Coming to this HMT workshop made a tremendous impact on our relationship. Understanding the cycle and our roles in it helped us have more compassion and understanding for each other. The conversations we had created opportunities for connection and healing old relationship injuries. I now feel so much hope for our future as a couple. I would highly recommend this workshop to any couple looking to improve their connection. It’s worth every penny!
Mary was amazing! So thankful for all that she did for us this weekend.
Mary was awesome.
Amazing! Gentle but still direct, on point and so knowledgeable and safe.
Thank you Mary. I was anxious about the weekend and the workshop exceeded my expectations. I feel hope, connection and greater self understanding. You are a wonderful, warm facilitator and fellow human.
I would highly recommend this workshop. It cleared away the debris that prevented having deeper sharing and has brought me and my partner closer together. I no longer feel alone in this relationship. Thank you! So much!
Facilitator (Mary) – respecting space and safety A+++
Workshop accelerated months of counseling and it boosted the pathway to recovery.
Mary, I loved your quiet, soft spoken wisdom. I think that it resonated loudly to the group.
It reminded me that my partner (and me) respond/react out of our wounds and our desire to be known and seen by one another. It allowed/normalized our opening up, which lead to more fruitful conversations from a softer place. I have renewed faith in my partner and hope for our relationship.
Mary – so much emotion, the caring for us all is/was amazing. I truly feel you understand. You were great and I appreciated all of your work. Thank you.
I will be telling all of my adult children that it would help them BEFORE things get out of hand! Thank you again. You have given me so much hope. I am leaving here SO SO HAPPY!
___________________________________________________________________________
Time well spent on what is probably the most important aspect of my life, the wellbeing of our marriage, which keeps my wife and I healthy and happy.
Wonderful wealth of own experience that Mary generously and skillfully worked into the content.
This weekend was a game changer for both of us. It was obvious things were broken, but we didn’t know how to fix it. It wasn’t for lack of desire. Making the time to listen and hear the hurt and know I was responsible for that changed everything.
This helped our relationship immensely. We were stuck and ready to pack up. We had no idea that talking about what happened in our sex life was SO critical. I had a huge block and didn’t feel close to my husband anymore. I was beginning to think I’d made a big mistake getting married. This weekend helped save our marriage.
I came into this weekend looking for clarity on if our marriage could/should/would continue or not. My husband and I were more disconnected than strangers and existing on mountains of hurt. EFT helped me soften. Helped me see my role in our toxic dance and how both of our past hurts/traumas from upbringing influenced our interactions and desire to protect ourselves and have control. i felt seen and validated in hearing other couples she. I felt seen and accepted by my husband as the weekend went on. There is a sudden clarity but the hope is a little brighter and I want to see the hurts and healing in each other going forward together. I learned that healing happens together Thank you Mary
I would recommend to any couple looking to change the story of their relationship. I do know that Hold Me Tight demonstrated to us how to go forward in a way that honors our deepest needs and love we started out with as a couple.
Even with some previous EFT, I didn’t realize the simplicity of the basic principles. We all long for connection…We can’t survive without it. Thank you!
Very eye opening and helpful. Provides a deeper understanding of myself at my core and of my partner and how to turn to each other at our most vulnerable.
Do it!
I wish we did this sooner. We have hope. This saved our marriage. THANK YOU.
The workshop far exceeded our expectation. It was the final attempt to salvage what seemed impossible to repair. If I could give advice to couples who are stuck or on a repetitive, destructive cycle or feeling unheard/unseen by their partner – then take a chance and try this. it will bring deeper clarity and understanding of yourself, your partner and yourselves as a couple.
Helped me understand my role in the dance/vortext we do and gave us tools to stop the vortex and actually identify and communicate our needs. We needed this years ago and we may remain married and get healthy as a result.
—————————————————————
The EFT framework is so helpful; the basic process of recognizing the demon dance, and the cycle we get into. See each other’s deeper emotional needs more clearly. Mary’s approach is exceptionally helpful; she is so down to earth, kind, gentle, supportive, accepting and very clear.
We feel that we should have done this earlier on in our relationship instead of a last resort. This course make us excited to what we can continue to grow into. And not only repair what is broken, but to create a safe place that neither of us have had before.
- The program is helpful in that it helps you realize how stuck you are in arguments. It helps you realize the patterns that keep repeating themselves. It helps you understand each other on an emotional level.
- Mary was compassionate and empathetic. I found her self disclosures most helpful in building trust.
———————————————————————
I came into Hold me tight as a skeptic that I could ever peel back the iron curtain door surrounding me to allow myself to be vulnerable and share. But I did it, my husband did it. This retreat was the missing key to that door. It has opened to allow me to see the possibilities that are within reach. I too am worthy of a loving passionate relationship like so many before me. Please all future couples, be kind to yourself and love yourself to do this. You never can truly know what great things the future may show you if you don’t take that first leap!!!
————————————————————–
I was fearful coming into the weekend. Mary has a way of instilling calm into chaos. This workshop did just that for our relationship. This was a platform for us to share openly our deepest emotions… emotions that we may not have known existed until attending this workshop. It was utterly exhausting but totally worth it. I now feel closer to my wife, and I can feel her closer to me. This helped to lay a solid foundation for which we can build our love, our future.
———————————————————————
I appreciate Mary’s calm demeanor and conversational dialogue. Encouraged sharing within the group without pressuring anyone to do so.
An eye opening experience within the first hour.
I am confident the HMT Workshop will help transform our 25 year relationship going forward. It was that powerful. I wish we had done it 20 years ago.
I was skeptical at first about doing this online, but came to realize it actually enhanced our openness that would have never come out in an in-person group setting. It was very comfortable to work at home with very private breakout sessions in familiar surroundings.
The videos and the conversations that we were asked to do together allowed me to open up with my husband more than I ever have about traumatic experiences I’ve had in my life. In particular, I opened up more about our sex life. He shared a little about himself that I hadn’t known. For example, with our helper’s support he shared that I used to be his safe haven when he has told me all of our lives together that he doesn’t need me. I found his admission that I am his soft spot to fall quite affirming.————————————————————————————————–
Well, Mary, I have to say that you have a gentle but commanding presence as a facilitator….I mean that in a good way. You have such a soft way of sharing what you want us to hear, using your voice in particular to reflect what you are saying; your whole demeanour conveys that you care about us and are willing to help. You are so passionate about EFT and deliver your knowledge with great conviction.
HMT will teach you how to correct some issues that you don’t even know you have. HMT can break down what you may think are extremely complex arguments into very easily managed hiccups.
This was a very worthwhile investment of our time and money. We learned to see past the surface conversations/disagreements and get to the heart of our issues. We learned to understand the unhelpful ways we were getting stuck and developed solutions to prevent those same draining battles in the future. In particular we learned how to hear each other and create a safe space to bring out the best not the worst in each other. This perspective shift will carry over into all future scenarios like a backbone for our relationship.————————————————————————————————–
If you are feeling lonely in a relationship, your partner is likely feeling the same. Take this workshop to figure out how to work together and fight what is keeping you apart.
“For us, this workshop gave some desperately needed tools to communicate in a safe and productive way. These were actionable and “easy” to incorporate right away. Focusing on smaller themes and outside or past relationships allowed us to see the effectiveness and value of the methodology. Understanding our “roles” of Withdrawer and Pursuer was game changing for us. These “labels” gave us a newfound understanding and perspective of “why” we behave the way we do and how to potentially combat those behaviours in a productive way.”
“Reading the book in advance helped us along in the workshop. We would say this should be a requirement. It allowed us to be prepared for the breakout activities and the mindset of the workshop. The workshop was the “icing with the cherry on top” to the book.”
“Mary’s expertise, skill, sincerity and care clearly shone through. She was organized and allowed the workshop to flow nicely. We liked how Mary shared personal examples on how EFT has impacted her and her relationships.”
“We can say without doubt our Hold Me Tight weekend will be of great benefit to our relationship. It allowed us to see patterns of communication that interrupt our ability to be in touch with our love for each other. We see this workshop as a positive gateway to repairing some deep-rooted damage in our relationship. The shared examples and videos gave us the emotional “cues” that encouraged us to tap into our deeper feelings and hurt. Even with other couples all on Zoom, we were able to be deeply engaged with one another and work through the different conversations.”
“Couples therapy is important, but starting with this workshop creates a stronger foundation.”
“I avoided participating in group discussions out of embarrassment and shame, but hearing others’ experiences and being able to relate to others was sometimes eye-opening and made me feel like we weren’t the “only ones” going through these things – people of all ages/experiences sharing their vulnerabilities was touching and made the whole thing more relatable.”
“I love the video clip – ‘It’s a beautiful day and I can’t see it.’ Resonated on a few levels. At first in the ways that were discussed in the class. Now after watching again, realizing I feel as though there’s a beautiful life around me that I haven’t been able to “see” because of my wall that has almost been built into a cell.”
“Couldn’t have picked a better facilitator.”
“I would recommend as a foundation for couples counselling.”
“The revelation that things we thought had no cause do have a cause. Cause and effect. Learning our argument types and digging deep into the attachment needs behind those types was extremely eye opening.”
“Recognizing that my parents’ relationship was not normal and that being in a rut is not a normal part of a marriage. The strong and silent type does not work. Recognizing that I’m a Withdrawer and how that hurts the relationship. I see that some behaviour patterns that I employ come across as distant and non-loving.”
Re: Online Hold Me Tight – “Mary was awesome, bravo! (I work for a tech company and they frequently have way more issues than any of the workshop presentations did).“
“Definitely hard to put into words, but mainly that there’s so much I didn’t know about how everything in a relationship is connected with a traceable attachment, etc. I/we have read books, articles, went to individual and couples therapy, etc. but none of them broke everything down to the core the way Hold Me Tight did.”
“The workshop was definitely the insight and “breath of fresh air” that we needed to start new conversations. Many thanks for all of the efforts that were put into curating and creating the content!”
“Mary did an admirable job managing the technological requirements of converting to Zoom.”
“Mary was an excellent facilitator. Her caring, humour, kind, supportive, empathic, gentle nature; comfort and confidence with the material was evident throughout.”
“I would recommend this to all couples within the first five years of their marriage – before things “break” beyond repair.”
“We realized that it’s okay to be emotionally dependent on each other. We grew up being told that you have to be independent and self sufficient before you can have a successful relationship. We felt guilty because we are very dependent on each other. I have often put up walls to protect myself for fear of loss but this course has helped us realize that we need to be vulnerable and love without limits.”
“Mary is so approachable and soft and kind. She is perfect for this type of program. We felt very comfortable with her. I also really appreciated her sharing her own difficult or heartfelt stories. They had some of the biggest impacts for us in the program.”
“We are so thankful that a coworker recommended this program. We have both had difficult relationships prior to being together and I was so worried that ours would end in the same fate. I wish more couples would do this kind of work EARLY in their relationship because fighting causes so much damage and often leads to irreparable circumstances and emotional scars. If people could learn to recognize this dance before a pattern has developed over time, I think the relationship will be healthy and last.”
“With Mary’s direction, we were actually able to start the process of forgiveness and begin the dialogue to heal some of our wounds.”
“Practicing ways to connect through eye contact and touch gave us the opportunity to explore physical intimacy in a way we haven’t experienced in years…this was a much-needed stepping stone for us. Finishing with how to keep the love alive exercises allowed us to leave the workshop on a positive note – specifically we had a lot of enjoyment on sharing our rituals – things that are little but have a powerful and unassuming impact.”
“We now have a framework for working through our past hurts and current disagreements and rebuilding our foundation of love. Instead of feeling defeated by issues we couldn’t resolve on our own, we now feel hopeful that our relationship can gain a new-found strength. While challenging and difficult at times, the Hold Me Tight Workshop was incredibly beneficial. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us start on the road to a happier journey.”
__________________________________________________________________
“Beyond the rating “Excellent” (on the survey) I would add “Life changing”. We are still adjusting to our post-workshop re-entry into a New World. Everything is different and everything is the same. Our hearts are SO FULL, we actually feel reborn!”
“WORDS CAN’T EVEN!! Mary is beyond brilliant *****.
“Understanding the “Demon Dialogue”. Treating it as the problem, not treating my spouse as the problem. Also getting down to the underlying issue which is masked by Anger and Rejection”.
“The workshop is as much about learning about yourself and how your past experiences have such a major impact on your current relationship with your partner as it is about understanding why your reaction/action has impacts on them (based on their life experiences). Exploring your emotions can be exhausting but it is a necessary part of being able to create a safe bond between two people who love each other.”
“There were so many things we were doing that were not beneficial to our relationship. I have learned to communicate my needs in a much more clear way to my partner. We have talked more openly and honestly than ever before.”
“Understanding my wife’s deepest fears which allows us to have the important conversations and me supporting her emotional needs.”
“There are a few couples in my life that absolutely need to come! I have new hope in my marriage and in myself. I too have gone to years and years of therapy but wish I could have done EFT sooner. I absolutely believe in EFT and will continue my journey with these principles.”
“It made us both feel understood, seen and loved and gave us hope for a stronger long lasting future together.”
“Mary is the best!!!”
“This weekend can start you on a journey of healing. Oh my god, it is hard and oh my god, it is amazing. So awesome. Do this for yourself, do this for your partner, do this for both of you….Our relationship has been strengthened and there is a deeper connection. What an amazing way to spend a weekend.”
“It created good will. We’ve been Good Will Hunting for a long time.”
“The Hold Me Tight workshop was a meaningful and valuable experience for my partner and myself. I was able to connect with my partner in a deeper, more primitive way. We were able to share our deepest fears, desires in an effort to bring us closer.”
“Conversation 5 – Forgiving Injuries – was the Best Part, also the hardest part but opened up a lot of dialogue.”
“I would recommend this program weekend to anyone with a history of trauma and hurts and learning to become more vulnerable and finding a place of safety. Sooner instead of waiting to be so hurt and abandoned or alone. “
“Do it. Do it sooner. Don’t wait until your relationship is near collapse. If your relationship is important, then make the effort.”
“Mary did a wonderful job. You are an amazing woman, Mary. What a role model you are for a lot of women!!
“So relieved the therapists could help when we got stuck (in the breakouts). We wouldn’t have progressed without their help.”
“We owe you immeasureable gratitude for the unique grace you hold, and carry, and bring to the world.”
_____________________________________________________________________
“Mary, you are real, knowledgeable and were extremely helpful. We felt very connected – like you were only speaking to us!”
“We have engaged other “couple counsellors” over the years from time to time. But – we never engaged or could find a “program”. This was the key for us – being able to name things and to rely on “templates” as a way of talking, not dealing with one issue at a time Thank you Mary! And excellent weekend.”
“Would recommend this weekend as a wedding gift to every couple and as a retreat for every other couple. Every couple will benefit from going through this and it will make every relationship stronger.”
“It helped a lot with vulnerability and opening up to each other. Especially for the withdrawer, my husband. (Even the hard conversations and hurts from the past.) We saw our past storm pattern and then it allowed us safely to reconnect and start a dialogue again.”
“Amazing! [facilitator] Couldn’t ask for a better one.”
“It’s a very valuable investment for any couple and at any stage of their marriage. Some ideas and experiences can be very eye opening and revolutionary.”
“It helped us access language and emotion that we were unaware of. To hear [my husband] share things from his life that I have never heard allowed me to find the capacity to stay there and reach for him. I felt like I was meeting more of him…and I loved it!”
“Excellent experience. [My wife] used to be the burnt out pursuer. She is now the withdrawer because she is close to done with me. I now believe it’s not too late to get her back.”
“It was a breakthrough weekend, eye-opening! I truly feel that we now have a solid foundation/roadmap for understanding our primary feelings. A huge thank you!”
“It’s an investment. We got to know/uncover/understand things about each other that life, agendas, narratives, data, facts and other distractions obfuscate.”
“I feel every couple I know could and should go through a Hold Me Tight workshop. I honestly had no idea how and why things were going so wrong over and over. I expected myself to be the one to get us out but I also was trying to feel vulnerable and safe at the same time. I can honestly say that this workshop has completely reshaped my understanding and my perspective and my hope that we cannot only survive but we can thrive. The trauma of this past year has left me feeling incredibly unsafe and insecure and now I feel I can be vulnerable and compassionate to [my partner]. I want to be his person and I know we can do this. Thank you!”
“Mary, your approach immediately removed the barriers, it opened up my resistance to vulnerability I truly thought wasn’t there.”
“A very solid program based on scientific evidence that just makes emotional sense.”
______________________________________________________________________
“All couples should take this workshop! I will tell any couple at any stage in their relationship there is so much value in this weekend.”
“Amazing. Hard. Worth it. Connecting strengthened our bond – learned so much about my partner and myself. Thank you.”
“We have a lot of hope for creating an emotional connection with each other and we are excited about the journey back to love.”
“Beware – you will change and grow at an advanced speed! Helped me to see my part in the chaos.”
“This is an excellent program that gives you a format/structure to have a series of very meaningful conversations to understand the Demon Dialogues and negative cycle and more importantly how to connect with the love of your life!”
“It taught me how to recognize negative cyclical patterns, how to slow down the process and recognize each other’s needs. I learned how to better communicate my feelings with my partner. Fantastic, eye opening, tear filled workshop.”
“I would recommend these sessions before you think you need them. But, if like most people, you’ve waited until you think it might be too late …come anyway! This process brought us closer together and gave us renewed hope for a close, connected relationship.”
“I feel that I got to see some of the softer emotions that my husband has and start to trust again and start to forgive.”
“It made me aware to always look a little deeper at a problem even if I think we solved it because I could be wrong and make the hurt worse.”
“Thank you, Mary, for the breakthrough. It wouldn’t have happened without you pushing to go deeper.”
“This workshop has precipitated a major changing point in our relationship. We entered the workshop and our relationship was on life support. It helped us identify and label the negative cycle we have been stuck in for years. More importantly, we gained an understanding of how some pain points have affected each other and have the tools to work together to solve our issues as partners. I now have a sense of hope that we can continue to work forward and cultivate a relationship that is deep and meaningful.”
“If you have any doubts about taking this seminar just take it. It will change your perspective on your marriage and give you the understanding of how things went wrong and with the love of a willing partner, relationships can be repaired.”
“This program is essential in helping to better understand yourself, your partner and your relationship. We were able, through very difficult conversations, to replay many moments in our relationship, understand their significance and impact and repair and reframe them. We know we have a lot of work to do, but we are now armed with new understanding, new and effective tools and most importantly hope for our future together. Thank you, Mary, and team!”
“I knew I wanted to heal our relationship but I didn’t know how and why we keep getting into our negative cycle. As a withdrawer, I learned to identify my primary pain and attachment injury and communicate to my partner in a way that allowed us to catch each other’s signals and get connected.”
“This is one of the best decisions we’ve made/best things we’ve done for our marriage. It can be scary to take the leap and sign up, you feel unsure of what will happen and if others will learn your secrets in the group, but it was nothing like that, and so supportive. We learned a tremendous amount and it was a safe place for us. Being amongst so many other struggling with the same issues felt supportive. If I could do one thing for my dear friends in relationship, it would be to “gift” them attendance to this workshop.”
“I found Mary to be very genuine and I appreciated her personal stories, making her seem more accessible.”
“My husband and I came into this weekend in crisis with the threat of separation hanging over our heads. Over the course of the weekend I discovered that we were both experiencing similar distress and that together as a team we were strong enough to overcome them. I have a new appreciation for my spouse and his feelings and wounds. We both had an ‘AHA’ moment when we realized that our cycle was the enemy of love, rather than each other.”
“I was able to address some of the ways that I have hurt my partner and I can continue to soothe him emotionally. I will need to really focus on being able to call out our “loop” when it is happening and to not withdraw and be present in the A.R.E. exchanges. I feel so hopeful. Thank you, Mary and all the ‘Roving’ therapists. Thank you!!”
“Regardless of where you are in your partnership, the HMT weekend workshop will provide an amazing way to deepen your understanding and connection with your partner. You will not regret attending.”
“Do it! Just do it!”
“Mary’s approach to facilitating made me feel safe, comfortable and calm. Her knowledge and command of the topics is outstanding.”
(Re: Facilitator): “Excellent. I loved listening to your voice. I found you to be so soothing with such incredible insight.”
“Take the course. You don’t know what you actually need from your partner until you spend time looking at them and loving the time and space for this work. Thank you!”
“It’s only through coming together as a couple that we can heal past pain and grow in our relationship. I’m not the problem: our avoidant cycle is.”
“This is a must to understand yourself and your partner – a true union of “self”- this should be taught in primary school.”
“My whole being is filled with gratitude and love for the human connection. In a world where I have felt so alone for such a long time this weekend has shown me that love is the true connection, the glue that holds my heart with not only my partner’s but the rest of humanity. All I have to do is reach out and reconnect. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“I found the conversation on Forgiving Injuries most helpful. It has been an issue that we have been struggling with for quite some time. And we made some real progress on that this weekend.”
“Being in a supportive neutral environment allowed us to explore our issues in a much more tender and compassionate…manner. Each conversation was truly worthwhile and considering the limited time available, facilitated rather incredible progress in our relationship and we both left the session with a sense of optimism and hope neither of us has had in quite some time.”
The Facilitator: “confident, compassionate, competent, comfortable to be with , despite the difficult, sensitive nature of the subject material”.
“Do it! It’s hard but powerful.”
“It is an investment in your life.”
“Recognizing the cycle, identifying the fears and needs underlying, lead us to deep understanding, apologies, forgiveness and now we have HOPE and a feeling of a new beginning. Absolutely life changing…Saved our marriage.”
“Seeing the videos of the couples, then hearing Mary explain it further, breaking out on our own – this was a brilliant structure. Lots of difficult emotional work, but it was broken up nicely with engaging information and a chance to just sit back and watch and listen.”
“I can’t recommend it highly enough! I wish we had done this retreat fifteen years ago. Understanding a love relationship in this way has helped immeasurably in understanding how to rebuild a loving, secure, bonded relationship with my husband. ”
“I feel like this weekend is a marriage game-changer. I feel like my eyes have been opened to what is actually going on beneath the surface when my husband and I get caught up in our cycle of fighting and negativity. I am so thankful to have this radical new understanding of myself and adult love.”
—————————————————————————————————————————————–
“This weekend saved our relationship! It’s worth every penny and investment of time.”
“Amazing, captivating facilitator! I would tell other couples that these sessions were “game changers”. I am fully confident that this weekend has changed the path of our relationship. I am excited for the future.”
“Do it!”
“Excellent facilitator. Good vibes. Polite, soft and knowledgeable. She gets it!”
“Definitely worth the time, effort and cost. Very informative. Tools we can use for the rest of our lives. This gave us the gift of communication. Thanks!”
“Wonderful facilitator!!”
“Videos, pictures and songs were so useful – both to provide more content but also drive a message home. I would advise all couples of all ages looking to reconnect and experience your relationship on an emotional level to take the workshop. We are starting to communicate again. And understand each other’s perspective. Most importantly, being able to identify our “dance” and “patterns”.
“Most helpful was: getting to know my wife again.”
“Mary, you are very authentic and kind. You have great insight into people and their patterns of behaviour.”
“Take it!”
“Way more efficient than couples therapy.”
“I think all couples would benefit, but I do think it would be “easier” as a younger relationship before the hurts get so deep. The way a relationship “should” work is so obvious and yet so hard to achieve. This helps you see how to achieve it.”
“Fantastic facilitator – Thank you, thank you. I can’t say it enough. THANK YOU.”
“It’s hard, and it’s scary, and we’re not there yet, but I’ve realized that the only thing harder than facing that hurt would be losing my wife. Do the hard thing; it’s worth it.”
“My spouse and I were well on the way to separating before we attended this weekend. She has been trying to reach for me for at least a year and a half, but I was too stuck in my fear and pain to even see that for what it was. On the first day, she told me that it was the first time that she ever really felt heard by me and on the second day we started a very important conversation about healing one of the deepest wounds in our relationship. This is just the beginning of a total change in how we relate to one another, but there is a foundation now to build on and a total recommitment. I could not recommend this experience more and am looking forward to continuing these conversations at home and through EFT therapy in the future.”
“I would encourage others at different stages of their relationships to learn about emotional attachment and take advantage of this workshop. I have adult children in the early relationship stages whom I want to share the book with so that they can avoid having to wait until damage is already done before getting the tools and help they need.”
“It will be hard work; it will be exhausting work just like Life. It will be worth every penny. You will be glad you did it because it will help take a step forward in your relationship.”
“I highly recommend this workshop. Mary is amazing! It is a life saver, something every couple needs to survive and have a thriving marriage. This workshop has given us the tools that are necessary in our marriage. It has given us hope. We can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It allowed us to share our deepest fears. Thank you!”
“I would tell [others] that it was amazing. It has allowed me to truly “see” my partner for who they are for the first time after being together over 13 years. And just as importantly for her to see me and for me to open up to her in ways we never had. It’s given me the hope to find happiness and fulfillment in all my relationships but most importantly the fulfillment of a loving marriage.”
“Very worthwhile. It has helped us identify patterns and heal injuries accumulated during 20 years of marriage. I feel optimism for the next 20+!”
“This workshop explained to us clearly how we get into our recurring patterns, why we act and react the way we do, and most importantly what we can do to slow the spin. We have a tool that we both believe we can use starting today to strengthen our bond.”
(To the Facilitator): “Amazing! Thank you for showing me through your own actions and words what it looks like and sounds like to remain calm and talk from your heart! :)”
“I would tell [couples] that the Hold Me Tight intensive is an opportunity to care for your relationship in a healthy/safe way. Tools and understanding the cycle is eye opening and freeing, to allow you to feel guided and working on your relationship with intention and focus.”
” Understanding the cycle and getting clear on that being our block allows us to lower our defence and have nurturing talks, not blaming/angry talks/fights. The workshop impacted our relationship by giving us space to agree with one another, supporting each other through hard emotions and vulnerable topics. We were able to get on the same page and watch each other want to grow and love the other person. 🙂 “
“I honestly feel this should be a mandatory course at a much younger age (curriculum).”
“I would/will highly recommend this program to everyone. It allows us to both see the love behind all of the misconstrued actions of the past/present. Humbling to see how unbelievably connected we all are and how this can also be applied to other relationships in life and see how we all long for the same thing no matter how we present ourselves.”
“I will tell everyone I know about this weekend and what valuable life lessons and tools that we received here! It was powerful and life changing. It gives both of us a road map to another path. I feel tremendous hope that we will begin to take the steps toward one another that will help us reconnect and make a deeper emotional bond than before. Thank you for everything!”
“Give it a whirl, Dude! It is worth the investment. Gave us insights and tools moving forward. It worked for both of us and we had discussions about the most important things to us for the first time in 18 years. We are now looking forward to having conversations together – instead of dreading them! Thank you Mary for the energy and dedication you bring to this.”
“I found our experience to be invaluable. It was hard, very hard work, we have a long way to go. Realized we didn’t have a way to connect anymore. This gave us a map to get back on the path we needed to start positive communication again. It was nothing like I thought this would be. Amazing for us. We are not unique, we all struggle and life is so busy and we all lack the tools for our relationships. I am very thankful that this exists. Without this weekend, I truly believe we would not carry on. Now I have hope.”
(Re: Facilitator): “Very effective. Made herself vulnerable, spoke wisely and judiciously, with balance.”
“I was/am skeptical about any psychological, sociological or ideological frame that is placed around a picture of human experience as if to say: ‘There it is! This is your defining frame!’ The complexity of the human heart in conflict with itself and others is unfathomable. And 2 + 2 is always more than 4 in the human story. BUT – I was/am convinced that EFT has cracked the code of the emotional enigmas of married life and love, that it provides practical ways to understand the ‘Negative Dance/Demon Dialogue’ we fall into and how to step outside of our usual moves, recognize and construct our broken practices and put together a more emotionally engaged and satisfying marriage.”
“We were hesitant and nervous about attending. Expectations were low and actual experience was exceptional. Highly, highly recommend it.”
“Every couple should give themselves the gift of a HMT workshop. Love needs commitment, intentionality and nurturing. We can’t risk taking it for granted. The most important relationship in you life deserves HMT. Thanks Mary.”
“Great experience, worth the time and money.”
“It’s an investment in yourself and your relationship. It isn’t always easy and isn’t an “easy” weekend but we have no regrets and feel stronger and more connected than ever.”
“Stop wasting time and come and learn to connect your emotional bond. The best therapy and experience for a relationship that has disconnected due to emotional injury.”
“Well worth it. Made the difference, Big Time. Try. Lots of Kleenex provided and needed.”
——————————————————————————————————————–
“Do it. It changes your life.”
“I am so excited to start practicing what we have learned and recreating our amazing life together. Thank you so much.”
“Learning about how deep love is, how important it is to need each other. I would say it has helped us discover how we got to this place, how to repair, how we need to love each other and be loved and a great way to connect together. I didn’t realize how disconnected we were.”
“Being in a group of people all suffering from different issues but opening up and feeling emotions better through that. Eye opening to see some of the hurt that I’ve caused and truly feeling sad and wanting to fix and repair.”
“I thought my husband didn’t love me or care and now I know he does – he just didn’t tell me or show me the way I needed to feel it.”
(From a reluctant male participant): “I would love to see a 3 or 4 day workshop…”
“We wouldn’t have found this place in our relationship on our own. We wouldn’t have made the time or reached the level of understanding. This is needed to start trusting again.”
“It was long overdue and I should have done this earlier.”
“We have tried traditional couple’s counselling and did not find it worked for us. We were considering separation and this weekend has given us a lot of hope.”
“Mary, you are a blessing and the miracle we needed. Thank x 1000. Life changing, emotional in a brilliant way. I hope and feel it may have saved our family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“It gets to the core of what’s needed in any couple’s relationship, no matter where you are at. It makes sense and is reassuring. It has given us a roadmap to help us find our way to each other. It’s not easy work but it gives us hope.”
——————————————————————————————————————-
“This weekend was a game changer for us. It took us out of our comfort zone and rewrote our dance. I am much more aware now of my husband’s perspectives on situations and how my reactions impacted him and perpetuated our negative cycle.”
Facilitator: “Highly effective, approachable, responsive, reflective practitioner.”
“Seeing others also in trouble helped us both not feel as awkward about our own issues.”
“Very worth the commitment of time, money and emotional energy. A meaningful experience that will be woven into the fabric of our relationship.”
“If it were ever possible, I would want every couple to take this course regardless of what level of challenge their marriage is in. It has been invaluable for my husband and me. Thank you for your support and for bringing EFT to light in our community.”
“It’s the best couples counselling format I’ve ever experienced.” (What was most helpful?) “A program we are both engaged with, a framework we can use going forward. The group format is value-added as a support system: we see others in the room with struggles in the areas presented; breakout conversations remain more controlled because we can’t fall back so quickly to escalating dance routines…help is there immediately when we are in a challenging situation. Conversations are much more productive in a “supported” environment. More gains made overall in this format than independent counselling sessions. EFT gets down to the real issues behind the dance!!!
“As a young couple expecting our first baby, this was the perfect way to take stock of our relationship and help prepare for the major changes about to come!”
“I would recommend the weekend without reservation. We have both made more progress in 2 days than we did in months of couple and individual counselling. We feel closer, more empathetic and able to reach out to one another through the curtain of pain and fear. Thank you!”
“I wish more and more young couples could benefit from something like this and not have to wait 20+ years before learning about how to create, preserve and nourish connection.”
“We came to the workshop in at least a “Slow Burn” for 2-3 years if not a “Deep Freeze”. During the workshop we were able to talk to each other – indeed discover the person behind our partner’s “disconnection”.
“Mary helped us through a very painful conversation; it felt like a breakthrough and lead us to a place where we can focus on the heart of the matter and let the clutter slip away.”
“This course will help you on the journey of understanding what is really causing the blocks in your relationship. If you want to make your relationship more intimate, close and loving then this will help you to get there. It gave me a structure and framework to get to a deeper emotional connection.”
Facilitator: “Mary is a great narrator and has a soothing style which inspires and reassures.”
“Very easy to listen to and responsive to the group, explains dense material very well and put the group at ease.”
“Amazing. Mary – your tone while expressing feelings (childlike and soft) .
“Mary’s gentle clarity is welcoming and reassuring and calming.”
“That we are in this together and are not enemies.”
“The content was very practical and yet deeply meaningful. We have the understanding and the tools now to step out of the Tornado and reconnect going forward. I would and will highly recommend this program! I’m filled with gratitude for the presenters and Dr. Johnson for pursuing this work so that others can benefit from this healing work.”
“I think every couple should experience EFT “Hold Me Tight”. Great conversations for a relationship in any stage.”
“I would highly recommend it. My partner had a breakthrough and this saved our relationship and brought us to a new level of bonding and understanding. We feel that this workshop would improve any relationship.”
“The way the exercises were broken down really helped to simplify the process and keep it on track.”
“I think this is a great process to help couples connect and understand each other. I would recommend this to others. My husband and I have been stuck in the loop, pointing fingers and blaming each other for so long and this process really helped to stop that cycle and get to the root issues and help us bond and attach to each other again. I’m so glad my husband was open to this process, I feel we’re on the right track to a long loving lifetime together. I look forward to growing old with him.”
“Worth the time, effort and money well spent. Opened my eyes and allowed me to dig deep emotionally an understand my partner more deeply. Gives me the hope to listen and work on my marriage… :)”
“Do it – take the time to develop your skills with each other. It is SO worth the time. Be there for each other and commit. For me and my husband it has given us a framework to discuss difficult things and to heal old hurts.”
“I believe this would help any relationship, troubled or not. I feel it will help me forever.”
“I would say it was the best tools for a happy relationship that I have ever picked up in my life and anyone could benefit from a weekend like this one.”
“The power of the program was the permission to go deep and explore in safety the dangerous moments and memories that formed my demons. Seeing the pattern was liberating!”
“The Facilitator: “10/10!” “She was first class. Very authentic. Her personal anecdotes humanized her and the process.”
“I wish we would have done it earlier in our relationship. This weekend has helped both of us to face our fears and make sure that the other knows they are safe with their partner.”
“It impacted me by slowing my mind down, giving me strength and an attitude adjustment that was badly needed.”
“I will strongly suggest some of my friends come to one. The framework and examples have given me some great tools to work with. I feel hope that my marriage will be successful and can be happy.”
“After this weekend it is even more paramount to me that I not be complacent in my marriage; to recognize the importance of the “children” inside us and to heal the injuries that we have caused. I never knew how “wired” we are for the connection or attachment to another person. I know now that I deserve and need this. I am going to encourage my adult married children to take this course.”
“The video clips and songs made for nice segues and provided for lighter moments after difficult and challenging conversations.”
“Gave us a template to guide our conversations, which gave us the push/courage to open up and explore the deeper/softer emotions and issues.”
———————————————————————————————————
“Intense but worth the investment. Great relationship education. This helped our relationship by helping us see how our past experiences influence our soft spots today and how our negative cycle impacts this.”
“The honesty created by the atmosphere – Everyone should do this, no matter where you are in a relationship. It could positively impact every relationship – not just romantic ones. It impacted our relationship by creating an opening for a safe place to grow together.”
“If you are willing to open up and do the work you will be amazed at the results and the progress your marriage and individual emotional support you will give and receive.”
“This weekend helped me see how our primary emotions and needs are universal to my partner and the greater community. I feel like my partner and I are on the same page now and can follow skills/steps to really let each other know how we are feeling and move forward.”
“An intense 2 days. A new beginning.”
“To learn to be open about yourself. It’s a fast, tough weekend of soul searching and team building. Be prepared for a difficult emotional roller coaster. I’ve learned to monitor our cycle, and that it’s the enemy, not my spouse.”
“It changed the course of where we were headed. It transformed us for the better. Thank you, Mary.”
“Be open to learning and you may be amazed. Very enlightening and put us on track. The weekend was infused with a good balance of humour, seriousness, gentleness and support. Everyone should invest in their relationship this way. A life changer for us. Thank you!”
“Following the couples was highly valuable. Enjoyed the humourous clips to help me shift out of big feelings. The facilitator was warm, inviting, very clear, nice pacing…I would say any couple would benefit from this program, and that some prior EFT work would be highly valuable.”
“This workshop was very helpful and I learned a lot about myself and my husband. We have a long road to go but baby steps first. I am not sure if we can carry this out at home but we will be contacting an EFT therapist in our area to help us through. I am hopeful and will do my best to try to repair the damage that’s been done. The videos were great and helpful and speaking to the other couples made me feel that we are not alone. Mary’s talks were amazing. The videos watching couples go through the conversations helped me to understand my husband so much more.”
“Understanding that only when I connect emotionally will my relationship grow and survive.”
“That is one of the most, I should say the most powerful way of getting out of our bad connection and replace it with a positive one. Step by step, each time it becomes easier and our relationship becomes richer and safer.”
“Guidance, structure, building blocks in which to discuss our own feelings in a safe space.”
“The experience is valuable and is intended to serve as skill acquired to continue to support couples as they move to deepen their bond.”
“It would help anyone, go early (don’t wait till there’s too much pain).”
“Excellent way to learn to effectively communicate with your significant other, understanding your fear and your wife’s.”
“Just do it. It will make your relationship better.”
“I believe it is so much about ‘tuning’ and the level of pain someone is in. I know discovering ‘attachment styles’ or ‘injuries’ changed me. I started to be able to see past the pain – just a little bit. I felt actual hope for the first time. And that is shocking because all I saw was divorce. I know I am on the right path finally.”
“Relationship Education 101 – excellent for all relationships at any stage of despair.”
“The idea that anger is a secondary emotion that covers a more fundamental emotion. It helps me to understand that, when my partner is angry at me, I’m not failing him as much as it may seem. And when I get angry, there is something I’m insecure about in my attachment bond.”
“Do it! EFT is a great tool and the workshop is run by great, non-judgemental people.”
“Mary knows her stuff. Great at holding space!”
———————————————————————————————–
“If your relationship is in need of repair this is the environment to do it in!”
“I would recommend this workshop highly to anyone. I would say it set up a good foundation and provided tools to begin a healthy process of change and ‘recovery’.”
“The “Forgiving Injuries” conversation – putting the elephants between us and discussing them.”
“Excellent, really helped us get reconnected.”
Most helpful? “Reaching out to Mary when in distress – you were clear, calm and caring. Thank you.”
Facilitator? “Calming, peaceful, wealth of wisdom. GRATEFUL to have found/reached out to Mary.”
“I would say ‘be open’, ‘be patient’, ‘trust the process’. I came here with my husband full of fear, doubt and anxiety. I’m leaving feeling more safe than I have felt in a long time. At first it was a bit intimidating however once you realize and accept everyone is here wanting/needing to change or find another way to speak and connect with their partner, a sense of safety and peace sets in. “
“How did this affect my/our relationship? It provided us with a new way of thinking, new tools and dialogues, examples of how other couples with similar issues found a deeper way of connecting. We didn’t feel alone. We felt safe dealing with such sensitive and toxic issues. We are both leaving with a sense of safety, calmness and hope for OUR future. A future with deeper understanding and connection. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“This weekend gave us the time to focus on each other and deal with what really matters. It’s like a rebirth of our relationship. We can set goals and we are now aware of each other’s fears and hurts. Our children will benefit from the tools we have gained to work out a more loving relationship.”
What was most helpful? “The ability to clear clutter and get down to the source/heart of the issue. Not the surface/cycle stuff.”
“How safe I felt throughout the workshop. The pace was perfect, not too fast/too much, not too little. Mary doesn’t have doubts about the content or what’s really important – very trustworthy presenter – very impressed with her presence, knowledge and caring.”
“I often found myself stuck. Using the assistants made all the difference. Helped me to clear the road block. “
Facilitator? “Soft spoken and had my attention. The perfect speed for the high sensitivity of the subject.”
Roving therapists? “Made all the difference. I needed to know we were progressing so the check-in was necessary.”
What to say to other couples? “That they should just do it. Put fear/doubt aside and jump in with both feet. It will change you. It will give you the clarity you desire – the most unexpected kind. You’ll feel the connection again. It’s worth it!”
“Having a therapist available to help us move forward when we got stuck.”
“Mary really ‘gets it’ – without saying a lot she was able to help us move to the next deeper level and feel safe together.”
“I didn’t realize how scared I was, how unsafe I was feeling. Not only did I discover that but I learned how to acknowledge it, share it with my partner and move closer to him instead of running away – which I didn’t even realize I was doing!”
“It will help you get unstuck and connected. Do it!”
“Discovering a couple in the DVD’s that mirrored us. It validated the feelings that one dismisses as silly.”
“I would recommend anyone taking at least a few sessions privately first to stop construction on the walls and break down some barriers.”
“We moved from wondering about the future or if to, I think, finding comfort that we will figure this out and will end up happily ever after.”
———————————————————————————————–
“The weekend was difficult but very helpful. The EFT model provides a framework to assist couples in having the conversations necessary to reconnect and be in tune. It also helps and starts the healing process. The workshop impacted us by helping us to better understand where we’ve come from, why we are feeling the way we are and enabled us to start the difficult conversations needed to move closer to each other.”
“The DVD’s were very helpful, watching people work through things and seeing the parallels in our relationship.”
“This is a beautiful program. I love that it is emotion based and goes straight to the heart of a loving relationship. I liked that there was modelling of how to have these conversations because I often fumble in trying to articulate such levels because I have no role models.”
“Mary is a very gentle, wise presence. She offers very quickly a safe environment to do deep work.”
“I know a few couples that I am close enough to that I would recommend doing this workshop. Having this available in the K-W area is great and there is a need for it!”
“Focusing on our marriage for 18 hours was very useful and rewarding. We talked about a lot of things that are difficult to do on our own and hopefully brought out some quality fresh perspectives on past injury. I think we can grow from here.”
“It puts it on the table in a safe environment. Everything to gain…”
“I would highly recommend HMT to anyone of my friends needing to find a better way to connect to their lover. It gave examples and direction as to how to connect with my partner – how to recognize when connection is needed.”
“Mary is amazing. She speaks well and is so understanding! She is a wonderful speaker!”
“I would say definitely do [the workshop]. It was awesome! I learned a lot about my husband and his needs and wants. I also learned about myself as well and what I need from him and how to ask for it. Thanks, Mary!”
“It was an empowering and enlightening experience. We both feel that this HMT weekend has given us a framework to be closer and more in tune with our individual feelings and those of our partner.”
“I think every couple should take this workshop, hopefully before a relationship trauma. It explains how our past relationship with parents shapes our deeper emotions. It really makes you understand your partner’s real emotions and not just the anger they show you.”
“The Hold Me Tight weekend has opened my eyes to our feelings, expectations and needs for touch.”
“The examples of the conversations provided a framework and allowed me to relate to various partners in the videos. The talks with my partner started a much needed dialogue. The facilitator was very good, extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Thank you Mary!”
___________________________________________________________________
“Wish I would have participated sooner. It’s a must do for any relationship. I will be using this for my relationship with my spouse and my children. I will be doing another one when available again.
The online version helped us not be hesitant with sharing in a group environment. Being online provided more comfort and security for me to be more open and vulnerable. Thank you!“
“Hold Me Tight is like CPR. It has brought my husband and me and our relationshipback to life (in heart). And like CPR this is something that we will need to renew on a yearly basis to stay current and fresh to help keep us alive and well and in tune to each other. I highly recommend this to all couples struggling in their marriage. It is a game changer! Thank you Mary so much!“
“I have a greater understanding of my partner as a withdrawer. The workshop was helpful to help me see my responsibility in our dance and I want to be able to own that. We have talked more deeply in the past 10 days than we have in the last 14 years. It gave me the tools to understand my partner and provided me with a new perspective about how to see her and our dance.”
Fresh Beginnings for Couples 