I am looking forward with a slight sense of trepidation to this open session with Dorset Humanists at 2pm on Saturday 13 July at Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown Bournemouth BH9 1TW.

Follow Harvey Taylor Dorset Humanists for more info.

The event is free and you are very welcome to attend. Dorset Humanists always appreciate donations. I am expecting a friendly, but in-depth grilling. I actually think this is a good thing and I wish more professionals in a range of controversial fields would open themselves up more to public scrutiny because it can only help us all to provide better services.

Training in Neuro Linguistic Programming is about the fifth most significant event in my life after getting married, having children, losing my mother and giving up smoking, but it does not take everyone that way.

Sometimes this is because of the people practising NLP. Unfortunately it is too easy to gain a superficial grasp, become embarrassingly evangelical and then go forth behaving like a total idiot. I probably did so myself for a while.

But if you persist, as I did, after a while your mind-set begins to  change fundamentally. You find yourself able to do things you previously believed were impossible and you also acquire greater self-control and more influence.

NLP will not, however, transform a person’s value system nor enhance their IQ. If an individual is exploitative, unpleasant, selfish, stupid or dishonest, NLP can be an offensive weapon in the same way that an electric drill can either help you put up shelves or drill holes in someone’s head.

This is one major source of the controversy. The other main source of controversy is so problematic that I am not even going to write about it. If you want to know more, you have to come to the event!