Interview with Leon Cowen

HypnosisAustralia, May 2007

Leon Cowen , executive director of the Academy of Applied Hypnosis, talks with Dr Tracie O'Keefe DCH, Clinical Hypnotherapist, Psychotherapist & Counsellor
Editorial Director of HypnosisAustralia Online.

TOK:. Tell me about the Academy.

LWC: The Academy was started in 1983 as a result of people chasing me to train them. I was very aware of the need for professional standards and increased these as time went by. In 1997 the Academy was the first school in hypnotherapy to achieve government recognition through the Vocational Education Training and Accreditation Board (VETAB). Standards have continued to rise along with pressure to meet the expectations of our clients and other bureaucracies for safe, effective and well-trained hypnotherapists.

TOK: What are your own qualifications?

LWC: My original training was with Dr Les Cunningham. I joined the ASCH and agitated for continuing education and they lumbered me with the job. Because of this I did numerous workshops on Counselling, Medical Sciences, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Gestalt and Transactional Analysis (TA). I hold the Certificate IV in Workplace Assessment and Training. Currently I am involved in postgraduate research at Macquarie University which will ultimately lead to a PhD.

TOK: What do you look for in people who apply to take your courses and do they have to have a minimum age or requirements?

LWC: We need our students to be at least 20 and have maturity and commonsense. These qualities are not purely based on age, so whilst age is a criteria we also look at the individual and their qualities.

TOK: What core theoretical psychotherapeutic approaches do your courses teach to be used with hypnosis?

LWC: We work from a client-centred aspect. I have adapted much of Carl Rogers' work and call it Client Centred Hypnotherapy. The other main approaches are Counselling and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Gestalt and Transactional Analysis (TA).

TOK: Only some of my peers who I studied with years ago actually became long-term therapists as some found the work too overwhelming. What do you think about requirements for personal therapy as part of therapists' training?

LWC: As a therapist it is imperative that we work on our own issues. We may not be able to solve all our own problems but we need to be aware of them and our reactions to them before interacting with those of our clients. I also believe that all hypnotherapists need ongoing supervision to help us be aware should any of our personal issues be triggered as well as to keep our hypnotherapy skills finely honed.

TOK: How do you see research methodologies as an essential component of the requirements for training for hypnotherapists?

LWC: Currently I don't believe that many hypnotherapists are interested in or have the capacity for research - I know because I was the same. We had never been taught and usually didn't have access to the support networks required for effective research. This being said, for hypnotherapy to be acknowledged as a therapy in its own right, I believe it needs to fit into existing structures and in the near future more hypnotherapists will need to become part of research projects involving hypnosis and hypnotherapy.

TOK: It is obvious from the academy web page that as a school you are guiding students to join many organisations with ATMS, CAPA, PACFA and you are even offering modules for GPs. The profession of hypnotherapy in Australia, however, is presently tantamount to an organisational disaster fractured by small self-interest groups. What do you think might be the way forward to unite the profession of hypnotherapy?

LWC: Many people, including me, have tried to unite the profession and failed. We all believe we have the best standards, the best techniques and the best intentions. Unfortunately I believe, the profession will remain segregated unless there is some major benefit, or fear, which will bring it together for a common good. However, as it would appear that currently very few are willing to relinquish their position, it seems unlikely that the unification catalyst will come from within the profession. It will probably take some major interference from outside the profession to bring about cohesion.

TOK: Do you believe in the ultimate goal of statutory registration for hypnotherapists, counsellors and psychotherapists?

LWC: I can only talk about hypnotherapists. I have always regarded myself as a hypnotherapist and want the profession to be acknowledged in its own right, so my knowledge is about the development of my own profession, not counselling or psychotherapy. The bottom line of the whole debate is that if government perceives there is a danger with hypnotherapists being unregistered it will act. Our opponents would love that to occur as it would perceivably reduce their competition in the marketplace. They have and I believe still are, looking for some regulation of hypnotherapy. So many fundamental occupations are being regulated. These days to serve alcohol you need certificates, to be a financial advisor you need to hold appropriate qualifications - how can health professionals not be included? I believe the profession needs to act now and self-regulate, to avoid being made to conform to a set of standards devised by external organisations or bureaucracies. If we don't self-regulate we risk someone else doing it to us!

TOK: You know I'm going to ask you about your schools opinion on stage hypnosis don't you?

LWC: I really don't mind stage hypnosis. It really has brought hypnosis and hypnotherapy into the public eye. Without stage hypnosis, people like Martin St James, Franquin, Jason, Shawn Masters etc, I don't believe we would have a profession. They have performed (excuse the pun) an enormous service which was integral in the development of our profession. I must admit I would like them to tell the audience at the end of the show the real therapeutic effects of hypnosis but that would diminish the impact of their show so I doubt it would happen. In essence, let them continue. Ever notice how much more the phone rings and how many extra clients arrive after a TV program or a stage show?

TOK: Tell us about your favourite hypnotist.

LWC: I don't have one. There is so much knowledge out there from the students who alter a technique and show me another variation to experienced practitioners who teach me so much to the stage hypnotherapists who have developed our profession. They're all great in their own way and I've learned so much from so many people. I believe we all have the potential to be exceptional within our own profession; all we have to do is live up to our potential.

TOK: What do you think is the future for the Academy?

LWC: I expect the Academy to continue to move forward and provide top-quality training, forge links with other groups both external to and within the profession. I hope we can bridge the professional gap that currently exists. Hypnotherapists are not yet fully accepted by other health professionals eg doctors, psychologists, counsellors etc. I would like the Academy to help bridge that gap. How will it be done? Good question. Possibly through research and showing that the educational standards of hypnotherapists are equivalent to those of other health professionals. Whatever the methodology, I believe all hypnotherapists have a responsibility to be the best they can possibly be and help move our profession forward in this time of bureaucracy as well as help bring about self-determination for our profession.

For more information on courses held at the Academy of Applied Hypnosis, phone (02) 9415 6500 or email: admin@aah.edu.au. The Academy's website is at www.aah.edu.au

©HypnosisAustralia, May 2007