Please be aware – I am not a doctor, nor am I licensed or accredited with anything (anymore), and I don’t need to be because I am not diagnosing you, prescribing medication, touching you, operating on you, or telling you what you should do!
I’m just sharing my experiences and arranging my empirical knowledge of those experiences into stories, metaphors, new perspectives and techniques that you may wish to try to use on yourself (if you wish) over and above what your accredited and certified doctors are already offering you.
Why I choose to be no longer maintain my original accreditations
Original accreditations – When I decided to retrain from an engineer to a therapist in 2005, I eagerly followed all the rules and regulations; John Glanvill was accredited in CBT, NLP, Board Certified Master Clinical Hypnotherapist, MBTI, DISC & Enneagram Personality Profiling methodologies, and I gained a diploma in Integrated Mind Therapy, I joined every association such as the CNHC, GHR, The NHS Directory of Complementary and Alternative Practitioners and The National Board of Professional and Ethical Standards and I took every online and weekend workshop available to learn how to become the absolute best therapist I possibly could be.
Though I learned much, there was very little I learned that was effective in treating anxiety disorders, OCD or depression. For example, though I studied CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) deeply and thoroughly, I found it to be clumsy and often ineffective for use with those suffering from anxiety – yet it was the ‘go-to’ protocol advised by most medical advisory associations.
Over time, I became disgruntled with having to pay to be a member of these accreditation associations and keep up to date with their training requirements when this was adding no value to my clients over and above them, seeing I was accredited.
In addition, most people came to see me as a last resort because they had tried all the best Doctors and accredited psychological physicians out there, and they still had their mental health issues.
Surely, if all those accreditations were effective, the amount of anxiety disorders and depression in the world would be reducing! (But they are not!)
So, about fifteen years ago, I took the brave decision to step away from conventional therapy and become my own researcher, whereby I would intensely research topics that interested me, and then I tested out those findings (on myself ) to see if they worked or not.
I remember reading somewhere that knowledge is knowing something, but wisdom is knowing and testing that knowingness out through taking action, so you end up with a real-world experience of the application of that knowledge.
So, this is what I began to do, I read every book I could find – then applied (on myself) all the techniques to see if they worked or not, or how they might be adapted to become even more effective.
This meant that when I sat with clients, I could tell them about my experiences and why/how they worked so if they were interested, they too could see if they might work for them.
One size does not fit all
At this time, it also became very clear to me that people are very different; what works for an introvert might not be appropriate for an extrovert. Men and Women are very different. Past trauma can manifest in many differing ways – and how one person may find purpose in their life could differ significantly from another.
My personality type MBTI INFJ & Enneagram Type four (I believe) gives me a unique ability to understand the needs of others and be able to offer common sense new perspectives that may help them to help themselves – this can’t be taught in a class nor accredited for, it’s just innate within me.
I don’t take insurance referrals
I can fully understand that if an insurance company were paying for you to have therapy or receive medical assistance, they would wish to ensure that the person/company delivering those services was accredited and their knowledge up to date. However, I don’t take insurance referrals; I work privately with clients who have tried all conventional methods yet still struggle with exhaustion and mental health issues – and surely, if the licensed and accredited therapists haven’t helped you til now, then your solution will probably have to come from knowledge that wasn’t incorporated into those accreditation courses!
In ten years, I believe my approach to treating anxiety will be recognised as the sensible choice. I feel like I’m ahead of the curve at the moment. However, it’s also possible that everything will become regulated and dominated by AI, leading to a single standardised process. Who knows how this unpredictable world will evolve?
I don’t work with children (under 18), though I do work with their parents to keep them sane and offer new perspectives that may allow them to help their offspring better.
Medications for anxiety and OCD
As I cannot prescribe medications, I have dedicated considerable time and effort to researching how individuals can consciously alter their unconscious processes and how these changes can positively influence their biology. This exploration encompasses a variety of approaches, including adopting new ways of thinking, cultivating optimism, engaging in regular exercise, improving one’s diet, and making healthier lifestyle choices.
My fascination lies in understanding how people can harness their inner chemistry by consciously working to reduce the release of stress-related hormones and neurotransmitters while fostering a state of mental well-being. By promoting a more positive and resilient mindset, individuals can encourage the release of beneficial chemicals in the brain, which contributes to enhanced mood and overall health. This concept forms a core component of the course I offer, yet I have observed that many individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) often find it challenging to fully grasp this idea. This difficulty largely arises from their tendency to seek external solutions, such as medications, to alleviate their symptoms.
It is unfortunate that the medications prescribed to manage OCD can sometimes overshadow the deeper, more meaningful work required for lasting change. While these medications can provide temporary relief, they often mask the underlying issues that need to be addressed. Moreover, the side effects associated with many of these treatments can introduce additional complications or even lead to dependency, especially in the case of benzodiazepines, which are known for their addictive potential, as well as the mind-numbing effects associated with certain antipsychotic drugs.
I want to clarify that I am not suggesting that medications lack value; rather, I advocate for a more integrated approach. There is much one can do alongside medication to foster a healthier internal environment. It is crucial to nurture both mental and biological systems to ensure they operate optimally. By incorporating holistic practices and mindset shifts into their lives, individuals can gradually work towards reducing their reliance on medications. In doing so, they can begin to cleanse their internal biological and mental systems, paving the way for a more balanced, resilient, and healthier existence.
Ultimately, the journey toward well-being is multifaceted, and it is important for individuals to explore the interplay between their mental state and physical health. Through commitment, education, and the right support, positive transformation is not just possible—it is within reach.
The truth
The truth seems to be hard to come by these days.
I respect the fact that my clients choose to spend their own (hard-earned cash) with me to learn whatever they can to help themselves, and because I am not bound by regulations, accreditations and other legalese red tape, I can honestly speak my truth on any topic knowing that everything I say is true (to me) and is the truth of my experiences.
This website and my course document my experiential truth – no matter what any other regulatory body or scientific source may say differently, these things are true to me, and I am just sharing them with those who wish to listen.
The Godliverse
I am not a religious person; however, over the last twenty years, I have come to believe (through personal experiences) that the Universe/Nature possesses intelligence. The frequency at which we vibrate attracts energy from nature that aligns with that frequency. Dense, negative, and fearful individuals often lack energy, while happy, cheerful, and optimistic people seem to have an abundance of it.
It seems (to me) that thoughts are energy fields – be they pessimistic and fearful (low energy) or optimistic and trusting (high energy), and we unknowingly attract to ourselves responses from nature/our environment to suit the energy level of our beliefs.
As you receive more energy, your brain adapts and begins to perceive the world differently, in alignment with the shared consciousness of the planet. For an anxious person, change can be frightening. In contrast, for a calm individual, change is exciting and presents an opportunity for growth – nothing has changed except the person’s ‘story’, beliefs and frequency – they have moved from doubting to trusting.
Much of this understanding, along with the insights gained from testing out these theories, was intuitively revealed to me during meditations. I applied these teachings in my life to test their effectiveness, and I have been amazed by the results.
Even though these experiences are mine, I don’t expect everyone to believe me. However, I encourage people to explore these ideas for themselves to determine if my observations hold any truth rather than simply adhering to their current mindset.
It’s interesting to note that someone with OCD might trust their own thoughts more than someone who has successfully recovered from it. This highlights how unconscious patterns, like OCD, can sabotage conscious efforts to overcome them.
Additionally, even if you don’t believe that the universe has energy or intelligence, or if you question the existence of God or an afterlife, wouldn’t it be wise to retrain your subconscious mind to adopt a more positive outlook? This shift can lead to a calmer, more trusting, and self-loving mindset during this lifetime regardless of nothingness (or all-ness) after the body’s death.
I suppose another way of looking at this is – could we live our lives from the perspective of our Souls point of view? Could our sense of I move from the scared ego (of the body/brain) to the formless, immortal point of conscious awareness in total connection with the Universe, which is the rider of your body, which is an intelligent, self-sustaining but mortal entity.
A bit like the rider of a horse – you can’t directly control that horse, but you can guide, calm, influence, train and use that horse for what you wish to achieve, rather than having the horse direct you!
Are you the rider of your horse, or is your horse taking you for a ride?
Perhaps that is the journey of the Soul – to learn how to retrain your horse (body) to become the tool you use to travel, love, learn, grow and experience everything you can on this amazing planet – which is ideally set for us to experience every emotion from love to loss so we can learn how to manage and accept our emotions yet still function effectively.
What I’ve discovered for myself is that the ego or mind can only know things based on what it has been told, read, or analysed from experiences. In contrast, our Soul possesses an innate understanding and does not rely on words, stories, opinions, or beliefs—it simply knows what is right and wrong, and what is good or bad. I suppose this is akin to what we might call intuition or the immanence of God.
By rising above (and not being addicted to) the thoughts of the brain/ego, it is amazing to realise that, for the most part, we don’t need to think (hardly at all); we just need to align with the intentions for the person we wish to become and the desires we have for more purpose in this life.
Ultimately, we have the ability to shape our inner reality (which is our true subject experience of life) in any way we choose, regardless of what is happening in our outer reality!
It is my experience, and from working with thousands of people – this perspective, even if not true (but it is, for me), is the fastest method of escaping anxiety and depression and I would like to share it with you, in a way that is scientific and based on my real-world experiences.