At the beginning of last year, I ran my first marathon and it was freakin tough but it started me on a journey I cannot ever believe I'd be on. Sitting here now in June 2019 I can barely comprehend that I've just run my 11th marathon (actually some have been even longer than marathons). Marathons no longer terrify me (well, just a bit, but I can now hold food down beforehand) so this year I set myself the once again stoopid challenge of doing something BIG.

In just a few weeks I am running The Serpent Trail. All 100k of it. And yes, this frightens me (a word I have rarely used in my life). I mean, REALLY properly frightens me. It's nearly four weeks away and everytime I think about it, I can feel my last meal come back up to say hello.

When I think about what got me through the Paris marathon, I remember knowing that I was raising money for a cause very dear to me and feeling compelled to push on, push forward and, essentially, cross that sodding finish line without the aid of an ambulance. I felt so proud telling all my supporters that I had done it and spent the year using the money raised to help people who couldn't otherwise be able to afford therapy.

As many of you know, I am a clinical hypnotherapist and work to support those who want to make significant changes to their lives. Many of my clients have suffered past trauma, abuse or neglect. Some are trapped in cycles of phobia, fear or life-threatening habit. All suffer with anxiety, stress or low self esteem that affects their daily life.

What you may not know is that I love working with the body, trance dance, energy flow and tantra (think sensual rather than sexual here - there's a lot more to it than funky positions in which to bonk). It's a great way to release tension, increase confidence & happiness and charge energy back into the body. For a few years now I have been looking to undertake teacher training in a technique called Ecstatic Awakening Dance, which is a form of movement particularly incredible at releasing stress, energising the body and freeing emotional debris or blocked trauma. It combines everything I work with and I aim to hold group sessions to support people (often women but there are no gender exclusions) in letting go of trauma and finding self acceptance, energy and inner love. The groups will be small and financially more accessible than 1-2-1 therapy, combining therapy with movement in a way that is so full of fun and freedom.

Financially it has been out of my reach until this year, when I took the plunge and emailed the organiser. Having told her a little of my life and what I do, I was offered a bursery place and suddenly it all felt a bit more possible and a bit exciting. Even with the subsidised place however, the cost is still £1,650 and I volunteer too much to have the salary to cover this (I wouldn't change this for the world but at times like this I wish bartering was more acceptable!).

With this in mind, I thought that I would reach out again (I have always promised no more than once per year and I am keeping to this promise) so, if you fancy helping me - if you can afford to - you could really help people access these sessions. There is no big cat salary or admin costs to cover, so every penny just goes from you to fund the training directly. I am doing all I can to find half the fee and have until September to raise the other half (which means I may have to find some other silly challenge after my 100k in July! Holy heck, please no).

Thank you so much for reading this far - I truly hope you can find a teeny few pounds to help me out but totally understand if you can't. Just wave and cheer me on (or throw things). I will post updates and dear god I hope I cross that finish line. Much love, George xx

To learn more about my work, please dip into my website at Wellbeing Hypnotherapy or find me on Facebook Here