Helena Lobanov-Rostovsky walked away from a head-on car crash with what appeared to be nothing more than a severe case of whiplash.

She had only been travelling at about 15mph in Goldstone Crescent, Hove, but the smash sent the car spinning to the side of the road.

Helena and her 66-year-old mother Roxane both suffered neck injuries.

But for Helena the psychological impact of the crash went far beyond her physical injuries.

Four years on, she is still struggling to overcome an unexplained neurological condition which destroyed her short-term memory.

It left her unable to recall many things from her past - even details of phone conversations once she had put down the receiver.

The 39-year-old, of Woodruff Avenue, Hove, was forced to give up her job with Royal Mail.

With doctors unable to explain what had happened to her, she spent the following years desperately searching for a cure.

Helena said: "After the accident I found it very difficult to retain information. I wasn't able to function properly at all. Life was hard."

A brain scan could find no explanation for her symptoms so Helena turned to alternative therapy.

She said: "One day I went into a health shop in St James's Street, Brighton, and was given an Indian head massage, which works on the head and neck and helps with concentration. Almost immediately I began to feel the benefits and could recall bits of information to some degree."

Helena sought help from Hove-based spiritual teacher Conor Patterson in January.

Again, Helena felt the benefit almost immediately. She said: "Conor has even helped me remember events in my life from years ago, like some of the places I visited as a child. It has been amazing to come such a long way in such a short time."

Conor, 30, has been a spiritual teacher for the past two years. He begins most of his sessions by meditating with clients so they both operate on the same "spiritual level" before he moves on to more practical exercises.

He said: "With Helena I used a system I have devised called Enhance, which can help people with a range of problems associated with unwanted behaviour on an unconscious level, such as panic attacks or memory loss.

"I used three main techniques. The first concentrated on the ability to reclaim a memory you know you should be able to access but cannot.

"Then we moved on to memory tracing, which helps Helena recall different things by going back to the situation she was in and playing an internal movie."

After eight sessions, Helena has been able to move on to advanced recall techniques and has begun working again, helping to teach English as a volunteer.

She said: "I am hoping to help people who might be in a similar situation. People should know the therapy offered by people like Conor can really make a difference."

Conor is available to see clients at his home in Montgomery Street, Hove. For more information, call him on 01273 207756.