Wisdom Strategy Research Institute

ROBERT'S STORY

My own adventure in personal development started somewhere around 1980 and like so many of us, my youth was not exactly easy. I had what at the time seemed like a VERY challenging situation socially, and emotionally. Fortunately, I made it through those days because I believed in my heart of hearts that the answers I needed were out there, somewhere. If only I could find them.......

Basically, those early emotionally painful experiences started me on a lifetime QUEST of exploring, reading tons of books, and studying with some very amazing people. Deep inside of my soul I was on FIRE with this intense passion and enthusiasm for profound personal transformation. The more I studied and transformed myself, the more distinctions I made, which led to new areas of study and more transformational breakthroughs.

As I started learning more I found myself GETTING REALLY, REALLY, REALLY EXCITED. The tools, techniques and philosophies I was learning helped me a LOT! I was living in a whole new realm of being where feeling optimistic, and capable were now the norm.

But, then I had this new challenge. I wasn't depressed anymore, and I was significantly more confident. BUT...

There were people around me that were REALLY GOOD, some of them AMAZINGLY GREAT at things that still challenged me...like being funny, making money, and feeling loved, at peace, and joyful.

My experience was that I had to find out what they knew.

It was around this time when something happened that would completely transform my life FOREVER, literally. One day during a bus ride, a friend told me in no uncertain terms that I absolutely had to meet this rather incredible man who casually changed the life of virtually everyone who crossed his path. A high school science teacher who in a fascinating way that I didn't quite understand initially, is a sort of modern wizard if you will, who could in many case quite literally cause peoples problems to transform, or simply dissolve or melt away. Often in just minutes.

I experienced him doing this sort of thing repeatedly, and successfully, numerous times over the next few years. Sometimes with groups of dozens of people, or more, simultaneously.

Before this all transpired, I had had some image of what traditional counselors were like...but this was UNREAL.

This rather amazing man, Don Tilsley, could typically help someone to make a real, significant, meaningful change in just a few minutes! Compare that to most counselors, who at the time didn't even believe that rapid change is actually possible.

For instance, I once watched "Tils" as we fondly call him, completely eliminate a phobia that my friend Petra had in less than about 5 minutes during a simple conversation. Show me a counselor that could do that in 1984!!!!

Today, in 2008, perhaps 15% or more of counselors and therapists are trained to eliminate phobias rapidly. But in 1984 less than about one per cent could do anything like that.

Over a period of nearly 6 years, from 1984 to 1989, I had the extremely good fortune to first be one of his students, and then engage in what can perhaps best be called an apprenticeship with him.

Now, quite naturally I found that I was rather mesmerized, compelled, and driven to find out how he did what he did.

Over the next several months he gradually revealed that most of his "magic" came from the science known as NLP - short for Neuro-Linguistic Programming. Tilsley's personal power, charisma, street - smart insight, and "take the gloves off and go straight to the core" approach allow him to apply NLP with legendary proficiency.

During this time, I also decided to study NLP in depth in every way I possibly could, especially with the people who created it including Richard Bandler, Robert Dilts, Steve and Connirae Andreas, and Charles Faulkner, among others. I quickly got REALLY GOOD at NLP.

For several years, I sincerely believed that NLP had THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING.

I've since found out that NLP isn't exactly a panacea. However, NLP is extremely powerful.

As time went on I studied many schools of transformation, and personal development including Hypnosis, Shamanism, Martial Arts, Yoga, Meditation, various Mysticism traditions, Psychology, Acupuncture & Energy related techniques, basically any wisdom approach, technique, or philosophy where I could demonstrate pragmatically the value and effectiveness of the approach.

Along the way, I always hoped to find something like Wisdom Strategy Research Institute. Eventually, I realized that it didn't exist, at least not in a form that was rational, and workable by my standards. I realized that if I wanted it to exist it would be up to me to bring it into existence. So, I am. I hope you will participate with me.

Much Love,

Robert

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Robert Holzhauser lives in Colorado with his wife, and son.