Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between IAT coaching and EFT?
IAT provides a general road map to help heal attachment wounds. Choosing a more IAT-based approach will involve you learning more tools to use outside of our sessions. IAT will involve more goal setting. We will learn the tools and practice them in session and then you will have homework to use them on your own. After all, you spend 24/7 with you and only 1 hour out of the week with me. Let’s help your internal world to be a nice one to be in.
For IAT coaching, we will also incorporate EFT as a tool. EFT can be used to help process emotions. IAT focuses on the present and the future. While EFT does this too, it also delves into the past. These sessions will be divided about 20 minutes of IAT and about 40 minutes of EFT, but this will be tailored for your unique life and goals. EFT will be used more to in session to help with core issues and to help process emotions (feel the feels).
EFT focused sessions will not be teaching tools to use outside of the sessions (other than EFT that is). I will provide an open space for you to explore your patterns, past, present, future and whatever you’d like to discuss. For EFT we will dive deeper into why certain patterns are alive in your life. We will discuss your past, the way that emotions show up in the body and what they feel/look/sound like, we will process and release things that don’t serve you any longer. You might cry and that’d be great. You might laugh which would also be great. You might do both at the same time. Wonderful~
Both EFT and IAT focus on using the subconscious mind to create lasting change in your life. Instead of just talking about issues over and over again, we will be creating new, more beneficial patterns in your life for the long term.
What if I change my mind later and want the other type of coaching?
You are welcome at any time to ask for a more IAT focused approach or to have only EFT in a session. EFT will be used as a tool during IAT sessions to help with emotional processing and core issues.
What is Dina’s philosophy when it comes to coaching?
My goal is to help you feel empowered to soar and to provide a space where you can feel heard, seen, and understood (by me and by you). For IAT sessions, this includes encouraging you to have the skills and the confidence to help yourself. For EFT, it is to help you process your emotions and heal core issues that might be weighing you down.
Slow is fast. We will not be digging into anything that you are not ready to go to. You will find me occasionally slowing us down.
For EFT we will basically be on a dark path, I will have a light and be a guide. We will go in the direction you want to go and explore what you want to explore. If you want to stop, we stop. If you want to go left, right, up, down, stay here, go 12 degrees North and turn at the big tree, we will.
We will be working as a team to see what your inner world looks and feels like.
How long until I feel better/ have a secure attachment?
Well, what exactly is “feel better?” What does that mean for you?
Timelines all vary per person. With EFT, you should feel more relaxed and even a bit tired after the session.
Depending on the person, their goals and their history (including how many ACEs a person has), this can take months or even years. EFT sessions will have you feeling more relaxed and calm by the end of each session. Re-wiring your subconcious mind and teaching your nervous system you are safe can take time.
Core issues can be viewed as deeply held beliefs about ourselves and the world. They include, but are not limited to, things like “I will be abandoned” “I am unlovable” “I am defective” “I am not safe” “I’m stupid” I am unseen/unheard” “I am misunderstood” etc.
Every core issue that we have can be thought of as a forest with many trees in the forest. We will whack away at different trees (which are stories/ evidence that make this forest). As the trees topple sometimes they take down other trees. Slowly the forest gets cleared and you will find more space inside of you to be filled with goodness instead of anxiety, stress, trauma responses, etc.
The more core issues we help clear, the more your attachment style will move toward secure.
We go slow in the sessions for emotional safety. The goal is to stay within your window of tolerance. I would love to assist you in helping yourself to feel confident to live life and soar.
What’s a window of tolerance?
For all emotions, we have a certain range that we feel safe feeling. The edges of this range can feel uncomfortable, but they will be bearable. Being in the edges of this range can be beneficial as it can expand our range to be larger if we tread softly and gently.
If we are outside of this range we will either feel waaayyy too much and become overwhelmed and/or we will shut down and dissociate in order to stay safe. This window of tolerance moves around and has a different size per emotion and also per story that is fueling the emotion.
We will find it together in session. It will move, so we will find it again. I will be with you, watching you and checking in to make sure you are in your window of tolerance, the comfortable and slightly uncomfortable range. I will also rely on you, as we will be a team exploring together, to let me know if you feel like it’s too much or if you feel like you are dissociating. We will work with dissociation. The dissociative parts of you that are trying to protect you are different parts of you after all; it’s beneficial to meet them when they come up.
How do I get ready/make the most of the sessions?
A quiet environment and privacy are imperative for you to get the most from our sessions. When working together online, I ask that you have somewhere appropriate to conduct the sessions.
For EFT to work best, your body must be hydrated. Please have water with you during the sessions as you will become thirsty. Please drink water at least an hour before the sessions to help your body be more hydrated.
Please do not attend sessions under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. These substances detach you from feeling your body, which can hinder the results of EFT. The more connected you are to your body, the better.
If you are taking prescription medication for depression or anxiety, it is okay to take your medicine. Please don’t stop taking your prescription medication unless directed by your doctor.
If you are taking anything that is numbing your body and has a tranquilizer effect, consult your doctor and see if you can take your medicine after the EFT session. If not, you are still able to do EFT, but the effects of change might take a bit longer to see due to the disconnect from your body. Please don’t stop taking your medication unless directed by your doctor.
Doing homework outside of sessions will also help you make the most of your sessions.
How much homework will be given?
It will be tailored to you, bespoke. Simple things like tap on yourself at least once this week either before bed or when you wake up can be suggested homework. For IAT sessions, homework will involve practicing the tool we learned in session among other things.
The frequency that you do the homework is something we will discuss to match you. We want small, achievable steps, so if we start at once a week and do it, great. If we do 3 times a week and do it, great. We don’t want to have homework be 3 times a week, but have it feel unachievable. We want to build up proof of your wins over time which means having easily achievable homework.
If you hate homework, please pick an EFT only session and let me know. I won’t assign any. IAT sessions will always involve homework and checking-in on that.
Although it is called homework, I will not be grading or giving report cards. The goal of the homework is to help you build habits of self-care outside of the sessions, so that you can experience deeper, more profound change. Your habits will be what helps you achieve your goals in the end, not motivation. I love to see you once a week in session, but in the end, you are with you 24/7. We want to help influence your inner world to be aligned with what you want in life which means we need repetition and emotion over time. The more repetition plus emotion over time that we get, the faster and more profound healing you can experience.
Will you push me/ tell me what to do?
No. For EFT sessions, I will do more listening and asking questions. For IAT, I might give suggestions as we brain storm together, but it is up to you to pick what you want to do and what is best for you. You know you best. You are responsible of your own health and well-being. You are the ultimate choice-maker in your life.
How do I book a session?
Hit the Book Now button. You will be directed to my Calendly where we can schedule a discovery call first. We will book our session during the discovery call if you choose to move forward. Likewise you can also get in touch to book a session or ask a question that is not answered here. Click on the Send a Question button to send me an email.
What is a discovery call? Do I have to have one?
Discovery calls (and sessions) are held on Zoom. I prefer having discovery calls with all clients before starting sessions. During the discovery call we will build a bit of rapport, get to know a bit more about your goals and history, and to discuss my contract and client intake form. I can also answer questions you may have. We will dive deeper into your goals and history when we have our first session.
The discovery call lasts 20 minutes. It is free. You can book a discovery call on my Calendly. Hit the Book Now button.
I will email the client intake form/ contract. I do need the contract signed before we can start official sessions.
How can I pay for the sessions? When do I need to pay the session fee?
I currently only accept payment in USD and via PayPal and Wise transfers. At the end of each hourly appointment, the fee of $100 USD is due.
Do you offer discount sessions?
I only have a few spots available for discounted sessions. Discounted sessions are $70 instead of $100 for 60 minutes. During our discovery call or you can also send me an email, please let me know your situation and check if I have discounted spots available. Soon I will be offering group coaching and EFT which will be at a cheaper rate than a 1 on 1 session. Join my email list to receive updates.
How can I reschedule/cancel a session?
I ask for a 48 hour notice via email if you have to reschedule or cancel the session. There is no a fee for rescheduling or cancelling if it is done with the minimum 48 hour notice.
The full fee will be charged if 48 hours' notice is not given for cancellation, reschedule, or for a non-arrival. Cancellation and rescheduling must be communicated via email.
If you have an emergency, please email me to let me know. We can work something out. Emergencies are rare events. If you have emergencies on an ongoing basis, a pattern, that requires re-schedules or cancellations less than 48 hours, the fee will be charged. Thank you for understanding.
Can you guarantee results?
While benefits are typically observed in the majority of cases, results may vary between individual clients and there can be no guarantees of cure or success in relation to a condition or its treatment.
Every person is unique. EFT and IAT principles in general work for most people. EFT has been shown to be highly effective in many scientific studies.
I can promise to be up-to-date with all of my qualifications and to provide the best sessions that I can to my ability.
EFT has a reputation for showing fast results, but that is not the case for every situation. The speed we move at will be the speed of safety. This safety is built on the rapport and trust we have with each other. It is also built on the internal safety that you will foster through our time working together.
I cannot guarantee you will achieve all of your goals because the success rate of you achieving your goals is dependent on you putting in the work. I can support you to the best of my ability within our sessions.
What kind of communication can we have outside of sessions?
My communication boundaries are to reserve communication outside of sessions to only be about scheduling and payments. You might see some of my posts and videos online and if you’d like to comment or like, that is perfectly fine and appreciated.
For the best and safest possible coaching to be available to you, I cannot be your friend. Friends usually share their issues with each other, but for coaching sessions, I will not be sharing my own issues. The focus will be 100% on you.
I cannot accept wedding invites, cafe-dates, other hang out suggestions, etc due to these boundaries put in place to maintain proper safety for you during sessions.
Where’s the science that EFT even works? Seems kind of woo woo.
A prime researcher in the the field of EFT is Dr. Peta Stapleton. This is her website that contains some free and some paid access to information about the science of EFT: https://www.petastapleton.com/science-of-tapping-2022
The existence of the primovascular system.
https://edfa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/EFT-for-CARERS-1.pdf
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26745560/
IAT was founded by Thais Gibson of the Personal Development School by Thais Gibson. Attachment theory was originally founded by John Bowlby. Integrated Attachment Theory is attachment theory mixed with a few different modalities like ACT and RAIN and incorporates the subconscious mind.
Here are some more links to EFT studies:
https://www.evidencebasedeft.com/research
https://www.evidencebasedeft.com/DNA-papers
https://www.evidencebasedeft.com/anxiety-meta-analyses
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6381429/
https://www.mentalhealthacademy.com.au/blog/case-study-emotional-freedom-technique-eft-for-burnout