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NLP Roots: A Tribute to Dr. Richard Bandler

Dr. Richard Bandler is the creative genius behind NLP.
Richard founded NLP, and with the help of John Grinder, created a model, a field of study and a way of life for thousands, perhaps millions of people. Due to NLP, there are various institutes around the world; these institutes train people daily, monthly annually, to learn to live a better life, to learn how to help others to live the kind of life they may not have even dreamed of yet. Dr. Bandler repeatedly talks about the importance of living the kind of life we want, of the endless possibilities that exist for us all, the importance of living each moment the way we want, to direct our brains so that we enjoy every moment of every day and spread this joy of living, this love of life and what life has to offer with others. Hmmmm…sounds like a pretty good idea to me.

During a training seminar, the trainers “warned” me and others about “that man”…
how he was a bad influence, how he had done terrible things, how his style did not lend itself to learning…. RUBBISH!! While attending a recent set of seminars in Florida, participant after participant shared with me and others how trainers around the country warned them about training with Dr. Bandler; claiming he really did not train people, they wouldn’t learn that he was….well whatever. Luckily for all of us, those people were motivated even more by the warnings, as was I. There is something about the unknown, the forbidden that drives some of us, as you know.

Now I must ask… how useful is it for anyone to say that they cannot “really learn” from any situation?
Or that a person or their behavior is “bad” or “ineffective”. As I recall, and have learned, the worth of the individual is constant; there is no failure, only feedback; what about requisite variety? Are more choices better than less choices? I would call what some trainers and others have said as creating limitations on their model of the world, and attempting to impose these limitations on others! Is this what the state of some NLP training truly is? Is this the kind of world they are trying to create? Why, I imagine some people warned against those heretics that were teaching hypnosis around the turn of the century… and all those others who used to claim the world was round…or those others who claimed that man could fly!?

Now, I must credit a few trainers that I have had the opportunity to talk with that support training with Richard: Judith DeLozier and David Gordon.
As well, a recent participant with Robert Dilts also stated that Robert encouraged training with Richard. What of the others? What of the other “trainers” who “warn” against training with Richard or training with those of us who have been certified and promote training as Richard does?

Let me say first, that all training that I have had the opportunity to be a part of has been valuable, just as all experiences in our lives are valuable, in some way they have brought us to where we are now.
Even those teachers, who I truly thought were wrong, incorrect, or just “way out there” I learned from. I learned from this latter group that there are a lot of people in the world with limiting beliefs, that there is a lot of opportunity for those of us who aspire to and enjoy expanding choice, offering options, being proactive in choosing the kind of life that leads to extreme levels of joy and happiness. Barbara Stepp, Master Trainer of NLP and DHE told me once “There are many people out there that need our help and can benefit from what we have to offer”. This could not be further from the truth.

So, for those people who tell you that it may be wrong, or may not be helpful to seek a certain type of training, you too can do what I do.
I have a voice that goes off in my head, accompanied by a large picture that says: Not Me. That’s right! NOT ME!!! None of those limiting beliefs are allowed!

Richard has gotten a bad rap.
For those of you who know already, Richard's wife passed away one night during the DHE seminar in Florida. It was a sad occasion for us all. One day after, Richard was back in front of the group, talking about Designing Human Engineering. For the next 3 days that I was present, Richard presented as the magician, the wizard, the master that he is. He used examples from his life, from the experiences he had with his wife, with those in his life and how he was preparing and living his life as he and his wife agreed they would. Richard was true to form and seemingly even more heartfelt when talking about the importance of creating the states you want, in designing our experiences and our lives to live each moment of everyday of our lives with a ferocious resolve that he is famous for.

Not enough people remember that if it were not for Richard, their life (our lives) would not be the same.
I am grateful for Dr. Richard Bandler; grateful for what he has created, for what he continues to create; grateful for his ferocious attitude and all that he offers the universe. As he has said so many times, we are at the beginning of our evolution, and he is at the forefront, leading the way.