He was a central figure in the original NLP group, and then became a major student of Milton Erickson, the great psychiatrist and hypnotherapist. Dr. Gilligan has been extending this work for the past 40 years in significant ways, while also developing his programs in Generative Trance and Generative Coaching. In 2004, he received the rarely given Lifetime Achievement Award from the Erickson Foundation in honor of his many contributions. He is the co-founder (w/ Robert Dilts) of the International Association of Generative Change (IAGC), which trains many indviduals and teams throughout the world. He has published extensively, and his 9 books include the forthcoming Generative Coaching (w/ Robert Dilts), Generative Trance: The Experience of Creative Flow, The Hero’s Journey (w/ R. Dilts), The Courage to Love, Therapeutic Trances; and The Legacy of Erickson. His website is StephenGilligan.com.