Speaker - Barry Collins - Neuro-Linguistic Programming

A surprising and unusual experience for Kilrymont Rotary members at their weekly meeting – an introduction to Neuro-Linguistic Programming.

Not sure what that is all about? Neither were the members until speaker Barry Collins provided the explanation, beginning with information on walking barefoot over hot coals!

Barry runs Phoenix Firewalk, essentially specialising in motivational theory, team-building, management development courses and suchlike.

He is a Master Practitioner of NLP, hypnotherapist, life coach & rapid induction therapist and came to NLP through a 23-year career in sales. After attending many sales seminars, Barry realised the skills being taught could be put to better use – enabling others to choose to live a full and more vibrant life.

The members learned that it is not really all to do with firewalking, rather physical and neurological exercises to engender positive thinking and how to face up to life’s many challenges.

Many of his clients are, similar to Rotary clubs, involved in fund-raising, and Barry’s view is that NLP can help substantially to do so.

Visually, Barry caused many raised eyebrows – and blood pressures – by demonstrating the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”. Namely a procedure in which clients place the sharp end of an arrow in the soft spot at the front of the collarbone, the feathered end against a wall – then forcefully bend forward. Most of us would expect the outcome to be a bit painful. In reality, mind over matter causes the arrow shaft to snap, with no resulting injury.

Past President Ewen Allan (who admitted to have tried this out in the past) stood up and in full view, did exactly that with the arrow and lived to tell the tale.

On the subject of firewalking, Barry outlined that this particular procedure usually comes at the end of a NLP session when clients by that time were overcoming any fears of tackling just about anything.

But no hot coals are involved. Barry uses wood, burning it until hot embers remain in a 12-feet long pit and clients then walk over it in bare feet.

President John Spittal, in proposing a vote of thanks for a particularly exhilarating talk, did suggest he would not be attempting either the arrow procedure or firewalking….