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Deepak Chopra, MD
"EFT offers great healing benefits."
EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques®) Where emotional relief brings physical health
Self help method often works where nothing else will No Drugs Involved ~ High Success Rate
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Using EFT in Pregnancy and During Childbirth
Mary Lawton has many years experience in the pregnancy and childbirth field. She has experienced many successes with EFT and outlines uses below for such topics as Past birth experiences, Father issues, Baby positioning, During birth, Using EFT on Babies and Children. Please note that she also provides cautions regarding the use of the ankle point during pregnancy.
I have found that using the EFT process is just as easy and effective in pregnancy and childbirth as it is in every day life. As a hypnotherapist teaching Birthing Hypnosis to couples in classes as well as individually, I found the concepts were easy to assimilate right into the class format just by adding a workshop to their scheduled learning.
I began using EFT in the classes the very moment I met EFT. I tried it on every "pregnancy-induced ailment" that the moms brought to me. Of course, everyone tapped along and the borrowed benefits were confirmed over and over. I learned quickly that everything, even while in the pregnant state, is a tap-able issue just as it is in everyday life.
A few common examples are:
"Even though I have this nausea...."
"Even though I'm afraid I might lose the baby..."
"Even though this baby is in a painful position..."
"Even though I am afraid of being a mother/father..."
"Even though my hands/feet are swollen..."
"Even though I cry all the time..."
Obviously this is a very short list and some of them need to be more specific than they are as listed. The main point is that we find that most of the "pregnancy/hormone-induced ailments" are related to issues in life that are not obviously related to pregnancy.
Past Birth Experiences: Issues from past birth experiences are happy to show up at subsequent births, so those are carefully reviewed and cleared very often with a movie/tearless trauma technique. A few issues I have encountered are:
"Even though my body cannot dilate on its own..."
"Even though I know childbirth is painful because I have experienced it that way in the past..."
"Even though I always have high blood pressure..."
"Even though I am afraid the (medical system) will take over my childbirth again..."
"Even though I am afraid I will accept an intervention that is really not needed...."
Father's Issues: Father's issues are easy to address as well, and after they learn that EFT is a relatively tearless/painless procedure, they are more than happy to disclose their fears!
"Even though I was just in the way last time..."
"Even though I am afraid she will be in pain..."
"Even though I am afraid I will not be able to make enough money..."
"Even though there is so much to do..."
Baby Positioning: Sometimes those babies tell us things by getting themselves into some pretty odd positions. Of course, EFT can be applied. Generally I do EFT on the fears, stresses, and thoughts about the sub-optimal positioning, then do hypnosis, so I do not know exactly what part of the session led to the baby turning, but I do know that the EFT is fast and easy for uncovering those stresses that keep those babies from being in more optimal positions! A few of the issues that have come up are:
"Even though I am afraid I will have to have a C section.."
"Even though I am afraid there is not enough time to (prepare)..."
"Even though my father will never get to see this baby..."
"Even though I have no idea why this baby is in the wrong position..."
"Even though (baby's father) has seemed distant..."
Most often, there is a life event that comes up easily. There are just about as many examples as to why a baby is in a sub-optimal position for birth as there are examples for why a person would apply EFT to their everyday lives.
It is my personal belief that when the medical profession begins to entertain the idea that discomfort in pregnancy is indicative of something that needs healing in the expectant mother's life, they will begin to treat expectant parents in brand new ways that are much more effective.
During Birth: I have had more and more clients who have used the EFT during the birth process (and that number is increasing as the mom's tell me stories that I recount to the couples in my classes). Occasionally I get a call and we might tap together, or they might report later on that they tapped on issues like:
"Even though this hypnosis is not working..."
"Even though I was not expecting (this sensation)..."
"Even though I did not want to birth at this horrid hospital..."
"Even though that nurse said .... to me..."
"Even though I do not know if I should do (this treatment that has been offered)..."
I have also had reports recently that moms tapped all the way through the labor and birth. One mom had an early and unexpected delivery of her baby and had only come to one hypnosis class and to the EFT workshop. She was not proficient at the hypnosis yet, but the EFT was so easy for her to use that she used it all the way through from labor to birth. Another mom used both EFT and hypnosis and the midwife reported that the mom appeared to be "completely blissed out". Many moms report using it at some point during labor.
The Ankle Point: When I first invited Gary into my living room for all those hours of video training, I used the ankle point with all the couples I was teaching. A few months later, a client informed me that her acupuncturist did not use that point and that I might not want to teach it. I stopped using it at that point, so I know that there were 3 classes (about 15 couples) that I taught the ankle point to, and those mom's did practice the EFT with that point. In those classes, 2 of the babies died (one mom miscarried at 32 weeks and one baby was unable to live without life support after a normal spontaneous vaginal birth where there appeared to be no problem throughout the labor or birth). There has been no medical cause found in either case. I have since learned that the Neigong Grand Master Teachers "strictly forbid" touching that ankle point during pregnancy. I had no babies die in the 1 = years prior to using EFT and no babies die since not teaching the ankle point. The rest of the babies from those classes were healthy and all those moms used the ankle point.
There is absolutely no way to know if there was a detrimental effect with using the ankle point, but I mention this for those who wonder about that ankle point. I don't use it any more with pregnant clients, and if I am working with females who are in a group of others that I am teaching it to, I tell them that if they are pregnant or considering becoming pregnant, I do not recommend them using it. Note from GC: Click here for differences of opinion on this issue
EFT on Babies and Children: Of course, I tell all the parents-to-be that they can use EFT on their little ones and have multiple examples of how I and others have used it with children. I also invite them to consider that the stimulation that the baby receives as he/she moves down the birth path is probably the greatest EFT session they will ever experience!
Mary Lawton
