CONTRIBUTIONS – 13

 

 

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it.  Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy – the experiences that make us the most vulnerable.  Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”

Brené Brown (1965 – present)

 


 

“I have been working with Paul for over two years and he has helped me enormously with problems I have (much less so now!) with anxiety, obsessive-thinking and lifestyle.

Paul is a wonderfully effective therapist because he combines considerable expertise with a natural warmth and empathy that put me at immediate ease.

Working with him on my problems has been a surprisingly enjoyable experience, while the insights and practical advice he has given me have been genuinely life-changing.”

Sam Atkinson, UK

 


 

“Non-violence isn’t just refraining from injuring others, but positively enhancing their well-being; in fact, loving them. Truth is best served by love. If a person’s actions are motivated by love, their actions will be conducive to the highest good.”

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

 


 

I began telephone counselling with Rupinder when I was suffering from very bad anxiety, bouts of which I have had before but never fully understood what I was suffering from or how to address it.

I was initially sceptical about how telephone counselling could be effective but I was astounded how quickly Rupinder immediately recognised in me what was going on. She really got to the bottom of understanding me – and how to help me on a much deeper level than just my surface worries.

She has helped me to build my inner core confidence and coping mechanisms.  She has given me more than just advice or reassurance but skills and tools for coping and coached me to make change from within myself.

Rupinder is very insightful and intuitive and can tell from speaking to me whether I have been putting what we talk about into practice.  Her holistic approach has been invaluable.

I now speak to her more as a life coach who helps me keep on track.  I am immensely grateful for what she has opened my eyes to and I feel able to appreciate everything on offer to me.

Rachel, UK
 


 

“It is big fallacy to believe that without having the power you are  powerless.”

Erich Limpach (1899-1965)

 


 

Solution

You gave me words, you helped me be,

You didn’t judge, you soothed the sea.

You didn’t preach, you did sustain,

You helped me see, no power in blame.

You told the truth, you threw the rope,

You gently healed, through honest hope.

I didn’t know how blind I’d been,

Purging pain, my hurt vaccine.

Not a brainwash, authentic cure,

Reach you are the care, pain’s searching for.

Words honestly do escape me. To coax out a few… restored, humbled, mesmerised…

 

Like all the inspirational comments and stories shared in this section of the website, The Reach Approach has had an exuberant impact in my own life!

Twelve months ago, I met my burden’s breaking point…the shame of rape, childhood sexual abuse and the destructive death of my alcoholic father was either going to break me or I had to find a way to break trauma’s grip over me. For ten years I’d been suffering from a severe eating disorder. I’d tried every ‘run of the mill’ solution to overcome it; support from the GP, prescription drugs, self-help books, rigid blocks of counselling – and my favourite strategy of all, complete denial – inevitably, none of these approaches ever sufficed, or at least not in the long term.

Reach was and is so different to any other therapy I’ve ever come across. Reach looked at the whole picture, not just the behaviour. Reach didn’t dwell on what I was doing but helped me understand why I was doing it. Karen, my Reach counsellor, guided me through all of this with the deepest well of sincerity, empathy and kindness I have ever experienced.

On my journey I discovered healing through the outlet of poetry. Given that I hadn’t put pen to paper in this form since I was at school, I couldn’t believe it when one poem turned into two and later became an entire book!

Karen’s creative methods encouraged me to be open to possibilities beyond my previously capped imagination. Without this beautiful formula of holistic and genuinely sustainable therapy I wouldn’t be able to walk in such freedom, faith and loving light as I’ve started to do today.

The journey with Reach heals. It offers a blanket of tools to live a wholesome and fulfilling life – without judgement, without force, in your own time and in your own individualised way.

Sending my deepest thanks to Reach and especially Karen Mullings for being the catalyst to so many miracles in my life.

 


 

“A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green.”

Francis Bacon (1561 – 1626)

 



It’s only words!

How can I heal?

A fun-loving fix?

Rush of adrenaline,

Temporary ass kicks?

How can I heal?

Pop me a pill?

Outside it’s working!

But chemical kill?

How can I heal?

Bandage my heart?

Keep me big busy!

Exhaustion will start…

How I can heal?

Not even with touch?

Words are the wishes

That matter so much.

I saw the sun

I saw her, the sun

I heard her, the chime

I felt her, the now

I listened to time.

I found her, in lack

She held me, in love

I opened, in wells

Warm cradle, her glove.

Assured me, by truth

Weeping this willow

Sweet Mother Nature,

Forever our pillow.

Emma, UK

 


 

“No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted.”

Aesop (620 BC – 564 BC)

 


 

I am a part of the greater divine.

My essence is pure and connected to God, the Universe and all that lives and breathes within the cosmos. I feel strong from within and my thoughts are positive, uplifting and empowering, grounding me like a solid old oak tree, in the moment that is now.  I am anchored in the dignity of my own greatness and my own value through the power of self-love.

I live life fully alert and awake as my conscious self-awareness tingles with clarity and resonates with all that is good. I know I am cared for and loved and believe that all will be well.

I have lovingly let go of the past, and my thoughts and projections about my future are full of hope and happiness bringing greater contentment and completeness to each present moment.

My heart is ever laden with gratitude, as I am thankful for all that life has provided for me including the opportunity to tread the path of least resistance.

I feel stable and balanced because determination and tenacity are my two pillars of support. They provide me with continuous clarity and a gentle pulsating force that propels me forward as I strive with all my might to succeed and REACH my potential.

My desires and aspirations include fulfilling my own purpose in life, which is to carry out God’s work to the best of my ability, through the use of my intuition. This serves me well as my barometer and together with God’s help I am guided and directed to lead a selfless life and help others REACH their potential. The truth about who I am is crystal clear – I am a saviour of souls, an empath with the ability to care and understand the plights of others. I am humbled with the knowledge that I am helping others find themselves in their journey of truth to inner peace.

I celebrate the joy of my personal power and sit with my strong sense of self in the wonderful belief that this moment is exactly how it needs to be and all that I need is within REACH to create and fulfil my destiny.

I am continuously experiencing positive change and growth, which is leading to greater heights of consciousness, self-awareness, self-realisation and self-actualisation.

 

My life is full and rewarding.

I am successful in my relationships and in all that I do.

I am awake and fully connected to my authentic self and to God.

I feel at one with the Universe.

Life’s nectar is sweet and I enjoy drinking copious amounts on a daily basis.

I am a positive energy of light and will continue to make a true contribution to this world until the end of my life.

Anon

 


 

“If we don’t plant the right things, we will reap the wrong things…”

Maya Angelou (1928 – 2014)

 


 

“What can I say?  Paul has been amazing from the very first day of us meeting to the present day.

He really took the time to listen to me and work through a very difficult journey offering lots of support and guidance on how I can overcome my personal barriers.

In dark times he never once judged me but empowered me to work through these challenging times.  And in better times he has really encouraged me to celebrate progress and success, which has been really uplifting.

Paul has always made himself available at times that worked around my work commitments and offered a variety of resources to use between our meetings to support me in my journey.

During our meetings, he has been extremely professional and created a safe and comfortable environment for us to talk freely.

Taking the first step by asking for help was the most difficult thing, and I am so happy that I did that with Paul!”

James Hartley, UK

 


 

“Change your thoughts and you change your world”

Norman Vincent Peale (1898 – 1933)

 


 

I came to Reach as a near-anorexic, totally stressed woman with very little self-confidence and no hope of things getting any better, following a number of traumatic years.

I emerged 2 years later after seeing Jo, as a self-professed strong, confident woman with a love of life and a firm knowledge that life can be as good as I create it to be.

The ethos behind Reach that makes it different from other organizations I have come across is that it is 100% genuine – it isn’t about making profits but about making positive changes happen for people who need them.

I have recommended Reach’s services to several people and will continue to do so!

Anon

 


 

“Human beings are born soft and flexible; when they die they are hard and stiff …..… Plants arise soft and delicate; when they die they are withered and dry. Thus, the hard and stiff are disciples of death; the soft and flexible are disciples of life. Thus an inflexible army is not victorious; an un-bending tree will eventually break. The stiff and rigid will crumble and fall; the soft and flexible will rise.”


Lao Tzu (6th Century B.C.)

 


 

I came to Reach reeling from the trauma of recent life events, which had left me feeling confused, afraid and lost.

From the beginning Easton made me feel there was hope for me, that I would be able to recover and find clarity and fulfillment in my life. His sensitivity, strength, certainty, knowledge and humour carried me through dealing with the issues that were pressing and immediate.

Through this process I realised that to be truly free from my own self-limiting habits and ways of being I needed to be free from the negative aspects of my past. So I chose to walk the path of in-depth self-examination and it was at times very painful as I unearthed my low self-esteem, eating disorder, alcohol dependence and many more subtle yet self-sabotaging patterns. And at times it was a joyful experience because if this journey can be described as any one thing – it is liberating. I discovered an internal world I had been ignoring all my life.

The holistic approach Easton introduced me to is all-embracing, leaves no stone unturned. I came to understand that if I chose to walk the path of honesty and integrity there was nothing I could not achieve. Today I still know this to be true. The journey with Reach turned my life around. I know I still need to make the effort to sustain my changes but when I do this, it feels as though I am perpetually basking in the rays of a benevolent and gentle sun.

Cathy Kelly

 


 

“A person should only accept a doctrine if his own experience verifies it.”

Buddha (563-483 B.C.)

 


 

I have been with Reach for a few years now. The process began with an intense period of reflection about who I was, what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go. I pondered my problems, dug deep into my own resources, confronted my demons and learned to live with myself.

I also learned to look after myself in many ways, so that from day to day I live life to the full and enjoy it. I feel healthier, fitter and more alive than I have ever been, which means that I am better able to help myself and others. I work hard and I play hard. I also build in plenty of time for relaxation and reflection. There are challenges and disappointments along the way, but I honestly feel that I am doing my best, and that is a good feeling.

None of this would have been possible without the companionship of a wise and steadfast counsellor, who has stayed the course with me through thick and thin. And so I continue on this exciting voyage of discovery.

Mary Thomas

 


 

“Everyone should treat all beings as one would want to be treated. True religion is ethical action. To hurt another is to in fact hurt oneself.”

Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

 


 

Dear Easton

It is with great gratitude, appreciation and love that I write this letter of thanks to you and all at Reach.

You have offered me so much on my journey of healing and growth towards being the best that I can be that I hardly know where to begin. One thought that sits with me is that the single best thing that I have ever done for myself, was making the decision to contact you and embark on my truly special journey of lifting myself out of the mess that my life had become and learning, with your help, care, guidance and support, to begin creating a better future for myself.

When I first walked through your doors I could never have believed that  I was capable of, or deserved, to be the person that I am today, never mind living the contented, fulfilled life I am living. My life was truly at rock bottom – undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, going through a very nasty, painful divorce and struggling to bring up young children, whilst feeling that I was failing miserably because I had nothing left to offer. I survived day to day only existing with the help of anti-depressants and was going down a completely self destructive path of distraction, denial, inadequacy and unhappiness.

Looking back, the single most important gift you offered to me was your complete acceptance, care and respect. This is not something I had ever experienced (which accounts for the mess I was in!) but really needed if I was going to start looking at myself properly and liking what I saw. This environment of complete care and acceptance allowed me the space to figure out who I really was, without the fear of being judged or not liked, and in doing this all things became possible.

Alongside this you offered me so many ways to help me sit back in the driver’s seat of my life. “Shame work” and “Dark Room Work” were such powerful tools to uproot and rid myself of the demons that have been controlling me for years. These are amongst the many diamonds you offer at Reach. Talking alone would not have been enough for me to access these deeper, hidden, controlling elements of my life which once exposed began to lose their power. Although I can’t say that this was easy, it was a life-changing experience.

I’m also grateful for the abundance of research and knowledge you offered me to help me see how damaging my lifestyle was and how to go about changing this so that I could begin to create a better life for myself.

Easton, I could go on forever, and I don’t feel this even touches the many ways that Reach has helped me to make my life what it is today. At last, I know what it is to enjoy life, to take control, and to create wonderful opportunities for myself and the future looks so bright and full of potential.

Thank you, once again, from the bottom of my heart, for the unwavering support you have offered me, and many others like me, in our journeys of turning our lives around. This is so much more than a job to you all, and that’s what makes the difference.

Love and appreciation always.

Anon

 


 

“To love everyone results in the greatest benefit to oneself and to others.”

Mo Tzu (470 BC – 391 BC)

 


Reach’s holistic philosophy has been a life-changing experience for me. I approached my counsellor with what can only be described as a ‘huge gap’ in my life, which at times felt very unnerving and empty. My work with Jo has not only filled this gap but it has also given me a huge sense of personal empowerment. I know that I can trust and rely on myself to continue my journey in life and this is truly the most precious gift anyone can receive!

At times the journey has not been easy but the outcome is well worth the effort and patience. Jo’s belief in me, and her patience, gentle strength and non-judgmental approach were essential throughout the counselling. Her confidence in Reach’s approach and the clear structure of the work carried out was reassuring and inspiring!

The written materials and CDs have also been invaluable to continue the work outside of the counselling sessions and I will always hold on to them as a reminder, on those occasions when I may need them. In all I cannot really put into words how grateful I am, both to my counsellor Jo and also to the person who recommended Reach to me in the first place! It has changed my life in so many positive ways.

Thank you!

Lucy