We learn from Modeling The Wisdom Of Jesus, Robert Dilts’ online article, Neural Linguistic Programming (NLP) began when Richard Bandler and John Grinder modeled patterns of language and behavior from the works of Fritz Perls, Virginia Satir and Milton H. Erickson, M.D. The first techniques of NLP were derived from key verbal and non-verbal patterns Grinder and Bandler observed in the behavior of these exceptional therapists. Bandler and Grinder’s first book was titled The Structure Of Magic (1975) The implication of this title was that what seemed magical and unexplainable often had a deeper structure that, when illuminated, could be understood, communicated and put into practice by people other than the few exceptional wizards who had initially performed the magic.

In the article, Dilts tells us, “A number of years ago it occurred to me that perhaps a similar kind of modeling could be done with respect to the records of Jesus’ teachings and works of healing. My first study, Cognitive Patterns Of Jesus Of Nazareth, explored the structure of the cognitive strategies employed by Jesus in his various works and teachings and how we might apply Jesus’ strategic thinking abilities to our own lives. A forthcoming work, Epistemology Of Jesus Of Nazareth, will explore the beliefs, values and assumptions that lie behind the words and works of Jesus as viewed from the perspective of NLP and systems theory. For the past several years I have been examining the reports of Jesus’ acts of healing through the filters of Neural Linguistic Programming, culminating in my seminars and video tapes on The Healing Patterns Of Jesus, and Modeling The Wisdom Of Jesus.”