About Ilaria

Hi, I’m Ilaria Novak (she/her)

I am a Trauma-Informed Therapeutic Coach and a Clinical Advanced EFT Practitioner.

I am specialised in helping people who are struggling with unwanted behaviours, limiting beliefs about themselves and negative emotions by using the therapeutic modalities of EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques - Tapping) and Matrix Reimprinting, and integrating them with Somatic Trauma Release Techniques when needed.

I have extensive experience in working with people with varied mental health issues, such as anxiety, stress, depression, PTSD and traumas.

Why I’m passionate about helping you heal

What brought me here is a long journey which has seen me struggling with depression, compulsive eating disorder and alcohol abuse and has then seen me coming to the other side as a stronger and better person. Finally deciding to get to the root of my discomfort is what made all the difference and that’s what led me to a journey of self-discovery and healing which I could not have experienced without EFT.

As an adolescent, I remember feelings of lack of self-confidence and self-worth being ever-present and unwanted companions in my life. Being a highly-sensitive human (something that I only discovered years later) meant that I used to feel everything a bit too much; this, of course, meant that I deeply felt joy but emotional pain left me shattered on the floor, and picking up the pieces was a somewhat familiar but painful experience. I remember thinking at some stage that I felt like I had no skin, and that everyone could hurt me however they wanted, either on purpose or with carelessness and lack of consideration. I became an excellent people pleaser. There is nothing better to avoid pain than trying to be what other people want you to be. At the same time, I started to find comfort in food, that made me feel “better” for a while; then I found alcohol, the most easily accessible and socially accepted anaesthetic, potion for all problems, and the new “me” was born.

When you try to push the pain down, it always forces its way back up to the surface; it’s like trying to hold a balloon under water. Virgina Satir, a renowned family therapist and author, once said the “problems are not the problem; coping is the problem”. I then decided to start looking at my coping mechanisms, which led me to identifying where my discomfort stemmed from, and it took me a few years to get to where I am now. I tried different therapies and I gained something from all of them, but EFT is the one that really made the greatest difference in my life. I am in no way “resolved” and I keep working on myself regularly, but I now have a structure in place that helps me with that.

It took me a long time to heal the parts of me that needed love, care and attention, but I finally got there. I feel more connected with myself than I have ever felt.

What gives me now incredible joy is the honour of working with other people who are on their own journeys. Everyone is different, but we have all something in common. We all need some help at some stage in our lives, and being even a tiny part of someone journey, is one of the things that gives me the energy to wake up in the morning with a smile on my face and hope in my heart.

I support gender diversity, I am respectful of gender identity and welcome members of the LGBTQIA+ and gender expansive community.

I am a fully insured and certified Personal Professional Performance Coach, an Advanced Level Certified Practitioner, a Matrix Reimprinting and NLP Practitioner.

I have also gained the Advanced Level Practitioner Accreditation with EFT International, the international leading professional association for EFT, and as a result I engage in annual Continuous Personal Development activities and regularly undergo mentoring and supervision.

Background

Education & Certifications

I gained the Diploma in Professional Personal Performance Coaching through The Coaching Academy with Distinction.
I studied Neurolinguistic Programming at The Coaching Academy and I qualified as an NLP Practitioner.
I am an Advanced EFT Practitioner accredited by EFT International.
I trained originally with Karl Dawson and continued to attend further EFT courses with the EFT Tapping Training Institute, Jacqui Footman at EFT International and the EFT Guild.
As a result of being accredited by EFT International, I engage in annual Continuous Personal Development activities and regularly undergo mentoring and supervision.
I trained as a Matrix Reimprinting Practitioner with Karl Dawson, the creator of Matrix Reimprinting.
I certified as a Breathwork and Pranayama for Health Teacher with Laurent Roure. The training is approved by the Yoga Alliance association.

Further training & influences

I attended various training courses on trauma over the years. Some of them include:
Tapping out of Trauma at the EFT Tapping Training Institute and delivered by Craig Weiner and Suzanne Fageol;
Treating Intrusive Thoughts and the Inner Critical Voice (Anxiety Recovery Workshop) from MindBody Breakthrough;
Healing CPTSD from MindBody Breakthrough;
Understanding the Power of the Vagus Nerve: The Polyvagal Theory
My approach to trauma is heavily influenced by the works of Gabor Maté, Peter Levine, Bessel van del Kolk, Stephen Porges and Richard Schwartz
I attended various training courses on Safeguarding Adults and Children, Suicide Awareness and Prevention, and Domestic Violence provided by the organisations I worked for as a Mental Health Coach and Support Family Coordinator.
I attended training on substance misuse and its effects both on the users and their family members provided by some of the charities I worked for and independent professionals.
Some of them include: Professional Addiction Counselling Course, Tackling Addiction, Trauma in Families Affected by Substance Misuse.
My knowledge on substance misuse has also been developed throughout the years through lived experience, continuous learning and working within charities with clients who have used drugs and alcohol problematically.

Kind words from my clients

K.L. (UK)

“I’d had a number of talking therapies, but there were things that lingered that never seemed to shift. I decided to try EFT and contacted Ilaria. She was extremely professional, coupled with kindness and compassion, and I felt very safe talking about some deep issues with her. I was amazed at the sense of freedom in my mind and body right from the very first session of tapping and then from matrix reprinting when I was ready. I would wholeheartedly recommend EFT sessions with Ilaria. You can work on long held difficulties without having to unpick them. If you want to be free from things that are holding you back, give EFT a try. It really can give you emotional freedom and strategies for managing everyday life.”
Cristina, London (UK)

“What I liked the most about my sessions with Ilaria was how easy we connected and how naturally it all flowed. I have experienced the Emotional Freedom Techniques for the first time and it was very intense and powerful. At the end of the session, beautifully guided by Ilaria, I indeed felt easier and freed from a certain emotion I've been holding with me since childhood. While coaching me on my creative goals, Ilaria also used some NLP techniques that showed me how to lift my inner state at times of doubt and discomfort. Living a purposeful and fulfilled life is an ongoing process and coaching, together with all the other techniques, can make the journey nicer and easier and we should all constantly reach out for it. Thank you Ilaria!”
K.E. Leeds (UK)

“I have had the pleasure of having multiple sessions with Ilaria. She is so passionate about what she does and she really focuses on your needs. I felt really comfortable with her, right from the beginning. She really helped me recover a part of myself which was lost, and is so intuitive and empathetic. I am very grateful to her, I look forward to continuing sessions led by Ilaria and I know that she can skilfully and lovingly guide my journey forward. I highly recommend her to anyone who really wants to see a positive change for themselves”
J.C. East Sussex (UK)

”Ilaria is absolutely brilliant. I had been in therapy in the past but nobody had been able to help me as much as she has. I had never heard of EFT and Matrix Reimprinting before but I was open to try it. I had complete trust in her because she really cares. One of the many things I loved about my sessions with Ilaria is that I never felt pushed in any way. She was very gentle way and I felt safe. We worked on several issues that I had been struggling with for years, in particular a trauma that happened when I was younger, and I didn’t even have to go into detail of what had happened to me, which was a relief. I managed to free myself completely from the bundle of negative feelings that I had been carrying with me since then, I couldn’t believe it. Sessions with her are easy and just flow and I had some quite big realisations about the way I related to my past, my family, friends, and people in general. Her heart-warming nature, her compassion and intuition are just some of the qualities that make her such a great therapist. I will never be able to thank her enough.”