TESTIMONIALS
WRITTEN TESTIMONIALS
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“I have struggled my entire life with depression, poor self esteem and struggled to regulate my emotions. I found that as I got older (I am in my 60's), my relationships were getting worse and I was becoming more isolated. Cue Covid, and I found myself physically isolated and finding it harder and harder to cope with the isolation, loneliness and felt myself getting both emotionally numb and angrier, if that makes any sense. By some stroke of luck, I found Tim Fletcher's video's on YouTube and watched many of them, and thought he made a lot of sense. I didn't have a bad childhood, but I always struggled with feelings of not fitting in and negative emotions since childhood, which led to mental health struggles throughout my life. I thought it was silly that I was now decades out of childhood but still had these things affecting my present life, although I couldn't call it "trauma" because nothing really bad in terms of abuse ever happened to me. I was astonished to realize that my feelings were caused by "Complex Trauma" which really meant that it was many small incidents of trauma that could affect a person's life. I joined LIFT in November 2021, and was amazed at how much emotion came out when I let it. After completing LIFT, I then continued on with KEYS for 10 months and learned more about my emotions, where they come from, and how to deal with them. All my relationships in my life are better and I feel calmer and happier than I have in years. I have the tools now to go beneath my surface emotions, address my "stinking thinking" and live a more authentic life. The groups and facilitators of LIFT and KEYS are warm, authentic and supportive people, and I always felt safe sharing my thoughts and emotions with them. I am now continuing in Phase 3 with weekly support meetings, and I am so grateful to the Tim Fletcher family for their support and help in addressing my issues. "When you are ready, the teacher will appear".
It has led me to believe that most people in our society have Complex Trauma and it's just a function of how we were all taught to relate to one another. I think the world would be a much healthier place if we could all learn about Complex Trauma and how to deal with our emotions in a healthy way.”
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“My experience with the LIFT program is that it's been by far the biggest personal growth experience I've had so far. For a long time I was disconnected from my feelings and emotions and it was at LIFT where I have found that connection with myself again. I've found a home within the LIFT team but above anything else I have found home within myself. I have learned how to love myself deeply and unconditionally in a way I have never experienced before. Tim and his team are committed to help people and they do this in the most loving, caring and compassionate manner.”
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“RE/ACT/LIFT speaks for itself very loud and clear in all the lives it touches among whom I am one. This program needs a testimonial. You have to try it to grasp its impact. No matter where you are in your life journey, LIFT is a welcome addition that will enrich your perspective and empower you. You have nothing to lose but the emotional hurdles curtailing what you aspire to attain. This is where you can get unstuck when you are out of your wits and nothing else seems to work. Let me tell you, it is not an easy ride but it is worth it by all means. Thanks you Breanne, Anita, Kari, Kim and Tim for all your hard work and dedication. I love you all.”
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“I would like to express my deepest appreciation for LIFT and offer my recommendation for this incredible program. While I have been in “groups” of various kinds, this is the first and only one I have experienced the freedom to participate in and be genuine, authentic, unguarded, and vulnerable and yet feel completely safe and protected.
Throughout most of my life, I have had issues with trusting people because I have not been confident they will protect what I share. Because of that, it took me the first 5 weeks of Phase 1 to get to the place where I was willing to let down my walls and allow people to see the “real me”. At the end of Phase 1, I was seriously toying with the idea of quitting LIFT. True to form, I had a litany of things I had identified so as to justify that decision. That doesn’t mean any of my thoughts had validity, but I was just following the coping mechanisms I had developed and learned to master over the years. However, I uncharacteristically did some self-counselling and thought to myself, “don’t operate out of your limbic brain, get some input from other people.” So, naturally, I sought counsel from a LIFT facilitator who encouraged me to stay for Phase 2. That counsel, however, didn’t surprise me in the least. So, I pursued some counsel from outside of LIFT, a more unbiased opinion I thought. That friendly advisor listened carefully to my thoughts and then, in a rather direct statement, encouraged me to quit. As the words fell from that counselor’s lips I thought, “Now there is a smart person!!”.
But within moments of hearing that counsel, I had a thought pierce my preconceived ideas and race to the cortex of my brain. Suddenly, before I could catch myself I heard these words: “Roger, stop and think about it! That’s exactly what your DEFAULT RESPONSE has been throughout your life. If something comes up, you FIGHT IT, and if that doesn’t work you FLEE THE SCENE like a criminal. Don’t run away, just because it’s uncomfortable.” Since I had nothing to really fight about, I wanted to take THE FLIGHT OPTION, but decided that would be the coward’s way out… so I hung in there, came back, completed all of Phase 2 for which I’m ecstatic and more than grateful that I did.
Not committing to LIFT initially would have been unfortunate, but leaving LIFT would have been tragic!!! Had I left, it would have been one of the more foolish knee-jerk-reactions of my life. I am a man of faith and have pursued God all of my life. However, outside of that, LIFT has played an indescribably significant role in my life and all of my relationships. Over the 15 weeks of LIFT, I have been looking into a mirror and intently studying what I have seen reflected back to me. Over the past 14 weeks, I have moved back, further and further, until I reached the place where I could humbly see what seemed to be the “whole me” coming into view and in focus. I can see the good, the bad, and the ugly. I didn’t deny, or ignore, or turn away from my reflection. Rather, I began to look more honestly and intently at the reflection of myself and began to honestly embrace the truth about my past, my present, and my potential future. Through LIFT I have gained some excellent cognitive, emotional, and relational tools I can use to craft a life that is fulfilling and honors other people in my life.
Thanks to Tim, and the entire LIFT Team, I believe that in time, I will enjoy the fruit of my experience with LIFT and the major transformational changes I’ve experienced in my life. If you are wounded or traumatize, due to no fault of your own; if you have been abused, neglected, abandoned, or shamed in any way by anyone; I WOULD HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO PURSUE LIFT. Contact the LIFT Team now. You will never regret it; at least I believe I won’t.”
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“I entered the LIFT program with a broken shell, layers upon layers of trauma, neglect and anger. What I had not known before the program was that I was angry. Anger that I had carried with me from such a young age that manifested itself and morphed throughout my formative years and young adulthood.
The participants, facilitators, individual coaching, and of course the weekly check-ins and free formed talks with Tim (Fletcher) made for a rich multi layered healing space. It was hard work and exhausting, yet exhilarating. I often kicked and fussed refusing to turn on my camera and sign into the (ultra convenient mind you) Zoom classes. I write that with a chuckle out loud. I never left a class saying I wish I had missed it because even on my hardest days when I attended, the end of class just brought so much closure and sense of stability peace. It felt cleansing; I guess of the mind and heart.
I was off work and with that I fully committed to watching Tim and the programs YouTube videos. I might have slacked on the written work but I carefully printed them out and organized into folders! I often refer to them now years after finishing the program. Advice. Print and keep your work. You can refer to it later and make note of gains and changes.
Next set of advice for a successful and gainful program with LIFT... be vulnerable. Listen with open ears. Carefully and deeply. Listen to your body as it reacts to the course work because IT WILL react. Trust you me. Be gentle with yourself. Commit to showing up. Just show up. Give yourself that much.”
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“I was lucky enough to be among the first group to sign on to the new online LIFT program, which I was told was very similar to the RE/ACT program. Honestly, it was about the most difficult thing I have done in my life, signing up, and then seeing it through the weeks or meetings and working through the materials. The results were nothing short of amazing. There were so many light-bulb moments for me as I worked through the materials. My eyes were beginning to open to a real understanding of the issues that had plagued me from childhood and all through my life. I started understanding the ways I was affected by Complex Trauma in my childhood and how those issues were still driving my behaviour in adulthood.
There are many claims about life-changing programs. The LIFT program truly changed my life in significant and lasting ways. I am not the person I was when I started LIFT, and my progress continues even months after graduating the course. Even during the program I was implementing changes to my behaviours that began to have healing affects on my close relationships that were in trouble. While my journey to a healthy life and love continues, I will always credit Tim’s program for giving me the turning point moment when I became aware of and could begin to address the issues in my life in real and healthy ways.”
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“The Lift program has been by far the most valuable, eye-opening contribution on my journey to self-enlightenment. I have been on this journey for over 15 years... engaged in reading many books, listening to podcasts, attending spiritual programs, EMDR, tapping, yoga, meditation, breathing, traditional therapy and prescription medication which all helped to some extent. LIFT has uniquely been the key to understanding myself and others and has allowed me to become aware of my self-defeating behaviors. Most importantly, LIFT has given me the tools to finally become the healthy, whole person that I so desperately sought throughout my entire life. I can't say enough about Tim Fletcher, the staff (Breanne), facilitators (Morag, Nelson, Kim) and my coach (Kim S) who have made this the most positive and impactful journey of my life.
I would highly recommend LIFT to anyone struggling with addictions (eating, shopping, exercise, alcohol, drugs), suffered traumas in their childhood, felt like they were never "good enough" or anyone who is interested in becoming the best version of themself. This program is truly life changing and I will be forever grateful for LIFT.”
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“LIFT helped me understand myself and my hurts better than I ever have before. Because of the support and teaching of the community of people I walked through the program with I was finally able to put words to the things that I had never understood about myself and others that I knew weren't right. I was finally able to leave my abusive relationship and understand why I had fallen into so many abusive partnerships before. I am able to see and set boundaries for healthy relationships now and govern myself in a way that takes care of myself and truly respects people around me. The understanding, honesty and gentleness of participants and facilitators helped me better understand and accept who I was as well as face many things I had been afraid to uncover myself. The program gave me knowledge of what actually happens in trauma and how to correct it as an adult, and how to parent my son so he doesn't walk the same patterns. Because of LIFT I now feel like I have a say in my life and am not just along for the ride.”
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“The LIFT program created a real awareness to my responses from earlier childhood. Growing up by myself in a remote area, I experienced loneliness that led to being co-dependent, a need to be around people and be accepted. In later teenage years, my insecurities resulted in alcohol abuse and seeking unhealthy relationships. Although I grew up in a loving family with most all the 12 basic needs I struggled to have/show love and patience in raising children. This program is awesome in showing how important love, patience and compassion are in early childhood, making a child feel loved and wanted! Although this all makes sense to me (and also many I've spoken to) it's another thing to put it into practice. Highly recommended to anyone raising children. LIFT will help reverse engineer those negative "unaware" habits and give you the tools to better healthier living with yourself and others!”
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“I was in traditional “talk” therapy for 9 years. Childhood and other trauma was NOT addressed. LIFT has succeeded where regular therapy did not. I highly recommend this exceptional approach and I would recommend searching “Tim Fletcher” on Youtube to get a taste of this program.”
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I needed help. I needed honest conversations. I needed support.
RE/ACT gave me all of this. It opened up my heart. This course gave me hope.
I smile, when I think of the other fellow travelers. I have made besties for life.
In 2023, there is a healer on every block. Tim Fletcher, is not the healer, you are. Tim Fletcher and his staff, will hold your hand, so to speak, and include you, your life’s experiences, and reserve a place in their hearts, during your recovery, and continue to care, always.
You have to want to take the next step, to express yourself, to change self-limiting beliefs.
I have gained, awareness, trust, friendship, and learned the difference between pride, and humility.
I used to believe my emotions, were just a pesky inconvenience.
Now, from experiencing the RE/ACT course, I don’t stuff them, nor ignore them,
I honour them.
RE/ACT with Tim Fletcher, to me, was a treasure chest of possibilities.
I’m proud of myself, I stopped crying, and started living.
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My goal in attending LIFT was to learn ways of helping people in my life who struggle with their day to day. In the end, my eyes and mind were opened to my own issues in life and living. The practical tools and heart to heart conversations with fellow participants and facilitators are invaluable. I learned to love myself in order to better love my neighbour and have seen the remarkable changes the teaching and application makes in so many lives.
Thank you for your love and support through the hard work of learning to identify and overcome barriers to meeting my 12 basic needs and so much more!”
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"I love how LIFT keeps up with the latest research in recovery & complex trauma. LIFT gets that my addiction wasn't a choice—that it was a response to my childhood. Most importantly, they taught me not to deny painful emotions (like anger), to face and feel them, so I could truly, fully heal."
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“LIFT is the Artesian spring water well of wisdom, purifying and healing our minds, bodies and souls from the stuck in us multi-generational and personal traumas. It feeds, waters and nourishes our ever-green sprout of connection and desire to live authentically in us, while experiencing unconditional acceptance and love. It cleanses our deep unhealthy and sometimes toxic conditionings by families, schools, cultures, religions and governments systems. The team gently deconditions all the false believes that we have happened to grow up with and not only provides the spring cleaning of our psyche but also provides a cutting edge map of all the roads to optimal health for us and our children. My entire family, friendship group and work place are benefiting their work, as the new healthy skills get passed on automatically around us. I will be forever eternally grateful to Tim and his Team. Thank you for all the guidance and encouragements.”
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“A few years back, I realized that my life was in a constant spiral and it appeared I could not find anyone or anything that I could relate to. Feeling alone, having been isolated for a long time and grieving the deaths of my grandchild, husband and mother… everything seemed dismal, and I could not claw my way out of my agony. I was unaware that there was a great deal more trauma from my past, that I would have to address.
I felt ready to self-medicate or worse… feeling hopeless, I talked to a few therapists. One of them really did her best to connect with me and to help me – she was unable.
One evening, flipping channels on TV and trying to find anything that might distract me from my personal hell, I saw Tim Fletcher (who I recognized as a guest pastor at my place of worship) and I wondered what he was talking about on YouTube. After a few minutes of listening, I started to wonder how in the world he was “reading my mind”. It was as if he was speaking DIRECTLY to me and somehow inside my head. I couldn’t stop watching and soon I realized there might be hope for me. If someone could actually “see me”, that had to mean something.
Shortly after viewing several videos, I decided I had nothing to lose by enrolling in the project he had created. It was an intense endeavor, lasting a few months of 5 days/week and1 ½ hr. sessions each. Group sessions with MANY people who it turned out, had quite similar issues as I did. It was scary at first, to delve into places in your thoughts and heart that were often deeply hidden, and painfully released into the sessions. I was tempted to quit after a few weeks, as it was terribly painful for me emotionally. But I knew I had no where else to go, so I was determined to see it through.
The facilitators of each session were people who had been through the course/counselling and who KNEW what kind of pain we’d face. They guided us through with compassion and understanding. They were amazing!
Being able to access the REAL reasons for my ongoing distress took some time and there were times when I wished I could “unknow” what I had accessed. But, I wanted to heal and I didn’t want to die.
The sessions didn’t just look at the problems – there were answers. The participants learned how to go forward with their lives – how to find the good – how to move on from the trauma they’d known and knew. Of course, we also knew that we weren’t going to change the course of our ways of thinking and processing our unique situations in a few days or months. Moving forward would have to be a deliberate act that would require ongoing personal work and dedication.
Thankfully, follow-up sessions are/were offered, to help us to continue the work, if we desired to and there is/was individual counseling available, which was a life saver for me, literally.
I am forever grateful to Tim and his team who gave me a chance to move on and to want to live and be productive. It has been a struggle, but one with hope.
I have told anyone who will listen about this program – I believe it would benefit almost every human. Very few of us make it through this life unscathed – having guidance and compassion to get through it all is such a huge gift.
People from all over the globe are using this program with amazing results.
Compared to any guidance I’m aware of by psychologists/counsellors, the monetary cost for the program is exceptionally affordable. You do get far more than your money’s worth – I can attest to that!”
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“My experience in LIFT has been fantastic and I am so thankful to have had the support of my group over the period of Phase 1 and Phase 2. It was a commitment of time however, I decided that I owed that to myself. The knowledge and shared experience in a group of people coming together from all locations around the world and in all walks of life helped to show me the common human condition we all find ourselves in and reduced the sense of isolation as we worked through the materials each week. I cannot comment enough regarding the power of a "safe" space where being vulnerable and honest with one another can nurture and heal the heart and mind. I've been through other recovery programs in the past and have to say that I am blessed to have come across Finding Freedom on YouTube and while watching Tim Fletcher present each week I knew I wanted to dive deeper. Love the combination of recovery resources and spiritual application being brought together for those interested in such things while remaining separate if you are so inclined. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to understand themselves and their unconscious behaviors with discernment while equipping them to make changes!“
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"My experience in LIFT has given me everything that I'd lost or had been taken from me previously. Many things I'd mostly thrown away on my own bad choices or beliefs. Honesty, respect for myself and for those around me and hope for my future lead the list.
Realizing that I didn’t have a life filled with the same possibilities given to most others, was a huge red flag. I'd given up thinking about the most basic gifts we are intended to have and to enjoy from life.
LIFT helped me find the Freedom which never leaves me now. Repairing relationships with my sons by discovering ways to avoid future damage wasn't something I knew of. I'm not willing to waste any more of my life and I hope you also move forward and boldly towards the best version of the rest of your own lives.”
“There was a time in my life where I had no hope, where I could not see a future—in fact, I did not want to live. I not only survived intergenerational residential school trauma, complex childhood trauma, intimate partner violence, and addiction to multiple substances, I am now thriving and have hope for a meaningful future. This miraculous transformation is due in large part to the fulsome, holistic teachings of the RE/ACT and Finding Freedom programs of recovery.”
- Christy A.
Boozhoo neechiwakan! Christy Anderson indizhinikaaz, nin Pinaymootang indoonjibaa, nin ma’iigan indoodem. Greetings friends! My name is Christy, I am from Pinaymootang First Nation (Treaty Two Territory in Manitoba), and I am from the wolf clan. I am honoured to share a small piece of my life story with you through this brief introduction to the RE/ACT program created by Tim Fletcher Co. From the day my innocent spirit entered the world, my life was filled with turmoil and strife. From the beginning, I was exposed to extreme acts of violence, drugs and alcohol, and I was neglected—emotionally abandoned—by both of my parents. As a child, I felt unloved, unwanted, defective, unsafe, and mostly, like I was all alone and had to fend for myself. My father was a residential school survivor, and my mother did not take an interest in me or my sibling—I was abandoned by my father at age 5 and by the time I was 14 my mother had left me in the care of my grandparents. My entire youth consisted of a deep, dark depression, suicide ideation, and was marked by a reckless abandon where I did whatever I thought would meet my own needs. At the tender age of 12 I discovered alcohol and drugs and using became a part of my daily means of coping with the pain I had not yet named. Over the years my life spiraled out of control—the drugs got harder and were consumed more frequently. Before I knew it, I was a daily crystal methamphetamine user—I had no hope, I could not see a future, and I wanted to die. I hated myself.
At the age of 26 I had a revelation. I knew deep down inside that I was either going to die from using drugs or I could reach out and ask for help. Thus began the journey of unpacking my trauma and finding new, healthy coping mechanisms that I could rely on to build a new life. While my road to recovery has included many treatment centres, self-help groups, and counselors, it is the tools from the RE/ACT program that took hold in my mind and helped me to address the underlying causes of my addiction. The principles of RE/ACT teach the holistic problem and solution to my addictions. I discovered that my addiction was a complex issue, stemming from my biological, psychological, social, and spiritual maladies. I also learned that my addictions were a symptom of my real problem—the root of my addiction stemmed from complex childhood trauma. This was the beginning of a lifelong journey of recovery and wellness—the RE/ACT program has been instrumental in providing me with the tools I need to recover from a traumatic childhood.
I was fortunate to have met Tim Fletcher at the very beginning of my recovery, which led to my involvement with this program since its inception in 2007. The teachings I heard every Friday night for years at Finding Freedom have since evolved into the RE/ACT program. This program has one of the highest success rates of all programs because it teaches people that we cannot address our addictions unless we treat the trauma. Today I can say that I not only have a vision for my future, but I am also excited for the challenges that each day brings. I have found my passion for life and my place in the circle—I am a trustworthy friend and colleague, I am a doctoral student in Indigenous Studies, and most importantly, I am a mother who has learned how to be a loving, caring parent to my children. I have broken cycles of intergenerational dysfunction from both sides of my family, and I am passionate about helping others learn about the true history of our people, as well as giving back to those who struggle with their own unaddressed trauma.
It is my hope and prayer that this program and the supplementary Indigenous content will help others find freedom and healing from their complex trauma. One area of trauma that is distinct to our experiences as peoples who have survived genocide via colonization, is that of historical trauma. We have an additional layer of trauma that is unique to our collective history and requires unpacking in this journey of wellness. While it is beyond the scope of this text to deconstruct the complex relationship between settlers and the First Peoples of this land, this historical trauma is critical to understanding our complex childhood traumas—they are intimately connected. You may find that further discussions about the Indian Residential School system, the 60s Scoop, child welfare, gender-based violence, land dispossession, Indian Act policies, and other historical and contemporary issues require further attention in your groups—I encourage you to explore how the legislated colonial violence against our peoples are intricately connected to our individual, complex childhood traumas. A critical point in my own journey of recovery has been to acknowledge the pain and harm of the residential school legacy, and how this system impacted my relationship with my father. Sadly, my father was not able to face the hurts of his past and he took those secrets—his trauma—with him when he passed on to the spirit world. I had to reconcile our shared historical trauma with both of our complex childhood traumas to finally come to terms with the fact that my father not only abandoned me—he was stolen from me through systemic, historical violence against our people. Understanding our history has also helped me connect the dots in my own childhood trauma—it has helped me forgive because my father did not know any better and I am confident that if he did know better, he would have done better. Working through these deeply rooted issues has brought peace and healing to myself and my children, which will impact all the future generations of my family.
While I have attempted to draw upon a variety of Indigenous teachings and traditions in this supplementary content, I am Anishinaabekwe, therefore many of the teachings I have gravitated to are from the traditions and stories of my ancestors and other plains peoples. This book is intended to be a guide however, you may find there are more specific teachings, stories, or ceremonies that belong to your nation that would complement the RE/ACT teachings. I urge you to explore your own traditions as you share this knowledge with our people, ever mindful of the power and wisdom of our traditional knowledges. From my own experience, I have learned that when we apply the principles of “Two-Eyed Seeing,” when we are open to bringing the best of western knowledge into harmony with our Indigenous knowledges, Creator honours our unique positions as peoples who walk in both worlds.
There is a purpose for everything. As peoples who have survived hundreds of years of oppression in our homelands, we have lived through collective darkness. However, I am confident that if we are willing to bring our dark secrets—our guilt, shame, depression and the like—into the light, our Creator will use them for good. Our painful experiences have the power to shape us in such profound ways and when we confront them, learn from them, and access the tools we need for healing, we are better equipped to help others find their way through the darkness. When we work through our own pain, then we have found, and we are better equipped to help others find and live mino-bimaadziwin—the good life.
Gitchi-miigwetch for entrusting me and the team at Tim Fletcher Co. with helping to shine a light in dark places. May your ancestors meet you where you are, hear your prayers, and give you the strength you require to make the longest journey of your life—the journey from your head to your heart.
With Love and Respect,
Christy, Pinaymootang First Nation (member)
Recovered Alcoholic and Drug Addict (2006-Present)
BA Communications and Media Studies, Canadian Mennonite University (11’)
MA Native Studies, University of Manitoba (17’)
Thesis--(Re)Presenting Indigenous Women: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Two Reports on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada
PhD Student Indigenous Studies, University of Saskatchewan (2019-2023)
Joseph Armand-Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholar (2020-2023)
Indigenous Engagement Advisor, Canadian Mennonite University (2020-Present)
Indigenous Studies Instructor, Booth University College & Canadian Mennonite University
Research Assistant, University of Saskatchewan & Ryerson University
Southern Chiefs’ Organization, Health Research and Engagement Liaison (2014-16)