Accessing Self Mastery

Linda de Villiers helped client Gill Hogg's recovery from the loss of a family member which had nearly destroyed her.  A personal empowerment facilitator with over 25 years' experience, Linda has not only applied and integrated her training, but has helped others to do the same, Patricia Scott reports.

It began with a tragic event in November some nine years ago.  James, Gill’s husband was killed in a car accident on his return to Port Elizabeth from Humansdorp, where he had been visiting relatives who were grieving the loss of a family member. 

Gill, left with two children, Devon and James, aged five months and four years respectively, had to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and move on.  Not only had she lost her husband, but their family business had gone into liquidation just one month prior to his passing.  James junior on hearing of his dad’s death ran around the house screaming, “My daddy’s dead, my daddy died.”  He told everybody about the death of his father.  Gill’s family who were living in Johannesburg at the time suggested that she move there, but Gill knew instinctively that Port Elizabeth would be her home.  Her friends and late husband’s family all lived in Port Elizabeth and to cope with the stress of a move and making new friends would prove to be too much. 

The following 18 months became a blur for Gill when she moved into automatic mode, blocked off all emotion and decided she had to survive and that “life moved on”.  She moved in with her parents-in-law, found a job and tried to raise two children as best she could.  Today, chatting to Gill, she has only praise and love for her parents-in-law who were kind, loving and supportive during that trying time.  “Devon didn’t sleep for a year.  There were nights where I would walk into my in-laws’ bedroom, leave Devon with them, close the door and try and get some sleep as I had to go to work the next day.  It would always be about two hours later when I’d hear my mom-in-law creep into my room and place a sleeping Devon into his cot.  She is an amazing woman.” 

By the time her younger son turned two, although still not having the courage to face and deal with the emotions of the trauma she had experienced, Gill had successfully taken care of things on a physical level by moving into her own home again, raising her children and earning a living.  Life had gone on to some degree, and did so for seven years.  Two years ago, however, everything started to crumble and come apart at the seams.  Gill ended up in a state where she couldn’t drive her car, sign her name, get out of bed, work or cook.  It had all been too much for her.  Heavily medicated and undergoing psychotherapy, Gill felt she wasn’t getting any better.  Even a recently formed relationship was “kicked into touch.”  “It sparked off too many emotions in me which I was not ready to deal with, but Patrick refused to leave.  I’d wake up and he’d be sitting at the end of the bed.  He was always there.” 

Patrick had decided that although he had been devastated by the “ending” of their relationship, he would always be there - he would help Gill all he could. Day by day, minute by minute, when Patrick was not travelling around the country on business, he would talk to Gill incessantly, take her for walks on the beach and take her shopping.  He began to research depression and its various treatments, exploring natural supplements and alternative methods of healing.  Patrick constantly encouraged Gill to try the alternative way, but it wasn’t until a friend came across an article on a spiritual intuitive and healer, that she gained Gill’s permission to make an appointment for her to see Linda de Villiers.  Gill admits that she had no idea what she was letting herself in for and remembers little of her first appointment.  “It was one of those grey days, overcast and chilly.  I remember dressing in white;  white underwear, white pants and top, white socks and shoes, even a white scrunchie in my hair.  No-one was able to drive me to Linda’s home, so I had to drive myself.  I knew that I had to go and that if this didn’t work, nothing would.”  Gill left Linda feeling that she had turned the corner.

 Slowly but surely, after each session with Linda, subtle changes were noticed by Patrick, Gill’s family and friends.  She eventually began to wean herself off anti-depressants and try natural alternatives.  Once completely off the medication, progression and healing became quick.  Gill became more alert and more vibrant.  Not all the sessions with Linda were easy and Patrick likens the healing process to the work of a gardener, turning the soil and loosening the roots of plants – sometimes a painful experience.  Linda managed to get down to deep-seated issues and help Gill face and deal with them. 

What stands out most in Gill’s mind is that Linda helped her to see that what she was going through was okay.  “She explained the purpose for the way things had happened, and I left feeling that it was actually okay that these things were happening in my life.  I felt clearer and not so fuzzy.”  When we understand the reason for things happening, it’s easier to let go and allow the healing to take place. 

Today, Gill is a different person – accepting the process of life, change and growth.  Friends and family cannot believe the difference.  She is together, running a successful business and hoping to open a Bioptron clinic in the near future.  Patrick & Gill were married on June 1st, 2001 in a quaint ceremony conducted by Linda who is also an ordained New Thought Minister.  “We are a wonderful support for each other and the boys and I have an incredible bond”, claims Patrick. 

Patrick describes Linda as the family’s spiritual guru.  “The first time I saw her, it was as though an incredible weight had been lifted off my shoulders.  I felt as though I was walking on air and that I could run the Comrades.  She has helped me with many issues and assisted my growth in so many areas that my life is completely different now.”  As a computer engineer, Patrick admits that everything in his life was either black or white, it either was, or it wasn’t, and all arguments were based on logic.  “I am no longer like that”, he says. 

James and Devon have also benefited tremendously from Linda’s expertise.  James, a very controlled child who bottled everything up inside, said he felt so light afterwards – he had spent many years being the man of the house since his father’s death, a huge responsibility to bear.  Devon on the other hand, a soft, gentle soul whose confidence had waned and was experiencing problems at school is now coping well.

Through personal life experience, Linda’s forte lies in identifying the potential greatness within every individual.  She has been known to possess ability to identify core issues, imbalances, and weaknesses which create and sustain a “less-than” life experience.