Our Teachers

Kathleen LONG, MBCHB; MPH; DRCOG; NLP Master Practitioner; Myers Briggs Level 1
British Society of Medical and Dental Hypnosis, UK (BSMDH)

I entered general practice in 1979 and worked full time as a GP for many years. I graduated from Glasgow University with MBChB, later obtaining an MPH. I am an NLP Master Practitioner and qualified in Myers Briggs Type indicator.

I was also the Primary Care adviser and Medical Director for Lanarkshire Health Board and initiated and developed many remodelling programs including those to close long residential facilities for patients with learning disabilities with successful transfer to the local community. I also developed the Braveheart initiative, working jointly with social work, in Lanarkshire during my time as medical director. I worked in television for 10 years doing the first live medical phone in on STV. I also have been a medical journalist and wrote extensively over 10 years for lay and medical publications. I have recently contributed to magazines on issues like body dysmorphia and the use of hypnosis for pain relief and self-esteem. I was asked to contribute to the Handbook of Hypnosis Techniques Vol 2 edited by Mark P Jensen, where I described Rapid Reversal Therapy: Looking for the Pearl. These techniques were developed during my years in General practice where I needed to work relatively quickly with patients who were often only there for 10-minute consultations. I have developed multiple courses for education, general practice and hospital staff dealing with many diverse subjects from communication to remodelling services within NHS. I was chair of one of the first patient Treatment Pathways for Breast cancer.

I am now retired from full time general practice but still am a sessional General Practitioner and Cosmetic Practitioner with a small private hypnosis practice in Glasgow.

I started using hypnosis in 1982 and I have been involved in teaching the course which I wrote for and is still in use by BSMDH.

I am currently the President of the European Hypnosis Society( ESH) 2020-2023 and have served on the ESH Board for over 10 years.

I have been President, Treasurer, Secretary and Academic Secretary of BSMDH-Scotland. I have also been responsible for running local conferences and the joint conference with BSCAH. I authored and also teach the BSMDH basic course.

I worked as the motivational coach to the Scottish National Netball team in European and World competitions. I used hypnosis to help mental focus and recovery from injury as well as to improve performance. I have run workshops on communication in education and in the health service and have given workshops/lectures on NLP/ communication in Scotland, Belgium, Sweden, Ukraine, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Luxembourg and England. I currently am co-chair of the Crisis intervention Committee providing support and training to the psychotherapeutic professionals in Ukraine to help support their work with refugees from the war in Ukraine.

My hypnosis work is varied and I have worked with PTSD, OCD, Phobias and Stress. I use the ‘toolbox’ of skills I have learned and tailor them to the patient. In General Practice, where I have worked most, I look for therapy that can work quickly.

Michael Alan Gow MFDS RCPS (Gla) BDS (Gla) MSc Hyp (Lon) PGCert (Edin)

Mike is a general dental practitioner working in private practice at ‘The Berkeley Clinic’ in Glasgow. He graduated from the University of Glasgow dental school in 1999 and undertook formal hypnosis training with the British Society of Medical and Dental Hypnosis (BSMDH) soon after. By 2005, he had a Masters in Hypnosis Applied to Dentistry (Lon) having achieved a ‘distinction’ in his Diploma year. Mike has a Postgraduate Certificate in ‘The Management of Anxious Patients’ from the University of Edinburgh and is a Member of the Faculty of Dental Surgeons at The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Glasgow). Mike holds the European Society of Hypnosis Certificate. He is currently the Treasurer (2022-) and is also a Past President (2008-10, 2014-16) of “The BSMDH (Scotland)”.

Mike lectures nationally and internationally on dental hypnosis. He has published many articles, case studies and book chapters on hypnosis and dental anxiety management and has appeared on TV several times (including BBC’s Horizon) demonstrating the use of hypnosis in dental pain control. He has also appeared on ‘Tony Robinson’s History of Britain’ to talk about the history of dentistry. He is Chairman of ‘The Henry Noble History of Dentistry Research Group’. Mike also has an interest in the history of hypnosis and is filming a documentary about the life of Dr James Braid who is credited with the ‘discovery’ of hypnosis.

Mike has four children who all keep him very busy. He enjoys travelling overseas with his wife and family, going to the football, family tree research, fly-fishing and Scotch whisky (he also has an SVQ Diploma in Single Malt Whisky!)

Dr Liz Allen
MBChB (Dundee,1987), FRCGP, DipClinHyp, LFHom

Interests: Complementary Therapy, Teaching

In January 2020, I retired from General Practice after 28 years as a GP partner in a city teaching practice. I have used hypnotherapy in my NHS work since my Trainee Year, finding it useful and time efficient. I have been a member of the BSMDH since 1991. I held the Honorary Treasurer role for six years. I am delighted to be a part of the teaching team since 2014. I have enjoyed teaching new trainees in the course and see their progress as hypnotherapists.

Dr Alan Dewar

Hi I’m Alan Dewar, I have been practicing dental and medical hypnosis since 2007. I became interested in the benefits of hypnotherapy following a lecture as an undergraduate. I have experience of the benefits of hypnosis in both medicine and dentistry. I am a teacher on the BSMDH course and past president of the society.