I was blessed to attend the ACNM (American College of Nurse-Midwives) conference and annual meeting last week in Long Beach, CA. Not only did I attend, but I was a presenter. My offering was a four-hour workshop entitled Healing Trauma for Mothers, Families, and Midwives with EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique).
Twenty-two midwives signed up for my workshop. Many were directors of large practices, university faculty midwives, and pioneers in the midwife movement. I was humbled and deeply moved by the honor of teaching this energy healing work to them. I created a healing, sacred circle for these powerful midwives, complete with an alter in the center. The workshop was experiential. We learned about EFT, and then practiced healing each other. Several of my sister midwives experienced profound healing. It was beautiful to witness these women, who give so much of their lives in service to mothers and babies, take care of their own emotional well-being. Here they all are, at the end of the workshop:
Aren't happy, emotionally tended midwives beautiful?
Two summers ago, I had the opportunity to study EFT with an internationally acclaimed EFT trainer named Sonia Sophia Illig ... Sonia's Website here . EFT is both a talking and a physical / energy therapy. As you talk about your emotions, you "tap" on acupuncture points in a relaxing, beautiful series of movements. This combination of reviewing your trauma and the emotions around it verbally, and tapping on the points, actually releases the trauma from the nervous system and tissues. It is easy to learn and do, and results occur quickly. Emotional pain is diminished and a person feels lighter, more clear, and free.
I use EFT in my midwife practice when painful emotions and past traumas are identified during prenatal visits. It is so empowering to be able to heal emotional pain, right there, in the office. Before I knew EFT I would listen compassionately to women's stories and feel frustrated that I couldn't do something to fix it other than offer referrals to therapists and healers. Now I say, I can help you heal this; lets do some EFT on this. All VBAC clients must do at least one session with me. (See my other VBAC posts for more on this).
The workshop at the ACNM conference really became about healing the healer. Self-care for midwives is vital; we carry so much responsibility and often take difficult births or outcomes personally. Midwives tend to burn out, and have health problems and divorce rates at record numbers. There are little to no professional avenues to process the trauma midwives experience, and it was amazing to bring that to the American College of Nurse-Midwives.
A neat thing about EFT is that you can use it on yourself, and then easily use it to help others. When you are healing others, you get healed as well. Here is what one attendee said about my workshop:
"Hi Dena,
I really appreciated the EFT learning session, which you offered at the ACNM conference 2012. It was wonderful. I'm a CNM who offers Home birth and Birth Center births and always love to learn alternative modalities to offer to our mama's. Attending your workshop gave me new tools for my clients but, also for all of the Midwives and staff who I work with. What a wonderful healing opportunity we now have to offer to the healers themselves.
Within days of your workshop, I was able to offer the healing modality to one of my pregnant clients. She tearfully thanked me for the comfort it provided and planned to use it at home as well, to continue with her self healing.
How empowering, I thought. Love it.
Thank you for bringing this loving modality to us.
Blessings, Lorri
PS, you can use this as you see fit. Good luck. hugs
Lorri Walker, RNC, NP, CNM
Founder & Director
South Coast Midwifery & Women's Health Care"
Twenty-two midwives signed up for my workshop. Many were directors of large practices, university faculty midwives, and pioneers in the midwife movement. I was humbled and deeply moved by the honor of teaching this energy healing work to them. I created a healing, sacred circle for these powerful midwives, complete with an alter in the center. The workshop was experiential. We learned about EFT, and then practiced healing each other. Several of my sister midwives experienced profound healing. It was beautiful to witness these women, who give so much of their lives in service to mothers and babies, take care of their own emotional well-being. Here they all are, at the end of the workshop:
Aren't happy, emotionally tended midwives beautiful?
Two summers ago, I had the opportunity to study EFT with an internationally acclaimed EFT trainer named Sonia Sophia Illig ... Sonia's Website here . EFT is both a talking and a physical / energy therapy. As you talk about your emotions, you "tap" on acupuncture points in a relaxing, beautiful series of movements. This combination of reviewing your trauma and the emotions around it verbally, and tapping on the points, actually releases the trauma from the nervous system and tissues. It is easy to learn and do, and results occur quickly. Emotional pain is diminished and a person feels lighter, more clear, and free.
I use EFT in my midwife practice when painful emotions and past traumas are identified during prenatal visits. It is so empowering to be able to heal emotional pain, right there, in the office. Before I knew EFT I would listen compassionately to women's stories and feel frustrated that I couldn't do something to fix it other than offer referrals to therapists and healers. Now I say, I can help you heal this; lets do some EFT on this. All VBAC clients must do at least one session with me. (See my other VBAC posts for more on this).
The workshop at the ACNM conference really became about healing the healer. Self-care for midwives is vital; we carry so much responsibility and often take difficult births or outcomes personally. Midwives tend to burn out, and have health problems and divorce rates at record numbers. There are little to no professional avenues to process the trauma midwives experience, and it was amazing to bring that to the American College of Nurse-Midwives.
A neat thing about EFT is that you can use it on yourself, and then easily use it to help others. When you are healing others, you get healed as well. Here is what one attendee said about my workshop:
"Hi Dena,
I really appreciated the EFT learning session, which you offered at the ACNM conference 2012. It was wonderful. I'm a CNM who offers Home birth and Birth Center births and always love to learn alternative modalities to offer to our mama's. Attending your workshop gave me new tools for my clients but, also for all of the Midwives and staff who I work with. What a wonderful healing opportunity we now have to offer to the healers themselves.
Within days of your workshop, I was able to offer the healing modality to one of my pregnant clients. She tearfully thanked me for the comfort it provided and planned to use it at home as well, to continue with her self healing.
How empowering, I thought. Love it.
Thank you for bringing this loving modality to us.
Blessings, Lorri
PS, you can use this as you see fit. Good luck. hugs
Lorri Walker, RNC, NP, CNM
Founder & Director
South Coast Midwifery & Women's Health Care"
1 comment:
"My offering was a four-hour workshop entitled Healing Trauma for Mothers, Families, and Midwives with EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)."
Do you have an EFT workshop this coming September? I want to attend. Thanks!
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