By Deirdre Brocklebank, BA

Hi Gary,

I have been using and teaching EFT with great success for more than five years.  I am also a registered reflexologist and I use EFT combined with Reflexology and other energy therapies including Reiki, Pranic and Theta healing for most of my sessions with clients.  The majority of my clients are women and I particularly enjoy working with issues around pregnancy.

This particular client, whom I will call Mary, is a teacher’s assistant and she was feeling very stressed about getting a job as a result of school closures and restructuring of the education system.  Her main concern, however, was the postnatal depression which she’d had for the last 12 years.  The depression started after the stillbirth of her second child but it was undiagnosed for 10 years. 

She had been on antidepressants for the last 2 years.  Mary’s first child was born by caesarean delivery but she had since had a third child by normal delivery.  Mary had also been experiencing tinnitus for the last 25 years as well as headaches, migraines, sinus with head pressure and tension, plus fatigue and low energy.  She had also experienced repetitive strain injury in both her arms since 1982.

The first two-hour session with Mary was comprised of one hour of EFT followed by one hour of vertical and seated Reflexology including Ayurvedic massage.

I asked Mary if she would like to start the session by talking about the births of her first two children.  She agreed and as she had some experience with EFT, I asked her to tap on herself while she talked. 

She told me she “desperately wanted a natural birth in the birth centre” for her first child and in her words “despite taking castor oil, the first baby didn’t come.”  As a consequence of this she had a caesarean.  Mary was not able to rate the intensity of her feelings around this so I asked her to describe what she was feeling emotionally and how she felt physically.  She said she was feeling defeat with chest tightness and tension in her bowels.

I explained Patricia Carrington’s EFT Choices routine to Mary, as she was not familiar with this.  We then each rubbed on our own Sore Spot for the following setup statement.  Even though I desperately wanted a natural birth in the birth centre and it didn’t happen, I now choose to believe and accept that the caesarean was perfect for the Highest Good of both myself and my daughter.

I tapped randomly on Mary’s Top of Head (TH), Eye Brow (EB) and Collar Bone (CB) points while she tapped one round through from the TH to the KC while making negative statements including I wanted a natural birth and I failed; she came when she was ready even though I took the castor oil…  This was followed by two more rounds in which she tapped from the TH to the KC while making similar statements.

During this tapping Mary developed an increasing tightness in her chest.  It felt as though she had a tight belt around it.  I asked her if the belt was buckled or tied.  She said it was buckled and I asked her to mentally “unbuckle” it to release the tension.  This was very effective.

Mary then felt a sharp stabbing pain in her heart chakra.  I asked her to visualise pink light going in through her crown chakra and then into her chest and heart chakra.  I guided her in visualising this light going throughout her body with love, while it removed any grayness and pain and sent it into the earth.  I then asked Mary to visualise white light going through her to bring in unconditional love to her entire body.  The pain in her heart chakra disappeared.  (I often use lights in this way to bring in love energy and to remove hurt).

We then tapped on ourselves for her constricted breathing.  Mary’s breathing became easier very quickly following this and she no longer had any remaining tension in her chest.  

Mary and I then tapped on ourselves for a couple of more rounds while she made positive statements including, I did the right thing choosing a caesarean for my first daughter.  This was followed with a round in which she alternated negative statements with positive statements.  The negative statements included I feel guilty about having a caesarean; I failed as a woman; I failed as a mother; I failed my daughter; I failed myself; I’m a control freak...  The positive alternating statements included that mentioned above, plus I’m perfect the way I am.  Following this tapping routine, Mary was able to repeat the story of the caesarean birth with no adverse emotional or physical reactions.

Mary then became very sad and distressed while talking about her second child’s birth.  Once again she had desperately wanted a natural home birth even though she was advised to have a caesarean.  The outcome was that she did have the baby at home (with a doctor present) and even though “it was a completely normal birth” the baby was born dead. 

She was very distressed and crying while she told me this and so I asked her to focus on the memory of the incident while I tapped on her.  I spoke the following setup statement while I tapped.  Even though I had a stillbirth and if I hadn’t wanted a home birth so much it would have been OK.  I failed the baby and myself as well.  Even so, I deeply and completely accept myself unconditionally with love and gratitude.

With her permission, I tapped on her CB points while she repeated the following forgiveness statements after me.  I forgive myself for creating this.  I forgive anyone else involved in this.  I am ready to let it go.  I let it go now.  I let it go completely.  Mary was crying during this.  I then tapped her gamut point and she did the 9 procedures for this point while focusing on the birth.  I then asked her to follow my hand with her eyes (without moving her head), as I moved it from floor to ceiling while she tapped her KC and repeating the following after me.  Even though I still feel sad that I had a still birth I deeply and completely accept myself unconditionally with love and gratitude, plus the forgiveness statements mentioned above.

When retelling the story Mary said, “I had a still home birth and the contractions started 10 minutes before Ebony was born.”  Mary was feeling deep sadness but it was general and she no longer felt it in a specific place in her body.  I suggested she mentally thank her daughter for the privilege of knowing her and that she send her love.  She is quite spiritual and she said that she and her husband “know” that their daughter is still connected to them in love.  She also knew that “the birth was meant to be.”

Mary was now feeling lightness instead of overwhelming sadness and tension.  I muscle tested her and found that she was dehydrated so I asked her to visualise her body taking in water when she drank.  She immediately re-hydrated and this was confirmed by muscle testing .  (I often suggest to my clients who have trouble hydrating, that they imagine they are a sponge while drinking the water.  This visualisation is very successful in helping with hydration).

Mary then retold the story of the stillbirth and shocked herself when she said “I had a wonderful still birth.”  She burst out laughing about this.  She said for the first time since her daughter was born dead she was feeling joy, instead of pain when she thought about her.

Mary also responded well to the Reflexology after the EFT and during the treatment she felt energy flowing into her arms and fingers where she had the repetitive strain injury.  At the end of the session she felt lighter, without any tension in her chest.  She also no longer had any pressure in her head which was unusual for her.

I have since seen Mary for two more treatments.  The stillbirth is definitely no longer an issue for her and her energy improved dramatically after the first session.  The next morning she woke up feeling great and went for a walk “for the first time in ages.”  She looked as though she had had “an emotional face lift” and she felt as though “a light had gone on inside” her.  After the second session her energy dropped off a bit due to work and other stresses and we addressed this in the third session.

Deirdre Brocklebank BA, Dip Reflexology, EFT Practitioner and Teacher.