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

5. So what do I think about my experiences two years down the line?

Now, I feel that one of the primary aims of this course was to build up a positive attitude and belief system about oneself. When I realized how Richard was going to work, I thought, "oh, the people who know little or nothing about N.L.P. are going to be completely lost." But no. The reason they were able to "catch-on" so quickly was because they had acquired the belief early on in the course that they COULD do it. As I mentioned earlier they had an easier time doing the practical work, because they weren't bogged down by the "received wisdom" (Richard calls it dinosaur shit) of previous N.L.P. training.

When I went on the course I had already done quite a bit of N.L.P. I wanted, however, to get the message from the "horse's mouth." I was also wildly curious about this man-Richard Bandler-I had heard so much about-mostly negative. I completely changed my opinion, which after all had been based on what other people had told me. For people who find themselves in the same position, I can only say check him out.

When I saw the manual that went with the course, "I thought, oh no." It was very "traditional" N.L.P. Things I had known about and used for years. However, we never used the manual. It was there for people who felt they needed to have something concrete to read. This was actually a very clever move, because it must have reassured people who weren't aware on a conscious level of what they were learning.

At the end of the course, I felt extremely positive about myself, my capabilities, and was absolutely "fearless" to try anything. Almost two years have gone by since the end of the course. My initial exuberant feelings have mellowed with time. The experience has led me to reflect a lot on how I think and learn. Today, I like myself much better than two years ago and I have certainly acquired skills I didn't have two years ago. That's a pretty positive, I think.

Bonnie Tsai

Toulouse, January 1999