Testimonials
Client letters
Read what they say.
Positive thinking:
“Dear Michael,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the changes that you have made to my life.
Before I came to you, I lacked confidence, doubted my own abilities, and was generally very unhappy. I am now running a successful business with great confidence, I have spoken publicly, conducted interviews and have become what I have wanted to be all my life.
I do not fear life anymore – I look forward to every single day. Every single area of my life has improved – from finances to relationships, and I have stopped smoking after 20 years!
I can’t thank you enough, Michael – I honestly feel that my life has begun all over again, and I intend to enjoy every minute. I would not hesitate to recommend your services to anyone. If they got half of what I got from it, their lives would be 100 times better. Take care.”
Kind regards, Lisa.
Agoraphobia:
“I contacted Michael as I was overcome with anxiety to the point of being housebound. I had tried so many different therapies over many years and was not holding out much hope….
How wrong was I! I cannot sum up in a review the difference Michael has made to my life; I have gone from hiding under a
panic to running my own successful business and enjoying life again.
He is amazing (and I am not easily impressed!) – very clever and very grounded – and I cannot recommend him highly enough!”
Sue, Tendering.
Obsessive Compulsive Thoughts:
“Pathways in the brain get larger and more efficient every time you think of the same thing or make a connection between two things. What starts as a thin, wobbly, bald line through a grassy meadow, over time, becomes more established, with first people, then cattle, then horses and carriages, then cars and lorries, until you have a motorway three lanes wide, made of concrete and topped in tarmac with crash barriers, lay-bys and service stations. By the time you are in your teens, these pathways are so deeply etched into your brain that they are almost impossible to move.
For example, let’s take a fleece that I recall from my late teens. I had a suit that I really liked. I picked it up at a vintage shop in Oxford; it was a grey suit from the ‘50s, double-breasted with turn-ups, a bit Guys and Dolls, you might say, but it was fashionable at the time. Unfortunately, I got this fleece straight from the mouth of God that if I wore this suit, I would have a car crash. So, I would avoid wearing it, just in case. Every time I opened my wardrobe doors and saw the suit, I knew I could not wear it; a neurological pathway would grow stronger and stronger because this belief was left unchallenged.
I started to see these fleeces not as the voice of a god but as unwanted brain activity. I understood that I had to reroute some of these paths, although I did not see it with such clarity as I do now. To do this, I went to a psychotherapist. We met in a room in Colchester. Unfortunately, I could tell within minutes that they were not for me. I told them about the fleeces and deals, they seemed unfazed, nodded and looked concerned. They sat there and said, ‘What does that mean to you?’ ‘How did that make you feel?’…easy job! I felt, “Nice work if you can get it.” I saw them a few times, but then gave up. But it was not a complete waste of time; they told me I was not a schizophrenic, that was a relief, I did have a feeling that if all this stuff were known, I’d be sedated and sectioned on the spot…so that was nice to know.
I then made my biggest breakthrough when I met a hypnotherapist called Michael Worthington. He had a strap line on his website which was ‘hypo-no-fear’, the message being he could eliminate fear of anything from spiders, the dark, buttons, and so why not the fear of God! When I first explained the fleeces and deals, he was initially confused; he had never heard anything like it, and he did not know what to say or do, I thought. But he seemed to decide quickly on an approach. Some people are scared of buttons, and I was scared of God, which gave me lots of weird rituals. Michael realised that he needed to reroute my thoughts.
There are two ways of looking at the thought. Either thought is a construction of our own imagination, or it is an instinct that is placed in our brain from outside, like God is telling us to do things, or part of the factory setting of our brain, like the bird’s instinct to make nests. Michael made me understand that any thoughts I was struggling with were of my own making. For example, my belief that if I draw someone, they will die within four years is a belief that has been nurtured in my brain. This thought is like an exotic plant that has been tended and cared for, planted by someone many years ago, but through my unconscious action, it has grown into a substantial tree.
The thoughts that are genuinely instincts are universal thoughts common to everyone in the species. For example, kindness to people and the reproductive instinct could both be seen as factory settings. But what made my thoughts so definitely self-generated is their uniqueness. Along the roadside, one sometimes sees these large, mysterious steel boxes. I have no idea what they are for; I assume they are related to Wi-Fi. Inside, they are full of thousands of thin, coloured wires, like multi-coloured spaghetti, connected to a circuit board. Occasionally, you see a man in high-vis opening these boxes and tinkering with the wires inside. You can imagine if he connects the right wire to the right connection, the houses down the road will have their Wi-Fi restored. That was Michael’s job.
I came back the next week, and he had a deck of cards. He asked me to write down the various items on my fleece and deal list. They were: my sister’s brain tumour returning, my children dying, and my artistic talent being demonic. Michael then shuffled the pack and said, ‘Pick a suit, red or black’ I chose red. He held the deck face down in front of me. ‘Right,’ he said, ‘if the next card is black, then your sister’s brain tumour will return, and it will be your fault for playing this game.’ I, of course, did not want to play the game, but he was insistent, so I had to guess, and I had no choice. He turned the card over, it was a heart, my sister won’t die, phew!
Asked which suit I would like to choose to stop my children from dying, I picked black. He slowly turned over the card… it was red again. ‘Oh fuck!’ I had genuine fear; I felt my children would die because of this stupid game I was playing.
My heart was pounding. ‘Can we do the best of three?’ I vainly asked. Michael was happy to do this. I lost this, too. Best of five? Best of seven? Best of nine? Where does this stop? I kept losing. This was beginning to feel desperate. It was brutal.
I left that evening feeling terrible. My sister’s brain tumour would return, my children would die, and my artistic talent would be thoroughly cursed. I was a mess, and I deeply regretted ever agreeing to attend the appointments and playing the game.
Why did I let this happen? It was my appointment, I paid for it, so why didn’t I refuse? I came back the next week, angry that I had been put through this. Michael asked, ‘So, how are you doing?’ ‘Not great,’ I replied with some anger. I explained that for the first half of the week, I had been in a state of extreme fear and depression caused by his silly game.
‘So, you’re better now,’ he enquired. ‘Better, but I still regret playing the game,’ I said. ‘So, it only took you a few days to get over killing your children, giving your sister a brain tumour and having your artistic talent cursed?’ He explained that I was well on my way to recovering. If I could get over these major issues in a few days, my beliefs were obviously not as strong as I’d imagined.
He then said I needed to play this same card game against myself daily. Which I did every day for weeks. This reinforced the belief that the cards were coming up in a random order and God or the Devil was no part of it.
The fleeces and deals continued at the same rate for a while, but instead of trying to stop the deal by saying ‘No fleeces, no deals,’ I moved on to saying, ‘Lose both ways.’ Here I was saying that I am assuming the deal is going forward and I’m 100% responsible, but my wager is that I will lose completely, whatever the outcome. If the coin lands on heads or tails, I completely lose each time. This was often unpleasant, but it was the only way I could end the chatter in my head. Gradually, the fleeces and deals lessened. I was free from the intense anxiety, and I then decided I would never again be religious.”
Thank you. Name withheld.
Test nerves:
“Dear Michael,
These days we are ready to complain but often forget to
praise people. Before coming to see you, I wouldn’t have believed how you could help me.
I visited you, I suppose, as a ‘ last resort ‘. I had created a major mental hurdle; you helped me identify it, and what was so impressive was that not only did you help me clear it, but I did so with feet to spare!! I completed my bike test, a dream I have carried most of my adult life, so for that, I must thank you.
Furthermore, on the test, you are allowed up to fifteen minor faults. The examiner couldn’t understand why he couldn’t find one! I came away with a totally clean sheet!”
Thank you for your guidance. Robin.
Phobia:
“I am 62 years old, and all my life, I have been frightened of birds, from
sparrows to chickens. In two short sessions, Michael completely changed all that.
It is hard to explain how a phobia can rule your life; a visit to the seaside, a picnic, a barbecue, can become a nightmare, when hanging out washing, the world is full of birds. When I saw a bird or heard it flap its wings, I would panic, shake and feel sick, and if I could, I’d run and cry uncontrollably.
When my son suggested I visit Michael, I
must say I wasn’t too hopeful. I had known nothing other than adjusting my life around my problem. I can’t tell you just what he did, apart from sitting and talking and making me understand that I wasn’t a hysterical woman who had little or no control over her life, but whatever he did, I will always be grateful.
I hope he understands fully what an incredible thing he has done for me. I can sit in the garden on my own, a thing most people take for granted, but for me it was something I never thought I would be able to do. I can even enjoy watching a bird a few feet away.
I would have no hesitation in recommending this remarkable young man to anyone who has a phobia of any kind.”
With all my thanks, Angela.
sparrows to chickens. In two short sessions, Michael completely changed all that.
It is hard to explain how a phobia can rule your life; a visit to the seaside, a picnic, a barbecue, can become a nightmare, when hanging out washing, the world is full of birds. When I saw a bird or heard it flap its wings, I would panic, shake and feel sick, and if I could, I’d run and cry uncontrollably.
When my son suggested I visit Michael, I
must say I wasn’t too hopeful. I had known nothing other than adjusting my life around my problem. I can’t tell you just what he did, apart from sitting and talking and making me understand that I wasn’t a hysterical woman who had little or no control over her life, but whatever he did, I will always be grateful.
I hope he understands fully what an incredible thing he has done for me. I can sit in the garden on my own, a thing most people take for granted, but for me it was something I never thought I would be able to do. I can even enjoy watching a bird a few feet away.
I would have no hesitation in recommending this remarkable young man to anyone who has a phobia of any kind.”
With all my thanks, Angela.
Smoking:
“Dear Michael,
just a little note, but a big thank you to you for your skills
and for enabling me to be a non-smoker now!
I will certainly be spreading the word.”
Best wishes, Mrs W
Agoraphobia:
“Six weeks ago, I had given up hope of ever beating agoraphobia. This caused my depression and OCD to worsen, and in turn, I felt I had no reason to carry on with life, as I just wasn’t coping anymore.
If someone had told me that, by writing an article in the East Anglian Daily Times to highlight my problem and to inform people that I had written a website for other sufferers, I would get an offer of help myself through it, I wouldn’t have believed it. The article was on the health page on Nov. 3rd, and the offer of help came from a man named Michael Worthington.
Well, what had I got to lose, I thought, so I contacted him, and over just 4 sessions, my life has changed 100%. The first visit—after being totally housebound for nearly 2 years, and the previous 4 years preceding that only being able to go out accompanied due to terrible panic attacks—I wasn’t expecting it to be much more than filling Michael in on the past. How very wrong I was; Michael doesn’t want to know about the past at all, but what you want in life in the future.
He was with me for 3 hours, and by the end of that time, he had me out in daylight, walking to the bottom of my very long garden with my daughter. Then Michael and I walked around the green in front of the house. I didn’t want that day to end, for I felt already so lifted in mood, and I’d have liked to carry on.
In Week 2, we walked farther, talked to a passerby, went into the corner shop together, and then I went in alone. Then, to cap it all off, I went to meet my daughter at school alone, since she comes home at lunchtime. The look of delight and pride on her face will stay impressed in my memory forever. This session was 4 hours. Michael is a character full of energy, encouragement, and enthusiasm, which rubs off on those he works with.
Week 3, I couldn’t believe it, but he had me up Tesco, Homebase, Woolworth’s and a coffee shop in town. I was comfortable with it all, no anxiety or panic attacks and boy did I feel good. In between sessions, I worked hard to keep up the good work, even put my car back on the road, and started driving again. Two weeks later, Michael called to see how things were going, and as I had made such progress, there was not much we needed to talk about.
Now I can’t wait to get up in the mornings instead of wishing I could hibernate for the rest of my life. I would have liked to have tackled more in session one, as I was so psyched up by the time Michael left, so for anyone reading this, I would recommend that you don’t be put off if you are a distance from him, as I believe Michael would travel there and work continuously for the whole day.
It can, and would be, wonderful to conquer this illness in a day, and I am a believer. It CAN be done. My life is so different; my doctor is thrilled with the results, and I believe I am mentally better than I have been in 6 years. I am free from the chains that bound me to the four walls. I became a prisoner in my own home, and now I can go out into that great big world outside my door again.
Thank you, Michael, for I feel reborn.”
Much appreciation, Diane.
Agoraphobia one-day session:
“Michael,
I just wanted to say thank you so much.
As you know, I was very doubtful that you would be able to help me, as I had tried hypnotherapy before. I still find it hard to believe what you achieved with me.
At the moment, I’m still living in amazement and wish that I had met you when I first developed the problem.
I am really grateful you did what you said you would do.”
Take care, Susan.