We are in The London Evening Standard 3rd March 2010

The Great Escape: a spring break without travel




Technically speaking March is spring but in most other ways it still feels decidedly wintry and, for many people, their main summer holiday is a long way off.

But don't panic because the secret is to recreate the escape-it-all experience without leaving the country. New treatments on offer in London include the Two-Hour Holiday, the brainchild of wellbeing expert Patrick Lucocq. It is a mix of visualisation techniques and hypnotherapy, which provide the health benefits of time off abroad without the stress of airport travel. Here, we preview what is on offer to recharge your mind and body.

The Two-Hour Holiday
What is it? A mixture of meditation, relaxation and hypnotherapy
What is involved? It's a bone-chilling evening and I'm sitting in a London basement sniffing lemons surrounded by strangers. There's a rug on the floor spread with travel guides and souvenir pebbles. Guitar music plays in the background. A key part of this therapy is to stimulate the senses through touch and smell. Hence the lemons. It also includes storytelling by sharing your memories of a perfect holiday experience. Most of my group just want more space to think and a good night's sleep. And lots of sunshine.
Next, Patrick asks us to select an object we like from the rug. I pick out a pebble with a lizard motif and am transported back to an Australian trip. As I talk, the tension in my shoulders lifts. Then it's meditation time. The lights are switched off, candles lit and we all lie down on cushions with our eyes shut. Wave sounds play in the background as Patrick asks us to imagine ourselves in a tranquil place and focus on our breathing. It's clear from the noises that some people have already fallen asleep.
Holiday factor? It's hard to explain how two hours in a basement chatting and meditating can recreate the holiday experience. But it does. I leave uplifted and inspired.
Contact: Venues include Neal's Yard in Covent Garden and Regent's Park. (07789713876, www.calmhorizon.co.uk)
Cost: £10 a session.
Sophie Goodchild

The Two Hour Holiday is an event run through Happening Weekends www.happening-weekends.co.uk.

More soon

Best wishes

Patrick