Personalised RTT® and therapy: a recovery journey

 

PROGRAMME SUMMARY

The Mid-Level Programme at a glance

 

The Mid-Level Programme is a shorter, focused outpatient treatment programme for problematic alcohol and drug use. It combines three one-hour talking therapy sessions with John Wilkinson and two personalised RTT® sessions with Dr Shyra Raj. It suits people who want to do deeper emotional work with the support of RTT®, without committing to the ten-session Full Treatment Programme.

 

UK clinical guidance describes problematic alcohol and drug use as a biopsychosocial condition, shaped by brain chemistry, emotions, learned habits, life experience and the people and places around us. Every stage of the programme is guided by a personalised treatment and recovery plan, created with you and reviewed as you go.

 

 

Before you start: a free consultation

 

Everything begins with a complimentary, confidential 30-minute conversation. We talk about what has been happening, how ready you feel to make changes, and whether outpatient talking therapy and RTT® is a suitable and safe fit. If a medically managed detox or the Full Treatment Programme would serve you better, we will say so openly.

 

 

Phase 1: Foundation

 

Session 1 with John combines a full biopsychosocial assessment with psychoeducation on the psychology of addiction. It covers the pattern and severity of your alcohol or drug use, physical and mental health, any co-occurring difficulties such as anxiety or low mood, risk, and how substances act on the brain’s reward pathways. Baseline outcome measures are recorded using validated tools (TOP and SADQ), and your personalised treatment and recovery plan is created together.

 

RTT® session 1 with Dr Shyra Raj follows straight after, so the subconscious work has real context behind it. Each RTT® stage has three parts: a video preparation call with Dr Shyra Raj, a 2-hour personalised in-person session, and a short follow-up call a few days later. After each session you receive a personalised hypnosis recording to listen to every day for at least 21 days. RTT® combines elements of clinical hypnotherapy, cognitive behavioural principles and psychodynamic insight, and aims to work with the subconscious beliefs and emotional patterns that may be keeping the pattern of alcohol or drug use going.

 

 

Phase 2: Integration

 

Session 2 with John uses a Motivational Interviewing approach to work through mixed feelings about change and strengthen your own reasons for it. It also looks at the practical, relational and emotional needs identified at assessment, such as money, housing, isolation or long-term health conditions, and builds healthier, sustainable ways of coping.

 

RTT® session 2 with Dr Shyra Raj builds on the first session, focusing on any deeper or secondary patterns, triggers or emotional responses that have come up. You receive a new personalised recording for continued daily listening.

 

 

Phase 3: Consolidation

 

Session 3 with John brings the conscious and subconscious work together. Your progress is reviewed against your treatment plan, you are introduced to the core principles of relapse prevention and high-risk situations, and we agree next steps, including whether further sessions or the Full Treatment Programme may help you sustain your progress.

 

 

Where and when

 

Sessions take place at our consulting rooms on Altrincham High Street, convenient for Hale, Bowdon, Sale, Timperley and South Manchester, and at the Alderley Edge Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre, convenient for Wilmslow, Prestbury and Macclesfield. Online sessions via Zoom are available across the UK. Talking therapy with John runs Tuesday to Friday evenings and Saturday mornings, so treatment can fit around work and family life.

 

 

Who delivers the programme

 

Talking therapy sessions are delivered by John Wilkinson, BSc, MSc, AP APM, FMBPsS, who has 27 years’ experience across drug and alcohol treatment and mental health services. He is a Registered Advanced Practitioner with Addiction Professionals and a Full Member of the British Psychological Society. RTT® sessions are delivered by Dr Shyra Raj, a consultant medical doctor trained in Rapid Transformational Therapy®.

 

 

Safety first

 

This is a private outpatient programme. It is not a substitute for medical treatment, crisis care or medically managed detox. If you may be physically dependent on alcohol or benzodiazepines, stopping suddenly can be dangerous, so we will discuss this with you and, where needed, signpost you to a medically managed detox service. RTT® is not a regulated medical procedure in the UK. If you are at immediate risk or in crisis, contact your GP or NHS 111, go to A&E, or call 999 in an emergency.

 

 

Your next step

 

To find out whether this programme is right for you, book a complimentary, confidential 30-minute consultation. It’s a no-obligation conversation about what has been happening and the support that may suit you.