Richard Bandler co-founded the field of
Neurolinguistic Programming along with
linguistics professor
John Grinder at the
University of California at Santa Cruz in the 1970s. He is also the developer of
Design Human Engineering, and a friend of author
Robert Anton Wilson.
Richard Bandler was born in New Jersey in 1950, and spent high school in California. He earned his Bachelor's degree from UCSC in 1973 and his Master's in Theoretical Psychology from Lone Mountain College in San Francisco. Despite the "Dr." he often uses with his name, Bandler does not have a doctorate degree.
His work with Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) began in the 1970s when he 'modeled' the communication structure and language structure of several well known therapists. Bandler and Grinder wrote The Structure of Magic Vols. I & II in the mid 1970s. These books presented what they called the meta model, modeled after the work of family therapist Virginia Satir. A short time later they published Patterns of the Hypnotic Techniques of Milton H. Erickson Vols. I & II, which modeled the methods used by hypnotherapist Milton Erickson.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming started as a form of therapy that uses language patterns to change a person's map of the world. Today it is used in therapy, sales, advertising and even seduction, among other things.
Bandler and Grinder soon parted ways, and both have continued to publish books and give NLP trainings worldwide.
In 1986 Bandler was arrested for the murder of Corine Christensen in Santa Cruz. She was the ex-girlfriend of Bandler's friend James Marino. Marino, who was a known cocaine dealer in the area, suspected that Christensen had been behind the recent beating of Marino. Bandler and Marino were arrested 12 hours after the murder. Bandler was tried and found not guilty, however many people still doubt his innocence.
Today he continues to offer trainings in NLP and Design Human Engineering in various cities around the world.
Sources:
Mother Jones Article: http://www.geocities.com/bandlertrial/bandler1.html
http://www.nlpu.com/bandbio.htm