Collective Spotlight: Kate Hennessey
Meet Kate Hennessey, an EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) practitioner.
Why did you want to become an EFT practitioner?
I first attended an EFT tapping group series in September 2019. I experienced a profound shift in the first session. I noticed myself feeling calmer in response to a stressful circumstance. I no longer felt the need to react and I was able to let go, even when my environment didn’t change. I knew this was a modality I wanted to learn more about.
Flash forward to March 2020, I found myself at a standstill with my massage practice. With the pandemic in full swing, I wasn’t sure if I would return to massage therapy. I knew I wanted to continue to work with people in the healing space. I connected with a colleague and trained to become a certified EFT practitioner in the summer of 2020.
What have you gained from this work?
I experienced an immediate benefit in my first tapping session. I felt calmer and more grounded in my body. The anxious thoughts that were on repeat in my mind no longer consumed me. During the certification process, my mind, body, and heart opened up to deeper levels of healing that I never experienced before (especially in talk therapy.) With the guidance of EFT practitioners, I was able to clear past traumatic memories and thoughts of not feeling enough or worthy.
It’s a practice that I use daily to instill more calm, gratitude, and trust in myself.
What do you hope your clients feel after working with you?
I guide my clients to feel calmer, more grounded, and confident in themselves. My clients often tell me that the physical tension or pain, overwhelming feelings, and negative thought patterns don’t hold as much weight to them as they did before we started tapping. My hope is for everyone I work with to feel seen, heard, and cared for. We all deserve to be accepted and loved for who we are, and I hope my clients feel that for themselves.
How does your healing work inform your activism or understanding of the world?
I’ve taken trainings and workshops in my personal and professional life to better understand the roles that trauma plays in different bodies. I work on being trauma-informed; I do not assume a person’s feelings or experience. I listen without interjecting or offering feedback. I know that I cannot fully comprehend someone’s experience who lives in a different body than mine, but I can be supportive to help them find safety and space in their body by utilizing different somatic techniques such as breathwork, tapping, and grounding exercises.
What's your favorite season of the year and why?
Fall is my favorite season! It’s a transitional period that asks us to slow down, enjoy the harvest from our local farms, and take time to reflect on what’s working and what we are ready to let go of.
What has made you smile recently that you feel the need to share?
I recently learned that you can shuffle your photos on your phone’s wallpaper. Seeing memories of the past few years pop up unexpectedly puts a smile on my face, especially if it’s a photo of a pet.
