PAST
The Story of NLP
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is a psychological approach that originated in the 1970s. It was co-founded by Richard Bandler, a mathematician and computer scientist, and John Grinder, a linguist and professor of linguistics.
Here’s a brief overview of the history of the Society of Neuro-Linguistic Programming:
| 1970 | Richard Bandler and Frank Pucelik, students at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and John Grinder, a linguistics professor, initiate the development of NLP in the early 1970s. They begin by studying and modeling the work of successful therapists, including Fritz Perls (Gestalt therapy), Virginia Satir (family therapy), and Milton H. Erickson (hypnotherapy). They aim to model the patterns of excellence in communication and behavior exhibited by these individuals. Pucelik leaves the original partnership over disagreements with Bandler, leaving Bandler and Grinder to continue. |
| 1975 | Bandler and Grinder publish their findings in books such as The Structure of Magic and Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson, MD. Following the publication of Structure of Magic, NLP gains popularity and attracts practitioners from various fields, including business, education, and personal development. Bandler and Grinder continue to refine and expand NLP through workshops and training programs. |
| 1979 | As interest in NLP grows, Bandler and Grinder found the Society of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (SNLP) as the original and official certifying body in the field of NLP. The society is established to promote NLP, provide training and certification programs, and facilitate communication among practitioners. |
| 1980 | Bandler and Grinder part ways due to personal and professional differences. This leads to the creation of different NLP schools, each with its variations and interpretations of the original NLP models. Some well-known schools include the Society of NLP (founded by Bandler), ITA (founded by Grinder), and the NLP University (founded by Dilts). Despite the split, NLP continued to spread globally, and its principles are applied in various fields such as psychotherapy, coaching, sales, education, and sports. NLP gains recognition as a powerful tool for personal development and communication skills. |
| 1982 | Christina Hall is appointed President of the Society of NLP by Richard Bandler. |
| 1983 | Christina Hall becomes an owner of SNLP as part of the Bandler Group. Christina is one of six owners of the Society of NLP. She also continued to be the President of the Society. Wyatt Woodsmall forms INLPTA (International NLP Trainers Association). |
| 1985 | Christina Hall, Steve and Connirae Andreas, Wyatt Woodsmall, and Tad James receive certification as a Master Trainer. They are all part of the original group. |
| 1989 | Wyatt Woodsmall and Tad James write Timeline Therapy and the Basis of Personality. |
| 1991 | Christina Hall receives certification as a Meta Master Trainer, the only person ever to be given that title and accolade by Richard Bandler. Robert Dilts forms the NLP University. |
| 1995 | Tad James forms ABNLP (American Board of NLP). |
| 1996 | Richard Bandler files a $90,000,000 lawsuit as a civil action against John Grinder, Carmen Bostic St. Clair, Christina Hall, Steve e Connirae Andreas, Lara Ewing, and 200 John and Jane Does. In that lawsuit Bandler claimes exclusive ownership of the Society of NLP. |
| 2003 | The Court’s rulings make it clear that Bandler’s claim to exclusive and sole ownership of the Society and the intellectual property rights associated with NLP have been false and unlawful. |
| 2006 | Richard Bandler transfers his rights and ownership of the Society of NLP to John LaValle. John is an Advanced Master Trainer of NLP and continues to co-train with Richard. John Grinder forms the International Trainers Academy for Neuro-Linguistic Programming (ITA). |
| … | NLP continues to evolve and adapt. New techniques and applications are developed, and NLP concepts influenced other fields such as coaching, leadership development, and psychotherapy. The Society of NLP, along with other NLP organizations and training institutes worldwide, contribute to the global spread of NLP. Today, NLP is practiced in many countries, and its principles and techniques have been translated into numerous languages. |
| 2023 | Christina Hall transfers her rights and ownership of the Society of NLP, under a succession management plan, to a chosen group of 19 individual Trainers and Master Trainers worldwide to ensure the continued and future development of the field of NLP. |
As you have seen, throughout its history, the Society of NLP has played a central role in the development, promotion, and dissemination of NLP principles and techniques and continues to do so today.
NLP Meta Master Trainer
About Chris Hall
Christina Hall, also known as Chris Hall, is a dynamic teacher, who is recognized for her integrity, caring, in-depth knowledge, ability to model and teach NLP, and for the sense of discovery and fun that she brings into the learning environment, opening up new vistas of experience and learning.
Having spent 10 years working and teaching together with Richard Bandler, Christina has incorporated into her teachings and applications a unique and singular insider’s perspective.
Focusing on systems and holistic orientation in her work, Christina has become best known for her work with the structures of time and her mastery and innovations in the area of language patterning, an approach which she refers to as “Neuro-Systemic Linguistics.” She collaborated with Bandler in producing some of the most outstanding developments of the eighties, including sub-modalities, the Swish Pattern, the Compulsion Blow-out, temporal language patterns and verbal swishes, and many of the Sleight of Mouth Patterns.
Chris has taught NLP throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Croatia, Hungary, Australia and Japan. She is particularly proud to have been part of a 4-person team that developed and successfully implemented, in Croatia, the “Comprehensive Trauma Therapy Intervention”… a humanitarian project for victims of war, jointly sponsored by the German and Croatian Governments.
Christina is also one of the few people in the world recognized by ANLP (Association for Neuro-Linguistic Programming, United Kingdom) as an accepted trainer of NLP Trainers and Master Trainers, and is one of only 12 people on the planet to have been offered an Inaugural Honorary Lifetime Fellowship of the ANLP in recognition of her skill and contributions to the field.
Christina is very pleased to announce that her first book, Change your Language – Change your Life was published in the summer of 2008 by Voice Inc., her sponsor in Japan. At present, the book is available only in Japanese.
Since 1983, Christina has been an owner of the originating NLP certifying organization established by Bandler & Grinder – The Society of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (and all the rights therein). She is also the President of the Society and Director of The NLP Connection (established in 1983). In addition, Christina is also a California State Licensed Psychotherapist, a California Certified Hypnotherapist, and holds a Doctorate in Psychology and Neuro-Semantic Linguistics.
In 2023, Christina transferred her rights and ownership of the Society of NLP, under a succession management plan, to a chosen group of 19 individual Trainers and Master Trainers worldwide to ensure the continued and future development of the field of NLP. Some of those people chose to team up and create this website. They are known as The Lotus Group. The word “lotus” pays homage to Christina, who loves the flower and even had it on the header of her website for many years.