Several floors above Main Street in downtown Harrisonburg, Letitia Bates sits with virtual and in-person clients and taps. It鈥檚 called the Emotional Freedom Technique, or EFT for short, and it鈥檚 one of the mechanisms Bates uses to help her clients work through emotional baggage that hinders them from achieving their potential.

Through her practice, , Bates aims 鈥渢o evoke inspiration, healing, compassion, and transformation in the world.鈥�

Bates is a 2016 graduate of 黑料正能量鈥檚 Accelerated Degree Program. She has been a life coach for five years now, and dove into the practice full-time two years ago, after earning a degree in leadership and organizational management from 黑料正能量. Bates says that the program especially helped her develop confidence in writing.

鈥淪o much of it was centered on writing that it was like I found my voice again,鈥� Bates said. She has now published a book about self-improvement, and four journals, all available on Amazon.

Students are grouped into cohorts of about 15 who go through the program together. Bates said that this 鈥渨as conducive to the deeper discussions about the material that we were using.鈥�

Adults who want to return to school can qualify for the program if they hold at least 48 college credits from another institution, a 2.0 cumulative grade point average, and are at least 23 years old. The program meets over four consecutive semesters, one night per week, with about a third of the sessions held online simultaneously.

Building confidence through the Accelerated Degree Program

Bates鈥� journey to the Accelerated Degree Program began while she was a successful insurance claims professional at Rockingham Insurance in Harrisonburg. Though she was in a leadership position, Bates said she still struggled with feelings of intellectual inferiority.

鈥淚 really just didn鈥檛 think I was smart enough, and a lot of that was informed by the self esteem issues from my past,鈥� Bates said. She decided to further her education, taking courses at a local community college before transferring to 黑料正能量.

One overarching concept from her studies at 黑料正能量 that has informed her practice is that of 鈥渟ystems fit,鈥� Bates said.

鈥淵ou can have a forward-thinking concept, but unless you have a system that鈥檚 expanding to accommodate that, you鈥檙e just going to create conflict and struggle,鈥� she explained. 鈥淪o that was very powerful for me.鈥�

Life coaching a transformative experience

Bates chose to take her leadership skills into the life coaching field because her own life-changing experiences as a client.

鈥淚 had a lot of emotional pain in my history 鈥� Everybody told me that time would heal the wounds. Time had not healed the wounds,鈥� Bates explained. Her friend suggested she seek help for the trauma she鈥檇 experienced.

鈥淚 started therapy, and things started to shift. And then I found myself in an identity crisis, because I didn鈥檛 know who I was without my victimhood. So I hired a life coach,鈥� Bates said. 鈥淎nd then everything really changed, because I started to see what my life could be like.鈥�

Her life coach taught her about tapping. After earning a certification to lead EFT tapping, Bates added to her skills and knowledge with a Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) training at 黑料正能量, and certifications in hypnosis and neuro-linguistic programming.

These techniques 鈥渁ll deal with the subconscious mind. And a lot of what鈥檚 driving us or stopping us are experiences in our past that are not readily available to us at the conscious level,鈥� Bates said.

She illustrated this subconscious hindrance with a ubiquitous experience: setting your alarm for a certain time, then not getting up. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like when the alarm clock goes off, and you hit the snooze button, even though you set an intention to get up at 7 o鈥檆lock. Something subconsciously says you don鈥檛 want to get up, even though, consciously, you said you wanted to. So we have this dance going on in a lot of areas in our lives,鈥� Bates said.

‘Clearing, clarifying and creating’

Some of her clients know what鈥檚 holding them back when they first contact her. Others don鈥檛, but just know they aren鈥檛 achieving all they would like to. She works with the client through three main phases. 

鈥淐learing whatever is holding them back鈥� comes first, Bates explained. 鈥淭he second element is clarifying 鈥� let鈥檚 get crystal clear on what you want to do. And then that third phase is creating, so having a plan to move forward and execute to get results.鈥�

Many clients take what they learn from these sessions into the workplace. Others, like one named Heidi who shared her story on Bates鈥� , have more spiritual goals. Heidi鈥檚 infant daughter had died in the neonatal intensive care unit, never having left the hospital. She came to Bates because she still hoped to have a family some day, and didn鈥檛 want her grief to haunt her future children.

鈥淗eidi had the foresight of knowing that if she didn鈥檛 clear the emotional stuff, that that could transfer into the continuation of her family, and she didn鈥檛 want that,鈥� Bates said. 

Giving back to the community

Bates is in no way resting easy on her latest accomplishments. She continues to give back through involvement with the Newport News organization Crusading Outreach Ministry, and is a Distinguished Toastmaster in the Harrisonburg chapter of the public speaking and leadership nonprofit Toastmasters International. 

For Bates, this lifestyle of service is a natural outpouring.

At the for her life coaching office in 2017, Bates thanked the community for how much they had invested in her 鈥� especially her mother.

鈥淢ama, I want to thank you for all the sacrifices that you have made. I want to thank you for the demonstration of courage that you have shown me 鈥� and I promise you that I will rise to the highest, best, and fullest expression of the woman you have intended me to be.鈥�

http://www.emu.edu/lancaster/rn-bsn