Turtles All the Way Down: Prerequisites to Personal Genius (Paperback)

~ (Author), Judith DeLozier (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Rich with humor and metaphors from other cultures and disciplines, Turtles develops the characteristics common to the geniuses whose patterning formed the initial body of NLP techniques. You will learn how these skills are readily available for cultivating your own personal genius in a way that is respectful of the power of the unconscious.

This book is the documentary, with added notes and stories, of Grinder/Delozier's five day seminar called "Prerequisites To Personal Genius". John Grinder and Judith Delozier get their participants to think about the structure of thinking; how our thought patterns become our beliefs about reality. The limitations of those thought patterns can be overcome, however, when a person is able to expand his/her perceptual filters and model "geniuses" -- this is the process which has been shown in the lives of people such as Einstein, Milton Erickson, and Gregory Bateson.

Throughout the book, the authors challenge you to reexamine the structures of your "mind" and the ways that all parts can be integrated in an internal dance.

Product Details

• Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: Grinder, DeLozier & Associates. (September 19, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555520227
• ISBN-13: 978-1555520229
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #424,225 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Make that 3 1/2 Stars..., October 12, 2000

By	TOJ "shamrock2" (Colorado USA) - See all my reviews

Had I known beforehand this was a transcription of a 5 day seminar, I probably would not have purchased the book. With that said, I'm glad its now part of my library. The 3 1/2 stars is only due to fact that this type of book is the kind that is best suited for a detailed Table of Contents and/or index. There is no index here, and the contents page is limited to what day of the seminar they were in.

The content is excellent however. To quote the back of the book: "Rich with humor and metaphors from other cultures and disciplines, 'Turtles All the Way Down' develops the characteristics common to the geniuses whose patterning formed the initial body of NLP techniques. ... You will learn how the skills of genius are readily available for cultivating your own personal excellence in a way that is respectful of the power of the unconscious."

One thing I especially liked was the liberal use of ideas and quotes from (most notably) Carlos Castenada, and Gregory Bateson among others, to add to the understanding of the material. In one section when discussing the Incompleteness Theorem for Representation; Grinder goes from Gregory Bateson, to Kurt Godel, to Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady and finally Monty Python's Flying Circus to discuss the concept. Lets just say its not been a boring read.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impeccable Internal Organizational Patterning, February 19, 2002

By	David J. Xanatos "Dave 'willing to travel for... (MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Turtles is a book for people already exposed in some degree to the basic tenets of NLP. It is not "about" NLP, but how to create logical structures and frameworks within yourself to employ these (and other) tools in a most effective and ecological manner. A great deal of emphasis is placed on applying the right energy to the right "logical level". Often, people are making the right move in a situation, but applying that move to the wrong logical level. This book is about identifying logical levels and having an internal structure that allows you to interface at the right time at the right logical level with the right change- the minimum effort that makes the maximum difference. Grinder is a master storyteller given his exceptional background, and he winds the teachings around interesting and compelling stories from his and other fascinating folks' experiences. Worth the read even if you never learned anything about NLP. Grinder's a cool dude! :)

20 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book I've EVER read, January 25, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Marquez, Texas) - See all my reviews

I have read dozens of self-help, and nlp books. The purity of the information presented in Turtles is unprecedented. John and Judy drill down to the lowest common denominator, distilling all the concepts they present into simple, yet profound concepts. This is a must-read for anyone who is truly searching for deeper meaning.

The only thing I can say that may have a negative tone is that the world lost something powerful when Grinder and Bandler got too important individually to continue to impact the world jointly. E-mail me at [e-mail]