News – Seduction School

Channel 4 in the UK has produced a series of three programs for broadcast in August. Under the series title “Shapes The Nation”.

The first of these programs, airing on Thursday the 3rd of August at 9pm, is titled Seduction School – see the brief below for the exact program details. Wayne Elise and Jonny Saviour (both of CharismaArts) are the seduction experts in the show.

Here, from the channel 4 brief: Seduction School explores the lives of three of Britain’s most physically and socially unconfident men, and attempts to transform them from hopeless stay-ins to successful seducers. One student, Neil, is a 22-stone virgin whose size has always stood in the way of him chatting up women. Can American seduction guru Wayne Elise teach him the tricks of a pick-up artist and force him into the painful romantic scenarios he’s always avoided? As Neil and two other men who hate their bodies enrol in the school, they’ll transform not only their chances in love but also the way they feel about themselves and their bodies.

And here, from the programming schedule: SEDUCTION SCHOOL: SIZE DOESN’T MATTER. In the first episode of Shape of the Nation, a new, three-part series examining our obsession with how we look, three men who feel their appearance stops them meeting women embark on an emotional journey to become experts in the art of seduction. Neil is a 27-stone virgin who has never even kissed a girl; Dave is a 6′ 6″ beanpole who’s terrified of approaching women; and five-foot-tall Adrian can’t get girls to see him as more than just a friend. Under the instruction of two American pick-up artists – Wayne Elise and Jonny Saviour – these three men in search of dates confront their deepest fears and try to become confident, charismatic and irresistible to women.

Body dysmorphia to Seduction School. I can see the link, but it’s a bit of a convoluted way to get a program on seduction into the schedule. I also think that the inclusion of Juggler as the main instructor is absolutely on the money (I was critical of his most recent book, but he is still a learned master seducer). He is media friendly, has bags of experience, has probably the most mainstream friendly system, i.e. the most normal conversational style of seduction.

Time will tell if the show works. I suspect, at least, that we will see some good examples and some real change.

How To Be A Pickup Artist

To clarify right away, this is not a post on how to be a pickup artist. It is instead a review of Juggler’s (Wayne Elise) book titled ‘How To Be A Pickup Artist’.

Juggler is a veteran of the pickup scene. Long before the release of the above book, Juggler’s collected wisdom was available in a book called simply ‘The Juggler Method’ or ‘Conversational Jujitsu’. This was a good one-stop-shop for Juggler’s take on seduction practice. It was incidentally put together by a third party (a fan), if I ever knew who I have forgotten. Anyway I mention this because the original book is also for sale from www.charismaarts.com under the title ‘Juggler’s Compiled Archives’, to avoid any confusion, the book reviewed below is Juggler’s 2005 release ‘How To be A Pickup Artist’ – just like it says on the cover of the book.

‘How To Be A Pickup Artist’ costs $39.97 as a downloadable eBook as does the original book, or they can be purchased together with a discount. I haven’t reviewed ‘Juggler’s Archives’ on this site.

The style. Juggler is an affable and charming writer and his book is often entertaining. You may know that Juggler penned a chapter in the Neil Strauss book ‘The Game’ and received much praise for his literary efforts. This book is obviously a far different prospect but its style is still very conversational.

What it covers. This is a book on perspectives, in chapters on ‘Your Initial Vibe’; ‘Genuine Interest Versus Desperate Interest”; ‘Have A Strong Presence’; ‘Give Away Your Love’ and others of that same ilk, Juggler presents the perspectives that give him success with women. It is full of examples of his ideas in practice, but it is not a book of tactics or technique.

Juggler’s is the most conversational of the main pickup approaches. His style has a great deal to do with having fun. And this is, in a way, much of what you are learning from this book. That pickup is nothing to be scared of, despite the natural anxiety that accompanies actually doing it.

One of the book strengths is also one of its biggest flaws. The personal voice which permeates the structure of this book gives it an enjoyable feel . It is nice to read a book that demonstrates the fun of pickup. Most books are much drier in style, but this book’s conversational style (with the reader and in the examples) can’t help but presents itself that you should be like Juggler.

The book ends with extensive examples of the type of thing that Juggler has talked about throughout. You get a scripted dialogue of several pickups that show Juggler method in action. All in all good, and a decent learning tool.

For the most part there is something for everyone in any book, CD set or program out there. An appalling thing, maybe, for a critic of seduction method to say. But with the information that is available from the various schools, it is important for a balanced review. Questions all of us ask when we set out to learn seduction are “How true are the ideas?”; “How much do the methods reflect the ideas?”; “How practical and applicable are the methods?”; personally (and importantly) “How much did I learn?” and many more. Bluntly, no student of seduction goes through seduction manuals like we were trading baseball cards – “Got, got, got…” until we find a piece of game we can use or an angle not previously considered.

Summary. Some work on seduction is brand new and innovative, some work is a new perspective on a standard concept – we could continue to categorise like this for a while. However, one important category is the standard material on an everyday concept. The core, how to be a pickup artist stuff. This type of material is not unhelpful, it can illuminate the novice (and sometimes the experienced), it just isn’t very useful.

For the novice you might go through the ‘How To Be A Pickup Artist’ eBook needing every one of its baseball cards, and be enlightened. Overall, though, there’s not a lot here for the seduction student.

Rating: Information For The Money
Overall: Distinctly average fare for the mainstream market

Cliff’s List Convention 2005

Way back, after the crust had cooled on the molten rock that was the beginning of the seduction movement, a fella by the name of Clifford began an exclusive email list. Exclusive to anyone who was interested in and wanted to learn the methods of seduction.

The list, Cliff’s List, is one of the centers of the seduction community, full of discussion and debate at the heart of this craft.

www.cliffslist.com

In late 2005 a convention was held in Montreal, Canada. Invited to talk were some of the worlds most renowned pickup artists, dating gurus and seduction experts. The Cliff’s List Convention 2005 DVDs are the result of this gathering.

The convention DVDs are found at www.cliffslistconvention.com for $249.85 + shipping (payable over 5 months at $49.97).

The DVDs layout is in no particular order. Each speaker is introduced by a short interview on his (or her) take on seduction; how they got into it; their growth. In some cases interesting, in some cases boring.

Criticism has been attached to the Cliff’s List program, that it is little more than an opportunity for each of the invited guests to advertise their wares. On this point, I leap to the defense of the list convention by saying this; it absolutely is. The guys (Patti too, she is one of the guys) get up and give, for the most part, their best shit. With an hour to speak, we get a taster of their ideas and methods.

Maybe then, too many introductions. In some cases this is true, a lot of basic theory. But, some highlights for me. Sensei (Lance Mason of Pickup101) did an enlightening hour on kino. His presentation was full of practical techniques, useful applications and came over very well. Zan was his usual enlightening, eye-opening self. Tyler Durden gave an interesting and entertaining talk, somewhat covering the inner mix of emotions we all go through learning to get success with women.

David deAngelo and Mystery gave their usual, and were fine along with it. Of course, if you want to hear these guys speak, you have a choice of a number of other products (there were other Mystery Method guys at the conference though, overall Mystery Method was very strongly represented).

One of the real values in this product is the views of little known or unknown members of the seduction community. And whether you agree or disagree with their perspectives, it’s all on display for you. You might just uncover a gem of an idea that had passed you by or a piece of your own puzzle.

An appearance by Style is another notable point of these DVDs. He had become the famous face of the seduction community and took his stage opportunity to present some of his in-field material (here for instance was Style doing Style’s EV). The nice thing was that not all of his tricks came off, and that’s another point about in-field material, it shouldn’t matter.

OK, the low points. Bishop returned from the seduction wilderness to deliver a confused performance that didn’t really strike any chords with me. Brent, who otherwise has a sound philosophy and ideas, sounds muddled. As I write this review, the Cliff’s List Convention 2006 is in production, and if Brent is there I fully expect him to make a fine presentation. in the 2005 DVDs, however, he doesn’t present the strengths of his approach clearly as I know them (apart from a couple pieces of wisdom). For the discerning viewer there are some things to take issue with many of the speakers.

And the regular everyday stuff. Many of the experts gave the same stuff that we have heard them say again and again over the years. Again good intros, nothing more.

So the DVDs have some highs and some lows, and my examples in the review cover the briefest of brief snippets. But all in all you do get a bag load of info for your bucks. But the thing about a conglomeration like this is that you will get some great stuff that fits your particular slant and you will get some tripe.

Summary. The Cliff’s List Convention DVDs have the feeling of a couple dozen introductions to various different methods. A great many high points and the cream of guest speakers outline the basics of seduction methodology. So, is this the ultimate introduction to the game. Well, No. Far from it, it is amongst the better intermediate products out there. Guys who have learned skills and can cast a critical eye over the content, pick up the most from a set like this. Looking for a new direction, or some vast expertise (but not too deep) on a myriad of topics, look no further.

Ratings: Range Depth Value For Money
Overall:

Mystery Method – Mystery’s Video Archive

The Mystery Method Video Archive came out in October 2005. It (along with the Venusian Arts Handbook) was Mystery’ first foray into DVD and eBook products. Mystery Method had, until that point, been taught in a workshop and bootcamp only format .

The following review was originally written in November 2005.

The Mystery Method is a complete system, with Mystery himself one of the great innovators of seduction methodology. The Video Archive represents a collection of talks from Mystery Method seminars, on 5 DVDs each about an hour long.

The Format. The DVDs cover, roughly in order, the stages of the M3 model of seduction proposed by Mystery. Opening; neg theory; social proof; body language etc. in the first volume. Storytelling; time-bridging; peacock theory; grounding etc. through the next three volumes. Finishing up with LMR (last minute resistance) in volume 5. The set of five DVDs is available for $294 + shipping, or individual DVDs can be purchased separately from www.themysterymethod.com

Here’s a brief clip from the Mystery Video Archive

Not for me one of the highlights of this program. But there you go, a good example of what you get.

Mystery Method is a system which is designed to take an interaction with a woman, from the approach stage through to the beginning of a sexual relationship. There can’t be any more concise a definition of seduction than that. The method itself deals with the specific challenges that the various stages of seduction offer up, i.e. approaching, gaining attraction, gaining comfort etc. along with the practical requirements offered up in the interaction by having tactics for isolating your target, for running game with a wing etc.

The seduction side of this approach has its roots in evolutionary and social psychology, and any evolutionary explanation included really is just a token. Just as well really as the debate behind the science of how attraction evolved, the role of imagination, the role of love etc. rages on in the scientific circles. So who cares, as Mystery is fond of saying, the Mystery Method is reverse engineered around what works. Most of today’s PUAs and scholars of seduction are familiar with Mystery Method because it does work.

The Real Highlights. Where Mystery and his cohorts innovate, you often find exceptionally effective material. Mystery’s explanation of multiple threading is great. The A3 stage of the M3 model is brilliant Mystery innovation*. The use of ‘ritual’ late on in the game was also, I thought, brilliant (and completely new to me). There are other things on these DVDs that make them well worth it.

*A quick aside: When I first heard of the ideas of A3, ideas of ‘qualification’, I thought it was one of the best things to come from Mystery, one of the best things in seduction period. I still do, but I read and knew about it long before this program and it should be noted that if you have experience of seduction work then some, maybe quite a lot, wont be new to you. That is the price Mystery pays for his success, many of his concepts are now standard.

If you go digging you will find pieces of game elsewhere that are better than Mystery Method. However, within Mystery Method you will also find some elements that are the real deal, innovated by Mystery and never equalled or bettered by another. Even with all the new products and ideas coming out (some of them great), there already exists all the material and ideas that you would ever need for full seduction success. Mystery has a full system for success.

One of the great strengths of Mystery Method is the highly stylised structure at the heart of it (the M3 Model). This model breaks the seduction down into workable parts, further broken down into workable components. I am a supporter of the planned approach to seduction, in my experience there is a consistent workable structure. Some guys don’t like to go out scripted or with a blueprint to follow, well these DVDs might not be for you. The material taught here doesn’t tie itself as tightly to the M3 Model as it might have, the model itself is simply explained in an added menu ‘still’ on the DVDs.

Some might criticise the Mystery model as not flexible. The model itself is not the most flexible, it is straightforward and really it is the material that brings flexibility to routines. On material, there are only a few examples on the discs, a few more would have been nice.

Summary: Mystery method is not all on display here. It provides the bare structure with some gems along the way, and the bare structure is really quite excellent but it’s not a full training tool. I’m sure that MM corporation would say, of course it’s not, it’s only 5 hours – we can’t teach it all in that time.

Mystery has an answer for everything, a technique for every eventuality, and not surprisingly on five hours worth of DVDs it’s not all here.

Is the Mystery Method Video Archive hot on its own? It is still a great product full of great insight, but it is best when combined with the Venusian Arts Handbook, which I’m sure were designed to be complimentary pieces to one another. Or, used as review material for a student of the Mystery Method who has attended a workshop, seminar or bootcamp.

Ratings: Content Concepts/Ideas Examples For The Money
Overall:

David Shade’s – Masterful Lover Manual

David Shade’s manual is another one of the products I bought early on in my seduction career. The book is touted as “top level field tested advanced sexual techniques to give women incredible pleasure”.

The Masterful Lover Manual (as it’s called now – I have an older version of the book called simply ‘David Shade’s Manual’) is 195 pages long (the current edition is 205 pages). You can get it from www.masterful-lover.com priced at $37.97 for a PDF eBook download or $49.97 + shipping for paperback copy.

Please bear in mind that the following review is from 2003. I do not know if there have been any changes made to the book reviewed here.

The first thing to say is what it is. It is a book of David Shade’s journey, learning’s and experience. His enthusiasm for his subject is compelling. If you’re in the market for a book on giving your girl “incredible pleasure”, I’d guess that, like me, your enthusiasm for sex is also pretty high.

The manual covers many, many techniques, under chapter titles such as: ‘The Deep Spot’; ‘Learning To Squirt’; ‘The Welcomed Method’ (a method of clitoral stimulation). These give practical techniques from David’s thoughts and experience of topics like Taoist Thrusting; the deep spot orgasm; using toys etc. Too many to name: You get the impression that David Shade is always pushing the boundaries to bring to his willing subject(s) the type of sexual fulfillment they desire. It must have been a hell of a few years over which David became a master of this.

If you know anything of David Shade, you’ll know that his journey is of the hypnosis and (some) NLP route. If the techniques of physical stimulation were not enough, then the real reason for the Masterful Lover Manual is the advanced hypnotic techniques taught within it’s pages.

Now would be the time to quickly clarify that these techniques work, for anyone doubting the authenticity of topics discussing ‘the one hour orgasm’ or ‘instant orgasm on command’ or the nature of fantasy and reality. For many of us who have delved into seduction skills, hypnosis is real. For those of you who are new to it, I can’t think of a more fun way to learn than through this book. Your own research is recommended though.

So, the majority of the manual covers techniques of hypnosis. Included also is a basic script, based on the famous (in hypnosis circles anyway) Ellman induction, for you to hypnotise your woman. It is a wonderful thing to learn this stuff, and a wonderful feeling to experiment with new ideas of your own. A couple of other brief points, David Shade is somewhat of an expert on threesomes and his perspectives on that are shared here, also he has a chapter on anal sex if that is an area you want to do.

A criticism so often levied at seduction products is the lack of examples given. Now, I know this book is about sexual techniques (of mind and body), and examples of sexual techniques are very different than in field pickup applications of the other products reviewed on this site. But, it has to be stated that David Shade’s manual is packed to the rafters of examples and technique. You can say that the biographic style of this manual means that it comes across as one long example of advanced sexual techniques in practice.

The academia and theory is there to back up the applications and understanding (but it is brief – of note for those of you who like more deep understanding). So often seduction products are presented the other way round, with academic understanding taking precedence over examples in practice (David deAngelo’s products, as good as they often are, is an example of this) – David Shade’s approach is refreshing. All this makes it pleasant reading, and easy to follow in David’s footsteps.

Reading around the subject is recommended, indeed difficult to resist once you get accustomed to the power this holistic approach to sexual enjoyment opens up. The Masterful Lover Manual has recommended reading and other products, so you are not lost for direction.

A brief note from my own experience: When I was learning from this book, I was simultaneously delving into hypnosis. And it took me a little time to master David Shade’s techniques with help from other sources. This manual is advanced stuff and for full understanding of the learning’s contained in it you may need other resources.

Summary: There are few books or products (or people working) in this same advanced area as David, there are a few though. I have limited experience of other products in this category (for the most part I stopped looking when I found David Shade’s Manual). I enjoy using again and again the techniques I learned from David Shade, his book comes highly recommended.

Ratings: Information Technique and Examples ‘Out-The-Box’ Application
Overall:

The Original – Speed Seduction Home Study Course

The first review that I thought I’d upload to the new wordpress home of Seduction Review is aptly the original seduction study course ‘The Basic Speed Seduction Home Study Course’.

Available from www.seduction.com for $245.00 plus shipping.
The Speed Seduction Home Study course dates back to a time when seduction technology was wholly different. The past two and a half years, I’d say, have seen a fundamental shift in the way seduction is approached. But is the study course (which dates originally from 1994 and was released in its present incarnation in 2000) of value today?

The review below was originally published in August 2003. As with all the reviews on this site, I’ve reviewed (re-reviewed if you will) the material, techniques etc. again and edited the original post with insights from a contemporary perspective. Enjoy

The Review

What You Get: The course comes on 12 CDs and a manual (the manual, while useful, is not an essential teaching element). The supplementary materials are a copy of Ross Jeffries’ original book; training ‘flash’ cards; introductory booklets.

What is the premise: With the Speed Seduction foundation coming from the field of NLP (that mixed bag field of linguistics, psychology and hypnosis for ‘effective’ understanding, communication and change) you get a product here that sets out to deliver self-change AND teach the fundamentals of language patterns designed to invoke positive emotional responses. Ross Jeffries (the creator of Speed Seduction) …
The periodical interludes form master hypnotist Mark Cunningham, who’s gift for re-framing and personal insights are of considerable importance to the effectiveness

What About Practical Application. It is a difficult task to entirely validate the process of the language based applications. It can often seem a subjective exercise when talking about depth of trance or process language. Learning patterns and the fundamentals of pattern language is a practicable exercise. Offering the specific examples provides an out-the-box solution and you can get stuck in. There is the practical limitations of Speed Seduction to consider, it is a system that is difficult to use in nightclubs. I have had success with using it in clubs, but it remains a predominantly semantic product that relies on the subtleties of it’s language applications for results – that is difficult in a bar atmosphere (Ross Jeffries is open about never using Speed Seduction in bars or clubs).

The last couple of CDs has on-stage demonstrations of the material in practice (by Ross and by a student). This, despite the contrived surroundings, is of immense benefit.

An understanding of the principles of communication that Speed Seduction pioneered used to be essential to practitioners of seduction (Pickup Artists or PUAs if you accept that somewhat crude term). But many men are having success without studying the hypnotic communications of Speed Seduction (or ever studying any related NLP or ‘psychology of communication’ material).

Is it then just a matter of choice, do you choose Speed Seduction if you feel it fits your style of game or to learn how to add specific language processes to your seduction? My first reaction is to say no, that you should learn the fundamentals but I remind myself that my introduction to seduction and pickup was through Speed Seduction …

The process of Speed Seduction is certainly not redundant, the recent trends in seduction technology have seen a move away from linguistic process into a more anthropology based seduction. What I mean is that the process of attraction and seduction can be communicated by specifically instigating an emotional response (the Speed Seduction way), not least because of our vast capacities for imagination and the role semantics plays in this. But the processes can, quite naturally, be communicated through hard-wired attraction cues that have evolved in our species (the more popular approach in seduction technology today). These aren’t mutually exclusive schools, but for the sake of clear categories it is so.

One thing is certain, Ross Jeffries is the father of modern seduction. And Speed Seduction remains today the only one of its kind. You do learn things in Speed Seduction that are not taught anywhere else. An essential quality of a good seduction product.

Summary. I can recommend the Speed Seduction Home Study course, I can’t say it’s essential. It is, however, of real value – this approach is always of real value. Even if it is not a core learning anymore.

Ratings: Ideas/Concepts Examples and Techniques Application
Overall: