Hi there. This may seem a bit random but I really wanted to find a place to share my own experience with the Linden Method as Its actually really difficult to find any real reviews of the Linden Method as its so heavily marketed and controlled!
I want to start off by saying - this is my experience and if you are at the point in your illness where you don't want to hear negative stories about a treatment you are considering - stop reading here! It will not serve your purpose right now.
The other thing I will say is that I do agree that the online downloads/dvds etc are ok value and probably worth trying if you want to try something different etc.
I knew I was the kind of person who would download all the info and not really stick to it so I actually took the leap of attending one of their retreats ( at great expense, borrowing money from family etc). I will start off by saying that this was over a year ago and I have only just felt able to even write about my feelings towards the experience. I signed up at a hugely vulnerable and, frankly horrific, time. I was severely anxious, suffering with depersonalisation, de realisation, trauma and grief. I was completely desperate to find something that would help me out of the dark hole I was in. The Linden Method promised me this.
I was in a terrible state when I arrived ( with my husband accompanying me) and just found the whole thing overwhelming. The staff that met us were very nice and seemingly kind ( however it did feel as though their kindness was limited and if you started asking too many questions, taking up too much of their time etc, their own patience wore thin and you were made to feel as though you were being a bit of a pain.
The venue was lovely and, of course, the other people were sooo lovely. Our teacher ( can't remember her name now) was lovely too, she knew her stuff and had an answer for everything. However, over the days it became quite obvious that they all had the same lines and ways of saying the same message over and over. The message is basically ' keep you anxious, highly creative mind occupied AT ALL TIMES' and they literally mean from the minute you wake til the minute you sleep, always occupied, never allow for the anxious thoughts to take space in your brain.
I totally understand the theory behind this and agree that inaction is the enemy of anxiety. For me, keeping distracted and busy is very important and has helped me carry on and keep my activities and relationships going etc. However, I also know that when I am highly anxious and suffering with severe intrusive thoughts/memories etc etc, nothing I do can make me forget those. No matter what I am doing they will be there. I kept trying to get this across to them and they kept saying 'well you are just not doing the right things..' so guess what, I felt very bad about myself and tried new things. The same thing happened. I personally don't think its possible to find things that can fill up your day from start to finish that are so incredibly interesting and intense that anxiety doesn't creep in. Plus I also have a child and friends and family etc, I am going to spend time with them and yet I will still feel overwhelmingly anxious and weird etc.
I honestly tried so many things when I left the retreat, I took up singing, martial arts, CHANGED MY JOB!, listened to a million podcasts ( too anxious to read) etc etc. Guess what, it didn't help me heal, I got more and more exhausted, I wasn't honouring my own emotions atall and I still felt horrific even 4/5 months later.
I would ring the support centre quite often and would always be told the same thing, it felt unsupportive and completely dismissive of real people’s feelings and experiences. As I now know, everyone's healing journey is different and what may have worked for the 'cult of Linden' will not always work for 'everyone else' and how arrogant of them to think it will.
One of the 10 pillars is to 'not talk about anxiety' to friends and family. While, again, I understand that talking about it all the time just reinforces the language of anxiety and helps perpetuate it. However for me, and I am imagine thousands of others, talking about it to my loved ones has been a lifeline. There have been times that I was feeling suicidal and I reached out. It also helps me be honest and real and not fake. I also think its a very dangerous message as its that very problem that often leads people to suicide as they feel so alone.
My final interaction with them was one day when I was at work - I was in the middle of a very intense piece of work that required alot of concentration ( perfect Linden Method activity!) and I felt so despairing and awful, thoughts of suicide and overwhelm were literally almost paralysing me and I felt the only thing to do was to call them. The lady I spoke was really quite horrible, she made me cry and basically said - if you are feeling suicidal you need to call Samaritans which I did end up doing.
Thankfully I am alive! But considering the fact that I was one of only 10 people that spent three days with them at the retreat, noone has ever followed up to see how we are and especially after a call like that - no follow up atall. Shocking.
I kept in touch with 3 lovely people from the retreat, not one of them has found it helpful ( apart from we have all taken up a ew activity that we now enjoy so that's good). Other than that, no difference apart from the fact that we spent over £3000 and felt really crap about ourselves for a long time for our perceived 'failure' to apply the method properly.
The way they market their success is obviously false and may actually be unlawful.
I will say Charles was charming ( as was his lovely wife) and he is very passionate about it but I think he has totally forgotten what it actually felt like to have severe mental illness and that he thinks that his regimented regime is right for all people. It is not.
Final thing is that - they won't tell you what the Linden Method is until you have paid in full to attend the retreat. You get the online stuff for free when you sign up but if you want to try that first and then sign up they wouldn't give you your money back for the online stuff??? Dodgy and unethical. Having had a lot of time to reflect, I try very hard not to be bitter but im very angry and how we were treated and especially the lack of care and support afterwards ( the ladies on the phone are mean! They may seem kind to begin with but as soon as you start to ask too many questions they get shirty and one even told me I had run out of time!! ( 15 mins per call). I was crying and saying I felt I couldn't cope/carry on etc etc.!
Ok, I am actually getting angrier as I write so I will stop.
Please do feel free to contact me if you are able to and want to ask me anything. Do NOT commit £3000 to this retreat until you really know what you are paying for.
Sending so much love as if you are reading this you probably feel desperate for help. I know how that feels, im doing ok now but that has come through many things ( elements of the Linden Method like trying to occupy mind) but also many other ones such as sharing and talking about my feelings, expressing emotions, exercise, medications, time, gratitude practises and much more. Good luck whatever journey you are on - you are a frikin amazing, strong and powerful warrior!!!!