AN OLD MASTER RETURNS

BY PETER MABBUTT

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…

This could very well be the start of the next instalment of the Star Wars

saga, if it were not for the fact that it wasn’t a long time ago (a mere 10 or

so years); and it wasn’t far, far away (ok, if you were travelling from Portugal

or Malaysia, the journey to Birkbeck College would significantly add to your

Air Miles account); and the characters involved hold little resemblance to

those created by George Lucas (even though I am of a hirsute nature, I do

NOT look like Chewbacca): the saga to get a certain Principal of the LCCH

to once again step onto the lecturing circuit holds almost epic proportions.

It was at Birkbeck College, the then London home of LCCH training (who

out there remembers the rickety chairs, the ‘happy’ security guards, the cof-

fee urns that set off the fire alarms, the left-overs from student parties that

colourfully decorated the rooms – ah memories, memories!), that I first had

the opportunity to experience our very own Obi-Wan Kenobi simulacrum,

Michael Joseph, sharing his knowledge in the lecture room. Of the time I

speak, most of the LCCH lecturers that you know (and hopefully love) were

still training in hypnotherapy when Michael decided to hand over the day-to-

day education of would-be therapists to a talented cohort of people, some

of whom grace us with their extensive knowledge to this very day (Angela,

Anna, Christa, you know who you are). Our only introduction to the great

man himself had been at the first weekend of the Certificate Course (then

known as the Foundation Course) and so it was with great excitement that

I saw in Ye Olde LCCH News of the day that Michael would be teaching

a Masterclass covering in depth his approach to stopping smoking. To be

guided through this ‘bread and butter’ therapy, by the man responsible for

creating the one session approach that is taught by the LCCH to this very

day, was an opportunity not to be missed. It wasn’t long before I, along with

many others, arrived at a packed lecture theatre one sunny Saturday morn-

ing with baited breath to hear from one of the true pioneers of clinical

London College of Clinical Hypnosis

W I N T E R 2 0 0 8 N E W S L E T T E R

LCCH, 27 Gloucester Place, London W1U 8HU

Tel: 020 7486 3939 • Fax: 020 7486 1123 • e-mail: info@lcch.co.uk • www.lcch.co.uk

hypnosis. We were not to be disappointed: Michael taught with an engaging

and idiosyncratic approach, conveying his knowledge in a way that captivated

everyone present and allowed the process of learning to occur at many

different levels. Sometimes I was left wondering how he had managed so

clearly to get such-and-such a point across with minimal reference to the

point in question. The answer to this puzzle was of course his understand-

ing of how we learn: knowledge that he had gleaned from those greats of

hypnotherapy and beyond who had tutored him during his formative years.

With time distortion contracting my perception of passing time, 5.00 pm

arrived far too quickly. Despite the rapid passing of the day, I left Birbeck

College knowing that I now possessed a comprehensive understanding of

the intricacies of working in the corporate environment and of how to

attract business; and I had learned how to deal effectively with the relapsed

smoker, how to manage group therapy sessions, and had been taken through

the convoluted ins-and-outs of the one-to-one therapy session. The icing

on the cake, as it were, was that the day had been as entertaining as it was

informative (an important principle to remember in the teaching business)

and it is true to say that we all, experienced therapists and trainees alike,

left enlightened and with an improved and expanded technical knowledge

and skill; something that has stood me in good stead, as I am still using much

of what we were taught back then.

I was lucky. Michael had a series of Masterclasses that he was presenting

around the country and I benefited from them all. Unfortunately those

halcyon days were not to last as Michael decided to ‘retire’. I put the word

in quotes as, like the ethereal spiritual form of Obi-Wan Kenobi that repeat-

edly haunted Luke Skywalker, Michael continued to exert his influence over

the LCCH from the Valhalla that is his home in Portugal, via the less than

esoteric medium of Skype; something that continues to this day (Michael,

remember that we can see you on the web cam, so please make sure you

are wearing clothes when contacting the office this way!). His ‘retirement’

was bad enough, but worse was yet to come as he also made the decision

to retire from lecturing - completely. No more Masterclasses from our

Founder. His knowledge lost to the mists of time.

However, we at the LCCH were not going to

take this lying down. And so it began: the cajol-

ing, pleading, begging, nicely asking, bribing and

demanding meted out by each and every one of

us working in the central office and beyond, for

Michael to take up the mantle and present his

Masterclasses once again. And the answer was

always a firm and resolute ‘no!’ But we persevered

and eventually over time we wore him down

(remember Michael, it was you who taught us the

‘stuck record’ technique). We can now happily

and proudly say that the old master is back once

more. Like fine claret that has been laid down to

mature we are uncorking Michael and letting him

pour out his knowledge in the form of his Stop

Smoking Masterclass once again. Already Lisbon

has benefited from it and now it is time for both

London and Kuala Lumpur to be enlightened by

his wit and experience.

As you are reading this you may be asking yourself

“should I attend?” All I can say is that I learned so

much back then, and continue to learn through

Michael’s naturistic appearances on Skype. After

all, who would not want to be taught by the man

who developed an approach to stopping smok-

ing that has often been copied and adapted but

never improved on? Who would not want to learn

from the person who developed techniques that

have now become standard treatment approaches

within our profession? From my own perspec-

tive I can certainly say that I will be there in the

audience learning everything I can from him and

adding to my knowledge. After all, you never stop

learning. So, welcome back Michael (and about

time too!).

AN EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN A UNIQUE AND

MOST EFFECTIVE STOP SMOKING PROTOCOL

STOP SMOKING

MASTERCLASS

PRESENTED BY

MICHAEL JOSEPH

FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF THE LONDON COLLEGE OF CLINICAL HYPNOSIS

AND AUTHOR OF THIS WORLD RENOWNED STOP SMOKING METHOD

LEARN THE OLD MASTER’S SECRETS:

•

Importance of ONE SESSION Hypnosis

•

Success starts with 1st telephone enquiry: How to book a session

•

First few minutes in the consulting room

•

‘Selling’ your therapy

•

Hypnosis session

•

What to do after awakening

•

How to handle relapses - a second session

•

When other methods or hypnotherapists failed

•

Corporate work: How to attract companies

•

Group dynamics: advantages, challenges and ways to succeed

•

How Stop Smoking treatments can boost your entire practice

10am on 26th January 2008, LCCH Training Room, W1U 8HU

Cost: £150 (£110 LCCH students, BSCH members and EJCH subscribers)