“I have read a lot  of books about BSS, CPTSD, trauma etc so I am aware of the issues and I am part of another BS Facebook group so know there is a commonality in the issues but listening to your video was the first time I have actually HEARD someone describe it so well and encapsulate it and as I said, it could have been me you were describing - so much of what you said was me - even down to the language you used - I have actually described myself in a relationship as always having one foot out of the bed, and describing that deep, profound loneliness , the hollowness and the never fitting in.  Just this week I was trying to describe to someone how it was too dangerous to allow myself to ever completely trust anyone. They were shocked and just didn’t get it.  Just hearing it articulated and understanding that it’s not me that is broken - I am a result of what I went through, just helps make sense of it. So thank you again for taking the time to make the video and for sharing it.”

"I joined the course because I wanted to explore and heal more of the trauma of boarding school and to get more free from the impact of that experience on my life. And to be supported by a professional who has personal experience of this too and can therefore truly understand how devastating boarding school is. I enjoyed learning at my own rate, taking my time, having the space and the opportunity to pause and reflect when it felt like a lot to be processing. The greatest learning was truly understanding for the first time why my boarding school experiences had been so excruciatingly painful and validation of those feelings. I am now able to hold myself with more tender compassion and be with the feelings that arise, without feeling so overwhelmed by it and knowing that I am not alone. Completing this course has benefitted me as I feel that some of the pain has lessened and I am able to be more compassionate with myself and others who have also had this experience in their lives. It has given me the courage to go back to my boarding school to visit, which was a very empowering experience, to have the courage to be interviewed on a podcast about my experiences. I highly recommend working with Amelia, I will be doing more courses with her again in the future."

“To feedback, our sessions have had such a profound impact on my sense of self. The validation I have received and the insight to my own thoughts have allowed me to realise I am deserving of self-love and I am capable to follow a course that aligns with my own goals. Ultimately this had led to a fundamental belief that I am capable of finding and achieving happiness, a belief which seemed like an illusion not so long ago. For me the first step towards this happiness is acceptance; acceptance of the past experiences that have led me to who I am today, and then realising and acknowledging that I have changed and continue to change; knowing that I am now a different person (because of our sessions) is a sense of healing I never thought I would achieve, and I now feel excited for the future because I am now developing a different relationship with myself. This is quite difficult to articulate, because this is a totally new emotional sensational that I am learning to harness.”

“I can’t put into words how wonderful Amelia was to me, and how helpful she was in a very dark time in my life. I would recommend her to anyone. She changed my life, thank you Amelia”.

"The connections made through hearing other people articulate similar experiences / feelings helped with the sense of loneliness that I often feel / knowing it's not just me and not in my own head. Hearing other people struggle with similar things allowed me to feel more compassion for myself, I think, because I felt compassion for them.

Without other people in the group I might have felt a bit more cynical ('of course the therapist is telling me this is a natural response to BS... it's their job to try to validate my emotions, but actually am I just making it all up / making it out to be worse than it was) Hearing other people talk about their struggles with stuff provided another perspective / lens through which I better understand it all. This is relevant whether their experiences were the same as mine or not (e.g. gender differences / some from a forces background which I am not, etc) Hearing the breadth of different experiences - with BS as the common denominator which brought us all together - enriched the experience. 

It added to my sense of accountability I think - showing up for the group and not just for myself.

I found the workbooks super helpful as a compliment to the group thing... I used to 'save' the hour after the group to do the workbooks on my own... so I was able to balance the group dynamic with some time just working through my stuff.

I would also add you into the mix as a group member... whilst you were very much a facilitator, therapist & expert in this area, your personal experience (and the way that you share it, in a relevant / appropriate / warm way) fostered a strong group dynamic which was crucial to it all working. 

Finally - I actually think there was something really comforting about the group thing. On my own it would have felt super exposing and intense Having others there means the light isn't shone on you the whole time and that actually makes it more manageable to delve into deeply traumatic memories, cos you're sometimes able to kind of dip in and out... rather than it being super intense, 1:1."

Rachel, UK