A Valentine twist.  As is usual with hoarders, addicts, or behavioural disorders in this range, it was a family member that had called, desperate for help.  Having seen the first series of “The Hoarder Next Door” Judith rang Channel 4 to see if they could help her.  You will have met Pauline, from the ‘Xmas Special’, episode 1, in my last article.  Greg is my second client on that programme in this 2^nd series.  (You can view the episode again via 4 on Demand)

Antique dealer Greg’s hoarding had gone way beyond a collection, or a reasonable overspill.  Judith and Greg had lived together for a number of years, both previous marriages having broken down.  Judith clearly loved Greg but she just didn’t feel she could continue living with him AND the excessive hoarding.  Judith was at the end of her tether.  One of them HAD to go!  They were living in Judith’s house and she was financing the keeping of them and the house, while Greg was trying and wanting, in vain, to make an income and contribute to their financial needs, via his interest in 2^nd hand furniture.  But time after time his obsessive buying had eaten up the little and irratic income he had.

Continue reading →

New Year . . . New start?
Good will . . . Will power?
With all the will in the world, what difference do your New Year’s Resolutions really make to your intentions, YOUR longing to change?

Some will start this New Year afresh with such a different outlook:  It was a privilege to assist a few – whose lives had come to a standstill – to discover and release what had shackled their lives and invaded their homes.  As with many addicts, and most compulsive hoarders, they do not recognise the size of their issue, while their families simply can’t stand it any longer. After seeing the first series of “The Hoarder Next Door”, family members contacted Channel 4 to seek help.

Continue reading →