BASIC MENTALIZING
Sensing and Influencing
Understanding and Changing Minds Without Exchanging a Word
Basic mentalizing represents the most fundamental layer of our ability to understand others. At this level, we infer the mental states of people largely through nonverbal signals and cues, such as facial expressions, gestures, posture, and tone of voice, often before any words are spoken.
With our Basic Mentalizing Course, you will dive deep into the necessary skills and discover how to observe nonverbal cues, infer mental states and make strategic behavioral choices based upon your understanding.
Below, explore the goals and impact you can achieve through this course, and see how mastering basic mentalizing can transform the way you connect, communicate, and influence.
IMPACT
Follow the Path or Cherry Pick
Our courses are designed to be taken as a complete, structured path, but you also have the freedom to explore individual components without following the path.
Modular Courses:
BMI™ & BMC™, complete basic mentalizing course module 1, 2, or 3
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Inventory
(Assesses the section relevant to the specific module. The inventory report will be finalized and emailed within 5 business days) -
Training Videos
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Online Interactive Theory Recap Exercise
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Inventory Result Review Exercise
(This is a digital PDF downloads) -
Design Learning Plan Exercise
(This is a digital PDF downloads) -
Observation exercises
(These are digital PDF downloads) -
Practice exercises
(These are digital PDF downloads) -
Learning Gain Review
(This is a digital PDF downloads)
À La Carte Learning:
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BMI™ Assessment Complete
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Assesses skills across all three modules
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(The inventory report will be finalized and emailed within 5 business days)
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BMC™ Observation Exercises
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All observation exercises bundled
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Standalone observation exercise
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(These are digital PDF downloads)
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BMC™ Practice Exercises:
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All practice exercises bundled
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Standalone practice exercise
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(These are digital PDF downloads)
TIP!: For the best experience, we recommend completing the full training module, as it is designed to build skills progressively and coherently. Each exercise builds on the previous one, allowing you to develop both understanding and application in a structured way.
That said, you are also welcome to explore individual bundles or standalone training tools. Please keep in mind that the exercises increase in difficulty, so starting with more advanced sections without the earlier foundation may feel challenging or discouraging.
If you decide for the a la carte option we recommend ordering one of the following books:
Mastering Mentalization: Complete Volume
(This book offers the full scope of mentalization. The courses are structured on this book.)
Mastering Mentalization: Volume 1 Basic Mentalizing
(This book offers the full scope of basic mentalizing)
(This book offers the full scope of mentalization in a story-driven way)
ASSESSMENT
About the Basic Mentalizing Inventory
Do you understand what other people need, how they feel and what their intentions are—before they say it?
The BMI™ assessment provides insight into your current basic mentalizing skills, such as:
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How easily are you “infected” by the moods, feelings, or behaviors of others?
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How easily can you use these shared emotions or actions to figure out what others are thinking or feeling?
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How well can you consciously use emotional “tuning in” to learn from others and build better connections?
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Which nonverbal behavior of others do you rely on most to understand social situations?
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How good are you at sensing what others feel or intend just from their nonverbal cues?
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How effectively do you use your own body language to send clear messages to others?
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How tuned in are you to sensations inside your body—and to those that come from external sources?
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How easily can you connect what you feel inside or sense outside with what’s causing it?
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How skilled are you at sensing these physical sensations in others and connecting them to their cause?
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How aware are you of the way bodily sensations affect how you understand yourself and others?
Our inventories draw on a variety of theories and are supported by a wide body of scientific research.
Documents to review your inventory outcomes and to design your learning plan are included.
After signing up, you'll have 7 days to complete the assessment.
BMC MODULES
Embodied Sharing of Affect and Behavior
Learn how we infer and influence others through our own sensorial awareness and behavior—by observing, practicing and mastering embodied sharing. By the end of this course, you will be able to:
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Understand why we naturally adopt the feelings and behaviors of others
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Gain insight into your own tendencies to adopt the feelings and behaviors of others — and learn how to manage them
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Tell the difference between your genuine feelings and actions versus those you have adopted from others
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Infer the mental states of others by noticing the emotions and behaviors you have adopted from them
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Recognize through mimicry and affective and behavioral contagion when people are trying to connect, pull away, collaborate, or compete
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Make sense of social dynamics like status, preferences and decision-making authority through subtle mirroring cues
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Understand how shared emotions and behaviors shape your own experiences
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Navigate cultural differences in emotions and social behavior more smoothly through mirroring
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Positively influence the behavior of others through non-confrontational embodied sharing of emotions and behavior
BMC
MODULE 1
Order the full course!
Or cherry pick!
Observation Exercises (instant PDF downloads):
Practice Exercises (instant PDF downloads):
BMC
MODULE 2
Nonverbal Social Indicator Detection
Learn to observe people better, express yourself clearly and connect with confidence—without saying a word. By the end of this course, you will be able to:
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Identify and infer social signals by observing nonverbal behavior
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Accurately infer the meanings and motives behind people’s nonverbal cues
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Use insights from nonverbal communication to guide and improve social interactions
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Evaluate others’ social competence and trustworthiness through their nonverbal expressions
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Recognize and appreciate basic mentalizing challenges due to cultural differences, psychological disorders, or digital communication
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Build self-awareness and self-control over your own nonverbal behavior
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Express warmth, reliability, and supportiveness through positive nonverbal communication
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Adapt your nonverbal behavior to fit different social and situational contexts
Order the full course!
Or cherry pick!
Observation Exercises (instant PDF downloads):
Practice Exercises (instant PDF downloads):
Nonsocial Sensing and Associating
Unbiased mentalizing, grounded in sensorial awareness, gives you clear, accurate understanding — reducing mistakes, misunderstandings and stress in your social interactions. By the end of this course, you will be able to:
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Pay appropriate attention to sensations from your body, such as hunger, pain, or fatigue, and from your environment, such as bright sunlight
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Manage and regulate your internal and external sensory experiences
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Recognize how these sensations can influence your thoughts, emotions and behavior
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Become aware of biases in how you connect sensations with their causes
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Notice sensations in others and consider how these sensations may influence their thoughts, feelings and actions
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Apply thoughtful comparisons between yourself and others to account for differences in sensory sensitivity
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Treat others, and expect to be treated, in ways that respect individual differences in sensitivity
BMC
MODULE 3
Order the full course!
Or cherry pick!
Observation Exercises (instant PDF downloads):
Practice Exercises (instant PDF downloads):