Campaigning Kirsty is on a mission to organise two men’s retreats and offer 300 free acu seed treatments to help men affected by suicide, addiction, or emotional pain
Campaigning Kirsty is on a mission to organise two men’s retreats and offer 300 free acu seed treatments to help men affected by suicide, addiction, or emotional pain.
The tiny metal seeds are placed on acupressure points on the ears for up to five days and can relieve stress and anxiety.
The freelance model, who’s worked on campaigns for brands like Boots and Specsavers, has used them on herself after years of struggling with a chronic abdominal pain condition.
Now she’s using her own experience to set up the Men’s Mental Health Coach, offering help to men in turmoil with the ear seeds, breathing techniques, meditation, and positive affirmations.
Kirsty Smiley administering her acu seeds
“I’ve dealt with my own mental health due to suffering chronic pain, and I’ve sat in a lot of these men’s chairs after going through childhood trauma and abuse,” says Kirsty.
“I used to be a drug taker and I’ve had to pull myself out of that life, and now I believe I’ve been set on a path to help men.”
It was a chance remark about suicide during a holiday in Turkey which sparked the idea for retreats and gentle support.
Northern Ireland’s suicide rate is higher than in England and Wales, and a report last year on statistics for 2023 revealed an 8 per cent increase on the previous year, and that three quarters of suicide deaths were male.
“A man in Turkey said to me ‘where you live there is a pandemic for people committing suicide, and it’s a lot of men’. That was someone on the other side of the world talking about Northern Ireland,” says Kirsty.
“That was one of the things that led to me doing this.
“I’m not a counsellor, and the only part of the men who come to me that I touch is their ear.
“Some of them are big hard men and all they want is some feminine energy to be kind to them.”
The 29-year-old, mum to daughter Ruby Mae, 12, has already helped men who have lost everything, including their children, because of addiction, and people who are struggling after losing friends to suicide.
“Some of them have been in jail. Some of them haven’t been through the NHS because they’re going to be given tablets and that’s not what they want,” says Kirsty, from north Belfast.
The tiny metal seeds are placed on acupressure points on the ears for up to five days and can relieve stress and anxiety.
“A lot of them are completely lost after losing someone to suicide and it’s taking them a long time to be able to process it.
“They blame themselves and feel they could have done something to prevent it. They are riddled with guilt.”
She says the ear seeds are a non-invasive treatment, based on the principles of ancient Chinese acupuncture, using the ear as a map of the body.
“I can put them in place for stress, anxiety, fatigue, wherever they feel it’s required.
“I wrap the men in a blanket and help them to calm with breathing techniques and meditation.
“I’ve opened a GoFundMe page because I don’t believe the men should have to pay to get help, and I want to organise two retreats with massage from male masseuses and a male speaker.”
Kirsty says she’s already had positive feedback from clients who have shared their thoughts on her Men’s Mental Health Coach Facebook page.
“They have taken the first steps to making themselves feel better by coming to me, and I’m here to help them save themselves,” she says.
Kirsty Smiley
News in 90 Seconds – Tuesday, August 5th