Hmmm, more detail required perhaps.

Structure of Magic 1 & 2 was the first but reads like an academic thesis on transformational grammar. Basically, it’s Bandler and Grinder geeking out hard over the baby.

Once the initial models were put together, a few books published and a few prodigal students trained (Robert Dilts, praise be upon him), Grinder and Bandler split as, for those who don’t know, Bandler is a touch crazy. Don’t hold that against him though as the man says himself, “I may be crazy but I know what I’m doing.”

You better believe it.

A good metaphor for the early NLP scene would be hacking. You got your super ethical White Hat hackers, your Call em like I see em Grey Hat hackers and the No holds barred Black Hat hackers.

Bandler, being the Grey to Black Hat pattern recognising genius went on to develop more stuff solo while making a shit load of money and then got involved in some seriously nasty shit while Grinder, being the Grey toWhite hat academic, went on to develop, synergise and formalise many new patterns, with the help Judith Delozer, Carmen Bostic and Dilts, to create New Code NLP.

Then lots of other people got involved.

The Andreas’ (New Technology of Achievement), Tad James, Michael Hall (teaming later with Bodenhamer – Users Manuel) and Anthony Robbins are but a few of the earlier ones. Together they created and added to the NLP field from their work and experiences based on the basic template patterns modelled by Bandler and Grinder.

Bandler, being the NLP creative equivalent of John out of the Beatles, tried to slap everyone else with a lawsuit to trademark NLP. Obviously, this failed so he went on to create and copyright Design Human Engineering and taught it with John La Valle. Basically, while NLP chunks down to sequential patterns DHE chunks up to simultaneous principles. DHE has remained very pure in its copyrighted state, requires an expert of NLP to teach and is nothing less than epic when properly executed.

NLP, however, was getting big.

Enter Ross Jeffries…

As you can see, the field is massive. Many of the books published all have valid multiple perspectives, from different points of development, on a very subjective field and have different variations on the processes involved. Amid all this good stuff there’s also plenty new age bullshit out there being milked too.

Understandably, the aspiring PUA may be reaching for the Vaseline.

If your outcome is greater success with women then centre on pick up focussed NLP, whoever it comes from. IF you feel a general NLP book is necessary I’d say Jaz is on the money with Joseph O’Connor - Introducing NLP or NLP Workbook as its format makes it highly accessible to the learner. Many of the others, while very relevant, read like academic papers (incredible really when given the subject matter).

Also, don’t do the courses, at around a grand a pop and the majority of trainers clueless you will get totally rinsed of your money. Again, if your outcome is more success with women, take that money and go on a good boot camp, not a general NLP course.

Word