Certification, Training & Research in Gestalt Psychology
BY THE ANIL THOMAS FELLOWSHIP
Anil Thomas
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I teach, write, mentor, and hold spaces.
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Through workshops, certification programs, group processes, and sessions, I bring together NLP, Gestalt, somatic wisdom, and humanistic psychology in a way that is experiential, layered, and deeply human.
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My role isn’t to offer answers. It’s to walk alongside, to ask better questions, to hold the space a little longer, to stay curious with you.
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This work is for those who are willing to look inward, those who are searching for more than quick fixes, for those who are ready for real, embodied change.
On the death of my Guru, my Inspiration - Fr Dick McHugh, I went in search of the source of NLP.
This quest led me to meet, earn and facilitate the mentorship of the Co- creator of NLP, such as Judith DeLozier, Robert Dilts and John Grinder himself. Each of them is a fountain of Knowledge and I am ever grateful to drink from this fountain.
I've also been privileged to learn from stalwarts such as Suzie Smith, Tim and Chris Halbom, Michael Hall, Frank Bourke and Nora Bateson each whose unique style and charisma enriches my abilities. My giants uplift me to see the world from a new height. And I can proudly say that I stand strong and comfortably on the shoulder of my giants.
In honour of Fr. Dick McHugh
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So much of who I am and how I work is rooted in the presence of one man: Fr. Dick McHugh.
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He wasn’t just a teacher. He was a mirror, a mentor, and a guiding force whose way of being continues to echo through my words, my work, and the spaces I hold. What he offered went beyond knowledge.
It was a way of seeing, listening, and standing with people in their truth.
His wisdom was quiet, grounded, and deeply human. He believed in the process, in staying with what is, in trusting that real change begins with real contact.
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Though he’s no longer physically here, his presence remains a compass in everything I do.
Every course I teach, every reflection I share, it’s all carried like a sprinkle of his essence.
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This work is my way of keeping the conversation going with him, through him, and for all those who never got to sit in his classroom, but can still feel his spirit in the work.
Over the years, this learning has taken me across continents — from India to Russia, Australia, U.S., China, Thailand, and beyond but at its heart, this journey has always been about people. About creating safe spaces for others to explore, break patterns, build awareness, and reconnect with themselves.
My Initiatives
Over time, I’ve built platforms and communities around this work not just as extensions of my practice, but as living ecosystems of learning, collaboration, and service. Each of these is close to my heart:
ATF
What started as a small circle of students has now become a thriving community of seekers, therapists, trainers, and facilitators.
ATF is more than a group. It’s a fellowship. A space where people return not just for learning, but for connection, supervision, co-creation, and the kind of learning that continues long after the course ends. We hold each other accountable, not to perfection, but to practice.
NLP
It humbles me to facilitate and practise the knowledge I procured from my giants and mentors who were the source and creators of NLP. It leaves me in absolute awe to watch how this framework changes the lives of both practitioners and masters that I facilitate to.
The Gestalt Experience
These aren’t just certification courses, they are structured experiences designed for transformation.
Rooted in presence, embodiment, and theory-in-practice, both journeys help participants move beyond techniques and into a sense of personal and professional growth. The classroom becomes a space of real contact with oneself, with others, and with long-standing patterns that are ready to shift.
IJNGP
This journal grew out of a deep need to bring academic depth and research integrity into the fields of NLP and Gestalt.
As a mentor of this space, I’ve worked with students, facilitators, and scholars to create a platform that bridges science, practice, and experiential knowing. It’s a place where research is not just published, but lived and questioned.
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GHAI
This was born from a simple desire to help those who have something important to say, find their voice in print.
Through GHAI, I’ve supported upcoming authors, researchers, and students in turning their work into published books, articles, and contributions to the field. Writing is often solitary; this initiative turns it into a shared, mentored process.
Umang Foundation Trust
Service, to me, is not separate from therapy. It is therapy.
Through Umang, we work with children, women, and under-resourced communities focusing on education, menstrual hygiene, mental health, and life skills. What we offer is not charity, but dignity. They are simple, sustainable ways for individuals to reclaim agency in their lives.
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My Journey
As a curious student seated in my first NLP session with Fr Dick in 2007, little did I know I would be blessed with the love and compassion of transforming lives across the world. In my experience of over 12 years as a master practitioner of NLP and being a facilitator of the subject to over ten thousand students, I have traveled across countries such as the USA , China, Thailand, Russia, Australia , Hong Kong and India as well. Being acquainted with the diversity of culture,color, race,religion and language across the globe. I've come to believe, we all are only human looking to be a little more humane. And NLP empowers me to bring this change in each one's life.
Anil's Books And Publications
Much of what I’ve learned has come through stories of my own, my teachers’, and the ones shared in the sacred trust of a classroom or session.
My books are not instruction manuals. They are compilations of notes, quotes, reflections, and reminders that are drawn from years of facilitation, dialogue, and moments that moved something in me.
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They are for you: a teacher, a therapist, a seeker, a wanderer.
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To pick up, pause with, underline, and return to.
BY THE ANIL THOMAS FELLOWSHIP
joelcferns@anilthomas.co | +91 9930748410
Copyright © 2025 Anil Thomas. All Rights Reserved