Robert was commissioned by John and Richard to write NLP Volume One which was later published in 1978. Robert went up to visit John one afternoon and reluctantly let me come along. He was very guarded with his friendship with John. Robert showed John his paper titled NLP: A New Psychotherapy. John was impressed to the extent that he then rang up Richard and suggested that Robert assist in writing the book and both John and Richard could serve as supervisors or oversee the written work.
It was initially said that Leslie was supposed to be writing this volume of NLP, however at this time she was more involved in her own work with couple and family therapy and so the commission was given to Robert. As John said besides Richard owed him a favor for helping get his Bonny Doon house.
The idea of cognitive strategies or the sequences of sensory representational systems came together and the last piece in the NLP puzzle fell into place. Strategies were the next logical sequence of the development of the model of NLP. They happened more as an evolution as opposed to an event.
After the very nature of development of strategies the idea of notation came into effect and over the next couple of years, notation changed very rapidly.
Strategies have fantastic applications to modelling and education in general. Most people don't take the time to learn them properly because they can't find an immediate application. They would rather do change history or nowdays the swish pattern.
Chapter Twenty Eight. The Untuple/Spinning Out The Belief Strategy
An evening that was a turning point in my understanding of strategies was a visit to Richard at the Bonny Doon house. He was working on techniques to spin out belief strategies. The technique needs to be very thought out before doing. It is one of the few NLP techniques that you cannot predict what the results of your intervention are going to be. It was used when nothing else worked; or in my case if you wanted to find out what would happen if you had your belief strategy spun out.
Richard was telling me that you cannot know where it will lead you if you have never been there. He led me thru a strategy to understand which inevitably led to confusion, at which time he covertly anchored me visually by mimicking my facial expression, facilitated connecting the end of my strategy to the beginning until the strategy was self initiating and I was on my way. Strange colorful dreams and all.
The first thing that happened was I passed my Family Counseling Licensing test under very unusual circumstances. You see the test was mostly multiple choice and when I didn't know the answer, my internal dialogue would answer aaaaaaaaaaaaa or cccccccccc. A great way to take a test. It was as if the person behind was giving me the answers. What I didn't know was that I had incorporated into consciousness an auditory representational system which was just the resource I needed. After that none of the skills that I had made any effect on settling things down. It was a very uncomfortable time for awhile, however one that I would do again, given the opportunity.
NLP is considered now a model in its own, consisting of the meta model, representational systems, anchoring, reframing and strategies.
After the meta model groups, John and Richard began to refine their teaching skills. After a few unsuccessful attempts at teaching the meta model they began to try out new techniques. I remember one time John taught his students at Kresge College the entire meta model in one three hour session. The students learned the meta model, however when they came back they described experiences of losing their friends. The one important component that the students did not consider was the concept of rapport when asking questions.
In one course Richard taught, he spent the entire day eliciting dissatisfaction in the course participants and then spent the entire evening in his hotel room with Robert Dilts designing a model to reframe and install satisfaction back to the group.
Chapter Twenty Nine. The Wedding
John, Richard, Leslie and Judith are booked out continually, either in Santa Cruz or on the road conducting hypnosis or NLP workshops. Another event that occurred in 1977 was that Richard Bandler married Leslie and Leslie Cameron became, Leslie Cameron Bandler. It was by far the gala occasion in Santa Cruz, California. The person who married these two was none other than John Grinder. John was a preacher from the Universal Light Church.
Richard by this time was becoming financially successful and purchased a renovated school house in Bonny Doon, California. Over a period of a year, he gradually converted the school house into a mansion complete with swimming pool, spa and tennis court. It was at this house that the wedding took place. Several of the people from the early groups attended as well as personal friends and family of Richard and Leslie.
The marriage took place in the main room of the mansion. John placed himself strategically behind a podium at one end of the main room and placed a large crystal ball in front of the couple. He instructed the couple one at a time to view the crystal ball and see what the future had in store.
If only Richard had known what the crystal ball held in store for him at that time, I'm sure he would have saved himself a lot of money and animosity.
The whole affair was catered by the La Chemire restaurant and copious quantities of champagne flowed all afternoon. Also in attendance were Richard's publisher Bob and Virginia Satir.
Chapter Thirty. DOTAR
Shortly after the wedding, whether on Richard's direction or not, Leslie decided to put together a cadre of NLP'ers. She formed an association with Maribeth Anderson, Robert Dilts, and David Gordon. Robert's farewell message to me as his business partner was, "Trust me".
Leslie facilitated the purchase of a large facility on Mission Street, Santa Cruz and "Not Limited Division Of Training And Research" of Santa Cruz, California was officially open for business. They presented ongoing workshops, training seminars and Ericksonian Hypnosis programs.
In 1978, Not Limited went into full operation, doing training development and research. The core group now took on assistant trainers who then began putting on workshops and seminars of their own. Frank Pucelik formed a partnership with Byron Lewis who I had taught some training programs with before getting together with Robert Dilts. Frank and Byron coauthored the book Magic Demystified, which a lot of people find to be a useful introductory NLP book.
Early in 1978, Steve Stevens became interested in NLP and decided to cease his work in Gestalt Therapy and put all his time and effort into learning the NLP model. I remember Steve when he was a teacher at Diablo Valley Junior College in Concord, California. Steve was a follower of Fritz Perls as was his mother Barry, who by the way wrote several books, one being a delightful journey called Don't Push The River. A wonderful person Barry.