CQPNL Newsletter - April 2005

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves,
“Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?"

Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of god
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We are born to make manifest the glory of god that is within us.
It is not in some of us; it is in everyone.
As we make our own light shine, we unconsciously give others
permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

Marianne Williamson
(as quoted by Nelson Mandela)
“In Coach to Awakener”

Inundated with Light…

On the tail of Robert Dilt’s seminar on “Systemic Tools for a World in Transformation”, last March 11th through the 14th, I must emphasize the impact of such a transformational journey.  Transformation which has touched, I am certain of it, all of the 120 participants who had the privilege to participate in this high-quality workshop – in many aspects.

We were presented with Robert Dilts in top form, with the Light and congruence we know him for.  Robert has brillantly accompanied us for a 3-day journey on the discovery of self – remarkable great master, from coach to awakener. And, in a wonderful finale, Olivier Corchia has unveiled his own genius by taking us alongside Robert into the exploration of Robert’s quality of being. Great souls communicating, unbelievably inspirational.

Combining their quality of being, these two NLP masters whirled us into a new paradigm – 3rd generation NLP. The art – with a great “A” – of accompaniement which integrates so much more than techniques and approaches – it is a philosophy of life. We present you, this month, with an article which humbly gives you a glimpse of this concept of 3rd generation NLP and reviews the conclusions of this remarkable week-end.

20 years ago, Joanne Riou started her project aiming to teach and expand NLP, on the wings of her vision “of a world where women and men have learned individual and collective happiness and have developed all aspects of their potential, in a deep respect of differences”. And this transformational knowledge, of which the CQPNL is like a flame where all our individual lights come to find life, many generations of students have come to the source and have left, transformed, to go in all directions to contribute to this individual and collective happiness, in a deep respect of differences.

Last week-end, our individual Light has grown alongside Robert, Olivier and Joanne. And alongside all these very beautiful people, of great Light, who have helped create this sacred space which we will forever remember.

And if you missed it… or wish to take it further

During the week-end, Robert talked to us about his long-time friend, Stephen Gilligan, with whom he shares at every level – mind, heart and soul.  Stephen Gilligan, hailed by Rossi as “one of the great therapists of the Soul”, brings us – in early May – a high-quality, transformational workshop: The Optimal Self. Following Dilts workshop, Stephen Gilligan’s program will allow those who could not attend this unforgettable experience to also journey towards Self-Discovery and Soul. For those who have had the privilege of attending Dilts’ seminar, this new workshop will prove to be a wonderful opportunity to advance further and integrate the whole concept of the 3 minds, of centering and many more. An absolute must!

 
In this issue:

Workshops and Training

Monthly article: “3rd Generation NLP – a visionary paradigm of change”
Following our last workshop with Robert Dilts and Olivier Corchia, our collaborator Sylvie Bouchard takes us through her own perception of that unforgetable journey. We discover her own map of the world, enlightened at the Great Masters Light, to explore this new paradigm of change and coaching.

Reading Corner

Congratulations to our certified PNL coaches
 

 
> WORKSHOPS & TRAINING

Here are some of our upcoming workshops. For the moment, most of our certifying programs are given in French. Some of our special events, as Stephen Gilligan’s upcoming workshop, is given in English with simultaneous translation in French. For more information on all of our programs, please refer to the Formation section on our website.

 
SPECIAL EVENT :

Leadership of Heart and Spirit May 7-8-9, 2005
with Stephen Gilligan

For the last 30 years, Dr. Stephen Gilligan has helped individuals find the power and potency of their inner potentials, and use them for specific change and applications.

The Optimal Self emphasizes three different Minds — Somatic, Cognitive, and Field — and describes methods by a person can develop Generative levels of each mind and unite them to create an Optimal Self capable of many things. The Optimal Self program shows you how to create deep changes in yourself and others that are lasting and fulfilling. Come prepared for a program that will change your life!

This workshop — highly experiential and practical — will give participants the understanding, know-how, and experience of how to create an Optimal Self, within themselves and their clients.

To sign up or for more information, please contact us:
By phone : 514.281.7553 or Toll Free 1.877.281.7553
Par email : infopnl@centrepnlcom

> READING CORNER

From Coach to Awakener
Author : Robert Dilts
Cost : $ 49.95

Coaching is the process of helping people and teams to perform at the peak of their abilities. It involves drawing out people's strengths, helping them to bypass personal barriers and limits in order to achieve their personal bests, and facilitating thern to furiction more effectively as members of a team.

Historically, coaching has been focused toward achieving improvement with behavioral performance. This involves promoting the development of that person’s behavioral competence through careful observation and feedback.

In recent years, the notion of coachin has taken on a more generalized and expanded meaning. Personal coaching, executive coaching and life coaching provide support on a number of different levels: behaviors, capabilities, beliefs, values, identity and even spiritual. These new and more comprehensive forms of coaching – executive coaching and life coaching – can be referred to as capital "C" Coaching. Large "C" Coaching involves helping people effectively achieve outcomes on a range of levels. We guide people to lean about new environments, for instance; coach them to improve specific behavioral competencies; teach them new cognitive capabilities; mentor empowering beliefs and values; sponsor growth at the identity level; and awaken people's awareness of the larger system or "field."

This book defines the types of contexts and situations which require the capital "C" Coach to focus on one of these roles – caretaker, guide, coach, teacher, mentor, sponsor, awakener – and provides a specific toolbox for each role. In other words, it provides a comprehensive tool set to be used by an effective coach to manage the entire scope of large "C" Coaching activities – from caretaking to awakening.

To order (CQPNL's Virtual Bookstore)

 
THE PLEASURE OF CHOICE

Visit our Virtual Bookstore to discover a vast array of books on NLP (in French and English).

 
> MONTHLY ARTICLE

3rd Generation NLP – a visionary paradigm of change
by Sylvie A. Bouchard, NLP Master Practitioner,
Final year student in the Post-Master /Coaching Program

And now here is my secret, a very simple secret :
It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.
What is essential is invisible to the eye.
The Fox to the Litttle Prince¹

Everyone has gone through – at one point or another – the hardship of trying to communicate to your friends and close ones the sense of wonder, of excitement or pleasure that the trip you just came back from had brought you. No picture, movie nor description has the power to truly transmit the scope of the experience and the transformation it brings. The limits of language, of thought, barely allow us a glimpse into the dept of experience… so, until we all master the art of telepathy, I will attempt to share a tiny little bit of my own grandiose experience – distortions, deletions and generalizations included.

 
Know-how and quality of being

On the week-end of last March 11-12-13, Robert Dilts presented us with his workshop “Systemic Tools for a World in Transformation”, a truly transformational experience that I am not about to forget!

Top-notch Dilts, Coach with a capital « C », elegantly and gracefully moving between all levels of coaching, from coach to awakener. What makes such a program so enriching is that it takes NLP’s major principles, colors them, explores them in depth and especially allows us to link them together. Robert took our hand to discover the deeper connection with our Self, allowing us to unveil our deeper connection to humanity.

Alongside Bateson and Erickson, his mentors, Dilts was able to have us touch – through his quality of being – at the very source of knowledge of the great masters. From the rather “mechanistic” approach of NLP’s first steps, we traveled further to the very essence of transformation and change.

NLP grows up…

In the mid 1980s, Bandler and Grinder started an approach that focused on the “how-to” of effective therapists. This led to powerful and generative applications, that very rapidly gained momentum. At this time, we were using techniques as a “magic wand” – we used NLP “on other people” to help them change and heal. The power (we believed…) was in the hand of the magician.

In the 1980’s, the second generation NLP emerged, expanding to embrace issues beyond the therapeutic context. The tools of NLP were found to be quite effective with relationships – with oneself and with others. It appeared very useful in other fields such as negotiation, sales, teaching and health. Beyond therapy, NLP became a paradigm of communication and change. Several powerful techniques appeared, such as time lines, submodalities and perceptual positions.

Third generation NLP has been developing since the 1990s, with a new generation of developers – together with the increase of awareness in the general population – bringing NLP to higher logical levels. The applicactions are more systemic, generative and focused at even higher levels of learning, interaction and development – including those relating to identity, vision and mission.

“The techniques of third generation NLP are “field based“, incorporating principles of self-organization, archetypes and what is known as “fourth position” — a whole system perspective.”²

And it is precisely that 3rd generation approach that Robert helped us discover, live and experiment to the deepest of our core, during the whole week-end.

At the core of Magic…

As you already know, we encode our perceptions through multiple distortions, transformations, deletions and others. What I will tell you might be false… or not.

I firmly believe that we have touched the very essence of coaching with the fundamental principle of “sponsorship”. It is what brings the heart to the relationship. And so much more…

Connecting to Self and to the “field”

“The distance between Self and others is the same as the distance between Self and Self”

(one of the many “pearls” that Robert quoted during the seminar… I forget the author)

Centering is a fundamental notion – to connect to my Essence. Centering, is like a sort of synesthesia, a position of knowing which blends somatic, cognitive and field powers. This is a concept that Robert shares with his long-time friend, Stephen Gilligan. Far from being static, this core is balance and movement. It is not our capacity to stay center as much as our ability to come back to our center that constitutes a prime quality in the magic of relationship. It is our ability to assess, to “feel” ourself, in order to know if we are connected deeply to our core, our true Self.

And – from this Center – we are able to truly connect to the “field”, this sacred space, specific to the relationship (with other and others), and to a larger field, a kind of collective awareness – which allow us to feel and understand, to know what is true. At this level, tells Robert, “ truth is in the paradox: there is what is true, and the opposite, which is also true…” It is the root of the principle of “map of the world”, of perception. My reality is just as true as the other’s reality, and vice versa. And I will – from my center – what is True.

Sponsorship : the unconditional positive regard

“When a person is encouraged to connect with his/her deepest feelings and to express them while being assured not to be rejected nor criticized, and that we will not wish her to behave differently, a form or rearrangement or selection process occurs in the mind, bringing along a feeling of peace. One feels that he/she has reached the bottom of the well of truth.”
Anthony Storr, “Solitude”³

Being able to center ourselves gives us the power to “sponsor”, to provide the other and to ourself, a sacred space where the person can be seen, acknowledged, in all safety. It is this notion of unconditional positive regard, spoken by Carl Rogers. It is the ability for the coach (or therapist) to become his/her client’s mirror, in which the individual can see his image more clearly and find a space to reflect.⁴

According to Dilts, Milton Erickson’s greatest quality was his immense capacity to sponsor. He welcome his client totally, lights and shadows, with no judgment. This very notion of sponsorship brings the concept of coaching (therapy) into a whole new paradigm – at the beginning of NLP, we “did” techniques “to” clients to help him change his state. The symptom, the state of lack or resources, had to be “changed”. This was more or less a form of “negative sponsorship”. This is, according to Dilts, the fundamental characteristic of coaching. It is, of course, important for a therapist to know how to “sponsor” his/her client, but it coaching, it is an indispensable and essential.

To sponsor means to “unconditionally” accept the other, to offer him/her a space for transformation, psychological and spiritual development, for Self-Discovery. It is deeply listening to the other, without aiming to change him/her.

It is that capacity to listen, this caring compassion towards the other and towards the sacred space which will help our clients to discover their Light and their power within.

In the same manner as Erickson never discouraged a symptom, quite the contrary, he welcomed it and went along with it. 3rd generation NLP Coaching “sponsors” the state of non-resource, supporting it in a benevolent manner, empathically. From his/her center, the coach (or therapist) surrounds his/her client with this “unconditional positive regard”, allowing him/her to journey towards transformation.

Sponsoring, it is to be deeply convinced of the existence of the other’s best self – and of his/her ability to make it emerge.

Discovering the Magician…

And on the fourth day, as brought in by synchronicity, ingeniously strategic, Olivier Corchia brings us into the Magician’s lair.

In fact, I should rather talk about another dimension, a parallel universe. Right before our eyes, on the podium, like a vision, we witness the incarnation in two people, of the knowledge that we were discovering throughout the week-end. As a model of “sponsorship”, guide and awakener, Olivier brings modelisation to another paradigm. It is specifically in this quality of welcoming, at all logical levels, that we find the wholeness of relationship, the amazing power to make a way into the other person’s map of the world – to taste it, to live it entirely. And it is in this globality that Olivier was able to take us into the experience of magic.

In a near hypnotic danse between Olivier and Robert, in the discovery of Robert’s quality of being, we witnessed meta-communication – only a few remote steps from true communication, intercellular, telepathic, through the field… Words are limiting me, loosing themselves into the charisma, the energy, the Light that comes from true relationship, through the field, and also through the heart, the mind and the soul.

I experienced a miracle, the miracle which allowed me to reunite with the Essence of my Being, and as a result, with humanity…

Notes :
¹ The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, p. 72
² From the student handout – “Systemic Tools for a World in Transformation“, p. 2
³ Storr, Anthony. Solitude, p. 22
⁴ Maté, Dr Gabor. Scattered Minds, p. 314

Our Newsletter Team

Joanne Riou, Director
Pierre Martineau, Artistic Director
Benoit Beaudoin, Webmaster
Sylvie Bouchard, Collaborator

We hope that you enjoyed this Newsletter and welcome your articles, comments and suggestions: communique@centrepnl.com.

 
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