Richard Bandler
Co-founder of neuro-linguistic programming and self-help author.
Richard Wayne Bandler (born 1950) is an American writer, consultant, and public speaker in self-help. Alongside John Grinder, he created neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) in the 1970s, a method used in psychotherapy.
Bandler was born in Teaneck, New Jersey, and went to high school in Sunnyvale, California. He has said that as a child he was beaten so severely that every bone in his body was broken. After his parents split up, he lived with his mother, mostly around San Francisco. He earned a BA in philosophy and psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1973, and an MA in psychology from Lone Mountain College in San Francisco in 1975.
While still a student, Bandler helped publisher Robert S. Spitzer edit *The Gestalt Approach* (1973), based on a manuscript by the late gestalt therapist Fritz Perls. He also worked on checking transcripts for *Eye Witness to Therapy* (1973). Spitzer noted that Bandler began talking and acting like Perls. Bandler also led a Gestalt therapy group at UCSC. Professor John Grinder told Bandler he could explain nearly all of Bandler’s questions and comments using transformational grammar, Grinder’s area of expertise. Together, they formed a therapist training group, which became the basis for their first book, *The Structure of Magic* (1975). They later claimed to have codified core NLP models by studying the methods of Milton Erickson and Virginia Satir.
In 1986, Corine Ann Christensen was shot dead in her Santa Cruz townhouse with a .357 magnum belonging to Bandler. Christensen was a former girlfriend of James Marino, a friend and cocaine dealer of Bandler’s. Bandler was charged with her murder. He testified that he had been at Christensen’s house but that Marino fired the shot. After a short deliberation, a jury found him not guilty.
- born
- 1950
- field
- Self-help, psychotherapy
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Co-founding neuro-linguistic programming (NLP)
Lore & Background
Richard Bandler was born in Teaneck, New Jersey, and attended high school in Sunnyvale, California. He has stated that he was beaten as a child so badly that every bone in his body was broken. After his parents separated, he moved with his mother and stayed mostly in and around San Francisco. He earned a BA in philosophy and psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1973, and an MA in psychology from Lone Mountain College in San Francisco in 1975.
While a student at UCSC, Bandler led a Gestalt therapy group and helped publisher Robert S. Spitzer edit The Gestalt Approach (1973) based on a manuscript by Fritz Perls. John Grinder, a professor at UCSC, noted that Bandler's questions and comments could be explained using transformational grammar. Together, they created a therapist training group, which became the basis for their first book, The Structure of Magic (1975). They later claimed to have codified foundational models for NLP by studying the methods of Milton Erickson and Virginia Satir.
In 1986, Bandler was charged with the murder of Corine Ann Christensen, a former girlfriend of his friend and cocaine dealer James Marino. Bandler testified that he was at Christensen's house but that Marino shot her. A jury found him not guilty after a short deliberation.
Reader's Guide
Richard Bandler's significance lies in his co-creation of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), a set of models and techniques that aim to understand and change human behavior and communication. Developed in the 1970s with linguist John Grinder, NLP drew on the work of therapists such as Fritz Perls, Milton Erickson, and Virginia Satir. Bandler's early work editing Perls' manuscripts and leading Gestalt therapy groups informed the development of NLP. The approach has been widely adopted in self-help, coaching, and therapy, though it has also faced criticism for lacking empirical support. Bandler's publications, including The Structure of Magic and Frogs into Princes, remain influential in the field. His legacy is also marked by his 1986 murder trial and acquittal, which added a controversial chapter to his life. Despite this, NLP continues to be practiced and taught globally, with Bandler remaining a central figure in its dissemination.
Did You Know?
- Bandler earned a BA in philosophy and psychology from UC Santa Cruz in 1973 and an MA in psychology from Lone Mountain College in 1975.
- He helped edit The Gestalt Approach (1973) based on a manuscript by Fritz Perls.
- In 1986, he was charged with murder but was found not guilty by a jury.
- Bandler has stated that he was beaten as a child so badly that every bone in his body was broken.
More in Fringe Figures And Pseudoscience 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record