Frequently Asked Questions...

The Online Courses

Where did Gentle Release Therapy come from?

Previously a traffic engineer, a change of life circumstances meant I took the opportunity to train in complementary therapies. During this time I saw how often physical issues were connected to emotional issues which seemed to be held in the body.

When you are going through a difficult time but don’t have the capacity to process the experience at that time, the body helpfully stores things away so you can resolve them at a better time. Think of it like the spare bedroom or cupboard under the stairs, you need to make time and space to clear out these areas and so you should with your body.

Over the years, the techniques I was using with clients no longer resembled the therapies I was trained in. Plus, people were so impressed with the therapy they wanted to know more about it and at that point, it didn’t even have a name! So, Gentle Release Therapy was born.

I created a training programme, got it accredited and, back in 2018, ran the first practitioner training retreat, which went beyond my wildest dreams. Such a gentle and intuitive therapy but in these settings where students are held, nourished and nurtured, they each found the space to safely release issues from their past, sometimes that they had been holding for a lifetime.

What is Gentle Release Therapy?

Gentle Release Therapy combines Energy Work (similar to Reiki) with the fundamentals of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). We use TCM Theory to understand what's going on in the body.

For example, the Liver is a key organ in TCM as it helps the flow of Qi (Energy) around the body. The Liver is linked to Ligaments and Tendons, so muscular tension may well be connected to the Liver. The emotions connected to the Liver are anger and frustration...imagine someone really angry and all those ligaments and tendons becoming so tight in their body they look like they might explode! The Liver is also linked with the time 1am to 3am, so if you find yourself waking at these times and not able to get back to sleep for a while, you and your Liver may appreciate some help.

Gentle Release Therapy uses techniques to support and release not only the Liver energy but also the other key organs in TCM. We also have extremely gentle emotional release techniques that we can use if there is an issue in particular that's causing you stress.

In addition to the TCM work with the abdominal organs, cranial release is an integral part of the treatments and is often key to a release. This involves an extremely light touch and can allow the body to release on another level. We also have techniques that release the endocrine (hormone system) and lymphatic system that can be used as required. Therapists work intuitively to deal with what your body is ready to release at that moment in time. This is all done by lightly placing a hand or fingertip on key parts of the body.

After treatments clients often feel lighter in both the head and abdomen. They will very often be so relaxed they go and take a much-needed nap, or be so energised they get loads of work done that they have been struggling with for ages!

 Why have you created the Introduction to Gentle Release Therapy Course?

We ran a number of very successful one day workshops where we taught people how to use some of the key techniques so they could look after themselves, and family members, at home. Gentle Release is an excellent tool for adults but also for supporting children of any age, particularly for constipation, stress, anxiety, bladder control issues and anger. (Read more in our blog…)

We had a lot of interest but couldn’t offer the workshops all over the country due to our own family commitments so we decided to put the course online. To help people that are new to this kind of thing we have created guided meditations that you can listen to as we talk you through the key areas for release. You don’t have to listen to the meditations to do Gentle Release Therapy but they can be a really helpful tool as your intuition develops and when you are working on yourself. Even the fully trained Gentle Release Practitioners have been enjoying working on themselves, listening and releasing to the Guided Meditations. 

Please note that the Introduction to Gentle Release Therapy Course is also known as the Self Care for You and Your Family Course

Who is the online course suitable for?

Anyone that has an open mind, an interest in energy work and wants to learn techniques to help their own body function better. Whether that’s to reduce stress and anxiety, for more energy and motivation or to support health issues such as constipation or aches and pains. It is suitable for complete beginners or those that have studied Energy under other therapies because Gentle Release Therapy offers a unique perspective. 

The course is self-paced so you can follow it at your own speed, whether that is a little each day or a full retreat day at home! The meditations can be downloaded and used whenever you like.

You can have a read through our testimonials here.

Do I need any equipment?

You can do the courses on your smart phone, tablet or computer; it’s all hosted online where you can watch videos, download the files and the guided meditations. Then to use Gentle Release Therapy yourself you just need your hands, some time and a comfy space for you, or your family member, to either sit or lie down. You will need headphones or a speaker to play the guided meditations from your device.

Body Beautiful

What is the Body Beautiful Online Course and why did you create it?

The Body Beautiful course uses some of the key Gentle Release Therapy techniques to help you let go of any emotional reasons for eating that may be preventing you from losing weight.

I had been struggling with my own weight for most of my adult life; you name it I’ve tried it, from Weight watchers to Atkins, from Slimming World to the 5:2, I had even tried some very weird and obscure diets. I quite literally would have done anything to resolve it….so why couldn’t I just stop eating? If you have been on this journey like me, you will know it really isn’t that simple.

In the summer of 2019, as I turned 39, I was not willing to carry this battle into my 40’s. I had also made the decision earlier in the year to grow out my silver hair and really wanted to ‘rock it’ rather than look like I had given up on myself. I knew Gentle Release was great for releasing emotional issues and I knew that I had an emotional need to eat. Difficult times with my young daughter and I would dive straight for the chocolate, argument with husband…comfort food, times for celebration…well you can’t have those without food. On the whole I ate pretty healthily and would much prefer proper meals to cakes and biscuits, but my portion sizes were too big. So, I was able to maintain a size 14, but, as much as I tried, I couldn’t maintain anything less than that.

A friend mentioned that Michael Mosely had released the FAST 800 diet and I joined a few of the Facebook groups to see how people were getting on and I have never seen such remarkable results for so many people, so I decided to give it a try. But eating 800 calories a day isn’t easy, especially when you haven’t dealt with why you are emotional eating. Determined to make this work, I decided I would try using my own Gentle Release Techniques on myself, and to my absolute relief it worked and my emotional need to eat dissipated. I quickly reached a size 12 and for the first time in my adult life I looked forward to Christmas and the foods that surround it knowing that I could lose weight and keep it off. Christmas was a success and whilst I may have put on a couple of pounds the relief about being able to eat without guilt and knowing that I could lose it again was tremendous.

Whilst I was much happier with my weight than I had been in years, I still wanted to lose a bit more so when the Coronavirus came into our lives and we were in lockdown I wanted to come out of this difficult time with something positive. Once I had eaten the remaining biscuits, I decided to go for it again employing the Gentle Release tools and the FAST 800 and, in a few weeks, I made it to a size 10! I even stayed on track through Easter weekend despite making home-made hot cross buns for my daughter, I only tried a little bite and the spare ones were given away or put in the freezer.

The Fast800 groups have been full of comments with people really struggling with lockdown eating and I really wanted to be able to help so I decided to create the Body Beautiful package. To be able to do a more thorough session on yourself you really need to understand more about Gentle Release Therapy so the online You and Your Family Self Care course is the perfect foundation. The Body Beautiful module then builds on this knowledge with specific support and guided gentle release meditations for your weight loss journey and emotional eating.

Which package would suit me best?

Bronze – if you are self-motivated and independent this package will suit you perfectly

Silver – If you feel you need some ongoing support and a little motivation then this level may be a better fit for you

Gold – If you need help to stay on course and have deeper issues around emotional eating then this package will give you the support you need to succeed

If you buy Bronze or Silver and find you need more support, just contact us to upgrade your package.

What diet should I follow?

That is entirely your choice. Think of Gentle Release as an additional tool to help overcome the emotional aspects of eating to follow whichever diet is right for you. You may choose to carry on eating as you wish but see if Gentle Release helps you to naturally make better choices without conscious effort.

Who is it not right for?

You really need to have the motivation to do this and follow it through. You still need to put the effort and time in, it will not happen by magic…. you are ultimately in control of your journey. This is by no means a magic bullet, but it can be a really powerful tool on your journey. If you aren’t ready and willing to put the work in…this isn’t for you.

Do you have any testimonials or success stories?

Since I’ve only just written the course there are a few people trying it out and getting on well, but we would really like to get more testimonials…so watch this space!

8 days in and 7lbs down

'I have been a fan of Helen’s work for quite some time now and stumbled across her body beautiful course just when I was looking for some inspiration with my weight loss journey. I have a lifetime of experience with various diets and exercise regimes only for my weight to not budge on the scales or quietly and insidiously creep up over the years. My babies are getting older so I can’t kid myself that this is just still my baby weight. When we went into lock down, I noticed myself doing a lot more and emotional eating more than usual probably in an attempt to find some control in these uncertain times. However, in doing so, I was losing all control of my eating and weight. So, having signed up for Helen’s course, I finally found something that is shifting the lbs. I’m only 8 days in but 7lbs down. I appreciate the support and encouragement as well as the relaxing recording that accompanied the course. I’m not struggling with hunger anymore which is a lovely surprise and it’s made me realise how much I was snacking without even noticing. I highly recommend Helen’s course to anyone who wants to get a better grip on their weight loss and anyone who needs to release anything holding onto that weight. Helen’s style is very friendly and supportive. It’s always good to have a course that has worked for a real person.'

 Utterly Amazing

'The first time I did the beautiful body meditation, it was utterly amazing. It made me realise I have been struggling with my weight since my first break up. Which was now 20 years ago. The meditation is beautiful and uplifting. It has made me think about my relationship with food and the reasons why I sometimes make the food choices I do. I know I have a very long path ahead still however I feel my healing process has begun. I have had one to one guided release with Helen which was utterly amazing. After our first session the only way I can describe it was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. This course has proved what I have always believed that the relationship with food is a complex that is emotional and physical. I would highly recommend this body beautiful course and a treatment with Helen.'

Any other questions?

Feel free to email us at [email protected]

How do I sign up?

Follow this link and chose which package you would like, then you can checkout and pay via card or paypal.