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Discover the most unusual but most effective strategy for effective change work
Early booking rate available. Plus special refresher rate for attendees of previous Swan trainings.
A Two-Day Live Online Workshop, 23rd and 24th January 2027, 1pm to 5pm UK Time
Preserving the protocol, delivering the practice. The Swan continues. A new voice, the same power.
For years, Bob Burns has been the name behind the Swan Protocol, a technique now used by therapists in more than 85 countries to make instant contact with the subconscious in a fully waking state.
Bob has now stepped back from teaching. He has not stepped back from the Swan.
He has personally handed the work on to Derek Heron, the practitioner he chose to carry it forward. Derek has worked with the Swan extensively in his own practice, and this January he is running his first full masterclass as its new trainer, bringing his own depth, his own teaching style, and a renewed focus.
When Bob announced his retirement, on the 53rd anniversary of hypnotising his very first person, he promised to name the person taking over the Swan in the UK. His choice was Derek.
"Derek Heron, one of my favourite therapists of all time, will be officially taking over from me and running the Swan workshops here in the UK. Having incorporated the Swan Protocol extensively into his own clinical practice, Derek has gained a wealth of practical experience applying it across a broad range of presenting issues. His appreciation for its simplicity, elegance and effectiveness has made it an integral part of the way he works with clients. It's both a privilege and an honour for me to welcome Derek to continue my legacy as the new trainer of the Swan Protocol. I do believe he is the perfect choice. He will be brilliant."
Bob Burns, creator of the Swan Protocol
The Swan works with clients in a fully waking state, with no formal trance induction needed, making instant, direct contact with the subconscious.
It can stand entirely on its own as a complete change work approach, or be woven in alongside hypnosis and other techniques you already use. Many practitioners now treat it as their go-to protocol, the first thing they reach for with almost any client. Others keep it in reserve and turn to it specifically when other approaches have stalled, finding it opens a door nothing else could.
This workshop also goes into self-swanning, using the technique on yourself, and into how to elicit and work with direct voice responses using The Swan Protocol.
Alongside the Swan itself, this workshop teaches a failsafe consultation framework, known as the Wall. It is a structured template for the initial client consultation that covers the bases many therapists worry about missing: building trust quickly, screening appropriately, and setting a client up to succeed before the real work even begins.
Walking into a session already knowing your consultation has you covered is, for many practitioners, one of the single biggest confidence boosts this workshop provides.
Derek, a published author and recognised expert in rapport and body language, will share his approach to building genuine rapport with both the conscious and unconscious minds of a client. This isn't just a nice-to-have skill sitting alongside the Swan, it's the foundation the rest of the work is built on. Getting rapport right from the outset gives you a real head start in the therapy room, setting the stage for smoother sessions and better outcomes across everything that follows.
Day One: Foundations
Day Two: Practice and Depth
Derek is the exclusive Swan Protocol Trainer for the UK. Attendees who successfully complete the training will get an official Swan Practitioner Certificate.
If you have done a Swan workshop before, whether with Bob or otherwise, you are welcome to return at a reduced refresher rate.
The core of the protocol has not changed, but how it is taught has. Derek brings his own teaching style and his own emphasis, particularly on rapport, direct voice, and troubleshooting, and many practitioners find that revisiting the Swan with a different teacher, and a few more years of practice behind them, is exactly what makes it finally click.
Practitioners with some hypnotherapy background who want to develop confidence with the Swan Protocol, whether that means learning it as a stand-alone go-to approach, adding it alongside techniques you already use, or keeping it in reserve for the clients other methods have not reached. Suitable both for those completely new to the Swan and for those who have trained before and want to go deeper, particularly into direct voice, self-swanning, and real-world troubleshooting.
Book now and get the early booking rate of £195. A £60 deposit secures your place at that rate. Book using the form at the foot of this page.
If you have already undertaken a full Swan training with Bob Burns, we are offering a £150 refresher rate. Contact us for details.
Derek Heron is a clinical hypnotherapist with an online and face to face practice based in central Scotland, working with clients throughout the UK and internationally. Alongside his clinical work, he is an author, keynote speaker and freelance body language analyst, whose expertise has featured across mainstream media.
A lifelong fascination with psychology and human behaviour has led Derek to spend many years exploring the subtle processes that underpin effective communication, rapport and therapeutic change. He is also well known in the worlds of magic and mentalism, a background that gives him an unusually sharp eye for how people read and respond to one another. His particular interest lies in combining practical clinical skills with evidence-informed approaches, to help clients achieve meaningful and lasting results.
He is the author of Hidden Language of Rapport, a book written specifically for therapists, exploring how body language, communication and the therapeutic relationship can enhance client outcomes.
Derek has used the Swan Protocol extensively in his own clinical work, applying it across a broad range of presenting issues, and it has become an integral part of the way he works with clients. In August 2026, Bob Burns personally chose him as the new trainer of the Swan in the UK. Derek is committed to preserving the integrity and spirit of the protocol, while helping a new generation of therapists learn and apply it with confidence and skill.
