Arun Maruthi Selvan
My experience on the course
In one word - transformational. Ashok’s introductory courses acted as nice preludes to the Intensive course. First of all, the course provided me the time and freedom to spend time with myself to introspect. The interactive group made me feel totally at ease right from the moment I stepped into Kerala. Sue’s approach to coaching is starkly different from other coaching styles that I’ve seen. I was dumbstruck at the way Sue used individual’s experiences to bring out NLP concepts and learnings. There was no training module. No ‘syllabus’. Sue simply transformed every individual’s experience into learning for everyone in the room. She was the module. The ease with which she seamlessly switched modes was amazing. It was an amazing experience simply to observe Sue.
The content is extremely relevant to everyday life – personal and professional. The difference that made the difference is the way the content was provided. I was taking notes during the first few days of the course. And after a few days, I found that I really didn’t have to take notes. I cannot forget individuals and their experiences. It has been very nicely etched in my mind.
My experience as Sue’s subject during the ‘parts integration’ was amazing. I never knew that such things existed in my mind. She made all of it so clear. And because all the inputs came from me, I felt totally responsible for my words, which actually made it so much easier for me to act on things she helped me identify for myself. The group was a great blend of fresh learners and experienced learners. The mutual support that I received from everyone played a key role in incorporating my learning to action.
I have been able to integrate the learning into my everyday activities. My fiancé tells me that my normal response to anything has become ‘clean questions’. Whenever she says something or asks something, I respond with a clean question. Though she finds it hard to adjust to my new way of responding, she does accept that clean questions have helped our relationship a lot. I’ve been using the concepts on myself. I help myself to resolve conflicts, and motivate myself. I have also been able to coach two of my friends by simply using clean questions and the logical levels of change. They find it extremely helpful. I cannot imagine the kind of impact NLP would have in my life and the lives of people around me, when I start using almost everything that I’ve learnt. The learning that my potential is much bigger than what I have imagined it to be, and that I have the tools to achieve what I want, simply makes me feel so much more happy about the way I face every situation in life. It has given a whole new perspective to the way I look at everything I do. And that is exactly how, the course is transformational.
My learnings on the course
The learnings as I have described above, are very significant.
- I have learnt that the substructure may be entirely different from whatever the superstructure is revealing. One example was Ela – she was very very internally referenced initially. During one of the interactions I had with her, I was probing her with some clean questions and was able to identify, quite to my surprise, that it was a very strong external reference that made her so internally referenced. She became so internally referenced because she ‘did not want others to perceive her as a woman who must conform to the norms of the society. She did not want others to tell her what to do’. That’s why she made up her mind to be on her own, and decide things for herself and not let external things affect her decisions.
- I learnt that whenever I find someone’s behaviour bothering me, the first question to ask is, “what is it about that behaviour that is bothering me” and “in what ways or situations am I like that?” It has changed the way I approach people in different situations.
- I have learnt why I do not go ahead with decisions that I take. This was the result of the parts integration exercise that I had with Sue.
- I have learnt the importance of focusing on my health. A lot of inputs from Ashok helped me in this front. And he is the model for me.
- I have learnt how I make decisions. I have understood how I integrate my values, to my vision and actions and how I build that commitment to act. This was the result of a modelling session done by Angela. It was very interesting to identify how my mind actually goes about making decisions.
- I have learnt that I am gifted to be very light. A lot of feedback came from the group about this and it is something that I am cherishing and loving about myself.
Overall, a lot of awareness and exposure to make conscious choices in different situations is my biggest take away.
The place
A perfect setting for such a course. Comfortable, affordable, pleasant and pretty isolated. A lot of freedom to move around at will. Backwaters, clear sky and beach. Very much in touch with nature. It enabled me to get back in touch with myself. A very ideal setting for a course of this kind.
Organisation of the event
In my opinion, the only objective of the program was to help the group learn a lot about themselves and whatever happened, seemed to be the plan. A lot of flexibility was offered to the participants to move around and explore. It was a learning vacation. Kathakali, Kalaripayattu, Drums, shopping, dinner… it had it all. A lot of work in the background enabled the program to be really smooth.
Sue (clearly I recognise these qualities)
I have been saying so much about Sue already! An amazing mentor, guide, coach and facilitator. The generosity with which she shares her learnings is captivating. The way she delivers the content simply astounds me. In my opinion, every word she says, and every action she does has a purpose to it. She has a genuine interest in every participant and is able to see the potential in everyone very quickly. She beautifully facilitates every learning.
All the assistants; Ashok, Arul, Anand, Jay, John, Tanuja, and Colin
Assistants? They seemed to be like any other participant. The enthusiasm and support that Ashok showed to help me be at the session is something I’ll always remain grateful to. Colin has never failed to impress me with his assertiveness. My modelling session with him on how he gives open, candid feedback is a great learning. Arul was the fun guy. There’s a child like enthusiasm in him to help everyone enjoy their time along with all the learning. An amazing team.