Response from Jo Best to UK NRES Apology to Phil Parker

Response from Jo Best to UK National Research Ethics Service Apology to Phil Parker:

You can read the letter from Joan Kirkbride of the NRES with the apology to Phil Parker in the note here:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?created&¬e_id=188977101124428

8th February 2011

Dear Joan,

I refer to your letter of 4th February regarding the pilot study known as SMILE and the NRES' apology to Phil Parker for associating him with the ASA judgement that was made against Withinspiration. Given that you consider it such a serious matter to have associated him with that adverse judgement, it is amazing that the NRES has seen fit to uphold SW REC's decision to grant ethical permission to a study to be carried out by someone who actually was the subject of it.


1. The association of Alastair Gibson and Withinspiration with the SMILE study

Alastair Gibson sells The Phil Parker Lighting Process under the trading name of Withinspiration. Were you aware of this when you issued your apology and why did you not make this clear?

Alastair Gibson is the LP practitioner named, along with Phil Parker, in the SMILE study proposal documentation. I believe that Alastair Gibson is the LP practitioner who will be carrying out the training programme with the children in the study. If this is not correct, please would you name all of the LP practitioners who will be training the children in the SMILE study and explain the relevance of Gibson being named in the proposal.

I would like to point out that Gibson’s address in the list of contacts is an hotel (The Suncliff) in Bournemouth. This is one of the venues he uses for his training programme, as shown on the Withinspiration website. Does this indicate that this hotel will be one of the venues for the training of the children in the study? All other participants have listed their address as their home or business premises.

Title: Forename/Initials Surname: Mr Alastair Gibson
Post: Lightning Process Practitioner
Qualifications: ABNLP,BMHRD,EFT
Employer: Self Employed
Work Address: The Suncliff
East Overcliff Drive
Bournemouth
NHS REC Form Reference:
10/H0206/32
IRAS Version 2.5
Date: 24/05/2010 17 51434/123204/1/666

2. The links between Withinspiration and Phil Parker

Your letter states, “Mr Parker has confirmed that the complaint that was investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) did not concern him but rather an entity called "WithInspiration"with whom he has no financial, employment or other interest. It is a private business managed by a registered Lightning Process Practitioner and he had no ability to influence the day to day management or marketing of this business.”

The ASA adjudication applied to Alastair Gibson's claims about the Phil Parker Lightning Process.

If Alastair Gibson is the practitioner who will be delivering the training to children under the SMILE study, then it is quite extraordinary that Phil Parker chooses to so vehemently disassociate himself from Withinspiration, and hence Alastair Gibson, by saying that he has, “no financial, employment or interest” in his business.

Not only is Gibson selling The Phil Parker Lightning Process via Withinspiration, but ... Read more>>