About Me
About Me
Hi, I’m Ilaria (she/her)
Your Ally on the Path to Freedom from Alcohol
Welcome to Sober Rebel! I’m a trauma-informed Sobriety Coach and Clinical EFT Therapist dedicated to helping individuals overcome alcohol dependence and build a life filled with empowerment and freedom.
I use a powerful modality called EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) as well as other somatic practices, to address the underlying emotional issues that may be driving your reliance on alcohol.
Transforming Your Relationship with Alcohol
My approach goes beyond simply helping you to stop drinking. It’s about understanding the root causes that led you to use alcohol as a copying mechanism. Through EFT Tapping, we’ll work together to “tap on” and release those emotional triggers, allowing you to transform your relationship with alcohol and experience life fully, free from its hold.
By releasing the emotions that contributed to your drinking problem, you’ll be better equipped to maintain sobriety and navigate life’s challenges without resorting to alcohol, especially in a society where alcohol is ever-present.
Testimonials
“The sessions I have had have been incredibly supportive and the EFT tapping has been highly effective for releasing negative and stuck emotions linked to my personal reasons for drinking. Ilaria knows exactly when it’s OK to explore an emotion and when not to. When it came to my ‘Day 1’ after tapering my alcohol intake, I was fretful and on edge with feelings of potential failure and ‘what if’s’ before I had even started my alcohol free journey! Ilaria helped to focus me and release these feelings and Day 1 was a breeze. I am currently 6 weeks’ sober and feel more positive about my future non-drinking self than I have been in the whole of my adult life. I can absolutely recommend Sober Rebel for anyone who wants a targeted and effective approach to exploring the reasons behind why they drink and those wanting to moderate or stop entirely.”
J.N. UK
“The moment my consultation ended, I was certain that Ilaria was the right fit for me. I felt at ease with her right from the start, which is a rare experience for me because I find it hard to trust people. She has guided me through so much, and the process has been truly transformative. I decided to take my time and have as many sessions as necessary, as I was ready to move away from quick fixes. EFT has been very effective for me, and Ilaria is an expert in the field. I wholeheartedly recommend her.”
J.N. UK
My philosophy
If alcohol has become a problem for you, whatever your drinking level, I believe that your habit or compulsion is only the external symptom of a more deep-seated issue, or issues, it is a solution to a problem that was already there.
If alcohol has become a problem for you, whatever your drinking level, I believe that your habit or compulsion is only the external symptom of a more deep-seated issue or issue; it is a solution to a problem that was already there.
When I stopped drinking, I realised that quitting drinking was only the tip of the iceberg because once the “crutch” was gone, all the underlying issues came floating back to the surface. I believe that unless we deal with those, we can’t consider ourselves to be “free”.
When the lid of alcohol is gone, you are left with everything that was bubbling below the surface, and it’s coming up in different ways, in different directions and different areas of your life.
It’s now time to address your emotional recovery, to attend to those parts of yourself that need attention and that were buried by the alcohol.
I am invested in providing trauma-informed care and creating a safe and welcoming space for anyone in the LGBTQA+ and gender-expansive community.
I am excited to help you and it would be my honour to be a part of your journey
Why I am passionate about helping you
I am a Trauma-Informed Therapeutic Coach, and I have extensive experience in supporting people with varied mental health issues, such as anxiety, stress, depression, PTSD and traumas.
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 more robust and better person. Finally, deciding to get to the root of my discomfort 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 suffered from a lack of self-confidence and self-worth. Being a highly sensitive human (which I only discovered years later) meant I used to feel everything too much. 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.
Pushing the pain down always forces it back to the surface, like trying to hold a balloon underwater.
When I started to look at my coping mechanisms, I managed to identify 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 made the most significant difference in my life because it allowed me to go deeper quickly. Now, I feel more connected with myself than I have ever felt.
What gives me incredible joy is the honour of working with other people on their journeys. Everyone is different, but we have something in common. We all need some help at some stage in our lives, and being even a tiny part of someone’s journey gives me the energy to wake up with a smile and hope in my heart.
I support gender diversity and welcome members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
I am a fully insured and certified Professional Development Coach, an Advanced Level Certified EFT Practitioner and Breathwork and Pranayama for Health Facilitator. I’m also trained in Matrix Reimprinting and Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP).
I am an Advanced Accredited Practitioner with EFT International, the leading international professional association for EFT. As a result, I engage in annual Continuous Personal Development training courses and regularly undergo mentoring and supervision.