We offer a bespoke therapeutic experience
We specialise in empowering women with cancer and chronic illness to live more, whilst navigating some of the biggest health challenges in their lives.
Treatment plans are tailored to the individual, using Clinical Hypnotherapy and integrative techniques, including NLP, Mindfulness and CBT, all grounded within nature.
What we do
Nature led approach
What is a nature led approach?
What can nature teach us within the coaching conversation? Taking a nature led approach to coaching gives us space to explore your connection to the natural world and how that may support the life you live, with reciprocity. It helps us to listen and heed our own inner ecology as well as how we wish to show up externally. Together we will consider your nature connection using the metaphor of your own internal garden, intertwined and ever changing and growing with the cycles in nature. What do you want to cultivate, what new seeds do you want to sow, what do you need to stop, remove and make way for new growth? How can nature soothe you, help ground you in times of uncertainty.
Immersion and engagement with nature has multiple proven evidential benefits when treating low mood, pain, anxiety, improving mobility, increasing energy, managing illness, improving focus and when supporting change.
I have experienced the joy that comes from a reconnection with nature, the intelligence of nature can transform human consciousness, we can tap into it at any given moment to help nourish and heal our mind, body and soul.
Fiona, Kora Founder
How Kora uses a nature led approach
Over time, our connection with nature has decreased, various studies suggest that our language has changed since the 1950’s with less nature words being used in popular culture, increasing man-made urbanised environments and the advancements of technological changes being more indoor and virtually created, have all had significant impacts. We are exposed to much higher levels of stress & many people are describing feeling a loss of control, overwhelm, anxiety and fear.
Exploring and understanding the stress response and how it affects you is helpful. Once understood, you will be more able to work with it in a more resourceful and insightful manner, aligned with your needs and be able to adapt as situations arise for you in a much more resilient way. We incorporate the calming, soothing & inspirational benefits of nature as part of this to enable you to build your own set of tools and techniques that you can use at any time.
We often observed how often our clients would use references to the natural world to describe their lives, and there’s a reason for it. Science has demonstrated time and again that nature can be the true panacea for so many of our ills.
We enable clients to do this in a way that resonates for them, using tools including:
- Guided visualisations
- Creative exploration
- Mindful activity and movement (in a way that works for your mobility level)
- Outdoor experiences and sense of ‘place’
- Woodland integration
- Five senses consideration
- A therapeutic environment designed in partnership with the natural world
Integrative coaching
What is integrative coaching?
Integrative coaching is a client centred, therapeutic style of coaching that works with the whole of your being, acknowledging the interdependent roles of mind, body and spirit and the innate healing capacity within you.
It marries multiple practices, including our NLP, Clinical Hypnotherapy, Mindfulness and other therapeutic approaches, all grounded in nature to help you achieve your goals.
It provides a framework for more sustained behavioural change and is focused on empowering and supporting the individual to live optimally in any circumstances.
There is an emphasis on self-care, inner enquiry, awareness and reflection and we combine holistic principles, layered with evidence based modalities, that integrate with the clients treatment plans and overall health and wellbeing goals.
My practical experience is as a scientist, daughter, mother, wife and deeply intuitive being, I have a profound curiosity for life and I’ve utilised this to build a practice that marries evidence/facts with an openness for exploration and my love of nature.
Fiona, Kora Founder
How Kora uses Integrative coaching
There are many emotional, physiological and environmental unmet needs at the root cause of the challenges our clients come to us with.
Our focus is on understanding you at a deeper level, whilst acknowledging and bringing awareness and education to help you to understand where you are now. We focus on ways to help you live in the present and move forwards, enabling you to take control of your life and live more, alongside making any changes required. It’s a very personal approach & experience, and something we are proud to offer our clients.
For example, you may have unresolved emotional challenges from an experience you had years or even decades ago. That need can lead to unhealthy coping strategies, pain and even physical illness.
Our compassion-led work is always with your permission, we explore the unique path you need to take to freedom, and connection with yourself. The right path for one client looks very different to another.
You may have spent so long suppressing your feelings that even mentioning them feels silly, too overwhelming or scary to contemplate. Or you may somehow feel guilty or that you’re to ‘blame’ for your needs or experiences, we are here to reassure you that are not, what you can be responsible for is the commitment to make the changes needed for yourself, and know that it is possible.
We are experienced in the common coaching models like GROW (Goal, Reality, Options and Way forward), which provide a structured framework for coaching conversations and we also value other modalities including (but not limited to), NLP, EFT, Time Based Techniques, Somatic work (awareness and movement of your body), and Mindfulness. We will always use what we feel is the most appropriate combination for our clients in session. We layer the therapeutic effects, with nature bringing in another level of calm and multiple benefits to your sessions.
To us, ‘integrative’ means to ‘bring in/part of to facilitate an overall outcome’ and that’s what our coaching and therapy does; bring in the right modality for you, in the right way, at the right time.
Therapeutic techniques
Because our integrative coaching and treatment plans are tailored to the individual, the therapeutic techniques we use vary from person to person. Based on your needs and desired outcomes, we select the right practices to support you grounded within a holistic and nature connected, sensorial experience. Use the tabs below to learn more about some of the therapeutic techniques we use.
What is Clinical Hypnotherapy?
Clinical Hypnotherapy is the use of hypnosis for the treatment and alleviation of a variety of physical and psychological symptoms. It enables a person to enter a state of hypnosis for the purpose of a therapeutic outcome and people are treated in the state of hypnosis. It is an excellent addition to support an integrative approach to health and wellbeing.
We like to think of it as ‘a state of relaxed focus’ which can also be described as a state of mind, or an altered state of consciousness. It involves the person experiencing a deep sense of relaxation and it is completely natural to us as human beings.
We regularly experience it in our daily lives when we are daydreaming, reading a book, watching a film or about to fall asleep.
Hypnosis is enhanced by mental & physical relaxation and encourages beneficial change to occur in the individual receiving the treatment, by allowing the more imaginative and creative parts of our mind to be more engaged in finding solutions, in a calm and safe manner.
Examples of when Hypnotherapy can help
- Managing overwhelming anxieties, phobias, fears or worry
- Managing clinical and surgical interventions such as scans, biopsies or needles
- Pre & post op resilience and recovery
- Providing resourceful support during treatment and recovery
- Managing loss of health, grief and associated physical and emotional impacts/symptoms
One of the beautiful things about this approach is its safety and gentleness. When you’re experiencing a sea of uncertainty and trauma, Hypnotherapy can help ground you, calmly and effectively.
Fiona, Kora Founder
How Kora uses Clinical Hypnotherapy
We’re passionate about the professional use of Clinical Hypnotherapy, which is a therapeutic approach to hypnosis, as opposed to the more theatrical use of it, which is mainly aimed at entertainment. We provide a professional, calm, safe therapeutic experience that works at a subconscious level, by quieting the alert, conscious mind, which can often be critical, highly emotionally charged, limiting and in overdrive with the levels of stimulus we have in our daily lives.
We make time to ensure your comfort, you’ll be fully aware of what is happening throughout the process and you can be reassured that you are always in control, in a calm, safe environment which helps facilitate new thinking, feelings and behaviours that can improve your life.
It can also be ‘content free’, meaning you are able to say as much or as little as you wish during the sessions.
We’ll simply relax you to a deeper state, allowing you to access the unconscious mind and in doing so, your inner potential.
In Hypnotherapy you move to a ‘theta’ state – where there is opportunity for us to become more conscious of the connection between our mind and body, it helps us to understand why certain responses are prompted by certain thoughts or emotions. Gaining an understanding of this allows us to work with these symptoms, which is particularly useful for conditions such as anxiety or phobias.
This helps in myriad ways, including supporting health issues, reducing anxiety, depression and pain, increasing your self- esteem, confidence in relation to how you relate to yourself and others, as well as managing your illness or situation. It can reduce insomnia, which is often the result of hidden anxieties and fears.
We are fully accredited and regulated members of the General Hypnotherapy Council (GHSC) and hold registration with the General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR) which allows us to register with the only government accredited body for complimentary therapists – the Complimentary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC).
By registering with the CNHC, complementary healthcare practitioners demonstrate to the public and other healthcare practitioners that they meet the UK-wide standards of practice in their work and abide by their code of ethics and performance.
What is Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP)?
Neuro-linguistic Programming looks at how our thinking impacts our feelings and behaviours as well as the state in which we present ourselves. It’s informed by our perceptions of the world and how we perceive our reality.
By exploring the idea of what we’re seeing, saying, feeling, hearing and the patterns of behaviour we follow – how do you ‘do’ your challenge?
We always meet you where you are.
Fiona, Kora Founder
How Kora does Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP)
Neuro-linguistic Programming is an approach that combines tools, techniques, models, theories & strategies, focusing on your thought processes, feelings and behaviours, including how the language we use, influences the way we think and the results we get.
It enables us to really consider what is/isn’t supporting us in our day to day lives, our perceptions and how they integrate with others, bringing clarity as well as positive and resourceful change in ourselves and others.
How do we do what we do (our strategies), what other possibilities are there (options) and how can we achieve them. It really enables us to understand our individual ‘blueprint’ and redefine it as necessary.
Our approach and use of NLP is about providing the space for you to discover and explore, in a way that is completely congruent, releasing yourself from past, present and future worries and focusing on what you do want.
It gives you a sense of freedom, enabling you to take action. You will learn about holding ultimate responsibility for yourself and your actions, understand what’s in and out of your control, how your communication impacts yourself and others and how you can respond rather than react. The tools and techniques ultimately help you in making the right choices for yourself and your health and wellbeing. It may be a small step with a huge impact, such as starting with accepting where you are, as we only have now.
Words and the physiology of our communication are important, what and how you tell yourself and others really does matter. By exploring how we communicate, your choices and actions, we can understand why you’re struggling to make the changes you need.
Our work together is a ‘conversation’ where we gain insights into how and why you do the things you do. It’s very much an ‘in the moment’ process – we may use specific tools, or we may just enjoy a productive, relaxed conversation that has impactful results for you.
Our founder has undertaken the Breathworks Mindfulness for Health Course and has also been certified to use Mindfulness as part of her Clinical Hypnotherapy protocols. She has utilised her learning to help support her own personal circumstances after an accident left her with a compressed nerve in her neck, causing severe pain and discomfort pre and post op.
During that time, she learnt the art of pain acceptance and reduced her suffering. As the Dalai Lama said, “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional”. She has since developed her own nature focused use of Mindfulness to help support her clients with great success.
Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment, to your own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around you, without judgment or stories being applied. As a result, it can improve your mental & physical wellbeing.
It’s easy to stop noticing the world around us. It’s also easy to lose touch with the way our bodies are feeling and to end up living “in our heads” – caught up in our thoughts without stopping to notice how those thoughts are driving our emotions and behaviour.
An important part of Mindfulness is reconnecting with our bodies and the sensations they experience. This means paying attention to the sights, sounds, smells, touch and tastes of the present moment. That might be something as simple as noticing how the wind feels as it blows your face or looking closely at a flower or leaf in the garden.
Another important part of Mindfulness is an awareness of our thoughts and feelings as they happen moment to moment and how transient they can be. Becoming more aware of the present moment can help us enjoy the world around us more and understand ourselves better.
When we become more aware of the present moment, we begin to experience things that perhaps we have taken for granted, with fresh eyes and a new sense of perspective. Mindfulness also allows us to become more aware of the stream of thoughts and feelings that we experience, and to see how we can become entangled in that stream in ways that are not helpful.
This lets us stand back from our thoughts as if we are an observer to them and start to see their patterns. Gradually, we can train ourselves to notice when our thoughts are taking over and realise that thoughts are simply “mental events” that do not have to control us. Instead of being overwhelmed by them, we’re better able to manage them and can free ourselves from reliving past problems or pre-living future worries.
Mindfulness-based therapies are recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to treat less severe depression.
It is a proven method and clinical trials have shown that Mindfulness meditation can be as effective as prescription painkillers. It can enhance the body’s natural healing systems, reducing anxiety, irritability, insomnia, depression and the exhaustion that can arise as a result of chronic pain and illness. We have found this especially helpful for fatigue, insomnia and painful conditions.
Kora uses the various mindful techniques, such as mindfulness, meditation, supportive mindful movement practice- including gentle nature-based walks, and modern pain management strategies to support clients with their present circumstances.
One of the main learnings from using these Mindfulness techniques in practice is that when we cannot change our circumstances, we can choose to change ourselves and you can train your brain to stop sabotaging your quality of life and live more.
Ways to work with Kora
We all have goals we would like to aspire to, challenges to face and times when we feel stuck. Partnering with a Kora coach can change your life, setting you on a path to greater personal and professional fulfilment.We have developed an integrative, progressive, calm and mindful way of practice that really enables the client to step back and view what is important to them in order to facilitate the change and transformation in their lives.
Our coaching programme durations vary by client, we offer 3, 6, 9 and 12 month programmes.
Sessions are available, in person at our practice in Tadworth, Surrey, on our local nature coaching walks or via Zoom.
We always work with the person and not the condition as we trust that each of us has healing potential within ourselves and welcome client enquiries in relation to their specific experiences.
We offer bespoke packages to facilitate healing, as well as integrating hypnotherapy as part of our tailor-made coaching experiences dependant on client needs.
These are one off, intense transformational sessions that Kora has created to work with you on specific issues that are holding you back.
We use a combination of tools and techniques to help you, each session is tailored to the client’s needs and includes Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP), Time Based Techniques (TBT) and Hypnosis.
The nature and length of the sessions may vary, typically, a breakthrough session is between 3-6hrs working 1:1. There are few breaks and it is quite intense, you will leave with a renewed sense of self-awareness, new strategies and empowering beliefs that will liberate you.
Mindful Wellbeing Walks
Join us for our monthly free Mindful Wellbeing Walks at the Surrey Wildlife Trust, Nower Wood Education Centre! Starting on Friday, 19th April at 1.30pm.
Give yourself a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life and immerse yourself in nature. These walks are for women who want to slow down, pause and prioritise their wellbeing. So lace up your walking shoes and join us for a rejuvenating experience in the great outdoors!
Individual nature connection walks
This restorative nature walking is informed by the Japanese practice of “Shinrin Yoku,” or “Forest Bathing”. It is a calm and immersive sensory experience in nature involving moving slowly and mindfully in a natural place. It’s like a calming, soothing bath for the nervous system and has many healing and restorative benefits. We start with some guided meditation and slow wandering and move through to some nature based reflective or introspective practices.
Our programmes help you to consistently engage in self-care practices, facilitating you to define your own personal roadmap that works for you and incorporates preventative measures.
These are evening 1hr guided sessions, it’s time for you to book time out from the everyday and relax and reenergise. They are created by our founder specifically to promote inner healing and include meditation and Hypnotherapy. Time to make yourself comfortable and nourish your soul – candlelight and warm blankets are encouraged.
If you’re unsure what would be best for you, or to find out more about any of our programmes, book your free consultation today.
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