It begins with self-love... | Lauren 01 | In Therapy with Alex Howard

I'm Lauren. The sports car - check. The flying all over the world for work - check. The thinking the next thing I achieve would make me happy - check. Fibromyalgia - check. I'm also following the RESET program and, after watching this video, I canceled my gym membership. I also quit my job at the end of 2018 to start my own consultancy (which comes with its own challenges, naturally) and I'm dealing with the unknown of being a startup a whole lot better than I was dealing with being employed and am much happier than I have been for a very long time.

My husband has stuck with me through this cfs hell for 22 years now. He has to go do things on his own without me. I don't know why but he sticks with me and says he will not leave even tho the person he married no longer exists physically. We have been through some extremely hard times, I have been in some very dark places, and yet he has never even intimated once that he wanted to leave. Cfs has such a huge impact on personal lives, unless you have lived it, you could never understand how huge it is in so many negative ways. It is a terrible condition, u r like the living dead, thank you Alex for all you do - amazing !!

I did a course with your company 5 years ago, a year before I got an official diagnosis from the NHS that I have got CFS. I recognise the room you are filming in. I went through a divorce last year so I related very much with Lauren's relationship problems. I got rid of my lazy selfish husband so that I could concentrate on myself and my 2 children. I've had a relapse so searched on YouTube for Alex Howard to see if there was any fresh material. Soooo glad I did. I'm loving these interviews, they've made me cry buckets. Truly inspirational, I'm very grateful for these free realife therapy sessions as I'm able to relate to all of the patients and am taking much from them. Feel more hopeful I'll get out of this relapse. I truly admire all that are participating and sharing their stories you are a true inspiration. Thank you Alex Howard from Kate of Dorking, your old stomping ground (I read your book) x

What is an incredibly brave lady to share like she has done I don’t think she realises how much that has helped so many of us overachievers x

IAM 72years of age it seems we fret our way into the ground.l think this program is going into the future keep up the good work. Hello

Ayurveda says Pragnyaparadha which is crime against wisdom- we disconnect and do not listen to our body even though it is constantly trying to communicate with us. We are constantly looking for external validation to make us happy but I guess what makes us happy is within us. Thank you for this video 🙏

Me too! Me too! Me too! I relate to so many things that Lauren shared and is going though - so I feel immensely grateful for this session. Lauren - you are a strong, brave soul for offering yourself in this way and I feel so deeply grateful. I cannot wait for the next session. Oh, and the production was AMAZING ! Wow, you guys are really upping your game :)

This was excellent, looking forward to the next one! It’s like a top up of the things I’ve learned from therapy except it’s free haha. Also the production value was good as well 👌

Great video! I've been a social worker for the past 16 years and just started my private practice (www.strongspirit.org) a couple of months ago. Videos like this are very helpful for practitioners, encouraging and inspiring. Thank you for your great work and props to Lauren for her courage and strength.

This is a brilliant idea, and I look forward to watching the entire series! This is a gift for everyone who is striving to be a better version of themselves. Thank you for taking the time to do this!

What a lovely girl! I could see her struggling and the effort in her body, that’s a lot of stairs for someone with CFS! Sorry he couldn’t be there and step up for you during your illness

Loved this, very interesting to see someone else in therapy. Thanks also to Lauren for being brave enough to share

"I´m at about 10% there when it comes to self-love" - well put Lauren, me too! I´m super excited to be joining you on the journey towards the 100%. Thanks so much for sharing - my lack of self-worth prevented me from sending in my video, so you´re definitely ahead ;-)

This was sooo useful to watch, could relate to so much of it. Thanks. Just one technical/design issue for me was that right at the beginning section when Lauren was talking (at home etc) I couldn't really hear what she was saying because the music was too loud. Maybe because her voice was recorded on phone so not so clear so music drowned it out a bit for me. Going to find part 2 now...!

Thank you for this - sharing on this level is very helpful. That its been artfully done, is also something that allows me to flow with it and glean things that are not just stated verbatim. Seeing Lauren navigate the stairs, for instance, gave me the immediate sense that I've been there - that she has been experiencing something I have, and honestly, was moving to a degree that surprised me. Isolation as a result of this health issue causes one to rarely see others with it and therefore it creates a sense of relief, recognition and perhaps a deeper sense of getting in touch with my own feelings regarding the illness, that I might otherwise suppress. Many thanks to you both - Lauren for your courage and generosity in sharing for the benefit of others and Alex, for your expertise and attitude as a counselor - you obviously get it and its sparks hope. Also thank you for conceiving this format - big Yes and Yay!

Thank you. 💜

Hi Alex! This is a fantastic series. The only thing I would request is - if it’s at all possible - if you could provide subtitles (in English). It would be helpful for us who are not native english speakers and for the hard of hearing. I think it could help even more people this way. Thank you again for what you’re doing. It’s so important!

This is awesome-loved her vulnerability re relationships. You are providing a great service, Alex, thank you so much and am looking forward to more! 💖 Ps: great quality also re filming , set-up, etc.👍👍

Great work Alex (and Oliver!) loved the format and how you Alex gave context upfront and then how we got background from Lauren before you met face to face. Loved how you walked down the hall into the room to meet Lauren and the shot of the outside of the clinic and the OHC sign –it made it very relatable and real. Thanks for your openness and candour Lauren. With so many similarities to myself, watching this was a timely reminder of the need to be kind to oneself and pace – at a time when our resilience is being truly tested with the implications of Covid 19. Thank you, looking forward to the next one.

Thank you, Lauren, for sharing your therapeutic journey - this is enormously helpful to those who are in similar situations, as well as to the therapeutic community. Much appreciation to you, Alex for making this possible.