Wayne Dyer

Wayne Walter Dyer (born May 10, 1940 in Detroit, Michigan) is a popular American self-help advocate, author and lecturer. His 1976 book Your Erroneous Zones has sold over 30 million copies and is one of the best-selling books of all time. It is said to have "[brought] humanistic ideas to the masses".

Biography

Dyer spent much of his adolescence in an orphanage. He received his D.Ed. degree in counseling from Wayne State University. He was a guidance counselor in Detroit at the high school level and a professor of counselor education at St. John's University in New York.

He first pursued an academic career, publishing in journals and running a successful private therapy practice, but his lectures at St. John's, which focused on positive thinking and motivational speaking techniques, attracted students beyond those enrolled. A literary agent persuaded Dyer to package his ideas in book form, resulting in Your Erroneous Zones; although initial sales were thin, Dyer quit his teaching job and began a publicity tour of the United States, doggedly pursuing bookstore appearances and media interviews ("out of the back of his station wagon", according to Michael Korda, making the best-seller lists "before book publishers even noticed what was happening"), which eventually led to national television talk shows including Merv Griffin, The Tonight Show, and Phil Donahue.

Dyer proceeded to build on his success with lecture tours, a series of audiotapes, and regular publication of new books. Dyer's audience was not limited to business as with Dale Carnegie or Stephen Covey, and so his message resonated with many in the New Thought Movement and beyond . He often recounted anecdotes from his family life, and repeatedly used his own life experience as an example. His self-made man success story was a part of his appeal. Dyer told readers to pursue self actualization, calling reliance on the self as a guide a "religious" experience, and suggested that readers emulate Jesus Christ, who he termed both an example of a self-actualized person, and a "preacher of self-reliance". Dyer criticized societal focus on guilt, which he saw as an unhealthy immobilization in the present due to actions taken in the past. He advocated readers to see how parents, institutions, and even themselves had imposed guilt trips on them.

Although Dyer resisted the spiritual tag, by the 1990s he was altering his message to include more components of spirituality, in Real Magic, and higher consciousness, in Your Sacred Self. Currently, his focus is on interpretations of Tao Te Ching and has many US speaking engagements.

Personal life

Dyer lives in Maui, Hawaii. He has been married twice, having seven of his eight children by his second wife, Marcelene.

Religious beliefs

"My belief is that the truth is a truth until you organize it, and then becomes a lie. I don't think that Jesus was teaching Christianity, Jesus was teaching kindness, love, concern, and peace. What I tell people is don't be Christian, be Christ like. Don't be Buddhist, be Buddha like."

"Religion is orthodoxy, rules and historical scriptures maintained by people over long periods of time. Generally people are raised to obey the customs and practices of that religion without question. These are customs and expectations from outside the person and do not fit my definition of spiritual."

Controversy

Since 2000, he has appeared several times on PBS during their pledge drives. Although PBS' local station managers believe that he is a popular speaker and successful in helping their stations raise money, some PBS viewers found the appearances disturbing in the sense "that PBS might be seen as lending its prestige to Dyer's spiritual views and aligning itself with his teachings".

Bibliography

• Counseling Techniques That Work
• Your Erroneous Zones
• Pulling Your Own Strings
• Group Counseling for Personal Mastery
• The Sky's the Limit
• Gifts from Eykis : A Story of Self-Discovery
• What Do You Really Want for Your Children
• The Awakened Life
• Happy Holidays!
• Real Magic: Creating Miracles in Everyday Life
• Everyday Wisdom
• How to Be a No-Limit Person
• You'll See It When You Believe It: The Way to Your Personal Transformation
• Your Sacred Self: Making the Decision to Be Free
• A Promise Is a Promise: An Almost Unbelievable Story of a Mother's Unconditional Love and What It Can Teach Us
• Manifest Your Destiny: The Nine Spiritual Principles for Getting Everything You Want
• Wisdom of the Ages
• There's a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem
• 10 Secrets For Success And Inner Peace
• It's Never Crowded Along the Extra Mile
• Getting in the Gap: Making Conscious Contact With God Through Meditation
• The Caroline Myss & Wayne Dyer Seminar
• Staying on the Path
• The Power of Intention: Learning to Co-Create Your World Your Way
• Incredible You!
• Inspiration: Your Ultimate Calling
• Being in Balance: 9 Principles for Creating habits to Match Your Desires
• Everyday Wisdom for Success
• Making Your Thoughts Work for You
• Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao
• Living The Wisdom Of The Tao: The Complete Tao Te Ching and Affirmations
• Excuses Begone