It was a question of self-belief for me; whether I was good enough to be a Practitioner, it was a big call. And then of course the time commitment and the finances. But the big thing was ‘Am I OK to do this?’ I wondered if I could do this (whether it was just a nice thing to do) … Then I realised that there was a commitment but more than that, I could do it. I also went into comparison mode and told myself ‘Steph and the others have been doing this for so long and how will I ever achieve something like that?’ I quickly came to the realisation that Steph’s Steph, the others are the others — and I’m me.

I’d been in a training environment with you and we gelled. By then I had also used a few of the tools I’d learnt in those interactions with you. It interested me and I wanted to dive deeper into NLP as a Practitioner. So, yes I had to overcome a few negative beliefs - as unhelpful as they were.

That all of those anxieties and doubts just vanished. I was keeping up with the others and they are an extremely supportive group. All my anxieties were sheer wasted energy really.

I Liked the material and the way you made it so palatable and easy to absorb. The way you unpacked it to make it easy to understand. And the underlying mantra of there’s no failure, only feedback. That really resonated as I have always struggled previously with the fear of failure.

Also, we had an amazing group. We often worked together after hours, bouncing ideas off each other. You also provided an amazingly safe environment — as you always do — to share, to learn and to get feedback.

I have a huge respect for the material and the training. A huge awareness of self and others’ environment and other folks’ maps. That has been huge for me. Sometimes I’ve regressed but have been able to stop to check what’s really happening. So the increased awareness that I now have is amazing.

My interactions are richer, my empathy has increased, my boundaries have strengthened (they were somewhat blurred before). I’m able to step back and get a better perspective and that has been a huge help in my interactions with clients, friends and other relationships. I’ve had quite a few referrals from people since the course, people who have said I’m really good at what I do and I am a lot calmer (mostly). Watching my language. One of the things that attracted me to NLP was the bit about language and the conscious use of this both with self and others.

The thing I liked most was the way you put it all together, making it easier to learn. The workbook is like my little comfy blanket that I often carry around with me. The huge repository of information that you’ve painstakingly put together for Practitioners. And of course, your articles. Those really helped, those references, examples and the metaphors.

The way you put the material together, rather than the material itself made it so much easier to absorb, learn and reflect on. You also held the space and the belief that we could do this, even during the wobbly times. That was huge for me, it reinforced and helped stack my self- belief.

Three other benefits that I got from the course are:
1. I’ve begun stopping and thinking, before going in ‘guns blazing’ as it were. I’ve been observing and examining what could possibly be happening that has evoked a particular reaction or situation. That’s one of the big ones.

2. Increased self-awareness

3. There’s so much still to learn and to research. There’s no end and I like that. That constant learning. I know there’s stuff on your website I can go and research. Fuels my love of constant learning.

Would I recommend the course? Oh hell yes! For all of the other reasons I mentioned before. Absolutely! I’ve been telling people about it. Often providing a perspective and then having people commenting that they hadn’t thought about something in a particular way, I’ve told them I’ve learnt it from you.

If anyone wants a recommendation or to have a chat about my learnings from someone who’s done the course, please use me. Most happy to have a chat.

I’d like to add that If anyone is thinking of doing the Practitioner Course and is hesitating, I’d say ‘Just do it! I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. And as you said, think about how you can do it, rather than why you can’t do it.

The connections that are established with the group are invaluable. We still have a group chat going and the team pop in and out mentioning challenges and successes and provide so much support.

Overcoming all the phobias and traumas, that just blows my mind, every single time that happens! You remember, I had that childhood phobia of water and swimming because I almost drowned. I would go in water up to about my knees but that would be the extent of it. But now it feels completely different, like I want to learn to swim and I’ll be able to do it well. It’s no longer “I don’t want to go into water because I might drown Duh!” I just need to learn to swim. And when (another participant) was able to climb on to the roof to fix something where previously he was afraid of heights, that was just incredible.

Even if a person decided not to become a Practitioner (why on earth wouldn’t you?) the information and skills gained are brilliant for the rest of one’s life. Remembering that I’ve got the tools to do this - that for me is exciting. It’s not that I have to remember everything as I still look at my notes and that’s OK. Rather than getting overwhelmed or anxious about forgetting stuff, I want to make sure I get it right and the manual is great for this.