ABOUT ALLAN CLEWS

 

• A Student of Transformational Gurdjieffian Psychology since 1981;

• B.A. in Psychology 1984;

• B.A. in Religious Studies 1986;

• Practicing Hypnosis Professionally since 1989;

• Practicing NLP Professionally since 1989;

• Trained in Medical Hypnosis;

• Trained as a Pain Management Specialist;

• Trained in Age Regression;

• Trained to use Hypnosis for Anxiety, Depression, & Emotional Dysregulation;

• Trained to use Hypnosis for Weight Loss, Smoking Cessation, Gambling, Drug and Alcohol Addiction;

• Trained in Ericksonian, Conventional & Gurdjieffian Hypnotherapy;

• Leading Expert in Gurdjieffian Hypnotherapy;

• Helped clients with Cancer, Diabetes, HIV, Kidney Disease, Thyroid Problems and more;

• Expert in using Hypnosis with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) & • Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT);

• Student of advanced techniques in Mindfulness since 1981.

 

In 1981 when Allan was a 23-year-old student studying psychology at York University in Toronto, his life changed the moment he was introduced to both Gurdjieffian Psychology and an advanced form of Gurdjieffian Mindfulness called Self-Remembering by a psychology professor named Dr. Christopher Holmes. Allan was particularly intrigued by the fact that George Gurdjieff (1866 - 1949) was not only a master teacher who taught an ancient science of transformation, but was also known as an expert hypnotist and healer. Allan eventually ended up doing independent course work and his honour thesis with Dr. Holmes.

 

Allan then opened a natural health care centre in Ottawa in 1987 called Crystal Seas and two years later he became a Certified NLP Practitioner (Neuro-Linguistic Programing) because NLP was largely modeled on the hypnotic techniques pioneered by psychiatrist and master hypnotist Milton Erickson. Allan then enrolled in a specialist course in Ericksonian Hypnosis and began to practice hypnosis professionally at Crystal Seas in 1989.

 

In 2008 Allan learned that the Ontario Government was in a the process of regulating hypnosis (adopting the standards set out by the National Guild of Hypnotists). As a result, he took an NGH Certification Course, so that he would be allowed to continue practicing hypnosis under the new provincial regulations. Since then Allan has specialized in using hypnosis to help those suffering from medical and emotional problems.

 

After his return to Canada in 2002 (from England), Allan's main focus has been to understand the Gurdjieff Teachings, particularly as they relate to hypnosis and the nature and steps involved in human transformation and psychological healing.

 

His formal training is as follows:

 

• 1984 Hons. B.A. in Psychology, York University;

• 1986 B.A. in Religious Studies, University of Ottawa;

• 1989 Certified NLP Practitioner, NLP Centres of Canada;

• 1989 Ericksonian Hypnosis Intensive, NLP Centres of Canada;

• 2008 Certified Consulting Hypnotist with the National Guild of Hypnotists, Hypno-Healing Institute (Debbie Papadakis);

• 2009 Certified 5-PATH Hypnotist, Banyan Hypnosis Training Centre (Cal Banyan);

• 2009 Certified Hypnosis and Pain Management, Healthy Visions (Ron Eslinger);

• 2010 Certified Hypnosis for Cancer Specialist, Omni Hypnosis Training Centre (Gerald Kein);

• 2010 Certified Hypnosis for Depression Specialist, Omni Hypnosis Training Centre (Gerald Kein);

• 2010 Certified Hypnotherapy for AIDS Specialist, Omni Hypnosis Training Centre (Gerald Kein);

• 2010 Certified Pain Control Specialist, Omni Hypnosis Training Centre (Gerald Kein;

• 2010 Certified as a Hypnotist with the International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association;

• 2010 Certified Phobia Removal Specialist, Omni Hypnosis Training Centre (Gerald Kein).

 

Other Relevant Information:

 

• 1981 Joined Christopher Holmes' Gurdjieff Group at York University;

• 1981-2 Independent Studies & Thesis with Dr. Holmes on Mystical Psychology;

• 1981-83 Studied Hinduism and Sri Aurobindo at Carleton University;

• 1985 Formed a Gurdjieff inspired club at the University of Ottawa;

• 1986-7 Formed a Gurdjieff inspired club at Carleton University;

• 1986-7 First Year of Master's at Department of Religion Carleton University;

• 1986-7 Teaching Assistant Department of Religion Carleton University;

• 1989-95 Practiced Hypnosis professionally at Crystal Seas Holistic Health Centre in Ottawa;

• 1989-90 Gave Free Weekly Group Hypnosis Sessions at Crystal Seas Holistic Health Centre in Ottawa;

• 1990-94 Gave Free Weekly lectures at Crystal Seas;

• 1990-95 Volunteer Host and Producer of 'A New Day' - a 2-hour weekly radio show broadcast from the University of Ottawa campus on CHUO 89.1 FM;

• 2007-08 Gave Free Weekly Group Hypnosis Sessions focusing on emotional transformation and the Gurdjieff Teachings at Trinity United Church in Toronto.

 

Additional Biographical Information:

 

Allan was born in Lusaka, Zambia (or as it was then called: Northern Rhodesia) in 1957 where his father, a South African geologist, was working at a copper mine. Allan moved to England (and subsequently became a British Citizen) in 1960 when his father returned to university to earn a doctorate in Geochemistry. In 1962 Allan's father accepted a job in Toronto and Allan emigrated here just in time to celebrate his 5th birthday.

 

Allan earned an Hons. B.A. in Psychology from York University in 1984 and a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Ottawa in 1986. He spent a year in graduate school in the Department of Religion at Carleton University, before dropping out in 1987 to open a natural health-care centre called Crystal Seas in Ottawa's fashionable Byward Market.

 

In 1989 he became a Certified NLP Practitioner and was trained in Ericksonian Hypnosis. He then began to practice Hypnosis (which he called Ericksonian Trance Therapy) professionally for the next six years until Crystal Seas closed in 1995.

 

Allan gave free weekly lectures and group hypnosis sessions in the seminar room at Crystal Seas for nearly six years. During this time he also spent five years as the volunteer host and producer of a weekly two-hour program called A New Day which was broadcast on CHUO 89.1 FM: the University of Ottawa's radio station. His lectures, broadcasts and group sessions were primarily devoted to exploring different forms of natural healing and the nature of change and transformation.

 

In 1995 Allan moved to England where he became a househusband and looked after his three small children (then ranging in age from sixteen-months to four-years-old) for the next five years, while his wife took up her first academic position. In his last year as a househusband, he was hired to write a weekly humour column, Diary of a Househusband, for the Evening Press in York, North Yorkshire.

 

Allan and his wife divorced in 2001 and she moved back to Toronto with his children when she accepted a position as a professor at the University of Toronto. Allan followed his children back and spent the next six years exploring the nature of physical and emotional healing in the context of the Gurdjieff Teachings (and was very influenced by the current research that shows the important role emotions play in our health and well-being).

 

Although Allan had already been studying and practicing hypnosis (both professionally and privately) for nearly two decades, in 2008 he learned that the Ontario government was in the process of regulating the practice of hypnosis and were going to adopt the standards followed by the National Guild of Hypnotists. Allan then enrolled in a Guild-approved course and became a NGH Certified Hypnotist after completing their 100-hour basic training program.

 

Allan has continued to learn as much as he can about this profound healing art and has also been influenced by a number of superb hypnosis programs which deal with advanced healing techniques (which of course, he has attempting to understand in relation to the Gurdjieff psychological system of human transformation).

 

The first program, developed by Cal Banyan and called 5-PATH Hypnosis (Five-Phase Advanced Transformational Hypnosis), is widely recognized as being one of the most powerful hypnotic approaches to healing and transformation. It has helped people all over the world overcome destructive habits such as smoking, over-eating, gambling and other addictive behaviours. It is also one of the best approaches to dealing with the emotional causes that underlie many behavioural problems such as shyness and social anxiety, irrational fears, low self-esteem, lack of confidence, relationship problems, test and performance anxiety, nail biting, mild depression and other similar problems. It has also been used to successfully treat a whole range of physical diseases by healing the emotions that support them.

 

The second program, developed by Registered Nursing Anesthetist (and retired US Navy Captain) Ron Eslinger and called HypnoAnthesthesia for Pain Management, focuses on teaching the most advanced hypnotic techniques for chronic pain control in order to help people lead healthier and more productive lives. This program covers the use of hypnosis to treat the pain arising from various types of illnesses such as Stress Induced Headaches, Migraines, Cancer Pain, Fibromyalgia, Back and Neck Pain, Chronic Post Surgical Pain, Headaches, Tempromandibular Disorder and others.

 

Allan is convinced that hypnosis will become an integral part of the medicine of the future. As a result, he has also studied many of the programs offered by master-teacher and hypnotist, Gerald Kein. At present Allan has also taken courses specifically devoted to mastering the advanced hypnotic techniques involved in the treatment of Diabetes, Cancer, HIV & AIDS, and Depression.