What is EFT and can it help postpartum mums?

EFT is being used to help new mums, but what is it and does it REALLY make a difference? We spoke to Meg Murray Jones, founder of of The Postpartum Plan programme , to find out more!

What is EFT?

EFT, or the ‘Emotional Freedom Technique’ is referred to as ‘psychological acupressure’ and involves tapping on various parts of the arm, face and chest to relieve stress, pressure and blocked energy.

As with many other therapies, EFT therapy works on the premise that the body contains energy channels, and when these energy channels become blocked or unbalanced, it is believed to lead to emotional and physical illness.

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) works to unblock these channels, in order to relieve stress and help to improve mood. There are now over a hundred research papers demonstrating the effectiveness of EFT,  and studies have shown that the tapping therapy can reduce cortisol (the stress hormone) by 43%, increase antibodies by 13%, reduce anxiety by 40% and improve happiness by 31%.

Meg said: I first came across EFT when I was recovering from postnatal PTSD and just by tapping and speaking about my birth experience with an EFT practitioner I immediately felt lighter, more free and less anxious.

I know others who have used EFT to help them through PND, postpartum overwhelm and their own parenting stresses and I now use it whenever I feel particularly anxious or when my thoughts start to run away with themselves. EFT has been described as ‘niche’ by one of our members and she is right; it is relatively unknown and can seem a little weird! However, EFT is a form of body therapy that we do subconsciously on ourselves every day to relieve tension (think about when you rub your temples when you are stressed).

As our EFT therapist Tricia says, 

• 5 mins of EFT can change your thoughts instantly.  There is nothing else that I know of that’s so effective in literally a few mins.  
• 5 mins of EFT each and every day can improve your mindset, sleep, self-esteem, stress levels, fluctuations in moods and hormones and happiness.
• Your brain is a muscle. If everyday you do 5 mins of brain work through EFT, you’re building a muscle of being able to be in control of thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Imagine having a tool that with 5 mins each day can make you 31% happier?

Let’s talk about some other things that can help to combat PND

Can nutrition affect PND?

This is a big question! I do believe that our nutrition affects our mood which is why Nutrition is one of our Pillars on Postpartum Plan. For example, a recent article suggests: ‘credible links between nutrient deficiency and mood have been reported for folate, vitamin B-12, calcium, iron, selenium, zinc, and n-3 fatty acids. For maternal depression, the nutrient that has received the most attention from nutrition researchers has been the n-3 essential fatty acids.’*1

Foods high in Omega-3 include fish, vegetable oils, nuts (especially walnuts), flax seeds, flaxseed oil, and leafy vegetables. Our nutritionist on Postpartum Plan says:

‘I recommend at least 2 portions of oily fish weekly, or daily intake of non animal omega 3 sources. If you are concerned that your diet doesn’t include any omega 3, and you are feeling low, you may want to discuss an omega 3 supplement with you GP for a temporary period.’

However, Mindset is also one of our Pillars as I also believe that our mood affects our nutrition. 

I also tell all my clients that it is better to eat chocolate cake and be happy than kale when you are stressed. Our stomach is our second brain and so responds to stress with poor digestion which can lead to leaky gut, IBS symptoms and sluggishness. So mood and nutrition are intertwined and I would recommend focusing on good emotional health such as EFT and  journaling which are found on our Postpartum Dashboard, as well as speaking to a doctor if you are feeling any symptoms of depression, low mood or anxiety. 

Postpartum exercise: how can it help? 

We actually call it Movement not exercise at Postpartum Plan. Our Movement pillar is all about connecting back to your body, restorative movement and low impact exercises to heal the body from the inside out.

It links movement with mental health, empowering you to become aware of your body and honouring its beauty postpartum. This is not about weight-loss but healing the body and mind through restorative movement that lays the physical foundation to build your strength slowly.

We fundamentally disagree with the current mindset that you do no exercise until the 6 week check and are then signed off to do whatever you want. 

We also believe that postpartum exercise has been distorted to create a ‘bounce back’ culture that is damaging physically and emotionally to a new mother. This also creates a stressful relationship with exercise which is counterproductive.

Our Movement pillar provides low impact exercises that encourages you to tune into that amazing body of yours and heal from the inside out.

Once you are over 6 weeks postpartum you can join Postpartum Plus which has more exercise based videos in the Movement pillar to help you build on your strength and recovery.

However, our aim is to lessen the focus on exercise postpartum and support women with movement, mindset, reflection, nutrition and recovery to lay the emotional and physical foundation for a lifetime of parenthood.

Postpartum Plan was born in the middle of lockdown. A holistic online programme laying the emotional and physical foundations for a lifetime of parenthood. Meg has gathered all the expertise that she believes we should all have access to postpartum; women’s physio, breath work, nutritionist, emotional freedom techniques, postpartum doula and more. Plus Meg is there too, teaching reflexology techniques to do on yourself to relax, restore and replenish you in times of need.

The PostPartum plan contains:

• Women’s Health Physio with exercises to help you heal, stabilise and rehabilitate. Options for abdominal and vaginal birth recovery.
• Postpartum Doula with a Postpartum workbook exclusively created for Postpartum Plan
• Yoga and breath-work classes to heal you from the inside out
• Pilates classes to connect back to your body postpartum (all movements safe pre 6 week check)
• Nutritionist approved recipes and information on the best food to eat postpartum. Options for vegetarian and vegan included.
• Emotional Freedom Technique scripts and videos for you to access at times of need
• Reflexology techniques to support your body’s own self-healing process
• Podcast with a GP to teach you about the 6 week check and empower you to make that appointment work for you
• A Toolbox sent to your door with everything you need to support you emotionally and physically postpartum. This includes a massage ball, pilates ball, journal, recipe cards and goodies from other like-minded brands including The Gut Stuff, Tiggy and Bo and HotTeaMama.
• Access to weekly live sessions, a private Facebook Group and weekly newsletters  to receive further support, classes and a community of like-minded mamas.
• As Meg says, ‘Women are offered support, love and care throughout pregnancy. However, as soon as we give birth all that focus is diverted to the baby. Whilst our baby is worthy of all this attention, our society has forgotten how to nurture the postpartum mum; this leaves her exhausted from birth, sleep deprived and sometimes physically or emotionally traumatised.’

*https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002822309007688