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Meditation

Meditation is very valuable, indeed essential, is to support life change. I don’t require clients to meditate because whether and how much you practice meditation is a personal choice. But I do say to everyone how valuable it is, and the principles of meditation are foundational to how I work.

All therapeutic healing rests on the foundation of meditation

I don’t ask clients to meditate, and I do not teach meditation to my clients. I do however say to everyone that meditation is very, very valuable to support change.

All therapeutic healing rests on the foundations of meditation. The relaxation that acceptance brings, the existence of a depth in us that transcends dualities, the power of our consciousness to escape the bubble-reality our minds make us think we are trapped in; these I apply always and discuss frequently.

The articles here are a somewhat random collection of posts from the blog on my old website.  I hope you’ll find some things here that you may not easily find gathered together elsewhere. They’re not systematic, and they need a ton of sub-editing, but I hope may still be of interest.

I have no plans to run meditation classes.

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. ”

– Gautam Buddha

Meditation posts from my old blog

These posts are carried over from my previous website and the series never got competed. I hope they may still be useful.
Meditation articles

Meditation and mindfulness in therapy

I can’t imagine therapy separate from meditation. They are intertwined. Many aspects of therapy are guided…

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Meditation articles

Meditation: not sitting still

The definition of meditation: relaxed, alert, no judgements. No reference to breathing, no reference to…

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Meditation articles

Meditation is not Stop Action

There’s nothing in the definition of meditation about sitting still or closing your eyes. Meditation…

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Meditation articles

Everyone longs for love, few long for meditation

All of us long for love. Very few long for meditation.

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Meditation articles

“Thoughts” includes EVERYTHING

Watch your thoughts – yes. But “thoughts” includes all your hopes, dreams, beliefs – vastly…

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Meditation articles

Gurdjieff Sacred Dance: meditation in movement

The many hundreds of Gurdjieff sacred dances, were created by the great life teacher G. I…

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Meditation articles

Following your inner voice: Peter Gabriel’s Solsbury Hill

This is the first of a series of posts on changing your life, as illustrated…

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Meditation articles

Mindfulness madness in the US military

Soldiers meditating before they fight and kill; how scientific “mindfulness” has misunderstood Buddhism.

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Meditation articles

Mindfulness can’t escape the sacred

Real meditation, of any school, moves inevitably towards the sacred. Secularised mindfulness not meditation.

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Meditation articles

Thoughts are physical, not mental

The buzzing thoughts that interfere with happiness and won’t go away when you meditate are not mental…

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Meditation articles

“Radical” meditation

Some schools of meditation, including Advaita, Buddhism, Osho, Zen and many others, set out to…

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Meditation articles

Radical non-duality: The Song of Ashtavakra

The Song of Ashtavakra presents in a few compressed pages the same truths that Buddhism…

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Meditation articles

Going deeper – meditation websites

A few interesting websites on meditation including some less known but excellent teachers. Plus! the…

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“Working with Andrew was an incredibly deep, profound and life changing experience. I went to Andrew thinking I needed to be cured of loving the love of my life – thankfully this didn’t happen. I cannot thank or recommend Andrew highly enough – the changes that can occur when working with Andrew truly are magic! ”

Ali Lees, Google review

“Andrew is one of the best therapists I have ever worked with. If you want to make a breakthrough with an issue in your life or relationship, I highly recommend him.”

Jenny, Massage therapist, Bristol

“We started seeing Andrew during a very difficult time, and without his help we would have split up. We both found Andrew’s sessions really helpful and it gave us the insight and tools to iron out the issues that were causing the most problems. Things between us are now really good and we are once again planning a future together.”

Couple who wish anonymity

“I’ve had many therapists over the years, and Andrew has been the most significant to date. He helped me see my life more clearly, he lifted a vale of confusion. I will forever be grateful to Andrew, and have recommended him to multiple people since working together. ”

Holly Smith, Google review

“I have made some incredible progress and I am now in an intimate and happy relationship thanks to your help.”

Client who requests anonymity.

“Andrew is one of the best therapists I have ever worked with. He really listens. I feel deeply heard and understood in his sessions and have the space to discover ‘the answers’ for myself. The questions he asks and the comments he does offer are well thought-out and illuminating. I feel he is really there for me and I always experience a big shift in my understanding afterwards. If you want to make a breakthrough with an issue in your life or simply want to be heard, I highly recommend him. Jenny, massage therapist, Bristol. ”

Jenny, massage therapist, Bristol.

“… I had experienced a lot of trauma in my childhood that I had not been able to fully deal with my whole adult life. I had 10 sessions with Andrew and now I am no longer triggered as I had always been by certain situations and interactions. I can love myself finally and this has completely changed my romantic relationships and my career! So many of my friends want to see Andrew now after seeing this dramatic, positive change within me! ”

Kay Dent, Google review

“I am finally comfortable with myself and at peace with past experiences. I highly recommend Andrew. He is a true soul healer. ”

Mal Szwarc, Google review

“[Couples clients] Cannot recommend Andrew enough. The most attentive, insightful, astute & compassionate therapist. The difference in our relationship – how we communicate, how we understand & relate to one another, how we’re able to support one another – is absolutely massive, & yet it feels like we’ve only had to make tiny tweaks to get there. Andrew is incredible at facilitating a safe, supportive place, making it surprisingly easy to be truly open & honest & to therefore get the most out of the sessions. Thank you for everything, this therapy has been life changing. ”

Naomi Kent, Google review

“ Andrew is an amazing human being! We had a few very useful sessions. He is totally and genuinely committed to helping people. … Thank you Andrew! ”

Pedro Da Silva, Google review

“Had a massive effect on my relationship. Learned loads of really good stuff – surpassed my expectations. [Andrew was] brilliant – a complete star! Emma C ♥♥♥ A very good course. It has changed how I relate. Helen D ♥♥♥ [Andrew had some] … profound insights into relationships … explained clearly. Natasha M ♥♥♥ Met needs I didn’t know I had! I loved the fast-track approach to raising self-esteem … [I had] “eureka” and “lights being switched on” moments. Fiona M. ♥♥♥ Very profound, enriching unravelling of the complexities of relationships. Really enlightening exercises. [Name withheld] ”

Feedback from the last relationship workshop I ran in Bristol.

“Andrew is a highly experienced therapist who works with a number of different techniques, some unusual and unexpected (but in a good way!) that get to the heart of your issues quickly. He works gently and safely and I felt held in a safe space throughout the session. I would recommend Andrew to anyone looking for help in dealing with life’s questions. ”

Client who requests anonymity.

“In 1938 Roberto Assagioli, the founder of psychosynthesis, was imprisoned by the fascists in Italy for his antiwar and internationalist views. He later wrote: I realised that I was free to take one of many attitudes toward the situation … I could rebel inwardly and curse; or I could submit passively, vegetating; or I could indulge in the unwholesome pleasure of self-pity and assume the martyr’s role; or I could take the situation in a sporting way and with a sense of humour, considering it as a novel and interesting experience. … [I was clear that] I was free to choose any or several of these attitudes … [and] that this choice would have unavoidable effects which I could foresee and for which I was fully responsible.”

– Roberto Assagioli