I intend to write a short blog every two weeks. The theme will be my own personal thoughts on what I have experienced in my life’s journey. Some of my thoughts and views, you may not be in agreement with, that’s fine. I have no right to change your views, may be you will reply and start a discussion. My varied and experiences have helped me in my therapy, to understand my clients. In many cases I have been down that track myself. Or know someone who has also been down that track.
Here is a short history of my life. I do not claim to have done anything great or exceptional. What I do claim is my ability to accept change. Most people in their life, something unexpected happens, completely beyond their control. It’s like a game of snakes and ladders. Just when you are just going to reach home, you land on a long snake and you go back to start. If you talk to the majority of successful people, you will get the same story. Their reason for success is their ability to accept change. Also total belief and focus of the goals they aim to achieve.
I was born back in England on a small farm in 1936. Three years before the start of the 2nd World War. I can remember the first tractor coming on the farm. All power was horses. The first tractor had iron wheels and was completely open to the elements. The seat was plain steel with a small amount of spring in it. If you wanted to make it more comfortable you stuffed some hay or straw in a bag. The modern tractor has an air-conditioned cab, giving it a climate controlled environment. Plus controls being hydraulically operated, computers readjusting the setting when necessary. The modern day operator has to be highly technically trained.
My education was very basic, I do not claim to be an academic. After leaving school I worked on the farm. The majority of the work was manual. Typical of a boy in his late teens, I did not see eye to eye with my father. I signed up to do National Service in the Royal Marines. I spent the majority of the time in the commando division, in the terrorist campagna in Cyprus. A very abrupt culture change. It shook my out of my narrow view of life. No way would I like to go through that experience again. A period of my life, I have no regrets. Now I have several clients who have had military experience, I can understand their problems. I have a completely different view, from a person who just sees the problems of the world, in the comfort of an armchair watching TV.
Just after I returned to “sivie street” my father died and I had to run a rundown farm, which I had not been near for two years. I had ambition and goals. I built it up to over six hundred and fifty acres. I lived in the fast lane business and socially. The last farm I bought I borrowed half a million English pound. Maggie Thatcher put the minimum lending rate to 18% so I was borrowing above that. We had a disasters harvest, due to unforseen circumstances, that were beyond my control. Together with the agreement of the family, I could see that I would spend the rest of my life working for the bank and the mortgage company. So we sold and moved to the Isle of Man, this was necessary move for tax reasons. There is no point of relating the personal detail of the following few years. I have the satisfaction of my ex-wife being comfortably off, back on the Isle of Man and my four daughters also very successful in their lives.
I have been permanently in Australia since 1991 happily married to Jane and a fully qualified clinical hypnotherapist. My family constantly visit me and I constantly visit them.
As you can see I have not had a sea change, I have had an ocean change. All these experiences I have had in my live, has given me a wealth of knowledge to understand my client.
Recently I have had the opportunity to attend workshops run by Judith Richards, the creator of the Richards Process. This has elevated my therapy to whole new level. The details can be seen on my website www.rolandjameshypnosis.com under the Stress Anxiety and Trauma section. There is also a video clip with Judith Richards giving a short explanation
My future blogs will be on some case histories, some of which are extremely dramatic and I marvel at resilience of the client, of how they have coped with it. Some are quite amusing. Also the stories that clients have relate to me. Obviously they will be anonymous.