Phil Swallow

Phil has always been fascinated by words, metaphor and meaning. After a period working in the theatre around the UK, he taught English as a Foreign Language then worked in the corporate communications industry before going on to build a background in NLP and hypnosis.

"I first came across Clean Language when I went on a personal journey weekend run by David Grove, the inventor of Clean Language. The profound experience I had there was the start of something big for me - a fascination with how to work cleanly with a person so that they can know their own experience, clean of my assumptions and interpretation. I resolved to learn the Clean Language process."

Phil found that Penny Tompkins and James Lawley were teaching their process Symbolic Modelling (which incorporates Clean Language as a core part of the process) on various small NLP trainings. He managed to get on to one and soon afterwards he heard that they were going to Italy to teach a week's course. He offered to accompany them for nothing, pointing out that he was probably the only person trained in Clean Language who spoke Italian. This wasn't quite true as it happens, but he didn't know that at the time! The trip was a great success and ever since Phil has been involved in the Clean community in the UK and around the world.

Now specialising in Symbolic Modelling and Clean Space, he has trained, supervised and assessed Clean practitioners in English and French and used Clean Language and Symbolic Modelling with clients in several languages. He co-hosts a yearly residential retreat in France for Clean facilitators and clients and is supporting new training in French in Quebec in 2009.

From his home in the Forest of Dean in the West Country, Phil designs websites (including the core UK site for Clean-oriented material cleanlanguage.co.uk), has a private coaching and therapy practice and runs cleanforum.com, a free resource for all things Clean.

He meets regularly in Bath, Somerset with Penny and James, the designers of Symbolic Modelling. Through discussions with them and other leaders of the UK Clean community, through attending practice and developing group events and his association with Marian Way and Apricot Island, he keeps up-to-date with developments in the world of Clean.

Phil is a highly talented and experienced Clean Language trainer and facilitator who clearly understands the subject. His depth of knowledge coupled with a straightforward down to earth teaching style have always impressed me and helped me to learn. Phil is warm, friendly, approachable and highly creative - and his workshops are engaging, entertaining and effective.
Gavin Meikle, coach and trainer