"Looking Inwardly...
Shining a Light in the dark places within."

Dr. Vernon Bell was first and foremost a very dear personal friend of mine. We were introduced to each other by a group of mutual friends, and it wasn't very long before we both recognised in each other a shared passion for the martial arts.

Vernon was the man who in 1957, first introduced Shotokan Karate to Great Britain. He was 10th Dan Chairman of the European Ju Jitsu Union, as well as a founder member of the BAThH in 1951.

It wasn't long before we became friends and I would visit him at his home in Stratford, East London. On my first visit the first thing that struck me when I entered his living room were the framed certificates which covered every inch of the walls…many dating back to the 1950's, from his constant studies in Hypnosis, Psychology, Martial Arts and personal development of one kind or another.

When I saw that he was such an experienced hypnotist I began to ask him questions about his views on the subject. He was at times a very blunt man who would not edit his vocabulary if he felt a need to make his feelings known, which made for a very colourful and vibrant conversation. He was always very curious about my opinions on the subject of hypnosis and suggestion, and would always ask me what I thought about the ways in which suggestion played a part in my own experience. What I didn't realise at that time was that he was gauging my responses to find out whether or not I may be a suitable candidate as a potential student.

Then one afternoon shortly after I had arrived at his house Vernon sat me down and fixed me with a very serious look and said, " I'm going to ask you a very simple question, and for your answer only a simple Yes or No will do, is that ok? Do you or do you not wish to study hypnosis with me? You don't have to answer now…you have until you leave here later this afternoon."

Well, over the next few hours I racked my brain over all the possible reasons why I couldn't accept his offer…not enough time…not really interested…don't know whether I'm capable or suitable etc, until I realised I was only coming up with lame excuses. I respected Vernon too much to pretend to him that I had a genuine reason why I should not study with him, so I ended up saying yes, based upon the fact that I couldn't find a genuine reason why not. And so I became Vernon's student, and remained so for the last four years of his life.

Shortly after we met Vernon was diagnosed with cancer of the bones. His specialist, a Professor at St. Bartholomew's Hospital had told him the cancer was very aggressively spreading through his spine, ribs and hands, and that he should tell his family and friends that he maybe had only three months or so to live.

When he told me this he then said, "I'm simply not ready to go yet…there's just too much to do…I'm only just beginning to learn what life's about and I'm not going to accept that this is my time to go!" And so he began a regime of intense self-hypnosis, targeting the cancer cells and willing them to recede, to dissolve in fact. Then, two months after his diagnosis he went for a check-up with the Professor and to his amazement it was found that the cancer had receded to practically un-detectable levels.

The Professor said he had never seen anything like it in all his years as a cancer specialist. And so, Vernon prolonged his life for another four years before his eventual passing aged 81.

He would say to me, "The power of the properly focussed Mind and Will is capable of miraculous things! And it's precisely this skill which we as Hypnotic Therapists are here to learn how to harness in our own lives first and foremost, so that we can pass on the skill 'based on our own experience' to those people who come to us for help. Anyone can learn a technique, but technique is not enough…we need to understand how a technique works and have experience of it's principles at work in our own lives if we are to truly understand how the technique can help others."

"We as therapists need to develop genuine compassion, intuition and our empathic capabilities if we are to treat each client as an individual. Every client is unique, and even if they may experience similar symptoms and difficulties in their lives, the underlying causes are always unique to that person. Whatever technique or method we may employ to help the client must be adapted to suit their own particular frame of reference and experience in order to be most effective."

"In a sense, this whole 'hypnosis' thing and what we 'do' as therapists is essentially very simple…we try our very best to find the right approach to help each individual client learn how to be natural…to feel at home within themselves, no matter where they may be or who's company they may find themselves in. We help them to understand how to simply be naturally themselves under all circumstances."

"This is what it means to be truly Centred. It is a skill which requires practical development, consistant self-respect and humility if we are to acquire this quality in our lives, and as therapists we must strive to apply this in our own lives firstly, in order to be an example of Centredness to those who come to us for help. We must strive to embody the qualities of the Higher-Mind and Higher-Emotions in all our endeavours."

Vernon then fixed me with another one of his trade-mark piercing looks…paused…then shouted, "Leper Heal Thyself! How can we help others to heal if we don't first heal ourselves?"

He continued, "Every time we offer a suggestion to a client of a positive nature we must be saying it to ourselves too. That way we don't just rattle-off words from scripts that we don't relate to ourselves. We have to understand the effects of positive suggestion at work in our own lives so that we can convincingly convey this experience to others who seek our help."

I wish to pass these words on to all BAThH members as words of encouragement, as it was Vernon's wish that we strive to become the best we can be, and that we continue to develop and grow as individuals, as an Association, and as a profession through the coming years.

In Love and Friendship,

Cheyne Towers.