World Suicide Prevention Week is observed between September 10 and 16 each year to promote worldwide action to prevent suicides.

Various events and activities are held over the seven days to raise awareness that suicide is a major yet preventable cause of premature death.

One woman determined to teach people one way of relieving stress and anxiety is Chester-based Denise Oliver who presents the Empowerment Hour on Wrexham-based community radio station Calon FM.

Through her show Denise encourages her listeners to look at their problems from a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual perspective and on September 14 she moved out from behind the microphone to offer free taster sessions in the foyer of Calon FM of Access Bars – a treatment that involves gently touching 32 points on your head that supposedly contain all the thoughts, ideas, beliefs, emotions, and considerations that you have stored in your head.

“I wanted to bring something into this space to tie in with Suicide Prevention Week,” explains Denise.

“Access Bars involves touching each of these 32 points in a sequence with the aim of changing people’s realities.

“More than 17 years ago now, co-founder of Access Consciousness, Dr Dain Heer, was so depressed that he set the date for his own suicide.

“He gave the universe six months to show him something different or he was out of here.

“From the outside his life looked ‘perfect’ and yet inside he was dying. He had two successful chiropractic practices, money in the bank and he was due to be married.

“He discovered the Bars and this one process changed his energy in a way that nothing else had and changed his life.

“Dr Dain would like us all to know that there is always another choice and says, ‘Never give up!’.”

If it all sounds a bit out there it’s worth noting Access Bars has assisted thousands of people around the world to change many aspects of their life including sleep, health and weight issues, money, sex and relationships, anxiety, stress and much more.

Denise’s working career began way back in the 1970s when she trained and qualified as a nurse with a second career as a mother to her three children.

After a series of illnesses Denise found her way back to health and a new career, her third, as a nutritional therapist and via this holistic approach to health and well being she continues to help herself, her family and her clients bridging that gap between the general medical world and the world of alternative therapies.

“Ten years ago I was very ill,” remembers Denise. “I had lymes disease and as a result of that I ended up with chronic fatigue.

“I was doing a lot of soul searching and on one of the many courses I went on I found out about Access Bars through a friend and went on a day course which changed my life.

“I did my training and I now train others about it and I’ve found my energy levels have just gone up and up.”

Denise explains the process where the facilitator lightly touches each point on the head to release ‘the energy’ and how receiving this process – having your Bars run – usually leaves you with a sense of peace and space, and a feeling like there is more possibility open to you.

“I’m noticing the number of people doing it is really increasing,” she says.

“There is a lot of pressure on people to be available 24/7 and social media plays its part in that. Some of us just can’t disconnect ourselves and switch our phones off.

“For people who have grown up with this it is like another limb. I watch my kids do it – they can’t put their phone down and if they’re not on their phones they are on some other device.

“It puts pressure on people and there is now an outlet for that anxiety.

“On the show I talk to people about how to change their lives for the better and that can be anything from yoga to Access Bars. It’s all about finding what works for you.”

As Denise prepares me for a treatment I begin thinking at the very least I will get a pleasant head massage and a nice lie down, but as she begins lightly touching each point on my head I immediately begin to feel more refreshed and relaxed.

“It’s all about putting you at the top of the list rather than your mobile phone,” adds Denise.

“Go away and do some deep breathing or perhaps learn some mindfulness and do some meditation with someone like myself.

“For me Access Bars goes deeper than just lying down and being relaxed. Something changes within the chemistry in the body and it brings more ease to the body.

“There is never a right or wrong with mental health and I would urge people to just do something to help themselves.

“The feedback we’ve got today is just how relaxing it is and how people are able to just breathe and let go in that moment.

“They can remember who they are and connect with their body and not be on the go all the time.”