Would you please explain what EFT is?

During one of our St Albans Fertility Support Group, our guest speaker was Sarah Holland, who is the founder of Fertile Mindset. We had a great session with her, and we have thought that it would be helpful for anyone who is on a fertility journey to find out more about EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques). Sarah explains her approach as below: ''The foundation of my approach to fertility support, and what makes it so effective, is the cutting-edge technique called EFT” EFT (or Emotional Freedom Techniques) is an approach to stress reduction and emotional healing that takes wisdom from the ancient Chinese meridian system alongside modern-day psychology. This technique is used to effectively resolve emotional issues such as anxiety, worry, fear, and anger, to name just a few.''

Would you please explain what EFT is?

EFT is a technique that can be used both in therapy or coaching sessions and as a self-help tool. The theory behind it is that any negative emotion we experience is caused by a disruption in the body’s energy system. If this disruption is removed, we can then return to our most natural and healthy perspective on life’s challenges. EFT uses a simple tapping technique, with your own fingertips, on key points along with the meridian system, which is the energy system used in acupuncture with over 5,000 years of history. This tapping works to balance the energy along the lines, allowing negative emotions that are not needed to disperse and our innate, most healthy response to then emerge. Many people say they feel ‘lighter’ after using EFT and their emotions feel calmer and more rational, and they feel more resilient and connected to their inner strength. The ideal mindset when on a fertility journey of any kind!

During our session, you mentioned three stages of EFT, would you please provide more details about these stages?

Yes, the practice of EFT is most effective when we follow the necessary steps in order without missing any. First, you identify the issue you want to work on, being as specific as possible about the aspect that is causing you discomfort, name the emotion it brings up, and how strong the emotion is on a 0 to 10 scale. So, as an example, you may wish to prepare emotionally for your upcoming IVF. You could identify a key aspect is the concern about the side effects of the IVF medication. The emotion you are feeling is anxiety, and its strength is 8 on the scale. The second stage is to apply EFT, which involves tapping on specific meridian points on the face, upper body, and hands while staying focused on the issue you want to resolve. This means you are tapping on the disruption as it is happening and working to rebalance your response. The third stage, after applying EFT, is to check in on the issue you addressed and the results. You do this by bringing the issue or thought back to your mind, noticing your emotional response now, and grading its intensity on the 0 to 10 scale again. If the number has gone down but is still above zero, you repeat stages 2 and 3 again until you reach a result that feels comfortable and calm. You can learn how to apply EFT yourself with my free Fertility EFT Starter Kit at www.fertilemindset.com/fertilityeft

For anyone familiar with Emotional Freedom Techniques, the word 'tapping' will make sense immediately, but for those who have not heard or tried EFT yet, would you please explain why EFT is called Tapping?

EFT is often called Tapping or Meridian Tapping because the technique involves using your own fingertips to tap on key meridian points on the face and body. These points are the same as used in acupuncture, but with EFT no needles are used!

How could we use this EFT technique during a fertility journey?

There are many ways EFT can be used and will greatly support a fertility journey. Often, we start by acknowledging and releasing any emotional overwhelm that has resulted from months and years of fertility tests, treatments, hopes, and worries. Many people get in touch with me because they want to heal from a previous loss or unsuccessful IVF cycle before moving ahead with another. Or they may want to get a handle on stress and anxiety. I also support women who are interested in exploring and resolving any potential emotional blocks to conceiving. This often comes up when women have a known obstacle such as fear of childbirth, or are perplexed by ‘unexplained infertility’ and want to support themselves both physically and emotionally to support their fertility. Every fertility journey is unique, as are the emotions and human experience of it. However painful, stressful, or overwhelming it has become, through using EFT it is possible to feel calmer, stronger, and prepared for your next steps. Sarah, thanks very much for your time. Sarah offers emotional support using Fertility EFT in one-to-one sessions, and her membership group, the Fertile Mindset Sanctuary. You can access her support for free initially with her Fertility EFT Starter Kit available here: www.fertilemindset.com/fertilityeft

Would you please explain what EFT is?