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 Article by Dan Davies, Esquire.

Change Holiday

 Can I have a New Life Please?

Drawing on their experience of managing, developing and delivering life change programmes, the Life Change People have come up with a simple and effective idea; come on holiday to Thailand (the Land of Smiles), relax in a beautiful peaceful environment, look objectively at your life from a distance, then work with them to identify “barriers to change”. By understanding your own “change processes” you will be able to go on and create your own “change plan”, which will then be supported with calls and email counselling for at least three months after your return home. I’m worried about the answers I have put on my personality questionnaire.

Alex, a founding member of the team, explains the methodology underpinning the programme uses recent advances in   motivational psychology and cognitive behavioural therapy. He assures us there will be no deep psychotherapy or traumatic rebirthing: “We’re not talking about cathartic explosions, but about doing things we can guarantee” he says. “We want to give you the resources to change. It is completely reasonable to think that you can come here, enjoy a lovely holiday in Thailand, work with us and then go home and be able to make major changes to your lives”.

Retreat Holiday

We travel across the Ping River to our hotel that splits this low rise, jungle city, passing open fronted shops, spaghetti junctions of electricity wires and temples on every street corner. I am already feeling better and as a small Thai women  walks up and down my spine, my mind descends into blissful free fall.

I feel bad for initially doubting Chrissy of the Life Change People who proves to be warm, kind and an extremely good listener. She also surprises me with her acute observations about how I act, and what it says about me.

A pattern is established over the following days with sessions of 2-3 hours followed by downtime in which to lie in the sun, have a massage, spa or wellness treatment, or explore the markets and temples outside the walls of our tropical hideaway. The food is fantastic, the atmosphere relaxed to the point of horizontal and my mind and body are gaining strength. The sun and relaxation are doing wonders. It’s like taking a hoover to the dust in my brain. Being taught how to reframe the way I think is helping replace habitual negativity with something new and enjoyably energising.

Life Change Therapy is proving to be far more robust and realistic than I had dared hope for…for the first time in ages

Dan's Change Holiday in Chiang Mai

 I wake up feeling optimistic and ready to take on the world.

Five weeks later and I’m back behind my desk, it’s raining stair rods outside and the sky is slate grey. The credit crunch has turned into a full blown recession, the newspapers are full of depressing stories and my Rover has a flat battery. My old self would have had a field day, but he hasn’t been around much lately. Instead, I’ve moved into a cosy one bedroom flat where I pay little attention to the cold and gloom outside. I get weekly messages, encouragement, online-counselling and life-coaching. I’m staying positive and am at last happily engaged in writing a long overdue book, which is going very well.

Thank you very much.

For more information about Counselling Retreats, life-changing holidays in Thailand, Adventure Holidays, Spa and Wellness Retreats, life-coaching, counselling and therapy services contact info@thelifechangepeople.com

 Article by Travel Writer and Conde Nast Editor Tania Cagnoni. 

Change Holiday Chiang Mai

Angst, Buddhas And A Personal Change Plan.

Mortgage, what mortgage?

I’m sitting at the edge of a lake surrounded by mountains, pine trees , talking to my change therapist in Chiang Mai, Thailand. As therapy and coaching goes, the last week had consisted of the best sort of counselling a jaded, property-burnt, travel writer could have had.

Having dabbled in enough treatments to know my Cognitive Behavioural Therapy from my Jungian, I was keen to put my mind in the hands of some other people. The Life Change People combine holidays in carefully chosen boutique hotels in Thailand with individual Change Therapy by a small team of qualified professionals.

I knew that I had hit the life-coaching and counselling jackpot. I received a tailor made itinerary to suit all my likes (temples, architecture, markets, gastronomy,spa and wellness and elephants) and dislikes (bungy jumping, mountain biking). Chrissy and Alex, the directors and founding practitioners of the company explained their philosophy:

“It’s important that we make our guests feel special before we’ve started working with them. We give complete attention and professional advice.”

A full week here works out to about 4 -6 months of weekly therapy in London.

Like many others I’m about to be caught in a mortgage that I can ill afford, or made bankrupt if I rescind on the contract. Oh and I’d quite like to be in a long term relationship….I needed a miracle worker….enter Chrissy.

We discussed the week’s work ahead after which we started my favourite form of therapy:retail. It is satisfyingly cheap in Thailand; silk bags and cushions: £2; glorious hand made wooden puppets for £8 and on stalls and in temple courtyards, and array of delicious street food, from pork balls to fried quails eggs, banana spring rolls and mango with sticky rice.

We worked through my personality profile the next day and was rewarded by a visit to some nearby temples via a trip around Wattana food market where we devoured warm coconut dumplings.

I was almost ready to square up to those relationship problems….but first the matters of debt and property….

The trip was just as much about new experiences as it was changing my old life and habits. We drove through banana plantations, paddy fields, and beautiful countryside to visit the Elephant Nature Park. Returning to the hotel late we sat under colonial fans surrounded by palms and drew up a chart to explore the balance (or imbalance) of my life. I’ve spent so much time over the past 15 years developing my career that I realised I have completely neglected myself. Chrissy and I took my list of 42 negatives and began restructuring them. On our last day we drew up my Change Plan and Chrissy helped me practice being true to myself and honest with others.

I soon encountered my first test. All flights back home were cancelled and delayed. I felt stressed for the first time in a week. I tried Chrissys exercise…. and passed with flying colours.

On arrival back at the airport my emails confirmed my worst nightmares – I’d lost my mortgage offer.

Four weeks on, I find myself facing financial ruin with an unexpected philosophical calm…Against all the odds this year bodes well. I’m working on that personal change plan and Chiang Mai beckons again.

Article by Celebrity Director Niki Browes

Niki and friend on an elephant trek.

My once smooth talking, sharp dressing father is dying of a rare brain disease. My self esteem was low, my head was in a mess and I was failing to rise to the challenge of planning my wedding.

Going to Thailand to find yourself may sound like a hippy cliché, but this was more like a luxury holiday with added life-coaching, counselling and therapy. All the Life Change practitioners are counsellors and therapists who use a combination of motivational psychology and change therapy “to speed up the natural change process”. There are four hotels to chose from and we stayed in the Rachamankha Hotel, a gorgeous temple like environment.

The next morning, Chrissy, my immensely warm therapist, and I found a secluded part of the hotel and began our first session. Each day there was another session and as Chrissy got to know me a little more out came my fears, and to my horror a few tears.

It soon became apparent that Chrissy is extremely good at her job and the beautiful setting is key. After an intensive session you can gather your thoughts by the pool, visit numerous peaceful temples, have a massage or go elephant trekking, much more appealing than stepping out onto a bleak city street with a mascara streaked face. Then there’s the food. As a vegetarian it is rare for me to be spoilt for choice, but I was, not only was my body being nourished but so was my head- bingo.

I left Chiang Mai and Thailand feeling calm and confident. I realised I wasn’t organising my wedding because I didn’t want to think about Dad not being their or really sick. Chrissy helped me decide what to do. For the first time in ages I began to look forward to getting married again.

The real clincher is the 3 months online counselling and email contact with your practitioner when you return home. I now feel that if I keep following my change therapy programme I’ll have all the tools I need to have a permanent holiday from my own head.

Article by Travel Editor Andrew Copestake.

Change is good, but the Life Change People are even better. I only wish I had met them sooner.

Andrew's Change Holiday

The company is run by an English woman called Chrissy Richman and Alex Gunn with other members of the team coming out to Thailand when necessary. They have worked with thousands of people, helping them make major changes in their lives, including, recovering from drug addiction and alcohol dependency, they worked with Aids patients in the early years and have latterly advised the government on a range of social issues, through focussed discussion groups at The House Of Lords.

Ever the cynic I arranged to meet Chrissy for a chat next time she was in London and expected the meeting to last about 15 minutes. Two hours later I was captivated. On first impression she came across as slightly scatty, was reticent about her own achievements and has a lively sense of humour.

Seeing Chrissy waiting for me at Bangkok airport was like being re-united with an old friend. I had to remind myself I’d only known this woman for two hours. As we travelled onto Chiang Mai she described how our daily life change sessions would leave plenty of free time to explore the city’s markets, visit the nearby Elephant Nature Park, indulge in stress busting massage treatments, or just relax by the pool of the hotel, a tranquil retreat whose languid grounds would be enough to bliss-out the most stressed neurotic. All the time I’d have use of Son, a driver and guide, who works as part of the life change team. He is incredibly warm hearted and would tell me fascinating facts about the country and introduce me to the delights of Thai street food.

Working with The Life Change People is not a case of off-loading pent up grievances, but about developing strategies for change. During the week we discussed ways to overcome snags and dilemmas that can get in the way and how to reframe negative self talk into meaningful positive change talk .

For me the location of the Life Change Programme is important. However good therapy may be, had I taken that route I would have been turfed out at the end of each session to the mad streets and slate grey skies of London. Each evening in Thailand, emotionally drained but strangely energised, I wandered through the bustling street markets, visited serene Buddhist temples or just relaxed by the pool. I began to sleep like a baby, waking with the dawn to seek out the saffron-robed monks as they did their early morning rounds and slowly, but surely, I could feel the stress slipping away.

The real test is how I’ve done since my return home. It would be ludicrous to suggest that my anxieties have reached zero, but 3 months on with regular online-counselling I’m learning to manage my anxieties better and focus on the things that make me feel good.

I’ve quit smoking after 20 years. I have 2 cups of coffee a day, have cleared my inbox, the snowdrift of paper in my office, and have managed to kick-start my career again. I’ve even resurrected some book projects, and started some new ones. Finally I’ve just re-read The Art Of Travel. In one chapter the author describes how depressed he can feel when he returns from travelling, a feeling I used to know well. Perhaps he should get in touch with The Life Change People.

Vol 106 2009

A Chance For Change.

Article by Travel Journalist Mark Lean.

At a crossroads in life? Who do you call? Try the Life Change People. 

Mark on his Change Holiday

 

I am at the arrival hall of Chiang Mai airport looking for The Life Change People, who may possibly help to change my life.

Over a period of five days, I go through their unique Change Therapy Programme. As the days progress in the tranquil garden pool setting of the Puripunn Baby Grand Hotel, I learn a crucial fact: my thoughts shape the person I become.

I am presented with  diagrams, demonstrating how I unconsciously but effectively set mental traps and create dilemmas ; I get a clearer picture of myself.

My job is to break the negative patterns at decisive points. Throughout the five days, The Life Change People use a unique combination of change therapy and counselling based upon recent advances in motivational psychology.Not only am I shown ways in which to recognise the different types of traps we create for ourselves, I also learn to transform my feelings about unpleasant situations.

I realize that I often identify and react to what seems to be similar negative situations even when the reality is far from it.

During the next few sessions, I work through some irrational fears — turbulent air travel and imaginary love handles, for example. Other people might want to determine the reasons for their smoking habit,anxiety, depression, over-eating or alcohol abuse.

The a unique mixture of counselling, life-coaching and change therapy The Life Change People help individuals realise that there’s always a better option if they know where to look.

Fear busters

“We don’t tell you that you must change. We show you how and go through the techniques where you can make improvements,”. Over numerous glasses of iced tea to soothe the nerves, I learn to overcome my fear of change.

Goal-setting is another piece of the puzzel. I’m told to visualise in detail my immediate goals to make them as realistic as possible.

The change therapy doesn’t end once participants leave Chiang Mai.

An integral part is the ongoing online counselling and coaching, which reinforce the freshly acquired thought patterns and behaviours. Two weeks after my return from Chiang Mai, I’m thrown into the deep end, so to speak and the skills I learnt are given a real test. My father passes away after a protracted illness.

It isn’t sudden, but is still a shocking blow. I find myself using the techniques that I worked through. Acknowledging fear yet being free to move on is one that sticks vividly in my mind. As with all sad occasions, the tears do fall.

Nonetheless, I am able though to find an option — how I react to the situation alters the emotional landscape in a positive manner quite profoundly.

“People embark on a change holiday or counselling retreat for different reasons — starting a new life after being in a dead-end relationship, wanting a new career direction, coping with the loss of a family member. We teach the skills that people need to implement these changes,”

Personally, I have found a new and effective way of coping. I find myself reshaping my thought patterns during the days before and after Dad’s funeral. The experience is difficult to forget.

The Change Therapy Programme, works on different levels, which include dealing with grief and learning how to cut free from paralysing fear.

Here’s to the future. Thank you.

The Life Change People run Change Holidays, Counselling Retreats and Spa and Wellness Health Retreats. Contact them at info@thelifechangepeople.com for a full range of counselling, therapy services and counselling holidays.

The Dream Weavers.

Learn how to live your dreams with help from The Life Change People.

Alex Gunn a motivational psychologist and Chrissy Richman have swapped life in the UK for Northern Thailand where they have set up their company and now teach people how to take control of their lives, and live life to the full with their unique Life Change Programme. The company expands and contracts with other UK specialists travelling out to work when needed.

Contact them on info@thelifechangepeople.com for their full range of services including counselling retreats, wellness holidays, Babymoon, Womens Holiday, Solo Travel, online-counselling, counselling, life-coaching and therapy services.

Article by Travel Journalist Gareth Rose.

If you are thinking of making changes in your life there’s no better place to do it than the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai with The Life Change People.

If there is a better place or way for finding yourself it has probably yet to be discovered, which is why a group of British counsellors, life-coaches and therapists, including Alex Gunn, a motivational psychologist and Chrissy Richman, have moved to Chiang Mai to set up the Life Change Programme. This gives people the opportunity to get some distance from their daily treadmills and look at their own worlds from a relaxed setting.

Those who sign up can look forward to a course that included lengthy life coaching, counselling and tutoring sessions with people who are attentive, astute and sympathetic. Guests also have time to enjoy Chiang Mai’s many tourist attractions. For the energetic, the most popular activities are elephant treks and visits to the hill tribes.

The Thais are also masters of relaxation, so the less adventurous can choose from countless massages, and other spa and wellness treatments available all over the city.

The city also has more than 300 Buddhist temples, some of them among the most revered in the world. The city is also surrounded by mountains and other wonderful locations, while the shops of Bangkok and beaches even further south can add stylish clothes and a suntan to complete your transformation.

If you are looking for a different you, Chiang Mai and the Life Change People could be just the place to start your journey. Who knows where it might lead?

For a full range of Spa Holidays, Counselling Retreats, Wellness Holidays, Solo Travel Holidays, Womens Holidays contact info@thelifechangepeople.com

A small group of qualified professionals with many years experience have developed the Life Change Programme to meet the needs of those of us who need to re-examine where we are in life and where we actually want to be, or overcome specific problems.

Alex Gunn and Chrissy Richman the directors of the company have relocated to Thailand in order to offer Life Change Holidays in the beautiful city Chiang Mai. Other specialists from the team join them when required. People who are working to change their lives have the additional pleasure of knowing that 5% of the cost of every holiday is donated to the Vieng Ping Childrens Home in Chiang Mai.

Contact info@thelifechangepeople.com for Womens Holidays, Solo Travel Holidays, Babymoon, Counselling Retreats, Wellness Retreats, Spa Holidays.