Eileen Sullivan has served women and families in the childbearing year for over two decades, as a childbirth educator, birth and postpartum doula, and breastfeeding educator. Trained as a doula by a traditional midwife, Eileen is an independent scholar who has also received training through DONA, the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth, and Birthing From Within. Since she began apprenticing with birth in 1987, she has mentored countless families, as well as birth and postpartum doulas, aspiring midwives, breastfeeding counselors and childbirth educators. Eileen is a retired La Leche League leader, was an ICAN group leader, and served as the NC State Representative for CAPPA from 2001-2005. Ms. Sullivan currently acts as a mentor to new doulas through her local doula group, and is a holistic doula trainer and faculty member of The House of La Matrona in Asheville, NC.
Eileen began studying EFT, along with other meridian-based modalities, in 2001 and she has utilized the Emotional Freedom Techniques as a primary modality since 2004. She holds EFT-CC (Basic) and EFT-ADV (Advanced) practitioner certificates, and is actively pursuing additional certification through the World Center for EFT. An ordained minister, Ms. Sullivan provides EFT to clients in her area through individual office visits and group sessions, and works with clients and groups throughout the U.S. and Canada by phone. Eileen is also an instructor of EFT workshops for lay people, birth professionals, and therapists. Eileen specializes in EFT for women’s issues, including the use of EFT for infertility, the childbearing year, VBAC preparation, birth trauma and PTSD, sexual abuse and sexual health concerns.
Eileen’s practice is in Charlotte, NC, where she lives with her husband of 26 years and three of their four children.
Eileen’s Presentations
Moving from Pain to Peace with EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) part of the Healing from Birth Trauma SeriesEmotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a powerful and effective tool for resolving trauma and promoting healing at all levels: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. This unique form of “psychological acupuncture” uses the ancient Chinese meridian system – the energetic pathways in the body – to relieve psychological stress and physiological pain. By tapping on meridian release points on the face and body, the body’s energy system is balanced and emotional conflicts are neutralized at their source.Mrs. Sullivan has used this modality for many years to successfully facilitate the resolution of birth trauma, and for VBAC preparation. In this program, she demonstrates the use of EFT specifically for birth trauma. This program is appropriate for birth practitioners, counselors/therapists, and women who have experienced a traumatic birth, and focuses on the following:
- Learning to recognize birth trauma and its causes.
- The foundations of EFT, including how our thoughts and emotions affect our bodies.
- The short-cut EFT tapping procedure and some basic trouble-shooting, so that even beginners can achieve great results.
- Important things to remember when working with mothers experiencing birth trauma.
“…I ended up needing a crash cesarean section and did not have an epidural at the time, so they tried a general anesthetic. I blacked out at first but when the OB began to cut into my belly, I remember everything from then on. I was later diagnosed with PTSD. The regimen for recovery was medication that made me even more tired and less reactive. [Pregnant again], I was so scared of another c section, the thought made it hard for me to breathe. I was having flashbacks and panic attacks so often I was afraid I would cause myself to miscarry. I found Eileen through my doula. Our session began with us talking a bit about why I was there. Even today I remember how difficult it was for me to tell my story. It was something I was unable to speak of without bursting into tears. We spent two and a half hours “tapping.” I remember after a few rounds of EFT, I could actually visualize some of the birth without going into a severe panic attack. I felt relief, as though a huge weight was being lifted off of me. When we were done, I could breathe. I could move past this tragedy and feel. I could break down this ten inch titanium wall that sat between me and my son, and allow a bond to occur. I had never felt so free… After our session I went back to my doula’s house to pick up my son and when I walked in the door, he ran to me! As though he just knew something was different. On any other day he would not run to me to be held. I was in shock, but so very happy! I used EFT to resolve some other issues during the pregnancy, and my doula even used it with me during my labor. I had a successful VBAC and I still use EFT to this day.”
– Chelle Clas (To read Chelle’s story in its entirety, click here)EFT was originally developed to reduce the therapy process from months or years down to hours or even minutes. Early practitioners noted that as emotional problems faded, physical health and personal performance also improved, sometimes dramatically. Emotional Freedom Techniques is a tool that is gaining popularity, and is the subject of a growing number of scientific studies. For more information on EFT, visit Eileen’s website and the World Center for EFT website.
PLEASE NOTE: During the recording, you may hear mention of Part II of the program, which was a practical session for participants and is not being offered for viewing due to confidentiality concerns.
This program is 90 minutes in length.
Cost: $7.50
Certificate of Completion: $7.50 (completion of post-session questionnaire required).
Continuing Education Units are available for some professional groups. To view a listing of CEU opportunities, click here.