Unresolved emotional problems can contribute to anxiety during pregnancy and complications during labor. Users of the Emotional Freedom Technique, more commonly known as EFT, already know that it is a wonderful tool for neutralizing negative emotions and fears. EFT’s ability to alleviate physical discomfort while alleviating frustration and promoting healthy relaxation makes it a wonderful tool to use during pregnancy and in preparation for childbirth.

Using EFT to Address Workplace Fears

If you are pregnant and apprehensive about labor, simply address your feelings while tapping. To use EFT to address the anxiety you feel when thinking about going into labor, repeat the following while tapping on the Karate Point: “Even though I am afraid to go into labor, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.” . To help you focus while tapping on the rest of the points, repeat a shortened version of the same phrase, something like “This fear of going into labor.”

Getting good results

EFT generally works best when we can be as specific as possible, whenever possible. To increase our chances of great results when using EFT to help release a common problem, such as fear of labor, it is important that we tap on only one specific topic at a time. It is also important to continually refocus your thoughts during natural reflection points between rounds of EFT tapping. It may be helpful to use the following four techniques to identify your problem and decide exactly what to tap on:

1) becoming aware of your body

2) Address specific events

3) Address specific aspects

4) Internal images

When dealing with a large or global problem, such as “fear of going into labor,” we may be trying to focus on too many feelings at once and EFT may not have any noticeable effect. To tackle such a global problem, it is very important to focus on specific parts of the problem. In general, it is very helpful to use the following four ways to “be specific” as you solve any difficult problem.

Get specific with EFT

1. Becoming aware of your body

Where do you feel the sensation in your body? How is it physically? How do you experience this emotion in your body? For instance:

“Even though I feel fear like an emptiness in my chest …”

“Even though my throat feels constricted because everyone is always criticizing me …”

“Even though I feel this terrible nervousness in the pit of my stomach …”

Many times, after tapping, you will feel changes in the way the body retains emotion.

The sensations can diminish, change in quality, or even move to a different place inside or outside of your body. When emotional energy moves around the body, this is known as “chasing the pain” and is a sign that you are on the right track.

2. Specific events

Analyze your problem by focusing on specific events in your life that made you feel the same way earlier in life, either recently or when you were younger. What you believe about labor, delivery, and your body’s capacity is based on specific ancient events, conversations, TV shows, etc. and your expectations about the birthing process begin to change. When addressing specific events with EFT, you can say things like:

“Even though my mother told me that giving birth to me was the most terrible thing she endured …”

“Even though the woman in labor on the TV show died giving birth …”

“Even though my doctor told me that giving birth naturally would be impossible …”

As you face specific events, you will likely begin to feel the emotions of those times. By thoroughly tapping for all the details of the memories that feel upsetting, you will effectively erase the discomfort that comes with the larger issue that you initially chose to work on. Working with specific events is highly recommended and often gets the most noticeable results. Address each detail of your specific memory with as many rounds of tapping as necessary, until your emotional intensity is a 1 or 0. Address each of your feelings and each of the limiting beliefs you assumed, with your own series of rounds of tapping.

3. Address specific “issues”

Every topic we work on has many parts, many details, and many possible triggers for the uncomfortable emotion we are feeling. Recognizing aspects and tapping very specifically for different aspects is another skill required for effective EFT. For example, if you are afraid of going into labor, you may have many aspects of that problem to tap on:

– Anticipate the pain of your contractions.

– Panic at the thought of your baby “getting stuck”

– The fear that something unexpected will happen to you or your baby.

You can continue to discover aspects with the question, “What bothers me the most about going into labor when I think about now?” In time, there won’t be much to bother you and the fear will go away, unless there are fundamental issues around which “fear of labor” might just be the tip of the iceberg. Many problems involve a complicated mix of emotions. Let’s say you’ve tapped for your pain in a certain situation. The pain has subsided, but now you feel angry. As hidden layers of emotion emerge, these are more aspects of the problem and need to be handled separately. Looking for different aspects and then tapping them specifically will go a long way toward achieving lasting results.

4. Internal images

Use an image to give more detail to your sentiment. If you are good at visualizing, imagine what the energy of fear looks or feels like to you, and touch the details of that image. Images are another way of listening to our feelings. As we tap, the images often start to change as our energy changes. After touching, ask yourself if the image has changed in any way. How he feels now? For instance:

“Even though this anger is like a big red ball in the pit of my stomach …”

“Although this fear is suffocating me like a snake wrapped around me tightly …

“Although I feel sadness like a wave drowning me …”

Change Your Expectations, Change Your Birthing Experience

Sit reflectively for a moment after each round of tapping and see what comes to mind. Clues to core issues or events may emerge spontaneously as you work on a problem. Just follow your feelings and keep tapping until you feel your emotions become less intense.

Using EFT on a daily basis can help you accept yourself as you change and grow in preparation for birth without feeling fear, guilt, anger, resentment, or panic. Changing your expectations and beliefs by letting go of fear and tension will allow you to be born comfortably. When in doubt, contact a qualified professional.