Stephen Gilligan PhD, has become a leading figure in Ericksonian hypnotherapy. He is the developer of the Generative Self approach to personal growth. A licensed psychologist, Stephen maintains a private practice in Encinitas, California. Robert Dilts has been a developer, author, trainer and consultant in the field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) - a model of human behaviour, learning and communication - since its creation in 1975 by John Grinder and Richard Bandler. A long time student and colleague of both Grinder and Bandler, Robert also studied personally with Milton H. Erickson, M.D., and Gregory Bateson.
aThe Hero's Journey' is a transcript of a seminar on this topic
which the authors facilitated in Barcelona. Essentially, aThe
Hero's Journey' is a metaphor for leading a meaningful life, and
the authors invite their readers (as they invited their seminar
participants) to identify and respond to athe deepest life you are
called to.a They acknowledge that this isn't necessarily an easy or
comfortable process (hence their use of the word ahero') and
present the process as a challenge, which offers the potential for
both great benefits and great costs. For this, they are to be
applauded, as the recognition that quests for personal
enlightenment/self awareness involve risks as well as prizes is
conspicuously absent from many similar personal development books.
The format of the book is clear and easy to follow, and presented
in such a way that at times, the reader feels as though they are
actually participants in the seminar themselves. Exercises are
clearly explained and moments of humour and drama are skillfully
captured in the narrative. My sense is that the book will probably
be most valued by readers who already have a basic knowledge of NLP
a or at least an openness to NLP's presupposition re. the value of
working with people's subjective realities and sensory experiences.
This is not a book to be passively read. It's a book to be worked
through with a notepad and pen, so that you can record your
learning as you go, and keep a note of your responses to the
exercises and demonstrations that are both the book's strength and
its uniqueness.'John Perry, MA, MA, MSc, Principal Teaching Fellow
in Healthcare Communication, School of Medicine, University of
Southampton
aTrain yourself to feel excited when you're really stuck' says
Steve Gilligan in this intriguing take on the classic Hero's
Journey work of Joseph Campbell. Conflict is the energy that shifts
us out of our comfort zone over the threshold as we hear our
calling into a new world of adventure. What a great reminder for us
coaches that it's good not to have the answers for the client and
to go with the discomfort of the astuckness.' It's OK for us to be
out of our depth and metaphorically to capsize the boat
unintentionally. And for those of us looking for new and creative
solutions, different ways of thinking, this book offers insights
and inspiration. With Gilligan and Dilts, we witness two great
personal development masters, giving us a privileged insight into
their work as trainers and healers. They encourage curiosity and
listening at a deeper, broader level with an elegance that belies
the sophistication of their approach. Above all the generosity of
spirit of both guys shines through as they dance, play, tell
stories and entertain the audience. Nowhere do you get the sense
that they want to be celebrities on the centre of the stage. It's
the work and the clients who matter most as the true heroes. The
book is derived from transcripts of a four day workshop and through
careful editing, enables the reader to feel engaged in the
experience. Wisdom, healing, laughter and energy exude from the
page. The pair weave intellectual concepts from NLP, Hypnosis,
Aikido, Buddhism, the Five Rhythms and more into the structure of
the Hero's Journey as well as Gilligan's own model of the
Generative Self. Those who want more than theory are well served
with a range of well-explained practical exercises. You can have a
go at these on your own or with a coach or colleague. Gilligan's
three part Generative Self model address the somatic, cognitive and
field aspects of self. My own take is that this means first
learning to centre ourselves in the body, getting in touch with
breathing and bodily sensations a the somatic knowledge. Secondly
we need to accept and sponsor all aspects of ourselves, good and
bad at the cognitive level, and then the third element involves
connecting with the broader world opening ourselves up beyond our
regular experience a the field. Of course, it's all easier said
than done. This is why the book offers leaves the reader wanting
more; it's a tempting taste of what it is like to experience the
workshop for real. As those already familiar with NLP and other
disciplines know, the words are simply the surface structure of a
deeper experience which happens when people get together. The book
offers a rich version of a live learning experience to read and
absorb at leisure, to reflect on and decide how to make these
concepts inform your own hero's journey. It's one book that will
reveal different nuances each time you re-read it and well worth
its place on any bookshelf.Kate Burton, coach and author of aLive
Life. Love Worka and aFor Dummiesa guides to NLP, coaching and
confidence.
Come along on a wonderful journey with these two master teachers
and playfully deep thinkers. Gilligan and Dilts will challenge you,
delight you and move you. With poetry, humor, exercises, and some
amazing language, you will feel like you are in the room with them
as they invite you to journey far and return to yourself again in a
new way. Heed their call; read this bookBill O'Hanlon, author of
`Change 101`, `A Guide to Trance Land` and `Do One Thing
Different`
I actually found this to be a very good journey and one to
remember, the 4 days of twists and turns which had my mind working
throughout. The demonstrations which help my understanding were
very good.An excellent addition to any bookshelf, well written and
a very good read.Brian Manship, Waltec Coaching
I have just finished reading this book by Stephen Gilligan and
Robert Dilts and want to share my thoughts about it.The first thing
I have to say, is that this is not a passive read. To gain maximum
value, readers need to participate fully because it is very much a
ahands on, do-it-yourself' book. As a player and instructor of tai
chi chuan I easily understand many of the principle, but Robert's &
Stephen's explanations are more than able to convey.The authors
synthesise concepts and principles from many disciplines and
philosophies, including Tai Chi, Aikidi, Zen Buddhism, Yoga, etc in
terms of opening the channels of the body, grounding, balance and
centring. It is about replacing antagonistic or confrontational
reactions, behaviour and emotions with accepting, welcoming in and
using somatic questioning to identify the positive intentions and
working with them. It guides through aligning our energies
(resources) so taking negatives and barriers ancountered in life's
journey, understanding them and converting them into positives.I
particularly liked working with the aArchetypal Circle' defining
the dragon (the problem) and working through various transitions to
resolve issues. Another exercise which I found illuminating as well
as useful was the aEnergy Ball', which is a concept I worked with
when I used to practise Kung Fu. It's a marvellous mechanism for
centring, so helping you cope with a variety od stressors. It has
the added advantage of being highly portable and available in
almost any situation. This is a highly experiential book serving
both the individual reader's life journey but also adding another
tool to the life coach's toolbox.Mike Rogers, Step2Change
I have read many NLP books, and have become tired of the sameness
of many of them - the same NLP stories, the same exhortations to
brighten those sub-modalities or collapse those anchors !.
Consequently I was very excited to discover this new angle on
self-development through NLP. The Hero''s Journey provides a
pathway to help identify your inner calling and deal with the
negative energies holding you back. It''s a refreshing approach,
seamlessly building in many NLP and hypnosis tools including
timeline, parts integration, and perceptual positions.I hope this
book stimulates a new NLP literature to replace the stagnation of
many current NLP works. This is not to say that this book is the
whole answer. I have a number of reservations about it - I find the
self-congratulatory style of the presenters irritating and the use
of pseudo-intellectual language offputting (the following exercise
applies the systemic NLP processes of spatial sorting, somatic
syntax and the concept of characterological adjectives ...). Why
can''t the book be accessible to everyone ? But put aside the new
age gloop (or as the authors have it - extend into a field of
fields, where there is an intelligence ... a mind beyond mind) and
you''ll find a very interesting and useful resource for advanced
NLPers seeking to help themselves and others along the path to
self-fulfillment. If NLP is a major part of your self development,
then this book is well worth reading. It helped me clarify my goals
and issues. I hope other authors will develop the route
further.Ross Maynard FCMA, Ideas into Action
www.ideas2action.co.uk
If you could eavesdrop a conversation between two of the greatest
contributors to the spirituality of NLP, this is ita.to ponder and
cherish. A transforming workshop transcribed, it makes it possible
for you the reader also to be transformed.Dr Susi Strang Wood, NLP
Master Trainer & Psychotherapist
If you've ever felt denied in experiencing your destiny, if you
every felt obstructed then these masters, story you right back into
permitting your own inner hero to come alive. They open you up to
the succulent, luscious, ripe, moist aspects of your life that a
ripe for change and transformation. The scandalous, spicy,
exciting, aspects of your life that you may want to hide are
brought into a caring appreciative workshop programme and given
loving attention. If you have ever felt dried out, or dried up,
then this is your read. Juicy, juicy!Well recommended.Deborah Rose
DipHyp: In house Hypnotherapist for StressFreeCaringInTheCity.
Holistic Well-Being for Stressed out Social Workers.
www.stressfreecaringinthecity.org
In a nutshell `The Hero''s Journey` is about responding to your
deepest calling and living a meaningful life. This book sets out to
help the reader hear and heed that calling; living a life connected
and aligned to it.Stephen Gilligan is one of the foremost
practitioners and teachers of Ericksonian hypnotherapy while Robert
Dilts is a primary voice in the practice, training and development
of NLP. They worked extensively with Bandler and Grinder in the
early days of NLP and now collaborate in seminars and workshops all
over the world.The majority of this book is a transcript of one of
these seminars and reading it almost creates a sense of being on
the journey with them. The journey follows an 8 step map drawn from
Joseph Campbell''s Hero with a Thousand Faces and the work on the
journey is designed to develop the necessary tools and
consciousness through the Generative Self approach.On the journey
we engage three aspects of consciousness; cognitive, somatic and
field. The Generative Self has the capacity to access what is
required in each aspect, expanding the notion of the mind-body
connection to a state in which it is possible to learn to be what
is moving through you.For NLP practitioners there is much that is
recognisable in this process but it is looking at NLP from an
expanded perspective. Much of it is working at an energetic level;
possibly it is about having all our energies working in alignment,
with integrity and authenticity and always in the context of our
deepest calling.This journey is both a challenge and a delight and
I recommend it to anyone who wants to expand their practice, their
experience or their mind beyond.Sali Mustafic, NLP Devon, INPLTA
Review No35, March 2012
Once again two of the masters of NLP have put together an
exceptional personal development program.It's written as a
conversation, which can be a little difficult to get used to at
first, but after a few pages you are so engrossed in the words it's
a though you are actually a part of the conversation. A very deep
thinking and profound book that will open your mind to new ways of
thinking that will have you challenged and motivated to continue
the journey for yourself.It's like attending a workshop with them,
but in your own home. Brilliant!Terri Bodell Deputy Chair, National
Association of Counsellors, Hypnotherapists and
Psychotherapists'
This book is a transcript of therapists Gilligan and Dilts
resurrecting the age-old metaphor of the Hero for an enthusiastic
audience of workshop participants who eagerly embrace it in an
effort to reframe chapters of their lives.Stephen Lankton, MSW,
DAHB, Author of Tools of Intention, the Answer Within, Practical
Magic, and Enchantment and Intervention
This book is a transcription of a four day workshop, conducted by
Robert Dilts and Steven Gilligan. I was, at first, under the
impression that the Hero's Journey of the title was mostly based on
a variation of Parts Therapy but, reading further into the book, I
realised that what the authors were using was actually much more
than this. As students, they both trained with Milton Erickson,
Bandler and Grinder and Virginia Satir and the Hero's Journey is
based very much on Virginia Satir's method of using psychodrama
with some of the families she was helping. Each session begins with
an explanation of the process, a demonstration, by the authors, of
what the session entails, followed by work with volunteers from the
delegates on the workshop. Each part of the Journey is acted out,
incorporating many NLP techniques and with tots of humour from both
leaders. For some people, especially those who are primarily
kinaesthetic, using this method will bring home the necessity for
change much more strongly than, say, a session of hypnotherapy or
other technique which relies on the client's imagination.I found
the book very interesting and entertaining and 1 think many
therapists, especially those who work with groups, will find it a
very useful addition to their library.Fidelity, The Journal for the
NCP, Spring 2010
This book provides an ideal format for groups who want to explore
new dimensions of personhood. For me, it crystallized concepts that
I had wondered about, yet had never known how to discuss. Gilligan
and Dilts establish a vocabulary for spirituality that for goes
beyond the philosophical, into the experiential. They are teaching
what mystics have always known and done. Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D.,
NLP Trainer and Licensed Counselor.
This is an absolutely outstanding collaboration between two of the
world's foremost transformational pioneers and a breakthrough
contribution in the field of personal development.Robert Dilts and
Stephen Gilligan have produced a superb account of a magical four
day seminar a so vivid and dynamic, you feel you are part of it as
you read.They've developed a truly profound, integrated and
evolutionary model from leading-edge approaches in NLP, Ericksonian
Hypnosis, Aikido, Meditation, Five Rhythms and much more, and
co-train it alive' with tremendous humour, compassion and wisdom.
If you want to come more alive, be more present, bring more of
yourself to the party with all its joys and difficulties then I
wholeheartedly recommend 'The Hero's Journey' as your guide. Judith
Lowe, PPD Learning Ltd, NLP Training, London
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