CLIENTS' CONTRIBUTIONS
"You can do anything if you have enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes rise to the stars. Enthusiasm is the spark in your eye, the swing in your gait, the grip of your hand, the irrestistable surge of your will and energy to execute your ideas... Enthusiasm is at the bottom of all progress!"
Henry Ford (1663 - 1947)
I hope this helps....
I first came to Reach 2 years ago because I was so down about my chronic bad health, it was starting to affect my relationship. I was very unsure about the whole process and at times felt put off by the ‘spiritual’ nature of the approach. However, family members promised me it would be worth sticking with and they were so right!!
I think going through my life map with Jo was the most memorable of all the work we did together. The most powerful thing, however, was to stop being angry at myself for being ill and actually start to like myself again. This sounds ridiculous but it has made a massive difference to my life. Along with Jo’s support I have really managed to make a lasting change.
I am so grateful to you Jo for all your help and support. You always made me feel so comfortable and you are so easy to talk to, the hour goes so fast!!
Katy, Halesowen
"A man is what he thinks about all day long."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)
Dear Reach
To my surprise I have become more tolerant, loving, kinder and even more cheerful over the last 9 months. I came believing these things were unattainable but through your comprehensive handouts (which are like three course meals) and the patient mirroring of how they could be achieved, I found myself changing in spite of myself!! I now move forward in 2012 believing I can be those things I never dared to imagine. Thank you for giving me hope!
William Howells, Leeds.
"Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are your own fears"
Rudyard Kipling (1865 - 1936)
To those seeking help....
Some years ago I needed help with regard to a problem that had occured in my life. My wife recomended a person she trusted and believed could help me.
Well where can I start? The begining would be a great idea....
Having felt uncomforatable before going, I was immediately put at my ease. I felt heard and valued which made it easy to tell my story. My issues unfolded over a period of time and I still have a sun-bleached file with my original life map and hand outs that I recieved over time. These have been wonderful companions to me and have been thumbed through whenever the need arose to channel my thoughts and focus my mind - providing me with direction and purpose in handling the situations before me.
Reach has been an intergal part of my journey and has helped me to foster a greater sense of well-being. Without Reach I would never have been able to achieve the peace of mind I can now dip into at times of stress and distress. Thank you!
To those of you who think they might be stigmatised for seeking therapy, I would say “do not knock it till you have tried it” ... this is from some one who was completely sceptical and had my life not been falling apart at the time I’d never have gone and sought help. I have found a true friend who offers help to everyone no matter what their creed, colour or religeous beliefs and who always finds a way to see those who may be a little less fortunate than ourselves.
Reach.... the name itself means just what it says, reaching out to all who might need a shoulder to cry on, a friend in time of trouble, a non-judgemental ear to listen. While writing this down my memory takes me back to the time when I would not have confided my darkest moments to a stranger. And yet, that stranger has now become a 'soul friend', one who has offered reassurance when I most needed it and helped me find solutions to problems that seemed insurmountable. After my sessions I always walked back out into the world with a smile on my face and courage in my heart, believing I could now face whatever my world presented me with. I also knew that if the challenges felt too great that this person was only a phone call away.
With my sincere thanks to Reach for all the caring support and guidance afforded to me over the years. Looking forward to the next leg of our journey! Hope this inspires those who are in need of help but afraid to take the first step.
Trevor Chalk
"Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain."
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 -1882)
Dear Reach
I would like to just formally thank you so much for the breadth and generosity of your website and for the reach approach itself!! I have lost count of the number of friends, relations and contacts in several countries, including other practitioners, I have told about it who have in turn recommended the website to others. I have had feedback from grateful friends who have found help and support there, too and like me, intend to continue using it as a valued resource for their personal growth and self improvement. What a gift ! And most of what they offer is free. This is truly generosity at work!
Here are some of the things I love about the reach approach:
- The website is attractive and easy to navigate --USER-FRIENDLY!!
- To me, the website in it's apprearance and the way it is set up etc. embodies not only generosity, but also the gentleness, thoughtfulness, orderliness, consistency and other virtues which the reach approach espouses.
- There is an integrity about the philosphy, the website, the personal contacts I have had...It all "hangs together".
- It is non-pressurizing and gentle. i.e. Even though there is so much material, it is not overwhelming (and I can easly get overwhelmed)...
- It is organized so logically by topic and title. Once somewhat familiar with the site, whether in dire need for help, or simply pursuing a personal development programme, it always seems whatever I choose to read or listen to is "just right" ... I always know the answers are there somewhere in the site...and ultimately ...in me.
- I appreciate the open synergistic approach, i.e. the reach approach is not pushing any one way/one track , rather it seems to bring it all together...Also, the approach allows for my own speed and way of learning. It consistently corroborates with and actually clarifies other spiritual/self-developement/therapy practices, reading or counseling I am receiving.
As well as using the library of free resources , I have ordered CDs and have had the privilege to have some face to face and distance-telephone counselling which is top-notch--highly recommended. I reached out to "reach" when "all else failed" and to anyone else who may feel hopeless or confused by all the different "voices" out there and discouraged by lack of progress, may they discover thereachapproach!
The reach approach has given me hope. I think my one-to-one sessions and a personal link with a reach counsellor has probably helped me make the best use of the web resources by at first directing me to what might be relevant at that point in time. This has helped me to familiarise myself with the site...so that now I can trust my intuition to look at the suggested topics and titles which lead me to just the right ideas at the right time. As I continue to recieve other help, therapies and read books, having the reach approach seems to help me pull it all together...to simplify it all.
More could be said, but I think this is sufficient. I just wanted to say thank you properly. I realise the best thanks I can give will be a transformed life and being fit to "reach" out to others which is my aim.
Thank you, those concerned --YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE !!
Yours sincerely
A grateful user of your resources (Hawaii) xx
"You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give."
Kahil Gibran (1883 - 1931)
To those who may be interested...
I had no idea of what self-love was - did it just mean that you loved yourself!
Then came my introduction to it. Wow!! That’s all I can remember about it, just going away thinking, “what was that about”. So the seed was planted, it just needed watering from time to time so I thought. Then I realised this self-love business was taking over my life! The three S’s (self-care, self-nurture, self-respect) became all consuming. I realised I needed to start watering them everyday!
The colours in my life had once again changed. The questions I kept asking myself were “do I know self-love?” and if so “have I got self-love?” Then my tests arrived and I retreated into ‘Old Friend Dear Friend’ and tried to welcome them with open loving arms… yeah right! – if only it were that easy (smile).
Self-love for me has the same affects of being in love…you start to care, nurture and respect yourself on all levels, everything becomes positive in life, you love and you receive love and all is good. There has been a change, a shift that becomes hard to voice. I guess you could call it a sort of knowing. So self-love for me becomes a knowing… a knowing how to care for yourself, a knowing how to nurture and respect yourself, a knowing just like that of your Mother.
Self-love has become my Mother. She awakens me with the whispers of love, the knowing, she keeps coming in until I start to stir, open my eyes and feel that sense of belonging. She reminds me everyday of the 3 S’s. Self- care, self-nurture and self-respect. She embraces me with a snuggle buggle, holds me with such pride, reverence and commitment, her fragrance is deep and divine, her committed love lingers with all that she says, this fragrance becomes comforting and familiar. How can I not love her? My self-love…my dear Mother.
To know self-love is also to appreciate one of God’s gracious and divine gifts. To me, to know it is to know God. It has taught me to access love on a spiritual level, it is another gateway to a deep and unique connection with the self.
My continued journey and learning from Reach fills my being with a freedom of the soul. My life further gets enriched with my other friends on this journey, the Three Gatekeepers, Truth, Kindness and Benevolence, which weaves into this golden thread that is skilfully woven into all of Reach’s many insights. The richness is humbling and it drives me to want to be the best I can be from all of my beautiful inspirational meetings. Thank You Ji.
Namaste
From an appreciative heart and mind
"Who looks outside dreams; who looks inside wakes."
Carl Jung (1875 - 1961)
Dear Easton
Please accept this rose, plant it and watch it grow tall and strong, watch it flourish under your care, just as I have. And when it produces big, beautiful, fragrant flowers, please remember how much I have flourished, having been in the garden of your care and support. I have become strong, healthy, prolific and feel beautiful inside and out. Thank you, I am eternally in your debt.
Anita Patterson, Cardiff
“I don’t know what your destiny will be; but one thing I know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”
Albert Schweitzer (1875 – 1965)
Thank you Easton for your patience and sincerity and for giving me the space to explore and just be. I’m 58 years of age and it’s the first time I have begun to get a sense of who I am. I feel blessed to have met you and to have had the opportunity to learn how to fly. For most of my life I’ve felt like a trapped bird locked in a cage. For a long time, even when you helped me to open the door, I was too afraid to step outside the cage for fear my wings no longer worked. It’s taken time and courage but I no longer feel trapped. It’s such a wonderful feeling. Some days I wonder if it will fade. You’ve taught me that I have choice and if I exercise that choice this feeling never need leave me. Thank you for your wise counsel and support. God bless you and may you continue to touch the lives of many.
Bethany Stiles
“Of all the lies in the world, sometimes the worst are your own fears.”
Rudyard Kipling (1865 – 1936)
Dear Reach
I’ve not had the benefit of seeing a Reach practitioner, but there’s barely a day that I’m not on your site. It is literally a Godsend for me and I have passed on its details to friends and family. It has helped me through many dark times. I’m astounded by the amount of material - there literally is something for everyone. Thank you for making the path easier for others. Keep up the good work!
Mike Douglas, New Zealand
“A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses.”
Chinese Proverb
Reach has become my map, my light, my conscience, my mirror. Each of my senses now works better, especially my mind! Although I’ve taken much of this journey on my own with only occasional contact via email and phone, the gift of your website has been so precious as it has filled the void. I grow stronger every day as a result of its many gifts and insights. Every time I go back and read or listen to the material I’m inspired. I wish you all positive blessings, happiness, peace and contentment as you’ve helped me move closer to all of these.
Lorna Jeffreys, Spain
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955)
I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your amazing CDs, Asking for Nothing, The Hands of Time and The Power of Choice. I play one of them every day. Since listening to them I cope much better as they calm me and my blood pressure has remained stable. Even though I've never met you, there's a reassuring quality in your voice that has helped me to feel safe and strangely I no longer feel alone. Both my anxiety and sadness have become more manageable - this after only 4 weeks. The isolation I have previously felt because I live alone in quite a remote area has lifted. My fear of dying, which I'm nearer to at 79, is also easing. The literature you sent me has also helped immensely. I have found the subject of Self-Love and Self-Loathing particularly apt. I realise I've been guilty of a lack of self-love my whole life. I'm going to try the things suggested and see where it takes me. Thank you for your kindness.
Samantha Addison, Canada
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent"
Calvin Coolidge (1872 - 1933)
Dear Jo
Thank you so much for helping me to transform my life into a beautiful, peaceful garden instead of the tangled mess of weeds and thorns it was before!!! You are a wonderful counsellor and I shall continue to recommend you all over the place. In spite of all the horrible experiences I’ve had at work, I have never lost my faith in the integrity and values of people and organisations and the way Reach works has underlined this for me!!
Thanks again
Diana
“Our problem is that we make the mistake of comparing ourselves with other people. You are not inferior or superior to any human being….you do not determine your success by comparing yourself to others, rather you determine your success by comparing your accomplishments to your capabilities. You are “number one” when you do the best you can with what you have”.
Zig Ziglar (1926 - present)
Dearest Lisa
Just a note to say thank you for all your support, kindness and encouragement you have shown me.
I never realised just how challenging the journey would be when I first started. All I knew was that I would have done anything just to feel well again and to end the awful pain and despair I was feeling.
I remember the first day I met you, feeling a total mess and not believing that I was capable of being helped, just how safe and protected I felt in your company. I left that first day feeling something I had not felt in a long time “hope”. I knew, Lisa, I had made the right decision in coming to Reach and being led to you. From that first meeting with you I slowly got better (although I didn’t realise it at the time!). You helped me so much. Slowly with your wisdom and encouragement I began the task of putting the broken parts of me together again. I began to find my way back to my soul which I had felt so detached and far away from.
I could never have gotten better on my own Lisa, I wouldn’t have known how. You became my wise teacher who very gently encouraged me and provided me with the insights I needed to make such positive change in my life. You have helped me to unravel the mystery of who I am, and to get to know myself in a way that I never thought possible. You helped me to face the demons that had so pulled me down into the depths of despair. The tools you have taught me to use have become a necessary part of my life.
The biggest thing for me was facing the shame of having a hearing impairment. Facing the shame head on, and finally admitting the truth that this disability affected me so much was one of the hardest things I have had to face. Denial had kept the shame so locked in. When I finally admitted the truth I can’t describe the painful but liberating feeling I had.
Lisa there are so many ways my life has got better because of your support and guidance and the fact that I’ve never felt judged by you is remarkable. I honestly feel that you were born to this world to guide those of us struggling in the dark to find a way into the light. You are a truly special person Lisa and I’m so blessed and privileged to know such a lovely person.
I can’t believe how different I am today. When I look back to when I first came and how unwell I was, it’s a miracle! I know I’ve still got a long way to go and probably with plenty more challenges, but I believe with your support I can make it.
My hope is that Reach and people like yourself become bigger and stronger and are able to shine your beacon of light to all those souls still stuck in the darkness. It’s a heartfelt truth that there are many so desperate for support and help out there.
With love and the deepest gratitude
Love, Sally
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be”.
Lao Tzu (604 BC – 531 BC)
Dearest Jo
I can’t begin to thank you for all your guidance, support and wisdom over the past 3 years. It’s been an incredible journey and I am so grateful that you have been my teacher, my guide and my companion along the way…… P.S. I passed!!!
Claire Walker
"Believe you can, and you can. Belief is one of the most powerful of all problem dissolvers. When you believe that a difficulty can be overcome, you are more than halfway to victory over it already."
Norman Vincent Peale (1898 - 1993)
Dear Reach
I have not been fortunate enough to have access to your services personally but there literally isn't a day that I'm not on this amazing website, learning something new and expanding my mind. It's staggering how much work has gone into this amazing resource. I simply wanted to thank you both for myself and I'm sure for many others who are being saved and helped by your generosity. I just can't believe how much of what is available is free, and where you do make charges the costs are so relatively small. Thank you!
T. Clinton - Tenesee, USA
Dear Easton and Team
I've been volunteering my services in Eritrea for the last 12 months and your website has literally kept me sane. I've battled with feeling homesick and wondering whether I'm good enough to do what I'm doing. There are days when the connection is so poor and I'm unable to access the site and I really notice the difference. It's not that I'm dependent on it (maybe I am), it's just that it's an invaluable support. I've particularly found the meditation and relaxation section of great help to me. I feel like I'm learning a new skill, one that is portable, which is really useful as I have to move around a lot. I've also found myself, even though I'm not qualified, trying to pass on the beauty and the simplicity of the messages. I've been buying your calendars for many years now and they're lovely. I think this year's has been the best one with the monthly reflections, which have certainly helped me think about each affirmation more deeply. Another invaluable resource for me personally has been the bite sized insights. I think it's great how so much insight and helpful instruction is packed literally into a few minutes and being able to download them for such a modest fee has been great. They are packed onto my ipod and have become good friends to me. You must be helping literally thousands of people across the planet to find inner peace. Thank you for helping me.
From A Grateful Traveller
Jason McAllister - Eritrea
“A positive thinker does not refuse to recognise the negative, he simply refuses to dwell on it. Positive thinking is a form of thought which habitually looks for the best results from the worst conditions.”
Norman Vincent Peale (1898 – 1993)
"You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality."
Ayn Rand (1905-1982)
Contributions Page introduction....
Reach began its unique way of working in 1990. Since that time we have touched literally thousands of people’s lives through our individual work, work with couples, families, groups and countless workshops. We have produced in that time 100s of written resources and over 30 audio and visual recordings and these have travelled across the world, largely driven by personal recommendation. They have also brought immeasurable change to many. On these pages is a snap-shot of what people have thought, felt and gained from their therapeutic contact with us via the various media we offer.
Also included on this page are some inspirational thoughts and writings from those clients, borne of their personal journeys with Reach. We've also added insightful quotes from some of the great minds both past and present.
We hope you too will be inspired....
