An evening with Frank Pucelik
Great Portland Street
Notes taken by Mark Phoenix
Obviously my record of Franks talk is full of generalizations, deletions and
maybe even distortions, however I hope they are useful generalizations,
deletions and distortions!
Bandler, Pucelik and Grinder met in Santa Cruz in the 70’s at a Gestalt
Training Programme, Grindlers thing was Transformational Grammar (The
structure of Language) Pucelik was a Cormant in the Vietnam war, a doctor.
All three had similar Characteristics they were all rule breakers (they still are I
guess) They could work out complex stuff, and then do it on purpose
Demystifying Fritz Perls behaviour only 5% of what Frank did was ‘magic’.
Fritz Perls was an advocate of Freud and his focus therefore was on the
parents of the clients
“My anxiety is killing me” unspecified verbs. Specify the verbs.
Gestalt is about ‘Top Dog’ and ‘Under Dog’ Gestalt therapists would be
focusing on this to the exclusion of a lot of other things!
Frank mentioned Eric Berne (Transactional Analysis) TA parent/adult/child
We were more interested in what was right with someone!
Language patterns, the patterns that people were using to create their
problems. Virginia Satir was practicing 25% Magically
Vaginia Satir ‘Held peoples Pain’ she died 20 years before her time because
of it.
Gregory Bateson gave Bandler, Grindler and Pucelik lots of feedback and
they respected Bateson’s feedback and grew from it!
Need to spend time with genius.
Do we know how to evaluate their thinking and can we think like them
ourselves.
American football player put positive imagery on the walls around him to
inspire and lead his unconscious mind
They had a mental strategy they simply BELIEVED they could do it
Figure out what people do well and copy them, copy what they do NOW we
don’t need the years of experience it took them to acquire the
skill/behaviour/attitude
Pucelik is curious about point of view, its not true and its not accurate, its all
hallucination and it means nothing.
Find their complex equivalence! What for them is their idea of a good
marriage?
A lot of the time we just need to observe and pay attention, people generally
are not observing fully or deeply enough, they are not focusing on the ‘right’
things.
‘Dissolving some emotional stuff’
Dilts had an on button but no off button. Robert Dilts was very
‘computer/digital’
Santa Cruz was for brilliant kids! One in 10,000 kids got into the College!
Crazy days! Whatever limits we had we got rid of them.
At a christmas party we designed ‘experiences’ to help people get rid of their
limitations, people who couldn’t overcome their limitations themselves…we
knew these people we knew what they could handle. Lady who had poor body
image, man who was waiting for enlightenment.
We changed her life forever…this was Santa Cruz in the mid 70’s
Pucelik studied political science, psychology and education amongst other
things, he was also a teacher
Frank went through his recurring dream/nightmare 15 times with 15
colleagues he played each person in his dream including the gun…his belief
was ‘I do really well until it’s really important and then I fail’ based on drama
therapy. Frank said this activity helped him a lot to recover from PTSD. I
guess what was happening he was associating to his issue, gaining new
empowering perspectives and doing it in a safe supported environment.
Vietnam vets couldn’t separate themselves from the rules
Questions to ask VETS (PTSD) do not lean forward and ask how does that
make you feel, that could be taken as a threat, you need to be invited in to
help, instead ask questions like Is there anything I can do? Or How do you
want to let go of that? Would you like help with that. When working with VETS
its all about TRUST!
Stop and observe everything around you INTENSLEY.
Designs PTSD programmes for Fort Hood (Still big suicide rate for American
soldiers)
John was a military intelligence officer in the Cold War
Contacts for PTSD studies and more info: Steve Andreas, Frank Bourke
NLP RR Research and Recognition Group
I am the person who breaks the chains!