Memories from NLP Canada....

[Originally written Nov 2010]
[This post will be of interest for anyone who has trained there]


On the University of Toronto grounds, there stands an old building, with a personality apart from the other buildings surrounding it. No sterile plain grey concrete structure or opaque glass windows for this fine building, this one has a skin of red brick, wooden floors that murmur back your footsteps, windows that allow others to see in as easily as folks can see out. There is an elegance to the way it holds itself on the corner of the street, it has personality and warmth. It has the strength to withstand time and environment, yet does not force itself on anyone, a very gentle break for the eyes compared with looking at the clumsy forceful goliaths of buildings downtown Toronto is peppered with.

Outside, in front of the main doors, a simple sign for the building says "Toronto School of Theology" , but it gets far more use than just teaching theological studies.

In this building on the U of T campus, part of the U of T, is also the classrooms for "NLP Canada Training". A place that teaches people skills in NLP, and Hypnosis. Skills that allow them to change lives. Their own lives, the lives of others. Anyone that wants to reach further, or chooses change, can have their lives changed.

Arriving at class today, snow gently falling on the ground outside, was like walking through a doorway in time. The classroom has not changed much since 1997, the first time I ever walked in there, not knowing that I'd be returning there so frequently over the years.

Derek Balmer. Chris Keeler. Linda Ferguson. Mike Mandel. Past and present trainers. There have been a few others I never really got to know, and some new ones in training, but those ones stand out the most in my mind.

Derek Balmer was an interesting character. Originally trained by John Grinder and Richard Bandler, he founded NLP Canada originally to train others in NLP, change technologies that have the potential to do, in under three one hour sessions, what hundreds of hours of conventional talk therapy could not accomplish. He was a very interesting person, I had my first NLP Practitioner and Master Practitioner training with him back in 1997. He reminded me of "half priest and half con man" ! He had a gentle side to him that cared, but also a playful side, a bit like a prankster looking for an opportunity to create some fun. He admired John Grinder's work. Derek was actually in the process of writing his own book at the time, I remember within the first page or so he gave credit to John. I'll have to look up the exact wording someday, it really touched me. Something to the effect of "imitation being the sincerest form of flattery", and the rest escapes my memory. Derek passed away in late 2000, if I recall my dates correctly.

Chris Keeler, currently one of the two senior trainers at NLP Canada, was Derek's apprentice or Protege, depending how you look at it. He sort of inherited "NLP Canada" when Derek passed away unexpectly. When I returned to NLP classes for a refresher in 2003 (or 2004 ?), he was working with another trainer, Ben (who left a few years later). The class then was pretty much the same as Derek's course was. I remembered Chris from his days of learning to be a trainer, he had made a few cameo appearences in my 1997 classes (but had been at it since 1994, I think). What struck me is how much he was like Derek from his time working with him. Similiar expressions, word choices, body language... still his own person, but with access to his own abilities plus what Derek had given him. NLP is like that - you learn how to model someone to be able to achieve similiar results. Chris is also an interesting individual. He can be funny or serious, compassionate or hard line, subtle or direct. I'd like to say it's from being left-handed, a trait I share with him, but that would be untrue - it's because he lives a fairly complex or perhaps complete life. He does more than just the NLP work as a career, so he needs to have range to a range of states that are very different from each other. I think Derek treated Chris like another son, I sensed a bond between them. In a way, with both Derek, and Chris's father passing away, Chris has lost two fathers - the one that nutured and cared for him, the one that befriended him, gave him his NLP skills, and nutured him to change lives.

Linda Ferguson is the other senior trainer at NLP Canada. Probably the most active, and certainly the most active in organizing the trained students to do more with their skills than just sit back. I originally met Linda in 2003 (or 2004?) when I was refreshing my NLP Master Practitioner certification, she was doing her initial training back then. She has come a long way, going to trainer level, and further. She not only does the training, but, as I mentioned before, has organized a healthy NLP community in Toronto - something that was never done before. She has a good heart, and it shows. It seems to me that the organization, NLP Canada Training, is now more about making a difference than making a profit. Many workshops exist now, and often the registration costs go to charity. If she doesn't actually change the world with her work, she'll have made a difference, and perhaps enough to inspire someone to change the world, or open the door for someone to. The funny thing is watching Chris and Linda in action together - he's the left hand, she's the right. But in a full fledged training session, it's almost like one plays the role of the conscious mind, the other the unconscious mind. Sometimes they trade off (not the handedness, I mean the roles.... ), but that's my general feel. There is much more to Linda than I can say, since I haven't had enough hours interacting with her. She's got heart, she's amazing with stories, and she had the drive and courage to organize something greater. One workshop she gave, with a new "trainer in training" (John, but I can't remember his last name- will update this when I get it. Not sure who created it or inspired it, I'll assume credit for both), was called "Presence and Purpose". It used NLP techniques, but was completely new material. Or old material organized in a completely new way. This course was an amazing addition to the normal NLP skillset, and that one has opened new doors for me, new attitudes that kept me strong against some very dark times. I hope she creates more workshops like that. It's nice to see workshops that teach how to apply the NLP skills specific areas of the life experience.

Mike Mandel teaches the Hypnosis classes at NLP Canada. He was originally recruited by Derek sometime in the 90's. I did hear the name from Derek, and was interested in taking Mike's class back then (1997 or so) but never got around to it until 2010 (I was away from NLP Canada from 2004 onward, and from mid 2007 till early 2010, I wasn't using those skills at all, but that's another story... one best left untold). Mike is certainly one of the best hypnotists in Canada, if not the best. All aspects - indirect, direct, covert, overt, motivational speaking, communication expert, therapist, stage hypnosis shows.... natural comedian... there is actually a lot more. You could write a book on this guy's life, and never run out of material... and I'm better there's even more that he's not saying. He's a part of NLP Canada yet apart from NLP Canada, sort of a "subcontracted course". He teaches through them, with them, but the class is designed by him, with the intentions of giving the students both the right tools and the right attitudes and believes so each and every one of them has the seeds within them to be a master at hypnosis someday, should they choose to put the effort to grow those seeds. He's worked with John Grinder as well, and many more people that have contributed to change technologies. I won't say how old he is but he's at least 15 years older than me but in better health than I was 15 years ago (now at this point I should say my age but after you hit 30 you stop counting anyway....). I honestly believe that people that work with NLP, Hypnosis, EFT, or other change technologies that improve the lives of others get a little back - they get better health, and seem to age slower. Mike is also a compassionate individual. When I first met Mike at my first (formal) hypnosis class, the thing that stood out in my mind the most is that looking at him was like looking at two people at once. I don't get that very often, and the few other times I've gotten that "impression" from someone, it was never that pronounced. He's never explained this to me (I never asked), but after awhile I've got the distinct impression that he's one of the few people that have managed to keep their "inner child" alive and well, and also keep the "responsible adult" healthy and active. The "inner child" part seems to give playfulness, the ability to see things as if for the first time - even if he's seen it hundreds of times before. Motivation, curiosity, adventure. The "responsible adult" gives him access to learnings, wisdom, and abilities. The "inner child" gives perspective and drive, the "responsible adult" channels it in wholesome and effective ways without losing the wonderment of life. He is intensely charismatic, but he's very self-sufficent too. Most NLP Trainers or Master Hypnotists partner up on training sessions (at least the ones I've interacted with), Mike operates alone. It would probably be quite hard for him to find an equal. And if he did, and they designed and co-trained a class, it would probably be at such a level that it would be expensive and possibly of dangerous intensity levels. Mike's a good trainer, very complete on his own, two of them would probably liquify my mind.

Carol Luft, Linda's mother and works on the business side of NLP Canada. She is such a sweet person. I've only interacted with her on the phone when finding out schedules, or making payments, and a couple times in person, but for an organization that deals with the heart as much as the mind, they really got the perfect person to handle the business side. Engaging, compassionate, attentive are words that come to mind.

Then the students that I've seen from my 1997 classes on. My congratulations to all of you, if you happen to read this someday. Many people are so closed minded about NLP and/or Hypnosis, and wouldn't even consider taking the training. I've seen so much happen in the walls of that humble classroom. Triumphs, fears overcome, tears as traumas were faced down. All our training is practical, you see, so we not only learn it, but have to go through it, practicing on each other. So it's not only learning the skills of NLP or Hypnosis, and learning what it's like to work on a client, it's also learning what the client goes through, their own fears, uncertainties, doubts.

We learn the lion's share of the knowledge from the trainers, but we also learn from each other. We share experiences, memories, our strengths. We've laughed with each other, sometimes cried with each other, made things happen, let things happen, and sometimes wonder what the hell happened.

Getting close to the end of the day, and I noticed out the windows that the snow had stopped, hours ago, and melted in the bright warm sun. The lawn was green, the flowers dormant already for the winter.

Some seeds take longer than others to start to bloom. Some seeds are flowers, others are mighty oaks. All make a differences in the landscape of this place we call the world, in the series of changes we call time, and in the landscape of learning that we call life. All matter.

Everyone in the class says goodbye to each other, some leaving together, some apart, all looking forward to the class tommorrow. The doors to the class are closed for the night, locked, but like any doorway in life, they'll open when needed. All you need is the key. And that's what all this training is all about.