


Midway along our road of life I woke to find myself standing alone in a dark wood. Dante Alighieri

What is Block Clearance Therapy?
BCT was developed in the late 1980s by Tricia Sterry, a research pathologist and psychologist (PhD), who was looking for a way to support people to deal with the emotional impact of trauma as well as understand what they could do differently to make sure they didn’t recreate that trauma for themselves again.
She has created an elegant, comprehensive and innovative method of working within the subconscious in a respectful and gentle way, allowing clients to work with their own individual needs, at depth, with patterns and symbology which provide insight into the deeper patterns we run which influence our lives, beliefs and behaviour, for better or worse.
Freud’s idea of repetition compulsion – that we recreate events or patterns within our lives until we learn to make wiser choices for ourselves – think of someone who continues to pick abusive partners – is well regarded in psychological circles. BCT allows clients to explore and change the patterning held in the subconscious which causes people to repeat unhelpful behaviours – which is essentially what they expect, rather than what will nurture and support them. The roots of the behaviours and beliefs that stop you from being your creative and flexible best are contained in the subconscious patterning of the mind, which began early in childhood, leading to expectations that life will be a certain way – Freud’s so-called ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’. BCT takes you gently back into those roots, using the language of symbolism, to create new neural pathways and support you to change.
It encompasses Native American and Jungian symbolism, Bach Flower remedies, numerology and repatterning affirmations to work holistically with your subconscious, supporting you to understand where the patterns of behaviour you are living have been created from, encouraging you to grow in self-compassion, making new choices for growth, health and self-understanding. It is a form of talking therapy, involving a visualisation process which allows you to work with the subconscious using symbolic language – the universal language of the human being, and change your energetic patterns.
It works on the basis of soul responsibility – that if we can take responsibility for our lives and experience we are no longer victims of circumstance but can learn to create what we want in our lives and consciously let go of what no longer serves us.
Patricia began her medical journey by studying research pathology at Guy’s hospital London, and both Leeds and Edinburgh Universities. By the age of 25 she had won the Queen’s Award with her team for her research on the brain. This research led to her understanding that the Brain was an extraordinary, complex, multi layered organ that had far more functions than just our 3D physical world.
Gathering information on the physical brain increased her fascination with patterns and codes. A PhD in Psychology brought invaluable understanding while adding to her frustration with the limitations of systems that categorise instead of individualise the human being.
Counselling victims and perpetrators of abuse, working with people experiencing the life crisis of addictions, the death of loved ones, the anxiety of financial worry, the disappointment of relationships; all these brought home to her the absolute necessity of helping the individual both in dealing with the emotion involved in trauma and understanding the individual patterns that contribute to those lessons.
What can it help with?
BCT can help with any pattern that is creating problems and issues in life, be with self-belief, health or relationships. For more information, see the BCT website: https://treeoflifecentre.co.uk
What training have you had?
I completed the 18 month part one of BCT in summer 2019, having learned the basics of BCT, and passing an exam and practical clearing. I have also been in clearing personally with Tricia for around six years. I am now on level two training which is a further 18 months developing my skills and confidence, and I have 100 hours of case studies, a further exam and observed clearing to complete before I am fully qualified.
How does it work?
The roots of the behaviours and beliefs that stop you from being your creative and flexible best are contained in the subconscious patterning of the mind, which began early in childhood, leading to expectations that life will be a certain way – the so-called ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’. BCT takes you gently back into those roots, using the language of symbolism, to create new neural pathways and support you to change.
How many sessions do I need?
As many as you feel are helpful at this stage – we will review at regular intervals to see how you are progressing.
How long do they take?
Between one and two hours
And how often?
This is agreed with your practitioner – it depends on your schedule and the issue you are working to clear. Most of my clients have ranged from fortnightly to monthly.
How does each session work?
We usually start with a discussion and conscious exploration of the pattern you want to look at. You are then led through a visualisation which is not hypnosis, but accesses a higher level of consciousness. We work symbolically with your subconscious which tells us where we need to go and what we need to look at. It is gentle and respectful – you may touch on difficult memories, but with the aim of freeing up aspects of yourself which have become stuck in those difficult emotions – the aim is to reconnect these with the flow of your life and bring you renewed energy.
I will explain to you beforehand what we are going to do and why.
Past lives?
BCT works on the premise that what we are living today is also a product of lives we have lived before, and so to really clear the pattern in this life we may need to go to what came before. If you do not believe in past lives or do not wish to work at this level this is fine, we will not pursue this as part of your case study.
How much does it cost?
As a trainee I am not allowed to charge for sessions, but I would like a small donation to cover my time – you can make these through Paypal to l.childerstone@btinternet.com after your session.
Where do sessions take place?
Currently I am working on zoom or over the telephone. When face to face they can take place in your home or in mine. I record sessions on Zoom or mobile phone as each one is transcribed and marked. Your personal details are not divulged and once the recording is transcribed I delete it. I hold your notes under GDPR regulations, in a locked filing cabinet.
What do I have to do between sessions?
At the end of a session you are likely to be given some affirmations to help repattern your subconscious.
You need to say each affirmation 11 times just once a day – many people record them on the phone and then just listen to them – the effect is the same. You need to keep going with these and do them every day.
You will also be given a suggestion of some Bach Flower remedies to take to support your healing. These can be obtained from www.healingherbs.co.uk at a price of around £4.25 per bottle with similar cost of postage on top. These can be taken with eight drops under the tongue twice a day or four drops under the tongue four times a day.
I look forward to taking this journey with you. If you have any questions please feel free to ask!
For more information on BCT you can check out the website: https://treeoflifecentre.co.uk