Isn't it time to start living the life you ought to live?

Most of us have little malice, simply trying to find our way through life. We seek meaning, purpose and a livelihood in an overcrowded, overstretched world. Many institutions, established by our forefathers for a cohesive society, have failed us. Disillusioned, many of us have abandoned religion, become sceptical of our political leadership, and are disheartened by the way globalisation has torn apart the fabric of family life. Moreover, we have become ever increasingly aware of our isolation, having to face our problems alone. It's ironic, given that there are more of us on this planet now than have ever lived here in the history of humankind, that we often feel so alone. Each of us, in our moments of despair, believe that our problems are unique to us, and the challenges we must face, are greater than those which we can bear. It's at times like these when we tend to lose sight of the magnificence of our human spirit, and how our greatness often arises out of our darkness, like the Phoenix from the ashes, pushing us into new realms of inventiveness, inspiration and wondrousness.

The city of Johannesburg is built on gold-bearing ore. Thousands of mineworkers descend to depths of 4km every day, where they laboriously toil at the rock face, bringing tons of rubble to the surface. Each metric ton of rock contains a miniscule 5-7 grams of gold. Such a small yield seems to make the whole endeavour rather pointless, until one comes to the realisation that gold is a very precious commodity. Using this analogy, we frequently face those hardships in life, the personal dark nights of the soul, where we toil, struggling to find reprieve, strength and value. Many of us get trapped in the depths of despair, and sink into states of hopelessness and depression, believing that we shall never again see the light of day.

Rather than than pushing through these unrelenting times, we often seek to sidestep them, whiling away our time on fruitless activities, or anaesthetising our emotions using drugs, alcohol and other dangerous things, showing little optimism that our efforts at the rock face of life, might yield something worthwhile.

The loosened rock deep underground is hazardous rubble until it is brought to the surface where it is crushed and processed to free traces of gold found therein. Even then, the tiny traces of gold are worthless until they are extracted, smelted, purified, and poured into ingots of glistening 24-carat gold. Only then, is its value unlocked.

The moral of our story is that unless we are prepared to face the darkness life brings upon us, letting life shape and sharpen us, the hardships shall have no value until we discover and refine the precious wisdom we can extract out of those toughest of times. Until we learn how to convert hardship into something worthwhile, life itself shall be nothing more than endless suffering.

Mr Budge has really been of great assistance for several years in patients where subconscious stressors and drivers have caused patients to have physical illness or emotional issues. As such he has been of huge help with patients suffering with affective disorders, phobias, anxiety issues and suicidal ideation. At the same time he has referred patients to me where he considers medication to be of value so is not messianic in believing that hypnotism is the cure for all ills!! I can highly recommend him in helping patients understand that there are emotional drivers that have to be managed and that pills are not always enough. — Dr Richard Brink, Specialist Family Physician, Cedar Road, Fourways

 

I am sure you get many of these inquiries, and probably an excessive amount of mails and messages too, from folk who have been deeply touched by you, and that which you do. This quick mail is just to say thank you, truly, thank you, for listening, for dealing with and accepting the circumstances, for the coffee, for your time, and again, for reaching out as much as you did. I look forward to this evening's rest, and I still haven't pieced together where we went today, and what was going on. It still seems very pixelated … but I believe in where it is headed! I very much look forward to sharing my thoughts about it with you. — PD, Hypnotherapy Client

 

Thank you for this morning and helping me discover so much about myself. Currently I am completely overwhelmed and do not know how to contain my thoughts and emotions. I want nothing more than to hold on to the peace and tranquillity I felt, which I haven't felt since I was a child. I felt so safe and secure with you there and I just wanted to thank you for being so gentle with my memories and emotions and helping me face these monsters I have obviously been afraid of for so long. — LD

 

I thought that the session that I had with you was just what I needed to unearth one of the 'stumbling blocks' in my life. I thought it really worthwhile and I know I rambled on relentlessly, but I think that you uncovered exactly what I needed to. I also used the information in a session of thought re-patterning the following day, which helped me to unravel other stuff stemming from that source. You have a gentle and approachable style, which makes it easy to communicate and share. I feel as though I've moved miles away from where I was and although I think I still have 'stuff' to work through, this in-road has made a difference. My husband told me that my eyes 'have come alive' again! — JP, Mom and Wife

 

Overall it was just so wonderful to reconnect with you and it really felt timeless. You are indeed a most special soul and I thank you for the safe space and for being such an important person to connect with along my journey. — CD, Psychotherapist

 

I was very happy with the session and even though it made me irritated, angry, grumpy, sad, felt sorry for myself, I will certainly be back and trust that you may very well be able to 'fix' me. — HvL, Mechanical Engineer

 

Thank you that you were willing to see me. You helped me to understand myself better. With time more things will clear in my mind, but this morning was the first morning I woke up with a feeling of love and peace and joy. I am slowly but surely understanding the concept of self-love and gratitude for everything and everyone. Thank you very much again. — JF, Fund Raiser

 

It is seldom that you come across a 'soul' who reaches out and just provides such a safe and secure environment that we are able to drop our 'man-made masks'. Thank you for relighting the candle inside of me. You are 'mentor in a million'. May you be richly blessed in return for your outpouring of love and compassion - you will touch many more people in the future I am sure. — DvdW

 

I would like to say a special thanks to Thom as my mentor, teacher and the person who reviewed my assignment ahead of my submitting the work to the SAIH. Without Thom's enthusiasm and his excellent way of working with his students I would not have been able to deliver the sort of work that the SAIH expects from its students. — GP, Hypnotherapy Student

 

Your generosity of spirit, time, expertise and caring has touched me profoundly. — JP