Testimonials

"Dov went out of his way to make me feel comfortable in his care. After having a terrible experience with a counsellor many years ago when recovering from a depressive episode, I decided never to trust anyone in the caring profession again – especially not a male. But when life situations left me in a rut that I couldn’t get out of on my own, I came across Dov’s book which led me into contact with him. Now I’m extremely glad about that and so appreciative of the difference he has made in my life. I have found Dov to be a very respectful person with a great sense of humour (hence the nickname Dr Happy) who is non-judgemental and loves to help people. And now…I am such a different person compared to when I first him. I have progressed in ways that I never thought were possible. These are the biggies:

1) I love being me now! I don’t just tolerate myself but I actually really enjoy being alive. I can engage in life so much more fully than before. It makes me feel so much more alive on the inside and it empowers me to feel confident to meet the demands of challenging situations that used to cause fear to rise up in me.

2) I have learned to live life looking forwards rather than backwards – focusing on where I am going rather than just getting away from the pain in my past. My experience of everyday life is vastly improved because of this.

3) I used to get overwhelmed and fearful very easily. But now, I am much calmer and I don’t get ‘stressed out’ the way I used to. This is so empowering for my present and my future.

4) The biggest and most pronounced shift that I am astounded by and so rapt with is being able to eat ‘properly’. Food has been an inner torment for me as far back as I can remember. I have tried all sorts of things over the years to sort out ‘my eating issues’ but to no avail. I got to the point that I accepted that eating disordered behaviour was just my lot in life. But when Dov asked me at the start of the year what I wanted to work on, I decided there was no harm in mentioning this to him. However, I didn’t hold out any great hopes for change. I have never been so happy to be wrong! Now, for the first time ever, I can eat like a normal regular human being. It feels so good not to be constantly tormented by food decisions every single day of my life. Such freedom! And it was a relatively easy process. Dov went way above and beyond my expectations when it came to encouragement and support.

5) I used to hate going to bed at night – that dates as far back as I remember too and got worse over the years. I have tried lots of things to ease the dread of snuggling down and some things worked for a while but nothing lasted. That has all changed. Now I feel very peaceful on the inside about going to bed when I feel sleepy in the evening and as I drift off, I look forward to waking up to live the next day.

6) I used to avoid the dentist and blood tests as I hate people poking things into me and hurting me. Now, I have my regular hygienist visits and the odd filling when I need it and I feel very confident in those situations without fear taking control. As for blood tests – I used to faint whenever I had a blood test even when I was lying down. And when I got past that stage and could stay conscious, fear still had a physical impact on me by shutting my veins down. Several nurses would take turns at me and prick me several times all over the place to get enough blood. Much to my embarrassment, the waiting room was jam-packed full when I eventually emerged from the room looking rather pale. Not anymore! Now I can get a blood test done and from one easy prick, one nurse gets a whole vile of blood. I feel so excited when I get up and walk out the door so quickly that I ring my husband to show off to him!

What I love most about the care that Dov offers is that he works directly with the way I store tension in my body to release that tension. That in combination with addressing the thinking aspect of how I do life works like magic! I don’t try to understand what Dov does or how he works anymore because I simply don’t get it! But what I do know is that his methods DO work. The effects are long term rather than just being situational and he has taught me techniques that I am able to implement in a multitude of situations – forever onwards."

"For over 20 years I suffered from debilitating anxiety attacks and panic attacks which I found terrifying, and made me think there was something seriously wrong with me.

I tried many things over this time to manage my anxiety, all of which helped for a period of time, but none of these things gave me lasting relief. As a result my self-esteem had taken a battering over the years.

As I started having sessions with Dov some months ago, over a very short period of time I noticed a major difference in how the anxiety was manifesting!

He explained the fight or flight system where the body can end up in a fairly continual ‘fight’ state, which, for me, may have been causing an imbalance in my nervous system causing anxiety.

Sounded far too simple to explain the years of high anxiety I had been living through. However, as I progressed through care, releasing tension and re-balancing my nervous system, I very quickly noticed a difference in the anxiety – to the point where it resolved back to a ‘normal’ level.

Along the way we also explored a different way of thinking. This, combined with the NSA, has allowed me to be living without panic attacks or over the top anxiety consistently for the first time in over 20 years! The biggest thing for me is this has been a lasting change for which I am extremely grateful.

As a wonderful side effect I have noticed a remarkable increase in my ability to respond to and manage work stresses, to the point I have been offered unexpected advancement opportunities in my job.

And now I feel up to the challenge as the energy that was going in to the anxiety is now available for me to use in other areas of my life.

An added extra benefit is that I have become so much more the person I know I was meant to be – more confident, realizing some of my strengths, and seeing the gifts in the difficulties I have experienced during my life.

I had no idea life had so much potential – so now instead of being perpetually afraid I am looking forward to my future with hope and anticipation!"

"When I first came to you I had just tried to come off some anti-depressant medication and wasn’t succeeding. A year or more before that I’d started to be very anxious about my health, and that led to me having real issues sleeping. I wasn’t sleeping more than 2-3 hours a night. I’d wake up feeling panicky, heat racing, adrenaline pumping, hands trembling. My thyroid was overactive and my immune system was really low. My doctor prescribed me anti-depressants and four ‘talk therapy’ sessions.

The meds made me feel awful – I had all kinds of yucky symptoms – and the doctor’s advice was to halve them. And when that didn’t work I was given valium, beta blockers and sleeping tablets… what a cocktail! I hated the medications but nothing else seemed to be working and the talk therapies took over a month to organize. So I kept on with them. Eventually after the therapist advised me ‘that it really shouldn’t be this hard’ I moved onto a different antidepressant which was easier on the system but evened out my emotions so much that I didn’t feel like a real person most of the time.

When I came to you I was pretty frightened all the time. Worrying about worrying about sleep and about my sanity! I knew I could find the strength to be self-sufficient and calm again (after all I’ve lived most of my life happy and chilled and having fun!) but I didn’t know how. And I knew I needed some help. I liked the fact that you work with the central nervous system as it seemed to resonate with my own physiological responses (over active thyroid, adrenals…). I felt like I was suddenly on high alert 24/7 and my body just wasn’t switching back into calm mode.

What I liked about you straight away was that you talked to me like a real person – not a patient. Not a mentally ill person. Just another person who needed some help. And your goal for me was 100% more aspirational than my GP’s goal for me (which I’m pretty sure was just to get me quiet enough to stop coming back to see them…).

After several sessions with you it felt like I remembered how to relax. Little by little, step by step – not a big quick change. And I learnt how to snap my body back into states that I want to be in.

I came to realize that my tendency to slip into flight or fight mode is like a habit with many facets and the more I learn to switch it off, the better I remember how. And I know that when I do slip into that anxious mode it is temporary and it doesn’t last forever.

I realized I’d let go of all my interests and physical health and all sorts when I had my kids. I just focused 100% on keeping them safe. Those structures were what kept me supported and I neglected them all. I kind of got stuck figuring out what they should be again, and got frozen – not trying anything. Incase it made me more anxious or lost me some sleep. With your help I came to realize that the structures I need aren’t medication but things I can do to make myself feel good. And the stronger the structures I build around myself that make me feel good, the better I feel. And the more supported I am when I freak out.

So I’m still working on that. And lots of things. Like opening up a bit – what’s so wrong with being human aye? Learning to let myself feel my emotions as they arise – not resist them. ‘Resistance is Futile’. Letting go. Hmmm. I’m getting there…. And No one person can do everything – it’s more fulfilling to do stuff together and for one another.

You’ve given me some amazing tools. And over the last 2 months I’ve had periods of feeling calmer and more relaxed than I can’t remember when. I only wish I lived closer so I could continue the body work and chats."

"Halfway through 2023 I was completely burnt out and physically run down. I was unable to work and I was in a really dark place mentally. I found it a real struggle to even leave the house. Dov and his unfailing positivity and calm certainty helped me immensely.

It is uncanny the way he knows exactly how you are feeling and he gives you the means to actively address and negate those destructive and negative thought patterns. Through the Entrainment sessions I was able to visualise a place of calm within myself and now, when I start to feel stressed, I can return to that place. His sleeping exercise is also a good one!

The tools he introduces you to and the teachings contained within the 12 week Wellness Shift course are all so very powerful. They allow you to make some really important realizations about yourself and change your life for the better. I can honestly say that without Dov and his teachings, I wouldn't have been able to return to teaching in Term 4 of 2023.

Thank you so very much."