Bannigan McDade, MA

Only a few sessions in, but immensely impressed. Amazingly intuitive, present and adaptive. Coming from a seasoned cynic, the most difficult barrier I had to be broken was suspicion of sincerity. Bannigan’s being radiates a true spirit of selflessness so that each moment is met with potential reality.
In short, he’s not full of shit.

Before my husband and I became husband-​and-​wife we decided to sit with Bannigan for a little marriage prep session. That session was so helpful to us that a few months later we went back for a tune-​up!
Couples require someone who is exquisitely listening and adept enough to catch the smallest reveal to help them to change subtle patterns of belief leading to behaviors that can damage the relationship.
Bannigan’s experience and innate perceptiveness allow him to listen deeply and gently challenge long-​held personal myths in order for a new understanding and more effective communication to take place.

Bannigan has done wonders for my sweetie and me. We are very compatible, but need a little help from time to time to understand each other (our communication styles are as Mars-​Venus as you can get)! But Bannigan is such a calming presence. We come in thinking we know exactly what is «wrong,» and he offers us a complete paradigm shift, translating our messy accusations into understanding. He offers us tools that have helped us to continue to understand each other better and better.
We also attended his Touch Playshop for Lovers, which was a very cool experience, giving us a whole new «language» to use with each other when words are not enough. I would recommend Bannigan to anyone who wants to go deeper within to find the root of your discomfort and open your mind to new possibilities of bliss!

My husband and I attended Bannigan’s Touch Workshop for Lovers and were very pleased. I signed us up because we needed to rekindle our intimacy and really focus on being present and in the moment. We learned different types of touch like massage, not just the relaxing kind, but how to bring their energy level up to play and make it exciting. We also learned how to communicate our needs and the best way to provide feedback.
The workshop setting was really wonderful because it created an open and safe place to share about our life. Many times we just need to hear that we’re not alone and that others feel the same. There’s healing in that and it really helped us both.
This workshop really teaches you how to be present with your partner and enjoy intimacy. The part of intimacy that we all need and require but tend to overlook: touch, communication, voice. The workshop has brought fun and play back into our relationship and I highly recommend it to all.

Bannigan was my first interactive experience with therapy/​life coaching of any kind. I met with him four times before he moved to Los Angeles. In the four sessions we had, I felt safe and supported by his presence, patience, attentiveness, and integrity. He was able to meet me in any space I was willing to visit, pushed but didn’t pressure to get deeper, kept me focused and honest thru the hard bits. I am so grateful for the time I was able to share with Bannigan & hope for more. I highly recommend his services. He helped me conceptualize & assess the ways my energy and efforts could be better applied to live a more healthy, effective, less cluttered life.

We saw Bannigan for couples counseling when we were considering marriage but wanted to work through some issues surrounding our relationship and thoughts about our future. We feel RIDICULOUSLY GRATEFUL that we had Bannigan as our counselor. Our expectations were greatly exceeded as to what was even possible to accomplish in this setting. He took the time to get to know both of us and made us feel at ease in our sessions, but at the same time challenged us both in ways that proved he understood our different personalities. His warm but probing demeanor and thoughtful insights and questions pushed our relationship to a much stronger, more mutually understanding place.
Bannigan was very open-​minded in terms of what type of relationship might be best for us. He is unafraid to discuss (and is very knowledgable about) a wide array of types of relationships, but does not push any one over another. Rather, he truly worked with us to think through how we could form a relationship that is genuine, honest, purposeful, and carefully considered (not simply «understood» through pre-​existing cultural ideas).
We also greatly appreciated his depth of knowledge on all sorts of subjects. We worked through issues surrounding difficult family issues, the trade-​off of jealousy vs. boredom, our differing concepts of marriage (which we didn’t even realize we had before our sessions), our different communication styles, dealing with depression, and normal day-​to-​day conflict.
He recommended many very helpful books and resources that we have taken advantage of which allowed us to continue our journey even after we stopped seeing him.
We are getting married soon, and we tell everyone we know that this never would have happened in such a joyous and heartfelt way without Bannigan. We had a good relationship going in, but are simply amazed by how much stronger and more open our connection is now. He is a great mix of empathetic listening and willingness to work through discomfort as a means of sometimes painful growth. He is a part of our love story, a major feature even, and we are eternally grateful. We will raise a glass to him!

Bannigan provided a warm and insightful presence to help me think/​feel through issues around my relationship with women. He encouraged me to think outside the box, and gave me practical advice on how to do so. I felt seen and heard, and it’s clear that he cares deeply about being of service, but he doesn’t come across as pushy. Five stars!

I turned to Bannigan and Open with Care for advise in navigating the waters of open relationship. These were waters I that I had never entered and knew that I needed to turn to someone who could guide me through them. I felt very pleased with being able to turn to Bannigan during this time.
My experience with Bannigan regrading this issue was like taking a ton of bricks off my shoulders. Before speaking with him I was confused and lacking in direction. The advice and wisdom that I received provided me with clarity a proper sense of action.
There are not words to describe the genuine care I felt coming from Bannigan as I was telling him my situation. It was really amazing to sit with someone who was so willing to listen. I was able to fully tell my story, and then receive accurate applicable advice regarding the situation. Bannigan provided invaluable insight that left me feeling inspired to take on my relationship from this new place of clarity.
I highly recommend the Open with Care experience to anyone who is willing and wanting to take sincere look at themselves and their relationship. What better way to do it than with the help of this amazingly grounded, insightful, and applicable experience. Thanks Bannigan! I so look forward to more time with you.