Wayne Dyer

Wayne Dyer
Dyer in 2009.
Personal details
Born	(1940-05-10)May 10, 1940 Detroit, Michigan, US
Died	August 29, 2015(2015-08-29) (aged 75) Maui County, Hawaii, US
Children	8
Education	BA History and Philosophy MA Psychology PhD Counseling Wayne State University
Occupation	Author Motivational Speaker Psychologist Therapist Show Host Commentator
Website	www.drwaynedyer.com
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1958–1962
Rank	Petty officer second class

Wayne Walter Dyer (May 10, 1940 – August 29, 2015) was an American self-help author and a motivational speaker. Dyer earned a Bachelor’s degree in History and Philosophy, a Master’s degree in Psychology and an Ed.D. in Guidance and Counseling at Wayne State University in 1970.^{[1] [2]}Early in his career, he worked as a high school guidance counselor, and went on to run a successful private therapy practice. He became a popular professor of counselor education at St. John's University, where he was approached by a literary agent to put his ideas into book form. The result was his first book, Your Erroneous Zones (1976), one of the best-selling books of all time, with an estimated 100 million copies sold.^[3] This launched Dyer's career as a motivational speaker and self-help author, during which he published 20 more best-selling books and produced a number of popular specials for PBS. Influenced by thinkers such as Abraham Maslow and Albert Ellis, Dyer's early work focused on psychological themes such as motivation, self actualization and assertiveness. By the 1990s, the focus of his work had shifted to spirituality. Inspired by Swami Muktananda and New Thought,^{[citation needed]} he promoted themes such as the "power of intention," collaborated with alternative medicine advocate Deepak Chopra on a number of projects, and was a frequent guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show.^[4]