Training Content & Process:
There were themed sessions oriented towards the following:
Meanwhile, of course, John & Richard were increasingly folding in tons
of language patterns and metaphors to help lock in & amplify our
learning & observation skills. The manuals were nicely bound with
color printing on the cover, and included not only standard Society of
NLP(tm) Master Practitioner materials but also some additional
emphasis on Trance information and exercises. I chose this time
around to take *no* notes, so if the order of these isn't quite
correct, or if I'm leaving a few things out, please forgive me.
Days:
- Opening up the Senses, Gaining Flexibility, Rates of Learning,
Brain learning mechanisms
- More Sensory Acuity, Flexibility, Laughter, Strategies,
Language Skills (Meta-Model & Milton-Model patterns were used &
pointed out in demonstration (while a LOT were not pointed out)!
- More Strategies (Decisions, Creativity), Artistic & Musical
Exploration, Tonality
- Trance, Sensing Energy, Inducing Outrageous States, Anchors,
Zip Anchors & Timelines, Pheromones
- "Drug of Choice" trance induction, More Trance, more Energy &
Timelines, more Tonality
- Dance, Rhythm Exercises & DHE Submodality Control Panels
Each day was filled with not only information-packed instruction, but
also a LOT of exercises designed to develop behavioral competence &
excellence in the skills being presented. We did roughly 5 exercises
per day (varied a lot). Everyone was having so much fun, the volume
increased rather markedly in the training room (!) and as such, if
there was a single down-side with the actual training room, it was
that the hotel was restricting us during certain times from fanning
out into the outlying rooms to do the exercises where we could hear
each other better!
Richard and John have improved their delivery, speed of presentation
and stage presence even since last Summer (when last I saw them), and
both appear to be having even more fun! The language patterns taught
& used were substantially more rapidly delivered/installed than I
recall from previous trainings. Richard took a moment at the end of
the training to point out how little jargon he'd used with the group,
and how easily acquired the skills were without all the jargon
attached to it!
Richard & John were focusing on getting the attendees to learn how to
recognize when people were right at the edge of their model, and how
to elicit outrageous and amazing states from them as we expanded their
model of reality and provided them new options for behavior &
understanding! No one I watched was looking for eyelid fluttering or
tiny changes in pupil dilation, saying "can you feel better" in
neutral tonality! They were going into state FIRST, leading people
through great states, amplifying all the submods to get major
physiological changes, and then leading their exercise partners
through the meat of the exercises! I'd say that made a massive
difference in responsiveness and effectiveness of our learning!
Logistics:
The training ran 6 days, generally from 10am-6pm, with some schedule
variants due to other events being held in the hotel, and with time
spent some evenings on group exercises & such.
Richard opened the training on the first day and then taught the
remaining 5 afternoons, with John training during the mornings (&
sometimes early afternoons). During exercises, John, Kathleen, and
their entire staff actively circled the room assisting various groups
in doing the exercises.
John & Kathleen La Valle should be commended for running what appeared
to be a VERY smooth operation! As Kathleen et. al. managed the
registration process, John made himself available to welcome & chat
briefly with everyone. The excellent support team helping out John &
Kathleen with all manner of tasks included Domenic Luzi, Dave Gonzales
& fiance' Holly! In addition, David Barrow set up his impressive
audio system & Joel Piper ran the audio equipment with clear
expertise!
Location/Venue:
The training was held at the Driskill Hotel, on 6th st in Austin TX,
near the Capital bldg and near University of Texas. It is a beautiful
hotel, and is undergoing some restoration efforts at present.
According to 2nd-hand info, the rooms were a little expensive but were
beautifully appointed (I stayed nearby at a friend's apartment). The
training room was beautiful, and offered good acoustics.
New Products:
A limited number of Richard's new videos ("State of the Art I & II",
and "an Evening with Dr. Bandler" recorded in the UK through
McKenna-Breen) were made available in NTSC format at this event, along
with the introduction of a great new Hypnotic tape entitled "Soften",
recorded during the Master Practitioner training in Hollywood during
the Summer of 1997 (which I attended, and in which participants were
asked to transcribe it for learning purposes).
Well-Known Attendees:
Roye Frasier, Joseph Riggio, Doug O'Brien, & Chris
Mulzer (amongst others)!
Richard & John took ample time pointing out the work/accomplishments
of these folks, and how people should take advantage of the
opportunity to learn from them while they were there! As far as I
could tell, all of the above and more were VERY generous with their
time and ideas with the other participants.
Personal Comments:
Those of you who know me know that I've started doing trainings last
year; I felt, after this training, that I am already doing what I do
with much more internal ease and elegance. At this early stage (the
training only ended 4 days ago at the time of this writing) I've
already received comments from close friends saying how much more
smoothly I've been acting, and how much more quickly I'm getting some
results (in terms of elicited responses & internal state shifts in
other people).
Much of the magic that occurs at these sorts of events is the
particular combinations of amazing people that show up! It may not be
appropriate to mention all their names here, but I'd like to say to
everyone I had the gift of opportunity to spend time with, I enjoyed
every minute! You're all wonderful people... good skill & luck to all
of you in the coming months & beyond...
Regards,
- Jonathan Altfeld
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