Episode 73: I’d just had one of the most powerful therapy sessions of my life! Part of my professional commitment as a hypnotherapist myself is to ensure that I am attending to my own emotional needs and getting therapy on anything I find triggering in the sessions I do with my clients. This is to ensure that I am not bringing my own BS to the table while supporting others. This session was on something that happened to me months ago. Something that I have worked on personally with emotional freedom technique. I’ve also discussed it at length with my closest friends and found much healing and resolution. However I knew that there was something more as I’ve been exhibiting signs of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) from similar events that were triggering flashbacks and sending me into stress response. Let me say right now that this was not a physically traumatic event but one that was purely emotional. One at the time I found upsetting and jarring but then put it under the rug and carried on. Why is it that even as a therapist working in this field I still give more credence to the physical rather than the emotional? The beliefs that I took on during that event included: I don’t matter It is not safe to voice my opinion I am a failure I am not enough Hmmmmm do you think that these beliefs playing in the background of my unconscious are helping me to live my best life and serve my clients (and you) to the highest of my ability? NOPE Tears, shaking, sweating, anger, fear. Voice them, feel them release them install the antidote phrases I matter It is safe to voice my opinion I am successful I am enough I now feel empowered, renewed, buzzing, strong. The part that is replaying in my head again and again is when my therapist Gill said; “When I last saw you I remember thinking to myself that you’re clothes and your opinions did not match your posture. You dress with confidence and are passionate about your beliefs but your body was in a state of collapse.” Wow! In this episode I share an update of what’s been happening for me in the 10 days since this session. I invite you to join me in one of my homework practices which is simply to stand with my legs slightly further apart! I explain all in a second half of the episode and would love to hear about your experiences. Email me Naomi@embracefertility.co.uk or on message me on Instagram @embracefertility. _____ For stress soothing tools at your fingertips visit www.embracefertility.co.uk for instant access to my; FREE MIND-BODY FERTILITY APP Quick and easy ways to calm your mind and body while trying to conceive including: ♥ How to find relief from negative feelings. ♥ How to reset when you feel stressed. ♥ How the mindbody link impacts fertility. _____ I'm Naomi Woolfson, of Embrace Fertility, a therapist specialising in supporting women through trying to conceive, fertility treatments and then pregnancy and birth following infertility. My partner and I went through almost 4 years of infertility, IUI’s, IVF, anxiety, surgery and a miscarriage before we went on to conceive both of our ginger children naturally! On this podcast I offer emotional support and share mind-body techniques to help you feel calm and confident and ultimately find yourself again while waiting for your baby. Alongside supporting clients globally in one to one therapy and coaching sessions I run a 12 week mind-body programme guiding women through the 5 steps of my unique Embrace Fertility Method; Comfort, Coping, Connection, Clearing and finally Creating. Visit https://embracefertility.co.uk/coaching for more details and email me to set up a free video call to any questions you have about being supported by me naomi@embracefertility.co.uk. Follow me on Instagram @embracefertility (www.instagram.com/embracefertility) and Facebook. (www.facebook.com/embracefertility)

Embrace Fertility

When a therapist needs therapy

Episode 72. “I just feel so jealous and angry all the time. This isn’t me. I want to move past this.” “I can’t stop crying. Infertility is all I ever think about and it’s impacting my work and my relationship.” “I am terrified of getting pregnant again and can’t imagine ever getting past that six week scan.” “I want to energetically align with conceiving and call in my baby but I feel like I’m stopping it from happening.” “When the doctor told us we would have to use donor sperm I thought I was going to throw up. I feel so alone as my partner won’t talk about it.” “I want to connect to my faith again, I feel like God is punishing me and I’ve lost hope that we will ever have a family.” Above are some of the reasons that women decide to commit to their own emotional nourishment and join The Embrace Fertility Method. My job as your therapist is to meet you where you are and understand your model of the world. That is, how you view the world and the life you are living. We start our work together understanding what your beliefs are: About your body About yourself and the things you say to yourself. Your spiritual beliefs Your beliefs about trying to conceive, fertility treatments, pregnancy, labour and birth and parenthood. Our unconscious mind is programmed to keep us safe and it takes its job incredibly seriously. If a client has the following beliefs then our work is to begin to unpick and reframe. Saying these things to yourself on a regular basis be that consciously or unconsciously are a recipe for anxiety, self-doubt and sabotage. My body is broken Last time I got pregnant I miscarried, I can’t cope with that disappointment again. I’m not strong enough to lose another baby. I hate my body when I put on weight Childbirth is painful and I may never recover physically. Women die during childbirth. Having children broke my friend's marriage and now she is struggling to raise her kids on her own. What if I’m a terrible mother and turn out to be just like my mum? Safety first. Iff it does not feel safe for you to conceive, be pregnant, give birth and become a parent. Your subconscious mind may be trying its hardest to keep you safe. This manifests in anxiety, overwhelm, sabotaging your own attempt to conceive be that by indulging in activities that could negatively impact your fertility such as excessive exercise, drinking or overeating. Or maybe it’s more subtle, maybe it’s picking that fight with your partner when you know you are ovulating. It’s delaying the appointment at the clinic as it just doesn’t feel safe to start having those conversations. In the final day of the three day workshop I ran last week I included a guided visualisation where I asked the participants to imagine each stage of trying to conceive, getting pregnant, going into labour, giving birth, holding their baby for the first time and then imagining their child at various ages right up into their 30s. At each stage I asked the question; “Is there any resistance here? Does this feel safe?” Sometimes it’s as simple as working through your fears consciously, journaling about them, mismatching them with the technique I taught on day two with the PROP statement. Then spending time visualising what you want, seeing it going well and feeling good. This instructs your mind and body that this is what you want and it is safe for you to want it. Most importantly it is safe for you to have it. Other times we need to go deeper, we need to create a strong foundation of safety within your mind and body, we need to bring in energy work such as emotional freedom technique or AMDR to reprogram the neural pathways in your mind to release past trauma. Message me for more info naomi@embracefertility.co.uk.

Are your beliefs blocking your ability to get or stay pregnant?

I’m running a free mind-body fertility event this week would you like to join me? ‘From Surviving to Thriving’. ♥ Day 1 : Living in survival mode. Does it feel like you are living in a constant state of uncertainty? In this workshop I’ll explain how going through infertility impacts our brains, nervous system and mental health.  ♥ Day two : Reset. Re-educate. Reaffirm I will show you how to calm your body and soothe your mind to bring instant relief. I’ll explain the science of why this type of work is so powerful and can help you FEEL BETTER AND MORE IN CONTROL no matter what’s going on for you right now. ♥ Day 3 : Thriving  I will guide you to experience a powerful guided visualisation and I’ll explain how to use the techniques I've shared to thrive during infertility.  ‘From Surviving to Thriving’. 3 x 40 minute workshops Wednesday, Thursday and Friday lunchtimes 1pm BST. Sign up now to reserve your free place via the link in my bio @embracefertility or www.embracefertility.co.uk/thrive. If you are already on my mailing list then you will get the zoom invite on Wednesday morning.

Free mind-body fertility event this week

Episode 70: Today I share a case study of working with a fertility client and the type of shift that is possible using the mind-body techniques I specialise in. I also talk about how next week I’ll be hosting a brand-new three day event to inspire and uplift. This is for you if you feel like you are on a hamster wheel. If month after month goes by and it feels like nothing is happening. You’re scared of it never happening and the not knowing is excruciating. Client Testimonial: 1. What did you think of the technique? The different parts of the technique were helpful in their own way. Just talking through negative beliefs and identifying them, saying them out loud is a relief in its own but going through them and finding an antidote statement helped to open my mind to the possibility. When I have negative beliefs it can be difficult to think anything is true outside of the belief so working through them and finding an alternative statement was eye opening. When I think about my life without the negative beliefs my body felt much more at ease. When starting the bilateral tapping a whole body relaxation occurred which allowed my mind to be clear, moving to the butterfly tapping literally did feel like there were new connections being made in my body. Although so much of this was working on my mindset and thoughts around time and our fertility journey it really became more of a whole body experience. 2. What happened for you in terms of a mindset shift during the session? Initially my mind was occupied around the passing of time and the continued months that passed without a positive pregnancy test. After the session it was not that this thought was erased but when I had the thought there was no negative feeling associated with it. I could think it but I did not feel connected or defined by it, and it did not give me the same emotions of sadness, failure, hopelessness that the thoughts brought on before. I shifted more into a mindset of opportunity and hope while feeling I could be more present and not as preoccupied by these thoughts. 3. How are you feeling now looking back on the session? I'm feeling hopeful again and much more present. Looking back on the session I can see how my thoughts and beliefs do not necessarily have to be my truth. 4. How do you feel now when you think about the original negative scenarios? I feel they are untrue. I feel my mindset is stronger in a way, that these thoughts can come into my mind but I can let them go without them causing a cascade of negative emotions that then impact my attitude, mood and feelings about our fertility journey. From Surviving to Thriving - 3 Day Mind-Body Fertility Event ♥ Day 1 : Living in survival mode. Does it feel like you are living in a constant state of uncertainty? In this workshop I explain how going through infertility impacts our brain, nervous system and mental health. ♥ Day two : Reset. Re-educate. Reaffirm I will teach you how to calm your body and soothe your mind to bring instant relief. I’ll explain the science of why this type of work is so powerful and can help you FEEL BETTER AND MORE IN CONTROL no matter what’s going on for you right now. ♥ Day 3 : Thriving You will experience a powerful guided visualisation and I’ll explain how to use the techniques I've shared to thrive during infertility and double your chances of success. Sign up now to reserve your place at www.embracefertility.co.uk/thrive. Email me with any questions naomi@embracefertility.co.uk. 

From Surviving to Thriving during Infertility

Episode 69: Going through infertility can be emotionally traumatic, add in invasive medical procedures, investigations and surgery and our bodies can experience physical trauma. Having specialised in mind-body fertility therapy for the past eight years I have supported women (and on occasion their partners) through infertility, PCOS, endometriosis, low sperm and azoospermia diagnosis, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, IUIs, IVF, ICSI, miscarriage, stillbirth, epitopic pregnancy, seveve morning sickness (hyperemesis gravidarum), pregnancy anxiety, birth preparation and birth trauma. I spent last weekend in London adding Applied Movement Desensitisation & Reconsolidation (AMDR) to my training alongside Cognitive Hypnotherapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). Part of my commitment as a member of the National Council of Hypnotherapy is to continue my professional development and ensure I am able to offer my clients the very best in terms of the latest techniques and mind-body science and understanding. In this podcast episode I talk about how the brain reacts when we experience a traumatic event and how we can the use AMDR to clear that trauma physically and emotionally. I share what this technique is capable of helping with and talk about the case study I worked on at the weekend and the shift my partner experienced. I work with women across the globe and tailor our sessions to meet your needs. If you are interested in finding out more about using Hypnotherapy to cope with infertility and support your fertility then see my article 'Can hypnosis get you pregnant?' https://embracefertility.co.uk/can-hypnosis-get-you-pregnant/ and visit my coaching page https://embracefertility.co.uk/coaching.  I currently have availability to take on 4 new clients for support September through to early December. Contact me to book a free confidential chat naomi@embracefertility.co.uk. 

Therapy for Infertility Trauma

Episode 68: When someone starts working with me I always ask them if they have any concerns or fears around being pregnant, going into labour or giving birth. Our popular culture teaches us that birth is painful and in most cases an emergency scenario. Think of three birth stories you know and I imagine at least one will be from a film or TV show. Our subconscious mind’s sole purpose Is to keep us safe and so if you have fears of childbirth it can be hugely beneficial to clear those fears while trying to conceive. In this episode I talk about how you can clear those fears we education and energy work. Emotional freedom technique tutorial video: https://embracefertility.co.uk/eft-tapping-for-infertility-and-fertility/ Hypnosis for pain management : https://embracefertility.co.uk/hypnosis-for-pain-management/ The first week of my Embrace Bump to Baby hypnobirthing course is free here: https://embracefertility.co.uk/bumptobaby/ My pain-free labour and waterbirth at the birth centre https://embracefertility.co.uk/my-personal-experience-of-labour-and-birth/ My super quick unplanned, unassisted homebirth in the bath https://embracefertility.co.uk/evies-unplanned-unassisted-home-birth/

How to clear fears of labour and birth

Are you telling yourself that you are ok when you’re really not? One of my biggest regrets while ttc was living month to month pushing myself telling myself it would all be okay as soon as I got pregnant. But I didn’t get pregnant 44 times! And once I got pregnant and then I miscarried. If someone said to me that I would be trying for 46 months I would have got myself support so much sooner. In this episode I talk about: - Coaching questions you can ask yourself to check how you really feel. - Things you can do to be supporting yourself now. - Reasons why you might be holding back from getting support - Reasons why it’s a really good idea to get support before you really need it. Here are the resources mentioned in the episode https://embracefertility.co.uk/eft-tapping-for-infertility-and-fertility/ https://embracefertility.co.uk/coaching/ Due to the fact that the episode was getting really long I’ve split out the detailed section about clearing fears of labour and birth and you can catch that as the next podcast episode. Sign up for my mind-body fertility freebies at www.embracefertility.co.uk.

Are you in denial about your mental health?

Hands up who likes feeling out of control? This has been a theme this week with clients and I talk about the repercussions of trying to gain control of an uncontrollable situation.

Feeling out of control and the repercussions of trying to gain control

I am so wound up today that I have stuck my wellies on my feet and set off into the woods for the second time today as I know I need to shift my mood, shift my mindset, from one of frustration and anger to bring myself back to neutral and then set my intention of how I would like to feel and re-focus myself. This podcast is a live example of the shift you can experience in just a short period of time when you choose to embrace your emotions and take positive action to support yourself rather than allowing a negative mindset to put a cloud over a full day.

How to release frustration and anger

Episode 64: Very honest chat about how although infertility is not your fault there is a huge amount you may be doing that it’s not serving you and how taking radical responsibility for your own life can create shifts on a conscious, subconscious and energetic level. www.embracefertility.co.uk or @embracefertility to contact me.

It’s not your fault AND…….

Episode 63: One for the guys today. “It’s okay to not be okay. It’s okay to feel disappointed, angry, devastated that you are not a dad yet.” I’ve put together a free resource list for guys going through infertility which includes advice how to support yourself emotionally through infertility, information on how using visualisation can lower stress levels and work with your subconscious mind, how to overcome performance anxiety when you need to give a sperm sample, film suggestions and online support groups. Check it out here www.embracefertility.co.uk/partners if you have any suggestions of Insta accounts or resources you think I should include please comment below or message me @embracefertility.

Male infertility is more than just bollocks!

Episode 62: On the podcast this week I am sharing one of my favourite visualisations where I guide you on a journey into your future to imagine being a family of three and you and your partner putting your child to bed and reading him or her a story.  I start by sharing the benefits of using visualisation and how to clear any emotional or energetic blocks that you may uncover by listening. NOTE: Only listen to these MP3s when you can safely relax, do not listen whilst driving or operating machinery. This track is safe to use whilst trying to conceive and once pregnant however by choosing to listen you agree to take full responsibility for your own well-being. Listen to this one with your partner if he/she is open to doing so and discuss what type of parents you intend to be afterwards. For more info on the five steps of The Embrace Fertility Method visit www.embracefertility.co.uk/programs/

Free Guided Relaxation & Visualisation - Imagine your family

Something a little different this week. For those of you that attended my free masterclass on Tuesday you will know I lost my voice towards the end! I don’t want to skip recording a podcast this week though so instead of walking in the woods and talking I’m simply walking in the woods and invite you to join me and imagine enjoying the sounds of nature around us as we walk in companionable silence. I hope you are doing okay this week do you message me on Instagram or Facebook and let me know what you thought of this little time out in the bluebell woods.

I lost my voice!

Episode 60. Today I am talking about how we can get stressed about being stressed, worried about being worried and anxious about being anxious. I talk about how we can change our relationship with stress and how to tune in with your intuition. Come and join my free class on Friday to explore this further www.embracefertility.co.uk/freeclass.

I’m so stressed will I ever get pregnant?

Episode 59 Trigger or Happy? In this episode I talk about what a trigger is in regards to mindset and your emotions. I talk about: - What happens when you are triggered by an external event. - How you can recognise your own triggering internal thoughts. - How to begin to work through triggers and clear them. - How to minimise your chance of being triggered in the first place. Do you come and join my mailing list to download the three minute reset MP3 I talk about in this episode. Www.embracefertility.co.uk

What are triggers and how to minimise your chance of being triggered while ttc.

Embrace Fertility offers inspiration, support and community to those struggling to conceive. Having been through infertility myself and being fascinated with the mindbody techniques that led me from anxiety and depression back to myself again, I retrained as a therapist and now specialise in supporting others through infertility. Visit www.embracefertility.co.uk for your free fertility support pack and to join our free community.

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Embrace Fertility

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