Testimonials

Read what Mind and Body Scotland clients have thought about working with Renee:
I travelled 60 miles for the best therapy session I have ever had. Never before had a therapist taken the time to find out the reason and cause of pain. Renee then tailor made therapy for me. PLUS after 10 minutes she spotted what pain doctors/specialists had never found. I have Scoliosis which makes my left leg 2cm shorter than my right. Since being back to the doctor, I have seen Orthotics specialists and have insole which greatly minimises my pain. BRILLIANT.” Robert C.
​“I cannot sing Renee's praises as a Doula enough. I had a long labour, with mild contractions for 2.5 days before things heated up. Renee was with me pretty much all of the time.  She read books to our two year old, tidied up, prepared the birth room, fed us, made me laugh, massaged me, walked outside with me, encouraged me and met all my labour needs. I was relaxed as both my husband and Renee looked after us. It was wonderful to be supported, have an advocate who could speak with midwives if required, and have her ample knowledge of labour and birth. Renee knew what I wanted and made sure I got it! I am thrilled to have birthed at home and to have had this support, before, during and after birth. I am thankful to have found her and have Renee in our lives. Renee is a caring, nurturing, wonderful woman. Thank you Renee. We love you.” Ros M
​“This is one amazing lady. She is a top rate therapist, warm, caring and very intelligent.” Nikki W
​“Holistic therapy given in a professional but friendly manner. In addition to delivering a variety of therapies Renee McBride gives non-judgemental lifestyle advice in a homely non-threatening environment.” Thom N.
​“I have been with Renee for several years. A true professional she puts you at ease from the very first appointment. She listens to your story and your reasons for seeking her help and tailors your treatments to what you need most. A beautiful person whose aim is to support and help her clients address the stresses and strains of life and come through stronger for the experience. My advice; don't hesitate make an appointment today!” Isabel O
“Renee is wonderful! I started seeing Renee nearly two years ago she is a fantastic therapist and helped me through some very stressful times. Then when I became pregnant, I knew instantly that I wanted her as my Doula. She helped me plan my home birth and was the rock both my partner and I needed during the birth. She is a wonderful Doula - calm, focussed, warm and loving - just what you need and want during birth. I couldn't imagine doing it without her! Thank you Renee! Lots of love x” Gina V
“I can't praise this lady enough, she helped me no end with my Fibromyalgia pain. She no longer is a lady I go to, she has become a real friend and she is a great listener and counsellor and I can pour my troubles out to her. I highly recommend her and she is also an extremely kind and caring person. If you are in need of someone give a Renee a call.” May W.
“It took me time to decide on whether I should use a doula or not - being familiar with the scientific evidence on multiple positive effects of doulas on birth experience, I decided to ask Renee to support me. Renee appeared to be warm sensitive, but at the same time a mentally strong, resilient and honest woman who stands up for others. The decision about hiring Renee was undoubtedly the right one.

I am one of those people who takes local, and even general, anaesthetic because of fear of pain and discomfort during medical procedures. So how did I experience pregnancy and survive birth? During pregnancy I was the most relaxed woman ever...and during birth? I even didn't ask for a paracetamol... what’s more important, I enjoyed it. I had natural birth in the pool that lasted two hours from my first contraction...Some may say that's unusual and I am really lucky...I indeed appreciate the fact that my experience was probably quite unique and I'm aware that not every woman may experience the same and give birth to their first child within two hours - even if she hires a doula.

​However I greatly believe that Renee did make a great contribution to how I felt and coped throughout pregnancy and during birth. She helped me learn to relax through teaching me hypnobirthing techniques. She was also an amazing support to my husband, who in fact initially hesitated if he wanted to be present at birth at all (he was and didn't regret it!) I appreciated Renee’s support during birth... hospital staff wanted to send me home however Renee supported my decision to stay and I’m lucky I did stay because an hour later my son was born.
​
A few days after birth, she also visited us and provided us with lots relevant information (e.g. on breastfeeding).  I think for Renee being a doula is not just a job...it’s her vocation…she loves doing it, she is passionate about it and she also has a great deal of knowledge and experience. I will always be very grateful to Renee and will highly recommend her to others. Thanks to her I strongly believed I would do it and I did it...now I have an adorable baby and wonderful memories.” Anna
​“Before I met this wonderful lady, I was struggling, even just putting the bin out and I started to panic. I had just come out of an abusive relationship and had no confidence. I was scared and didn't know what to do. The GP prescribed medication, which just made me sleepy, didn't really help me get out and about.

Then I met Renee! During my first session, she really took her time getting to know me and how I think. She tailored my first session of hypnotherapy to suit me. Within days of having this session, I was out, oh my days, it was a Saturday afternoon and I was in the shopping centre buying Christmas presents.... I was free!!!!

Renee has helped so much with my anxiety, my confidence, the way I see myself and thinking rationally. I continue to see Renee every couple of weeks, not only me but my son too. He had problems with bed wetting, one session with Renee and he's had a dry bed ever since. She is a very caring, kind and friendly lady, she makes me feel at ease. Not only have I found a fantastic hypnotherapist, I have also found one of the nicest, understanding people I will ever meet.

​My advice to anyone with anxiety is to give it a try, it works for me. Suzi H
Mind and Body Scotland logo
"We contacted Renee looking for support in my second pregnancy following a traumatic birth experience first time around. As soon as we met Renee our anxieties surrounding the birth were eased. She is a warm, intelligent lady who provides the perfect balance of both practical and emotional support. Most importantly her extensive knowledge and experience regarding both pregnancy and birth provides great reassurance. She helped us to draw up our birth plan, attended hospital meetings and was always available to chat through anxieties as the birth approached (and reassure me during a couple of false alarms!)

​When it came to the birth itself Renee was just fantastic. She kept us relaxed during the early stages of labour at home with massage techniques and helpful suggestions to keep the labour progressing. At the hospital she was dedicated to ensuring my birth plan was followed. When matters became complicated she was the voice of reason to ensure my views were heard and adhered to .I had a wonderful water birth and it was such a better experience second time around. It is no exaggeration to say that much of this was down to Renee. She really is everything you could want in a Doula; calm, considered and so caring. We are so glad that Renee was there for us at such a precious time and cannot recommend her highly enough. Thank you Renee!" Jillian Y
Mind and Body Scotland logo
​“Choosing Renee as the Doula for the birth of our first baby was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. At first we really were not sure if we needed/wanted a Doula present as there would obviously be midwifes present at the birth as well. However we came to realise that midwifes really do have a different function. Midwives are there primarily to provide medical support where as a Doula gives emotional and physical support. During the birth I felt much more comfortable to ask Renee for support than I did the midwives. She could bring me things as needed and remind me to drink and eat and to breathe through the contractions. As I was having 9 contractions every 10 minutes and as fantastic as my partner was, it was really helpful to have another person there supporting as it was too much for just one person to support. However great a birthing partner is, I still think it is of benefit to have a Doula as they have the experience of many different births. As you are not sure who you will get as a midwife and you may not like the person you end up with, I found I was far less worried about the birth knowing that there would be someone there that I knew and trusted. If you give birth in a hospital you will probably not have the dedicated support throughout the birth of one midwife (they may be covering other births and may finish work part way through you giving birth).

​I contacted several Doulas before speaking to Renee and as soon as I spoke to her I knew that she was the right person to go with. She had a lovely balance between being firm and supportive with the midwives to making sure I got the birth I wanted without being confrontational. All of the Doulas I spoke to had tended to support women/couples who had the preference to have a more natural birth whereas midwives, as helpful as they are, tend to come from a different perspective. 

Renee tailored a pre-natal consultation to our personal needs and answered any specific questions we had. It was far more efficient and supportive than the group prenatal classes provided by the NHS. She also provided advice about hypnobirthing and helped us to choose which books to read and CD's to listen to. When I was late going into labour, Renee provided excellent advice about the research on risks of medical intervention and leaving it to proceed naturally. She provided this advice without any judgement. She helped me to remain calm and not worried about going over 42 weeks. She did some investigations for me about my options and sent me through links to read so I could make an informed choice.

When I did naturally go into labour, the massage which Renee gave throughout gave amazing pain relief against the contractions, enabling me have a drug free birth. The information in the books that I had read beforehand really helped me during labour, especially about the transition phase when women experience doubt that they have the energy to give birth just before they are about to actually start pushing.

 I can honestly say that birthing was a powerful, positive experience for me and Renee really helped this. I'm not saying that it was not painful at times but it is also absolutely amazing what the female body can do!

We didn't realise how helpful it would be to discuss the experience of giving birth with Renee a few days afterwards. We thought the purpose of meeting afterwards was to discuss any problems with caring for the baby etc. however, found it far more insightful to discuss the birth. As you are not completely conscious of everything going on while in labour it was invaluable to discuss this a few days afterwards and understand what had happened and when. Renee could explain the events clearly and provide insight from her vast experience of different births. It is such a huge event in your life that it is something I found we wanted to talk through. Thanks Renee!”  Emily J
Mind and Body Scotland logo
“My experience of hypnotherapy for phobias with Renee McBride. I had a strange phobia of wind turbines, the type that you often see from the road when driving. I used to avoid driving along certain roads so that I didn’t have to encounter the turbines.  I almost caused a serious crash one day when a wind turbine crept up on me from nowhere. I tried to ‘jump’ out of the way and almost went headlong into oncoming traffic! Since then I couldn’t even think about turbines without having cold shivers and feeling sick. Even if I was in the car with my partner he’d know not to drive down roads with wind turbines. After this, I saw Renee to try to get some help with my phobia. She spent a lot of time sensitively asking about my fear until we finally got to the root of the problem.  I felt relaxed and at ease with Renee despite talking about the dreaded wind turbines. The hypnosis itself was a wonderful experience, during which Renee gave me many tools to use if I ever did find myself in a frightening situation again, like pressing a thumb and forefinger together which can easily be done around a steering wheel and which grounds me to a relaxed state again.  I can honestly say that after one session of hypnotherapy I can now drive along roads I never used to be able to, I even tried looking at a wind turbine last week, which sounds crazy but if you have a real phobia you will understand, and I was absolutely fine.  Still I don’t think I would like to climb up one….but I certainly am not scared of them now…and I won’t be causing any crashes. My hypnotherapy with Renee was an excellent investment and I can’t thank her enough for curing my irrational fear." Alison P.​
Image of a testimonial for Mind and Body Scotland