduces the “Braid Fascination Device,” an old-school hypnosis tool (similar to the classic spinning disc), invented by James Braid (who coined the term hypnosis) ([14:44]).
• Discussion on the effect of props and pattern interrupts in presentations and hypnosis ([15:49]).

Quote

“You needed to get eye fixation. You needed to capture the attention… the swinging watch would do one thing. This was his way of doing it.”
— Doug O’Brien ([15:49])

5. Skill-Building: The Step-by-Step Approach

• Doug illustrates skill acquisition through both music (piano practice) and NLP/hypnosis—break complex skills into small, learnable parts ([17:02]).
• Comparing skill-building in music, sports, and martial arts, both agree that focused, patient, sequential practice leads to mastery.

Quote

“You can learn anything if you break it down into those bite-sized steps… step by step by step, at the learner’s pace.”
— Doug O’Brien ([17:09])

6. Reflection: What Doug Wishes He Knew Decades Ago

• Doug wishes he’d known as a young athlete and musician that form matters more than speed—methodical, patient practice trumps brute repetition ([18:58]).
• Tells a story about how Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller’s coach emphasized, “Focus on the form and the speed will come” ([21:07]).

Quote

“I wish I had learned to be able to have the patience and pull things apart and just… have the faith and the knowledge that by doing that slow practice you get better.”
— Doug O’Brien ([18:58])

7. The Role of Passion and Perseverance in Success

• Both agree that while luck and talent exist, true success and longevity are built on commitment, passion, and the willingness to endure setbacks and deliberate practice ([25:09]).
• Doug recounts the hard work to overcome his first discouraging piano teacher and find a real mentor ([27:12]).

Quote

“But the rest of us, it requires a passion, a commitment, and the ability to get hit in the face but not quit.”
— Doug O’Brien ([25:44])

• Mitch shares how he started as a terrible speaker but improved through coaching, passion, and resilience ([29:33]).

8. Storytelling, Teaching, and Finding the Right Mentor

• Doug shares a pivotal experience switching from a discouraging piano teacher to a true mentor and the value of finding supportive, skilled teachers ([27:12]).
• Doug’s advice: talent and passion need to be developed through systematic effort and coaching ([28:04]).

9. About Doug’s Work and Free Resources

• Doug’s main website is essentialcoachingskills.com, where he offers NLP, sleight of mouth, and hypnosis training ([33:01]).
• Purchase of his Storytelling book includes a free, comprehensive online course on storytelling ([33:31]).

Quote

“All of them have at the back of the book a coupon that you can take a free online course with me that’s pretty darn good on storytelling.”
— Doug O’Brien ([33:27])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "People think in stories. That’s the way the brain works, for heaven’s sakes." — Doug O’Brien ([07:44])
• "You can learn anything if you break it down into those bite-sized steps… at the learner’s pace." — Doug O’Brien ([17:09])
• "Focus on the form and the speed will come." — (on Johnny Weissmuller’s Olympic swimming) ([21:07])
• “But the rest of us, it requires a passion, a commitment, and the ability that you experience in Taekwondo to get hit in the face but don’t quit.” — Doug O’Brien ([25:44])
• “I would give anything to play like you.” / “Get yourself a piano, a good teacher, and practice your ass off for eight years.” — Doug O’Brien ([28:59])

Important Timestamps

• 01:42 – Doug introduces his books and their origin
• 06:44 – The disaster of teaching without stories; importance of storytelling in learning
• 08:58 – Origins of NLP and Milton Erickson’s legacy
• 13:05 – Guided imagery, creative visualization, and terminology in mental science
• 14:44 – The Braid Fascination Device explained
• 17:02 – Parallels between learning music and skill-building in NLP/hypnosis
• 18:40 – What Doug wishes he knew as a young learner/performer
• 21:07 – The Johnny Weissmuller anecdote: “Focus on the form…”
• 25:09 – Passion, perseverance, and dealing with setbacks
• 27:12 – The importance of finding mentors/teachers
• 33:01 – How to find Doug and access free storytelling training

Conclusion

Doug O’Brien and Mitch Carson provide a compelling, authentic look at the power of stories, metaphors, and incremental learning. Doug’s expertise in NLP and hypnosis is both academic and grounded in real-world skill-building. The stories and insights shared make this episode valuable for aspiring authority figures, storytellers, coaches, and anyone on the road to mastery.

Contact Doug O’Brien:

• Website: essentialcoachingskills.com
• Books: Available on Amazon and Doug’s site

For Free Storytelling Course:

• Buy any form of User’s Guide to Storytelling book and use the coupon inside for course access.

“You can’t skip the work—even mastery lives in the details, the patience, and the stories we tell ourselves and others.”
— Paraphrasing Mitch and Doug’s core message