Erica

“When I started my work with Jo I was 3 months alcohol free. I felt I needed support to continue as the temptation to start drinking again became stronger. AA did not appeal to me. A friend of mine recommended Jo and she gave me her contact. Jo and I had a discovery call to see if we would be a good fit. I was very depressed when we spoke and what I found so amazing about Jo is that, even though I had never met her, she was able to make me feel held and supported. I could feel her genuine love coming through the phone. Needless to say we both felt our partnership would work and we went ahead to book the first session.

This is what it is, a partnership. You both put in the work. And hard work it is too. Jo is always available for additional support outside the weekly talks. She also intuitively messaged me to check in with how I was doing and that made me feel so much better. It is wonderful she has that intuition as it makes you feel truly connected which is super important to me. Her messages always came at just the right time. Magical!

I am now nearing the end of the programme and I feel ready to fly on my own. What a journey I have been on. When reading back my journal, Jo makes you keep a journal on a daily basis, tears well up. Compared to where I am now I couldn’t have believed you if you would have said I would ever come out of this deep dark hole I was in.

Jo and I have done meditation, tapping, dancing, walking and talking together to name but a few. She is literally able to feel what you feel and transform that into something you can work with. You take a step back and look at what is going on. She is honest, brutally sometimes, but that is what I like and what I need. She knows that too. She gets what you need. I refer to one of my sober chats with Jo when I was on holiday in Crete. I did not want to have a Zoom session but she insisted (in a caring way).

When we had our meet it became clear why I didn’t want it as the words I needed to hear I didn’t want to hear. My alcohol cravings went through the roof and Jo knew that that was going to happen. She made me look deep within, to what was going on inside me and what I was trying not to feel. I felt bored, lost and alone and to be in sunny Crete without alcohol just didn’t feel right. She promised me it would get easier and I could always message her if I needed some extra support. There were lots of tears and deep chats with my husband, who supports me with my alcohol free lifestyle. But after the first week, I started to relax, settle in and actually truly enjoy myself. I felt more present, more awake and truly happy. We had some great laughs as a family. And of course the fun subsided as well but that felt natural. I wasn’t desperate for more, for it to last longer. Like when I drank alcohol, my glass still half full, already worrying when I could have the next one.

I clearly remember another session where Jo and I agreed to look at some of my old pain from my younger days. She asked me if I would be ok to try EFT - Emotional Freedom Technique. Jo is a certified EFT practitioner.

Tapping, or EFT, is a mind-body therapy that draws on the traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practice of acupuncture and is used today as a self-help approach in modern psychology *from Google www.everydayhealth.com *

This was one of the hardest sessions. I have had lots of different therapy throughout my life but I found EFT extremely effective. Jo guides you through feelings and thoughts and you name them and give them a shape and a colour. You repeat what she says, which is what you just identified, and at the same time you tap repeatedly on different areas of your hands, upper body and head. The tapping is soothing and because you are listening to Jo’s voice and speaking after her you can feel the emotions shift in your body. It is truly incredible and I recommend anyone dealing with pain or difficult emotions to give it a go. Jo is strong and steady and you can just surrender to her. You can open your heart, body and mind and let her in. Let yourself in, into your body to start healing. It was a profound experience where I could literally feel my pain move and gently subside. My anxiety levels dropped and instead I started to feel calm and free. I also had to burp a couple of times which is quite funny but that is because the energy actually shifts.

 Talk about fun, Jo has a very good sense of humour. We had loads of laughs throughout the process. It’s like talking to your best friend but she is your coach. You build a relationship based on mutual respect. You go through the journey together, as a team. Jo is passionate about her work and will do anything possible to help you. She goes the extra mile and truly cares about you.

I am so grateful to myself for granting me the opportunity to take on this work with Jo and I am grateful to Jo for doing the work she does. She is naturally gifted and I know she will go on and help countless more people battling with addiction or other difficult issues one can encounter in one’s life. She is a gem, a sparkling rock of inspiration and I genuinely love her. She has helped me come out the other side. I am still in therapy for my PTSD and this worked really well together with the coaching work. They complement each other. Coaching is not therapy, it gives you practical tools to help you deal with anything problematic that might come up in your daily life. Jo also organises tons of activities for the sober community, sober curious and mindful drinkers which is great so she is still around after you finish the programme.

At this stage I can say my rucksack is packed with new shiny tools that I know where to find (quite important) how to use and when to use. One of the most powerful practices for me is journaling which I now do on a daily basis. You have to put in the work yourself, and that is ongoing, but Jo is there to help you on your way.

Stopping drinking is hard, there is no other way to say it. But if I had carried on the way I was drinking my life would be so much harder. With Jo’s help you learn to see what alcohol is and what it does to you. The tricks it plays and how you let it fool you. Thinking it brings you joy. Well it is a drug, so yes there are some things that it does that make you feel good. But that is only for 20 minutes or so. Then you need more and more to get the same effect. The way my brain is wired it is not an option to drink alcohol. I will always end up wanting more and wake up with head busting hangovers. With Jo I have learned other, more healthy ways to enjoy myself. It takes practice and I still have a long way to go but I am definitely on the right track. I can’t go back now, I cannot unlearn what I have learned. I choose an alcohol free life style because I want to live a full life. I want to be awake and present. I take medication for my mental health and alcohol reduces the working effect of them. So it is a shame if were to carry on drinking because I don’t give myself a proper chance to live a happy and fulfilling life. I can now see when I have self sabotaging urges and deal with them. I ask myself, what is it that I want to escape from. What do I need, what will serve me best at this moment. I know myself so much better now and I love it. I love me.

I started on this road as a tiny bean sprout still under the ground, just getting my little shoots hesitantly exploring the soil. I slowly surfaced and with my and Jo’s love and care and hard work I am now firmly rooted and am feeling life’s energy and joy inside and around me. I am a better person now, for me, for my loved ones and for the world.

Thank you Jo for all that you do. Keep spreading your magic, your wisdom and your love.

Long may it continue…”

Erica