career behind him in the home counties when he embarked on

training for his new life in clinical hypnosis and lifecoaching in

2000. As a solicitor with three law degrees, five published

books and 28 years experience in the local government service,

When I moved from London to the

Keith felt it was time to develop his more right-brained leanings.

Westcountry in January 1997, I really

didn't quite imagine that the Exeter

Study with the LCCH followed early retirement from the law,

LCCH courses, which I started during

and Keith immersed himself body and soul in his new direction.

the same year, would still run strongly

He sat Certificate, Diploma and Postgraduate diploma

six years later. I had no idea where to

examinations in London in quick succession, following this with

advertise to reach interested people

Masterclasses in Phobias, Weight Control, Past Life, Stress

in this not very densely populated

Management, Advanced Anchoring and Personal Peak

and low-waged region and so we ran our first certificate Course

Performance in Exeter. He now practises at his own studios in

with only four students. The first year was work intensive and I

Ilfracombe and Combe Martin.

learned a lot on the way. Not only did I teach the whole course

more or less on my own, I gave free talks on the subject to

Keith reports that his practice was a little slow to take off in the

every organization that showed the slightest interest, and

West country, but that over the last couple of years he has gone

acquired a substantial knowledge about local and regional

from strength to strength, as smoking cessation and healthy

publications, which enabled me to advertise with more focus,

eating achieve agenda exposure in these parts.

wasting less resources. It wasn't all plain sailing from then

onwards, especially when the Westcountry was shocked into

Some of the more rewarding and interesting casework Keith

motionlessness by the Food and Mouth crisis. But the College

has encountered includes his work with phobics.  He has

survived and today, looking back, I am proud of the many

helped one lady trainee firefighter overcome her fear of the

students who have actually put their acquired skills to good use,

breathing apparatus, thus enabling her to qualify as a full time

changed their lives in the way they wanted to, gained much

firefighter. Children with school phobia have responded well to

confidence during their studies and are currently practising all

Keith's ministrations, and three sets of parents have been

over Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.

saved the ignominy and expense of prosecution by the

Education Welfare Department of Devon County Council (with

We keep assuring students that one can built a successful

whom Keith is achieving a deal of rapport!). Other successes

business in our region, but that it is important for them to find

have been in the area of psychogenic infertility, cardiophobia

niches in the market, to combine their newly acquired skills with

and performance anxiety. Most of Keith's work now comes to

their already existing skills and jobs, to make contacts with the

him by referral.

medical profession and, generally speaking, to be creative.

Over the next few issues of the LCCH News we will introduce

As a life coach, Keith's approach is

practitioners who have trained with the LCCH in Exeter using

holistic. He feels that career is but

their skills acquired in different ways. We hope to give current

one aspect of life (albeit an

students and future prospective students ideas and inspiration.

important  one)  and  he  has

developed a scheme for whole life

mapping in all of life's many

Keith lives with his wife Gilly, dogs

Mr. Darcy and Hufflepuff, and

some forty other rescued animals

at Long Lane Farm. If you are

interested in any of Keith's specialisms, or just a chat

hypnotherapeutic, you are invited to give him a call on: 01271

883523.

Diploma Course: We would like to congratulate the students on

the recently finished Diploma course and wish to congratulate

them for their exam results!

As a Radiographer working on

an MRI scanner at Yeovil

District  Hospital  I  had  a

personal interest in hypnosis

Keith Pugsley, our newly appointed tutor for North Devon, is a

and then found an application

native of the region, having been born in Ilfracombe on North

for it within my work. When we

Devon's dramatic coastline in 1949. He had left one successful

started our MRI service in 1995