We believe the best organisations are the ones who face criticism openly and answer it honestly. This page does exactly that. Below we address every category of complaint that has been made about The Linden Method — with facts, not deflection.
For 30 years and 650,000+ members, the vast majority of feedback we receive is positive and often transformative. Where genuine complaints exist, we take them seriously. Where false claims have been published, we address them directly.
Complaint: 'It Didn't Work For Me'
This is the most common category of complaint and the one we take most seriously. The Linden Method is a structured programme that requires engagement. In cases where people report it not working, investigation consistently reveals one of the following: the programme was not followed consistently; the person disengaged early due to the temporary anxiety increase that sometimes occurs at the start of recovery; or the support available was not accessed.
We include unlimited professional support with every membership specifically because recovery sometimes requires guidance. If The Linden Method has not worked for you and you have not used the support, please do so. If you have and still have concerns, contact us.
Complaint: 'I Couldn't Get a Refund'
Our refund policy is clearly documented. Refunds are available within the guarantee period, subject to the condition that the programme content has not been fully downloaded. In a small number of cases, refunds were declined because this condition was not met — the content had been fully accessed. This is standard digital product practice.
Where a refund was declined in error, we correct it. Anyone who believes they have a legitimate unresolved refund claim should contact our support team at questions@thelindencentre.org — we will review every case.
Complaint: 'Charles Linden Made False Claims'
The Linden Method's claims are specific and verifiable: that the programme produces complete recovery from anxiety disorders through neurological normalisation, as demonstrated by 650,000+ members since 1996. These claims are supported by results, clinical endorsements, and 30 years of documented history.
Where specific false claims have been alleged — including fabricated biographical claims about Charles Linden personally — these have been legally challenged. We do not make claims we cannot substantiate, and we pursue legal remedies when false claims are made about us.
Complaint: 'The Support Team Was Unhelpful'
We regret any experience in which our support fell short. Our support team has expanded significantly over the years and we now offer multiple contact channels including email, phone, and live chat. If you had a poor support experience, we would genuinely like to know about it — contact us at questions@thelindencentre.org.
Complaint: 'Negative Reviews Were Removed'
We have applied for the removal of a small number of reviews and posts that contained provably false statements — including fabricated quotes, false biographical claims, and libellous allegations. We have not requested the removal of negative reviews that reflect genuine experience, however critical. Criticism based on real experience is something we respect. Fabrication is not.
Allegation: 'The Testimonials Are Fabricated'
This allegation is false. Every testimonial published by The Linden Method comes from a real member who contacted us voluntarily, gave permission for their experience to be shared, and whose account reflects their actual recovery. Testimonials are not invented, paid for, or fabricated. Many members have given their names, locations, and in some cases appeared on video.
The fabrication allegation typically originates from individuals who have not used the programme, cannot verify the existence of members, and have applied their own cynicism as a substitute for evidence. If you have a specific concern about a specific testimonial, contact us and we will address it directly. We have never fabricated a customer result.
In 30 years of operation, no court, regulator, or independent investigation has found that The Linden Method fabricated testimonials or customer results. The allegation has no evidential basis.
Allegation: 'The ASA Blacklisted The Linden Method'
The ASA did not blacklist The Linden Method. There is no such category as an ASA 'blacklist'. The ASA is an advertising regulator. In 2011 it ruled against specific advertising language used in a small number of promotional claims — language we adjusted accordingly. The ruling did not concern whether the programme works, whether results are genuine, or whether the organisation is legitimate.
We have written a detailed factual account of what the ruling said, what it did not say, and how the narrative around it has been distorted. The programme has continued to operate, to be recommended by doctors and NHS practitioners, and to produce recoveries — in the years before the ruling, during it, and for every year since. Anyone repeating the claim that The Linden Method was 'blacklisted' is misrepresenting what the ASA does and what actually occurred.
Allegation: 'The Linden Method Runs a Gay Conversion Bootcamp'
This allegation is completely false. It is one of the most malicious and demonstrably untrue claims made about us online. The Linden Method has never run a 'gay conversion bootcamp', a conversion therapy programme, or any programme, service, or event designed to alter sexual orientation. Not now, not in the past, not in any form.
The Linden Method is an anxiety disorder recovery programme. It serves people of all backgrounds, identities, and orientations. LGBTQ+ individuals have been members of The Linden Method community since its founding in 1996, and Charles Linden and the Linden Group have always welcomed them without condition.
This specific allegation appears to have been fabricated and spread deliberately to cause maximum reputational harm by attaching an emotive and damaging label to The Linden Method. We treat it with the contempt it deserves, and we have taken legal advice regarding its continued circulation. If you have seen this claim repeated and believed it to be true, we ask you to consider the complete absence of any evidence supporting it.
The Linden Method has never operated any form of conversion therapy. This claim is false in its entirety. It has no evidential basis, no corroboration, and appears to have been invented to cause harm.
Allegation: 'The Linden Method Is Under Investigation'
The Linden Method is not under investigation by any regulator, law enforcement body, trading standards authority, or government agency. No such investigation is active. No such investigation has concluded with any finding against us.
This claim follows a pattern we have seen repeatedly: an unverified assertion, spread online without any named investigator, specific accusation, or cited source. It is designed to create the impression of wrongdoing where none exists. When challenged to produce evidence of any investigation, those making the claim have consistently been unable to do so.
If a genuine regulatory concern about The Linden Method existed and was substantiated by an official body, we would address it publicly and transparently. None has arisen. The Linden Method has operated legally and openly in the UK since 1996, under the scrutiny that comes with 30 years of public activity, and no legitimate investigation has ever resulted in any finding against us.
Allegation: 'Charles Linden Has No Qualifications / Isn't a Doctor'
Charles Linden has never claimed to be a doctor, psychologist, or licensed clinician. He has never presented himself as such, and The Linden Method has never been marketed as clinical therapy delivered by a licensed practitioner. Charles is a recovered anxiety disorder sufferer who, in 1996, developed a structured programme based on his own research into neuroscience and fear conditioning — and who has since refined it over 30 years with input from clinical professionals.
The Linden Method is not a substitute for medical assessment, nor does it present itself as one. It is a recovery programme — one that is complementary to medical care and that is used and recommended by qualified doctors, NHS practitioners, and psychologists. The implicit suggestion that only licensed clinicians can develop effective recovery tools ignores the reality that some of the most significant contributions to our understanding of anxiety have come from sufferers, researchers, and practitioners outside conventional clinical structures.
Charles is also a published author with over 300 published works, a television presenter, and a consultant to major organisations across sport, media, and industry. The 'no qualifications' framing ignores a 30-year public record and is typically deployed by those who cannot challenge the programme's results on their merits.
Allegation: 'The Linden Method Is a Cult'
The Linden Method is a self-directed recovery programme. There are no group rituals, no coercive relationships, no financial exploitation beyond a single clearly priced membership, and no requirement for ongoing participation. Members join, work through the programme at their own pace, and leave when they have recovered. Many maintain contact with the community voluntarily because they found it valuable.
Calling a recovery programme a 'cult' has become a rhetorical shorthand applied to any organisation with a visible founder and an enthusiastic member base. By that standard, Weight Watchers, Alcoholics Anonymous, and most structured health programmes would qualify. The word has a specific meaning — coercive control, isolation from outside relationships, manipulation for the founder's financial or personal benefit — and none of those elements exist in The Linden Method. The accusation is not made in good faith and has no factual basis.
Concern: 'The Linden Method Is Dangerous / Delays Proper Treatment'
We take the safety concern seriously, because it deserves a serious answer rather than dismissal. The Linden Method does not advise people to avoid medical assessment. It does not tell people to stop prescribed medication without medical supervision. It does not position itself as a replacement for a GP, psychiatrist, or other healthcare professional.
What The Linden Method does is provide a structured, evidence-consistent framework for moving beyond the management of anxiety symptoms toward permanent neurological normalisation. This approach is supported by, not opposed to, the medical community. Doctors and NHS practitioners recommend the programme. Psychologists endorse its underlying principles. The concern that it 'delays treatment' assumes that The Linden Method and conventional treatment are in competition — they are not.
We always recommend that anyone experiencing anxiety symptoms consults their doctor before starting any recovery programme, including ours. The Linden Method is not a medical intervention — it is a recovery programme that works alongside your medical care, not instead of it.
Allegation: 'It's Just Repackaged CBT / Not Original'
The Linden Method was developed in 1996, before CBT had become the dominant anxiety treatment in UK clinical settings, and before the specific neurological model of anxiety — centred on the role of the brain's alarm system in maintaining a pathologically elevated anxiety set-point — was widely articulated in popular or clinical literature. It was not derived from CBT. It does not follow a CBT structure. The two approaches address anxiety at fundamentally different levels.
CBT works at the level of thought and behaviour — identifying and restructuring maladaptive thinking patterns, then modifying behaviour through graduated exposure. The Linden Method works at the level of neurological set-point recalibration. It does not ask members to examine, challenge, or restructure thoughts about anxiety. It does not use exposure hierarchies. It targets the brain's alarm system directly, using a set of conditions that allow the neurological anxiety threshold to return to its pre-disorder baseline.
The accusation of being 'just CBT' typically comes from people who have not read the programme materials and are pattern-matching based on the word 'anxiety'. The approaches are distinct in method, target mechanism, and theoretical basis.
Concern: 'There Are Hidden Costs / Upselling'
The Linden Method is available as a single membership. The price is displayed clearly before purchase. There is no paywall within the programme, no content locked behind additional payments, and no recurring subscription designed to trap members. Unlimited professional support is included as standard.
We do offer optional 1-2-1 coaching for members who want personalised guidance, and this is priced separately and transparently. It is not required to complete the programme. It is not pushed on members who have not asked for it. The membership cost, including everything required to recover, is lower than two or three sessions of private CBT.
Our Invitation
If you have a complaint about The Linden Method that is not addressed here, we invite you to contact us directly at questions@thelindencentre.org. We respond to every email. We would rather resolve a concern one-to-one than have it persist unaddressed online.
