As with many journeys, it is best started by discovering the stories of some of those who have already travelled the road that lies ahead of you and have made fundamental, positive changes in their lives by using the Lightning Process. It may also be useful to have an insight into why I originally embarked on my journey in designing it. But let’s start with one family’s extraordinary story. I think you can gain a sense of what’s possible with the Lightning Process in these few lines that Anne wrote about her son Joseph:
Thank you for coming up with the LP as having our son back to health has been the best Christmas present possible. You trained my son Joseph in the Lightning Process last week. He is 18 today and life has not been so good for him in a long time. Thank you seems too tame. You have given him back his life.
Today he has spent the day recording a demo at a studio with his band, then he watched his team (Arsenal) lose to Newcastle (oops!), now he is out with his girlfriend. Since our return, he has been up to Reading on a train on his own to visit a friend, he has been out shopping, to the pub, etc. This time last week he was pretty much housebound – now he is up and at ‘em!
I have met with cynicism and disbelief about the LP but I don’t really mind – it has worked for Joseph and that’s more important than anyone’s ill-informed opinion. I think that I am having more trouble readjusting than he is – I am going through a mix of happiness for him, then I am overwhelmed by it all and quite tearful. It has been a long time of anxiety. I am so glad we heard about you and decided to take a chance; it paid off better than I could ever have imagined.
I have always been fascinated by moments of change such as this – the extraordinary feeling when you see a life heading off in a different and more rewarding direction. Having seen the pressures and disruption that result from having an ill child or parent, these moments of change are never more rewarding to be a part of than when they impact the lives of young families such as Anne’s.
But while that story unfolds, we can turn our focus to Charlie.
Charlie hated only one thing in her life, and she hated it with a passion. It influenced her every thought, action and dream. It was a constant yardstick that she measured everything by; her passionate hatred created a constant commentary, the soundtrack of her life. Charlie hated only one thing in her life. Herself.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town was Ray, an extremely successful businessman. Everything in his life had worked out wonderfully: he had a great house in the location, a beautiful and intelligent partner, gorgeous kids, a smart car and a big pension. So why did he feel so dreadful every day, why did his heart beat uncontrollably when he was just resting, why did his legs just refuse to work one morning, why did everything that he thought was important seem to give him no joy?
I had studied with some of the best personal development trainers in the world, read the most cutting-edge books, and had eventually become a fairly well-thought-of practitioner and lecturer in the world of change. Yet there were still some clients, like Charlie and Ray, I felt I should be able to help because of my skills, track record and depth of experience, but for whom nothing seemed to work. This didn’t surprise Charlie – dozens of other professionals had tried and failed and she had become resigned to being a hopeless case.
Now no one would claim to be able to sort out everyone who consulted them, but these people really needed and desperately wanted help. In addition, they often had some of the most common and horrifically debilitating problems, including:
While many of my clients with these issues responded really well, others, like Charlie and Ray, struggled to achieve any change. I kept wondering, ‘What is the difference?’
From the extraordinary success I’d had working with others I knew the tools I was using were really powerful, but they just weren’t making any real difference in these cases. I felt there had to be a way of helping them.
Months of research set me on a course that would revolutionize my work, change the lives of thousands for the better and lead to you reading this book. The result of this important research was the development of the Lightning Process.
I think it’s important to thank Charlie, Ray and all the others who prompted me to create this path to freedom. Without them helping me to discover what was keeping them stuck and how to change it, it wouldn’t have been possible for all those who have followed them.
And if you met Charlie or Ray now, you simply wouldn’t recognize them from the earlier description because both of them now live lives that they love.
The Lightning Process has become something of a hot issue in the press and media in recent years, particularly because of the extraordinary success it’s had in dealing with a number of different conditions. As a result, some of you reading this book will probably be interested in the Lightning Process from the perspective of finding out how you can get similar changes.
There will be others who have a condition that, due to the limitations of space, isn’t covered in detail in the book. However, this book has been written as much for you, and it’s important to read all the chapters because they detail different concepts of the Lightning Process, as well as powerfully demonstrating how even the most debilitated and apparently hopeless cases can be resolved simply and rapidly. The question I would ask you to hold in your mind as you read the book is, ‘If these people have resolved their difficulties, then what might be possible for me?’
Throughout the book there are exercises which are designed to help you start to make the changes you wish for. There have been a number of cases where people have found this book enough of a catalyst and, just by reading it, have recovered their health. So I would strongly recommend that you apply yourself fully to the exercises and that you keep a pen and paper handy so you can work through them as you go along.
Although there has been much focus on the health-boosting aspects of the Lightning Process, it also has much wider applications. Over the years, I have developed specialist programmes using some of the technology of the Lightning Process to deal with issues of stress, happiness, effectiveness and fulfillment. These include seminars for athletes, for business – the Phil Parker Peak Performance (P4) – and education for teachers and students – Powerzone – that help people get similar levels of success in those areas.
Finally, prepare to be amazed by what the human mind, brain and body can do.