We’re looking forward to introducing you to Patricia Ruiloba Gitto. Check out our conversation below.
Patricia, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I wake up and immediately start to meditate. I try to connect with my highest power and start by leaving any thoughts that can cause me despair. I usually continue with more meditation, using EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), best known as Tapping, and prayers. Then, I have breakfast and take a shower to start my day. Some days, I practice TaiChi and go the gym to exercise. The most important for me is to start my day feeling grounded and at peace with myself and everything and everyone around me.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
As a cello instructor for almost 16 years, I had the opportunity to work with many enthusiastic students who wanted to learn to play their cello and become more proficient to play in orchestras, pass their auditions successfully, and play in recitals with ease and joy. After many studio recitals I have offered for my students to perform, I’m always delighted with their process of learning to reach their goals, and how much they have improved to perform beautifully for their family and friends. In addition, they become more proficient to be accepted in their orchestras at school, or getting at a higher level position in their cello orchestra section, among other achievements.
Overtime, I also have realized that there’s so much more beyond learning to play efficiently: we as performers need to develop an ability to connect with our bodies and minds in a way that we are transported by the music, and as a result, we connect with our audiences. The reality is that we all deal with some degree of performance anxiety, which can prevent playing with all our potential. Most of the time, we are taught over the years to ignore our true feelings of fear of failing to perform efficiently. As a result, there are many people with repetitive motion injuries, and are unable to perform anymore for fear of getting rejected.
In spite that my students were not reflecting this situation, on the other hand, I was dealing with symptoms of dealing with these fears and it was becoming harder to continue teaching or performing with ease. For this reason, I searched for tools that could help me overcome anxiety as practicing Alexander Technique, Acupuncture and Physical Therapy. So far, these practices have helped me tremendously to continue performing and teaching with joy. However, I knew deep inside that I could learn more about how our mind works and how it is connected to our bodies that can either make us play efficiently or not.
By searching further for tools that can help us deal with high levels of anxiety and connect our both mind and souls, I encountered one of the most efficient and fast techniques that can lower our levels of cortisol and other stress hormones by accepting exactly as we are in the moment. The Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), best known as “tapping” uses both Cognitive and Exposure therapies by tapping meridian points in our bodies (ancient Chinese medicine), and in a matter of minutes, the levels of anxiety lower to a point that you become more aware about other beliefs or behaviors that run our subconscious. In other words, by stimulating the body by tapping on meridian points as acupuncture, the person is able to feel safe while remembering their fears, and then they have more cognitive realizations of their troubles. After years of practicing EFT for myself, I decided to become an EFT Certified Practitioner through EFT Universe in 2024.
Since I became an EFT Certified Practitioner, I created my brand called “Finding Freedom and Peace with Patricia Gitto.” My goal is to help as many people to overcome their anxiety and fears to reach their best potential. I currently offer individual and group sessions for those who are interested to experience this transformation. So far, I have a presence in social media through Instagram and Facebook, and I’m planning to expand by offering YouTube videos and more opportunities to learn about my brand.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
Certainly, as a child we form our first impression of our lives and create series of behaviors and patterns that we learn from our experiences. One that I no longer believe is that “I’m not good enough”, which is truly connected to a bigger belief or “table” as we describe in EFT: fear of rejection. We all one way or another build this fear that can get triggered when we are on the spot. Musicians and performing artists deal with this belief, and I have discovered that we don’t have to completely eliminate it to be successful. By saying “I’m doing my best, I’m amazing exactly how I am ”, immediately the pressure of perfectionism goes out the window. The reality is that it takes time to change and live at your fullest.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Even though we could experience so much pain in our lives, such as losing someone, or getting injured, etc., we don’t become aware and try to seek for more information. Most of the time we only try to “fix” or find the easiest solution to our problems, but life is far from being easy. I believe that as long as we become more aware of our own thoughts, which tend to be for the most part negative, we don’t give ourselves the opportunity to change or accept ourselves exactly as we are. This is easy said than done, and not until you live through pain and suffering can you appreciate it more.
For sure, I’m not trying to say that life is always difficult, although we can change our negative thoughts with more clarity, compassion and love when we deal with tribulations. We all have experienced one way or another some type of traumatic event, even as early as from our own childhood that we are not aware of. That’s the beauty of getting to know yourself from within, to never stop digging those emotions, beliefs, and your own story. This is what EFT and many other tools have taught me throughout the years.
And finally, we need to honor our past, live the present moment and build our future. The only time we have is now! So might as well live it, even when life becomes difficult. Honestly, success is relative to me: you can be successful even when dealing with suffering or problems. It’s not always to me so clear the definition of success because for some it means that you achieve everything in life, but also the most difficult situations can teach you to become more successful in the midst of chaos.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
For all that I mentioned above, I’m committed to continue serving people. I already do it with my cello studio, and my performance experiences. Most recently, I’m working on re-launching my brand “Finding Freedom and Peace” mainly because I believe that the general population can benefit from it. For ethical reasons, I won’t do sessions with my own students or their parents. My idea is to offer more group sessions to introduce it for anyone who is interested to apply these tools as EFT to themselves in a general manner. I do recommend individual sessions for those who want to work more deeply into their beliefs and patterns. Building an EFT practice can take time, and I’m constantly reminding myself that I will be able to reach to those who will need it the most. I can also offer sessions in Spanish, my native language, which expands the possibility to offer it to more people.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What will you regret not doing?
Truly, I would regret if I stop trying to grow as person and if I stop learning. We all have the ability to learn from our mistakes, and move forward with pride that we did the best we could. Also, it will be a tragedy if we believe that we have learned it all! I’m amazed that I’m still learning about my cello playing, and as a musician you never stop seeking more instruction or training. The same will be with my EFT practice: I’m committed to attend workshops, seminars, and someday I will be one of the presenters! I will regret the most if I stop dreaming that I can reach my goals. We need to manifest our dreams, and the only way to do it is to believe in them. Then, you are capable to work on your goals. Sometimes, we need to discover who we truly are first. I’m amazed by the process of learning and my own journey. Again, we need to not worry about the future, we need to live our present time, the here and now. Your legacy will speak for itself if we live fully in the moment.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/findingfreedomandpeace?igsh=MWpsaDdidTNxZDM4eA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Finding-Freedom-and-Peace-with-Patricia-Gitto/61556739638760/?_rdr
- Other: My website www.findingfreedomandpeace.com is under construction.
Image Credits
Carol Lara Photography
