Fields of Freedom: Breaking through fear in personal and professional life - Paperback

by John Holt (Author)

Following a terminal diagnosis in 2010 from pure right ventricle heart failure and cancer, "Fields of Freedom: Breaking through fear in personal and professional life" seeks to speak from a powerfully authentic place of John's journey through facing overwhelming fears to a place of emotional, spiritual and professional freedom, liberation and return to health. The book charts a life story interspersed with spiritual and metaphysical reflections, and also seeks to offer cumulative wisdom from a place of "eldership" about working in the Helping Professions as a social worker, organisational consultant, group facilitator, coach, coach supervisor, counsellor, psychotherapist and clinical supervisor. It pulls no punches about the hard choices facing us, and faith in oneself required, if we seek to liberate ourselves from fear, over anxious attachment to one's "personal and professional reputation" and what the world may think of us. It seeks to accentuate, celebrate and deeply honour the "authentic Self" in Practitioners and Clients in their attempts to understand deeper truths about themselves and the worlds they co-create.

Author Biography

JOHN is an organisational consultant and trainer, working in the social economy and other sectors. He became freelance in 1990 after an earlier career in youth social work and juvenile justice. John worked for Save the Children as a training and development officer, practice development and publications coordinator (producing eight books on youth social work practice) and as a manager of a consultancy and training project. Since 1995, alongside 'practitioner' work, John has also worked as an associate lecturer, teaching management development skills; humanistic psychology; action learning and therapeutic supervision. John tutored for: the Open University Business School; Bradford University (Centre for Continuing & Adult Education; Executive Development Programme at the University of Bradford Management Centre; School of Health (MA 'Change Management and Leadership Programme') and as a Co-Tutor on The ABC Accredited 'Diploma in the Supervision of the Therapeutic Practitioner' at UCHM Huddersfield. John currently works as an educational mentor. John has worked as a counsellor, psychotherapist, clinical supervisor, coach and coach supervisor, group and action learning facilitator since 1988. He trained in Social Work, Criminology, Humanistic Psychology Facilitation Styles & Hakomi Psychotherapy. He is: a Certified Hakomi Therapist; a BACP accredited counsellor & psychotherapist; a BACP accredited clinical supervisor and a BACP Senior Practitioner. John is also an AC accredited master coach. John says this of his work and his commitment to making a positive contribution to the Helping Professions: "The essence of my work is that I believe in people and I encourage the people I work with to believe in themselves". John lives near the West and North Yorkshire county boundary, close to busy urban centres and also close to the Yorkshire Dales National Park. When not working John enjoys following Chesterfield F.C, creative writing, the beauty and grandeur of the great outdoors, travel, exploring spiritual issues and spiritual traditions, motorcycle adventures, spending time with partner Carol, their dog Marlon and listening to music.