Extended Testimonials

Melissa was a medical health worker  unable to work with mental health problems

Before meeting Andrew I had struggled with depression and anxiety, due to traumatic experiences. This was for over a year. I tried medications, CBT, NHS options and crisis teams – all of which let me down. I had no hope left – until I met Andrew.

Andrew’s kind and gentle approach makes it very easy to be open and honest within the sessions. After a short number of sessions I was already able to see a difference in my thoughts and feelings. He helped give me the strength to tackle the traumatic experiences head on so I could move past them and begin to enjoy life again. This was something I didn’t think was possible. I cannot thank Andrew enough for bringing me back the old me.

Melissa sent me this second note, 3 months later ….
I hope that all is well. I wanted to write to fill you in on our developments! So I have stuck out my plan to go to Australia and we are leaving on Tuesday! I’m very excited and can’t believe it’s happening really. So I wanted to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, because I wouldn’t be in this position without you.

The Human Givens approach is obviously fantastic but your intuition, compassion and wisdom is one-of-a-kind. The work you do is amazing and you need to know this. You changed my life and gave me professional help when nobody else would, so there will always be a special place in my heart for you. I would love to keep in touch via email so I can fill you in on some of my Australian antics! Thanks again for giving me back my confidence and helping my dreams become reality!

Robert in his thirties in high tech

I came to see Andrew in summer of 2017, as I had been struggling with feelings of low mood, anxiety and depression. I was sceptical at first as I had seen a few different therapists prior to this. Andrew instantly made me feel right at ease, and very quickly made some real and positive changes in the way that I was feeling and thinking about my current situation.

Andrew definitely has a gift, to see to the core of issues and then very quickly put a plan into place in order to resolve them promptly and without the usual reliving of events repeatedly to try and get to the root of them. I was very impressed, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Andrew to anybody who has been struggling to pull themselves out of depression alone.

Kenneth, a single Dad was drinking far too much

I went to see Andrew at the height of one of the worst times in my life. I had been using excessive quantities of alcohol (20+units/day) for many years to numb an overactive mind and blot out the pains of life. I was riddled with fear, self-doubt, anxiety, stress, general sadness and insomnia. My best night’s sleep in the last three years was 4 hours long. I was exhausted, my nerves were on fire. The drinking had come to the attention of the authorities, adding to the stress. I was at breaking point. My family were suffering.

I took an instant to liking to Andrew. He is very direct and forthright. He talks a lot, which I liked. I was there for advice and help, not to sound off about my problems.   He asked how I’d chosen him.  I said I hadn’t, I was seeing four counsellors that week and would pick the best one.. I’d had a year of bereavement counselling 8 years previously so thought I knew what to expect.  I also said he was the most expensive to which he replied “Good! I have to charge a lot because unlike traditional therapists you see for years you will be feeling better pretty quickly.  He was right.

He asked why I was there. I said to stop drinking uncontrollably. He asked a few more probing questions then diagnosed I didn’t have a drink problem, I had a past trauma problem that caused me to drink to get numb and a few hours sleep. It was a revelation. We talked about the last eight years and some of the many low points including loss of my wife, mother and father in law all to cancer. He promised he could help.

I took his emotional state test that first session. I scored 32 out of 40 (higher=worse). Andrew said he’d only met 30 or so people out of maybe 1500 he’d counselled scoring over 30.  I could see that I was a mess.

In the second session he put me in a trance and we did the rewind technique over the last eight years, focusing on bereavement. In 50 minutes I went from not being able to even think those repressed thoughts, to facing up to them,  repeating the thoughts till they became normal memories.

At the third session we focused on being forced out of a job, relationship breakups, and 9 months unemployment and the stress and self-doubt that filled that period. Again after the hypnosis I had a huge feeling of inner peace and calmness.

At my last session I scored 9. We didn’t do any hypnosis, I didn’t have anything much troubling me so we talked in general about the past, the importance of sleep, what confidence looks like, the future. I feel calm, strong, confident. My energy and power have never felt higher. I sleep well. I haven’t had alcohol for 22 days, and am confident I will never drink again. I walk tall, I feel light. My mind is clear and logical thought has returned, no more swirling tangle of disorganised noise. I can concentrate for hours. I am back from the brink of collapse, and ready to rebuild the lives of me and my family.

Andrew is a miracle worker. I can’t thank him enough for what he has done. It really works. I’m still trying to come to terms with this complete turnaround in my life and those around me. I will follow up with the many resources on his website.

Helen, now with a young baby, able to use my Trauma Release audios to clear old and debilitating memories

When I first came to you for weekly sessions it was during the breakdown of my first marriage which happened in the aftermath of a messy/toxic redundancy situation – all of which had left me with an NHS psychiatrist telling me I had “cyclothymia”. During these sessions I found the rewind technique frustrating, I scoffed at it and felt it wasn’t for me. I loved how you put that tool back in the box and got on with some others instead and it got me through a really difficult time and onto the next phase in my life…which five years later sees me remarried and Mum to a preschooler. I contacted you again recently as I felt at a bit of a crossroads – perhaps fully emerging from my previous life and into my new one. What seemed like out of nowhere I’d been experiencing anxiety and panic attacks, the likes of which I hadn’t had since my late teens. A couple of sessions later and with the help of your relaxation and trauma release audios, I feel transformed. The anxiety symptoms (in particular a debilitating stomach pain I used to get in situations where I felt judged e.g. teaching or where my parenting methods were in the spotlight) have disappeared. I used the rewind technique on a whole range of scenarios dating back to childhood and also for anxieties projecting into future. It’s not like those things don’t ever cross my mind any more but I really feel like the rewind technique has taken the power out of them. Perhaps like parenting, I realise that a lot of the time my daughter doesn’t need me to distract or persuade her out of her feelings but just let her have them, to really hear and acknowledge them and everything is much smoother – similarly perhaps I just needed to listen to and accept all of my feelings in relation to a whole list of traumatic memories and projections – rewind, which I was so scathing of previously, really helped me do that – thank you.

Matt, a science student was not coping at college

You really have put everything in perspective. I am definitely in a much better place than before Christmas and I need to remember how far I have come and how much I have changed. I think I am taking things much better. I have had a couple of low points since our last session but they haven’t lasted for nearly as long as they used to. I think I also need to remember that life is very up and down and you have to be sad to know what happiness is. I think I have learnt a lot from you and my mood has improved as well as resolving some feelings I didn’t think would ever leave me. I am very grateful for this and thank you very much for all your help. I will have a listen to the audios, I know I need to take more time, I do better when I’m busier in general but I still need to recognise I need to relax and have some me time.

Chris, a successful businessman needed help to reconnect

Hitting a new low meant I finally accepted that by myself, I couldn’t make and maintain the change I craved and clearly needed.

In a few short sessions, Andrew skilfully listened, gently probed, explained, offered hope and an assured supporting presence. But most importantly he helped me to reconnect with myself.  As I have become more comfortable and less tired, the world feels more hopeful and I am feeling better.

One session in particular was astonishing, where several threads of truth were teased out, considered and reconfirmed and then with only a few moments preparation they were almost effortlessly woven back into a short audio, which I have replayed often.  My astonishments at Andrew’s gifts and rare ability is renewed every time I relisten to that audio.

The answers were & are within me, but Andrew’s gift is to help rediscover those solutions and provide the support and encouragement to take those steps out of the rut.

Claudia (from Mexico)

When I decided to learn more about the Human Givens approach from the US, Andrew was available via Skype. I had heard about Human Givens approach and was curious to try it. I live in Mexico so I start looking for someone who was willing to give me therapy by SKYPE. After a few months of unsuccessful fertility treatment I started feeling exhausted, could not sleep at night and felt uneasy all the time. I was lucky enough to find Andrew, who helped in only 2 sessions to feel relaxed, happy and optimistic. We did relaxation and trance by SKYPE also and Andrew could clear all kinds of worries that I had – mainly to do with my work which he found had developed from my past. I am a psychologist who had tried many different types of therapies both for me and my patients and I never experience something so effective and fast! Thanks Andrew for your generosity.

Kay a working Mum

Andrew stopped me in my tracks before I got too upset, which was a huge relief… He relaxed me and used the rewind technique to quickly remove the feelings of trauma which had burdened me for so many years. He then went on to help me see ways in which I could take back control of my future and improve my relationships. I went out of that first session feeling that a weight had been lifted from my shoulders, and able to imagine a bright future again. I can’t recommend Andrew highly enough.

Isobel, who I met again some five years after her therapy with me

I do remember you and your kindness to me at a time when I was suffering. I really appreciated it. I began meditating shortly after my sessions with you and have developed a regular spiritual practice which I have found very beneficial. Through this, I have developed much healthier strategies for coping with stressful times and am much kinder to myself than before. I haven’t had a relapse and I feel confident in my emotional resilience now; something that wasn’t the case before meeting you and the Human Given’s approach.  Your support, at a time when I needed it, helped get me on the path I am now and I am grateful for this.

Ross from New York, who I worked with via SKYPE

Andrew was able to effectively apply the Human Givens approach to my questions about losing a parent, the challenges of being a parent, and growing a professional practice. In a remarkably few sessions, the insights and techniques I gained in consulting Andrew provided me with the lasting benefits of improved sleep, stress reduction, and work/life balance. Andrew used the rewind technique to resolve painful emotions related to a childhood experience. The inevitable challenges and dilemmas of daily life still arise, time often feels short, but I simply feel better able to find the resources to meet the needs of the moment. Andrew showed me where to look to find the resources I already possessed and the means to repeat the process when needed.

Madelaine, a young French woman working in London

I went to see Andrew in 2008 because I had an emotional blockage. This had actually always been there, since I was very little.

I was anxious in my relationships with other people, afraid of them. I had for most of my life suffered from low self esteem. Although I had visited different psychotherapists before, I felt the blockage hadn´t been resolved and I decided to visit Andrew. What we discovered in our sessions opened my eyes and made me regain my self esteem.

At the age of 8 I suffered the sudden abandonment of my best friend at school (she went to another school). As we found out following rewind techniques in a state of deep relaxation, my unconscious mind learnt from this experience that friendship is no good and this learning led me to mistrust people throughout my whole life. I was unable to engage in close relationships with other people and I always feared abandonment and rejection. My closest friend was, paradoxically, my mother, who is the person who has helped me most and is dearest to me. Apart from this abandonment, I also lived a toxic home environment. As a growing girl, my emotions were totally neglected. My monetary and academic needs were covered, but my emotional needs remained unmet for years on end. My parents had an emotionally abusive relationship between them which reflected in their relationship with me and my sister. My dad is emotionally clumsy himself and didn´t know how to teach us to manage our own emotions. For years I was angry at him and regarded him as a bad person. Andrew helped me look at these feelings from a more objective perspective and used the tapping technique to unblock the toxic emotions. Now I don´t feel like that about my father. I have realised that he behaved the best way he knew and I know that he loves me very much. I believe in emotional education in childhood.

Emotional and social intelligence are the basics of human relationships, and are as (or more) important as IQ (intelligence quotient). They are also as important as having economic resources to give children a good academic education. From my experience, I know that meeting a child´s monetary needs is not enough for him to grow up happy and secure. It is an emotionally intelligent household what counts for in the shaping of the child´s future happiness and ability to cope with stress in life.

Eva, from Walthamstow, East London

I met Andrew when I needed his help the most. My opinion is that you meet people in life for a reason and my reason to meet Andrew was to help me recover from depression and OCD and to change the way I saw life and the future. This man gave me answers to my questions, taught me to stop looking for the wrong answers, encouraged me, answered my calls at any time of the day or night (while going thru the panic attacks), made me feel that I was good in what I was doing and made me feel important! He also made me feel that I was not alone!

Andrew kept on teaching me that the times I was feeling bad was because of the stresses in my life. And only later did I realise that he was right – that the small daily stress from running around all day with a 1 year old child and work, and no time to relax, that was what was affecting my state. I had started to think that all the thoughts I was having were not my thoughts but my imagination and that was why I was reacting to stress as a way of harming myself (by imagining horrible things). I understood that I was reacting to what I was imagining by panicking and getting depressed but the case is that any normal person would do that if they were to imagine the worst!

So with Andrew’s help I started to stop fearing what I was imagining, slowly and gradually. I learnt that all is working if you are willing to listen to what your stress is saying to you (and when I say listen I mean really listen). You are the most important piece from the recovering puzzle. By seeing Andrew, I learnt to make time to relax and how to relax. Andrew helped me to find my interior balance, and made me understand that I MUST HAVE MY NEEDS MET! I started to see life in a different way and to search for my passions. He gave me lots of explanations to what I was going through so I felt that I had someone that understands me and that I was not going mad.

Thank you so much for all you did for me Andrew! I and my family owe you BIG TIME!

Dylan, a family man from London

I had absolutely no resources left when I contacted Andrew. I was desperate, due to the horrendous depressions and anxiety I was suffering from. Over the years I had seen several “traditional” therapists who had helped to alleviate the symptoms temporarily. However, none of these had ever suggested that there could be a permanent cure to my problems. Within 10 minutes of my session beginning with Andrew, he had explained to me that my problems could be helped, had explained how and had isolated the likely root cause. That first session wiped away all of the pain of 35 plus years. I could not believe it. I returned for a second session, but the bulk of the work was completed in that first session. I have had no return of the symptoms at all since. He has given me my life back.

I cannot recommend Andrew highly enough. He really does have a gift. Human Givens is the wrapper around his service, but it is Andrew himself that makes the difference – the connection and the possibilities that he makes so that the client can see the resolution and that a different life is possible.

Sara, a young woman with chronic health problems

I contacted Andrew after some difficulties I was experiencing managing my physical health as I believed my emotional well being was impacting the healing process. When I walked into Andrew’s office I was sceptical after trying out many therapies before without moving forward. I had no reason to worry though as I was quickly put at ease with Andrew’s relaxed, yet professional manner.

Through Human Givens, Andrew enabled me to address deep underlying issues that I had been carrying around unknowingly for a very long time. I highly recommend the Humans Givens process to anybody who feels they are being blocked from living their life to the fullest.

Chris, a business man with his marriage and business lost

After 12 visits to Andrew it was clear to both of us there was no more to be done. Andrew asked me to put into words my experience and my thoughts. The easiest way I can describe the process is as follows.

When I first arrived at Andrews my mind felt like a wall that for several reasons over a long period of time (10 years or more) had been knocked down and all I could do was dwell on the Rubble or past. I could see no way forward.  With Andrew’s help I rebuilt that wall, stronger than it was ever before and it is my honest belief that Jesus Christ himself would have a job to knock it down.

Thank you once again Andrew, I’m forever in your debt.

Oscar from Hamburg

Recently I found myself to be completely overwhelmed by life. I was worrying constantly, but I was unable to take any action to deal with what I was worrying about. I felt bad most of the time. I was drinking quite heavily. I blamed my problems on a decision I had made a few years before that had caused my life to change from being easy, with few demands placed on me, to being difficult and stressful.

I had the good luck of coming across a webinar by the Human Givens College on the link between dreaming and depression. The ‘cycle of depression’ that it described seemed to describe exactly what I was going through. I contacted the Human Givens College to find out what they recommended for people who were in need of therapy but didn’t have access to a Human Givens therapist. They replied that the therapy could be done over Skype and gave me Andrew’s contact information.

I did three sessions of therapy with Andrew. In the first session I discovered that much of my emotional behaviour was being limited by an experience I had when I was 10 years old. I was guided me through a visualization of that experience in a way that somehow freed me from it. Following the session there was a noticeable change in my behaviour. I felt like an adult for the first time in my life.

The second session mostly involved me saying how great I felt. It seemed to me that I was healed and now ready to get on with life. Following this session, I experienced some further difficulty in my life and began to feel very stuck. I realized that I was being held back by a life-long pattern of extreme shyness. Reading through Andrew’s blog I came across a post on ‘Molar Memories’. The understanding that I took from that post was that my shyness began with an event in my early childhood, where a reaction of extreme shyness and helplessness was rewarded with the experience of receiving complete maternal affection.

I contacted Andrew with this information. We did a third session where he helped me to separate my childish self from my adult self. I don’t understand quite how it worked, but the result has been that I am no longer controlled by shyness.

As a result of three sessions of therapy, done over Skype, my self-assessment is that I now have the freedom to respond to difficult situations as an adult. I am no longer compelled to retreat into shyness and helplessness. The circumstances of my life are still somewhat difficult, but I feel confident that I have the ability to deal with them. My default state is happiness and contentment. Something that started out quite horribly has turned into one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.