Esquire Magazine

 Article by Dan Davies, Esquire.

 

 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”.

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

 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