I have met some great men and women in my time, but you are one hell of a special man.

The day day before our final exams, I did a Buddhist meditation/contemplation and the picture of one of my co-students came up, Elias. Elias had told me about his 19 month old daughter. I saw how she would have a better life because her father went to Croydon. How she would have more choices because her father went to Croydon. How she probably would marry a better man because her father went to Croydon. And how she would be a better mother because her father went to Croydon. Having happier children because her father went to Croydon.

And I suddenly realized Carmen, Michael and you were throwing in 50, 60 stones in a pond in Croydon, which created ripples that turn into more ripples that eventually turn into a tsunami of change. You do not touch the lives of 50, 60 people, but of tens and even hundreds of thousands of lives. And that far into the future.

And I had to think about Richard Bandler and you. How you guys started this whole NLP movement. The professor and the student. Captain Fantastic and the the Brown Dirt Cowboy. The Captain & The Kid. And how your energy, work and genius have touched so many lives and lives to come. And how you, your beautiful woman Carmen and Master Michael are continuing the work and keep on doing it for times to come.

And I knew I only had to do one thing.

Bow in the deepest respect any man can give his fellow man.

If it is true what the Jewish Tora says, that saving one life is saving the world entire, you, Richard, Carmen and Michael have saved universes.

I honor you, my friend!

You are deep in my heart.

Eric Bartels

I loved every minute of it and can’t thank you enough for such a great opportunity. It was a privilege to see, hear, feel and learn from the Father of NLP himself - John Grinder.
His charisma, greatness and at the same time down to earth approach is totally mesmerising. The connection between him and the group was incredible.

Carmen Bostic St. Clair was absolutely fabulous! Her stories and exercises were so much fun and at the same time so touching.

And Michael .. how can I not mention our Michael?! He is simply dynamite! So full of energy and desire to give.

Last but not least, all our mentors and trainers. I take my hat off for your support and dedication throughout the course. Thank you.
Thirteen days that changed my world.

P.S How can anybody forget the famous ice-bucket?! Icing on the cake.

And I had to laugh.

So I think it is time to go down Confession Boulevard in full public. You guys deserve the truth from a man like me. I always preach honesty and integrity, and great men practice what they preach.

And I am a great man.

So here we go.

Yes it’s true. I am very much in love. Head over heels. Never been like that before. It is heaven!
Although I always knew she was there, I have only really met her two weeks ago. She came without a warning and with full force. She is there in my dreams at night and all over me when I wake up in the morning. She loves me every second of the day and caresses me with her attention. She is right there beside me when I go to sleep, singing her whispering, sensual voice until my dreams set in. And then she floats with me on another journey through endless streams of love, passion and loving-kindness. She is the love of my life and in every pore of my body. I see her face every moment of the day and every eon in time. It is a true revelation and totally stunning.

I am walking on sunshine, drifting the seas, sailing the universes. All boundaries that were, have ceased to exist. No categories left. No dualism. Just oneness. She is me and I am her. We are the same. We have melted into one radiant existence.

We are love.

Sometimes I look at her and wonder: “Am I really looking at her or is it me? Is she really there, am I really here or is it just one big illusion?” And it is then I realize it is just an illusion. We were always one. We were always together. She was always me and I was always her. We were always one, I just didn’t see it! What a time wasted!
And then I look at her and wonder “Does she see, hear and feel the same as I do? Does she know we are in love? Does she know we are love?  Is she there?” And I realize it really doesn’t matter. It is just perfect as it is. It has transformed all expectations and transcended all form.

It just is.

Her name is simple and unbelievably beautiful. It rings like a siren in the night and caresses all my senses. It is magical and mysterious. Dark and light. Of another world and real.

Her name is…..LIFE.

I found her lying awake in full existence during my two week NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) training in London by three human giants called Michael Carroll, John Grinder and Carmen Bostic St Clair. It opened my senses and heart to the max. And since then I am walking the clouds with a radical and serene sense of oneness, love and beauty.
This is the enlightenment I always knew existed but could never find.

Because I was looking.

Stop looking and you will see.

God bless you!

Eric Bartels

I had three outcomes:
1.  To learn more
2.  To be more confident in my ability as a practitioner of NLP
3.  To develop an even better relationship with my ‘unconscious’ (read: whole self)
And I came away having got what I went for – and so much more.

I don’t usually wax lyrical but I can’t imagine there being a more enjoyable, more effective and more rewarding NLP Practitioner course out there. John, Carmen and Michael have designed a real treat with this tripartite experience of a lifetime.

To begin with, you get three remarkable trainers who care deeply about the learning experience they give. Each of them has unrivalled knowledge in their field along with a very individual teaching style. You usually only get one trainer of such calibre on a course but every single minute is jam-packed with just them. And honestly, how often do you get the opportunity to spend time with a genius AND the co-creator of NLP?!

John is such an inspiration. So universally understanding and articulate. What can I say, I have trouble articulating some things some times and this is one of those times. Quite simply, I love John.

Carmen nurtured us like we were her own brood. I didn’t go to this for any sort of ‘fixing’ and wasn’t expecting the afternoons with her to be so focussed on ‘me’ but it was a rewarding and enjoyable experience and I have some fun tools that I didn’t even imagine I needed. I love Carmen.

Michael. Often entertaining, always (always?! yes) watching to make sure everyone is catered for, and there to feed us that extra drop of knowledge. He generously ran practice sessions for us every evening. I love Michael. 

Then of course there are the people you meet - eager participants and mentors from 15 different countries to share the rich experience with and learn from. What a bloody riot it was too.

And lastly, a newcomer to the scene… the ice bucket. Say no more.

Overall, a mix of ambiguous adventures, delicious discoveries, and plentiful practice.

And many people asked me why I was doing it again.  What fun.

Firstly, the course was a ‘double track’ which meant that we got to choose the modules as we went along. Rarely have I encountered such a flexible approach and it meant that we could build our own experience to suit ourselves, in real time - that is, as we went along.

The format was also flexible. As someone who’s very comfortable with ambiguity, I really appreciated this approach - every day was like a little adventure, safe in the knowledge that we would get through all that we needed to by the end of the course. That said, each morning began with an explicit frame so that we knew roughly what the day ahead had to offer, and an opportunity to review the day before, having slept on it. Again, a very adult and flexible approach, as each day our learning was tailored to us as a group.

Each day subtly built on the prior, with some repetition (although it didn’t necessarily feel like repetition!) to enable certain core elements to be really understood, and tested. New Code NLP ran throughout the course alongside classic code and there was plenty of hands-on, experienced learning, demonstrations and exercises to take part in. Basically, we got the opportunity to test everything we learnt.

Over and above the course curriculum, several extra evening sessions were arranged as well - all excellent and very much appreciated. I’d basically stayed most nights until they kicked me out!!

Michael and Martin are great teachers. Stories, demonstrations, experiences - some more amusing than others (invisible glass doors cropped up quite a bit!) and a bit of, erm, dancing [interpretation]. Of course, there’s also the people I got to learn with, many of whom I hope will become friends.

In summary, apart from having a right old laugh, I came away realising I had learnt far more and been more entertained by the whole experience, than I ever expected. So, a huge thank you to Michael, Martin, Dave, Carl and Katrina as well as the other trainers (Hiran, Jill and Kader) who popped in and gave us a helping hand where we needed it. I’m really looking forward to November and March and May.

Now, what else can I shoe-horn in…? Practice, practice, practice, I suppose!

Suzy