Testimonial: G.S. (male, 60 years, Freelance Researcher & Writer) - Sept 2025

Overall impact and benefit of therapy

“Before therapy I was stuck in unhealthy patterns of behaviour. I was over-eating, drinking too much, not exercising and not sleeping well. Alongside this I was unhappy at work and ruminating angrily about events and people that were not important. I experienced social anxiety which impacted on the relationships that were important to me and more general social interactions. Generally I knew things were not right in my life.

The therapy changed my life. I have stopped drinking, exercise regularly and sleep well. I have a tendency to overeat but that is managed much more effectively and I have lost weight.

I have learnt to put my needs first. I have changed my work and am so much happier doing something that suits me. I have resurrected, developed and improved the relationships with family and friends that are important to me. I have learnt to be vulnerable and accepting of myself and others.

I understand myself and have learnt to value my characteristics and behaviour. I am kind and nurturing of myself in ways that were unimaginable before therapy. It means I am happy, and choose to be myself with others.” 

What was most helpful?

At the beginning I needed convincing of the more theoretical material. The YouTube extract on polyvagal theory helped as did the idea of a window of tolerance. Being convinced that different people were sensitive in different ways helped, recognising that I was on the more sensitive end of the spectrum.

Then the idea of modes, identifying and understanding my critical modes and learning to switch them off or banish them from the room. Alongside this connecting my unhealthy behaviours with my critical modes was important, and then obvious! The cards with mode descriptors on them are a very helpful resource I use a lot.

The values work was important in terms of my self-esteem. I could understand how what I believed was important translated into qualities and characteristics I believe are admirable. For example I knew I believed kindness was important and Rachel helped me make a connection between that value and an admirable personality trait. Again it seems obvious now but I didn’t recognise it before therapy.

The most valuable technique going forward is the imagery rescripting with the reparenting from Rachel and then myself. This technique can change how I feel about relationships and events. It has had the most dramatic effect on my behaviour. Powerful emotions which shaped my reactions to people have somehow evaporated. Within the re-scripting I have learnt the importance of self-validation and self-affirmation.

These are the headlines, there is more I could say about other things and each of these. But this captures what stands out.

Would you recommend therapy with Rachel to others?

“Yes – it will change their lives! Rachel is committed and passionate. She is highly skilled, combining a deep and detailed understanding of the theory with a practical awareness of the realities of everyday life. She is highly sensitive and empathetic, traits which she employs to understand and affirm clients. I would recommend Rachel without hesitation or equivocation.”