Andrew Salter - Legacy

Legacy

Salter's techniques were revived among college students during the early and mid-1970s at Bernard M. Baruch College (City University of New York) by Richard Rodriguez, a student leader and newspaper Editor-in-Chief of "The (Baruch College) Ticker". Rodriguez, who was introduced to Salter's work by ex-Marine and fellow student, Brian Guerre. After corresponding with Salter, Rodriguez held training sessions on campus in the office of his "Health Sciences Society" organization which he founded in 1972. Over a two year period, Rodriguez trained over two hundred students in progressive relaxation and autosuggestion, which improved the students' ability to study and perform better on exams. Mr. Rodriguez's motto was "relax to your purpose". Rodriguez has also advanced the theory that all human conflict is based on each individual's (or group's) unfulfilled (long term/life long) expectations, which may be modified to a limited extent, through Salter's techniques of personality reconstruction.

In a 2008 phone interview, Rodriguez remarked: "Although we now know much more about the workings and chemistry of the brain then was known 65 years ago, Salter's techniques remain extremely effective and life altering. His works remained in print for over 25 years and have been translated in over a dozen languages and his books have earned numerous accolades. Proponents of Behavior Modification, Assertiveness Training, Auto-relaxation, Progressive (Systematic) Desensitization & Psychoprophylaxis have all used principles and applications proposed, developed or applied by Salter, whether or not they acknowledge that reality."