Neuro-Linguistic Programming
- it's not what you think!

In the spring of 1997, I got a look at N.L.P. through a new pair of glasses when I did a course with Richard Bandler. This was a course about "feeling better." And it was truly effective. The atmosphere in the large, impersonal lecture room was incredible. Never have I seen over 250 people create such a warm, secure environment so quickly. I remember we spent a lot of time the first day just laughing and smiling and then laughing some more. I was having fun! There was definitely a "WOW" factor here.

Of course as someone trained in Suggestopedia I was on home ground. Richard Bandler understands only too well that by using the right metaphoric side of the brain, he could communicate suggestions, messages that often seemed very personal, (how did he know that I needed to hear that?!), and bring about a shift in an embedded negative belief in the twinkling of the eye. This was a course taylor-made for me. I could just sit back and relax. Let my sub-conscious do the work of listening in a timeless state as Richard spun his magic web through that most ancient of teaching...telling stories.

Watching Richard Bandler at work was like seeing a model of N.L.P. in action. He didn't need to talk about accessing cues, you could see him using them as he spoke, it was clear what his belief system was, because every sentence he uttered expressed it. And whatever stories I had heard about him and they are legion, I could really understand that the past is not the future and that change is possible. Obviously, he wasn't letting his past get in the way of his future. As an English trainer, I was delighted when Richard announced on the first day, that he was a "word junky." I thought, "oh yes more language less therapy." The influence of Milton Erickson was also apparent. He is able to use his voice in an incredibly hypnotic way. I found I was able to listen and respond while at the same time watch myself listening and responding to Richard. So, I was both a participant and an observer at the same time.

I think the thing that I found the most remarkable was that as I got to know people in the group I realized that we were really a mixed bag ranging from people very experienced in N.L.P. to real novices. There was also a wide age range. But because of the elegant way Richard teaches N.L.P. this was no problem at all. In fact the younger least experienced in "traditional" N.L.P. techniques people seemed to "get it" faster. This is because Richard has been able to streamline N.L.P. to make it much more natural and easier to apply. The short-term memory is not overburdened with trying to remember how the technique works and the content of what is to be communicated at the same time. If anyone wants to know how to work with mixed ability groups, I suggest watching how Richard Bandler does it.