What’s Happening In CFT
CFT/IDM Basics for the NICU
The provider needs to breath, ground, and connect to Source and be totally present, open, clear, and available for the healing of fragile, dependent human beings. CFT/IDM is about monitoring the tiny bodies with intention by seeing, feeling, hearing, allowing, supporting, and gently following their emotional and physical strains and not about manipulating, adjusting, fixing, controlling, judging, diagnosing, curing, or emotionally reacting to them. CFT/IDM is all about healing by mindfully allowing the NICU babies to move and free themselves of their craniosacral fascial restrictions.
Please explain this healing process ahead of time to the parents and observing NICU professionals, who may be expecting quiet, fixing therapy. About 75% of the pregnant women in America have epidural anesthesia to block their pain during labor and delivery. Since these fetuses receive little or no epidural anesthesia during labor and delivery, all newborns may have a strong need to let go of their emotional and physical strains soon after birth. Everyone must be present to create a peaceful space in her/himself to allow that to happen. Even though CFT/IDM appears to the uneducated observer like aggressive hands-on therapy, the end point can be freedom from a lifetime of suffering.
The analogy of a therapist holding a tight spring and allowing and supporting its unwinding/loosening can be appropriate. Even young children understand the concept of tight and loose. When the CFT/IDM provider allows the emotional and physical strains to come out of the craniosacral fascial system, I can hear Rebecca teaching at the seminar, “Better out than in.” Either the newborns can release them now to be happier and healthier children, or they can hold on to them for a lifetime of possible physical and/or emotional issues.
From the parents’ perspective the emotional trauma of watching medical professionals inject vaccines into their babies may offer an appropriate analogy. The infants may cry and scream during the painful procedure, but the understanding and co-operating parents know their children will be immunized for many diseases. In a less invasive manner with crying fussy newborns during CFT/IDM, the understanding and co-operating parents know that their children will have optimal brain function and prevent many diseases later in life. The key is for the provider to effectively communicate with and educate the parents before doing CFT/IDM.
If the infants’ activity resonates some emotions within the provider, on-looking co-workers, and/or family, those parties need to work on themselves to become clearer. Newborns are emotional sponges and can easily pick up on nearby fear/anger. The provider also needs to be without judgment. Therapy has no right/wrong or good/bad aspects. CFT/IDM in the NICU is about leaving your ego and baggage at the door, letting go, being the co-pilot, and completely opening to facilitate healing. The provider must mindfully allow them to twist, scream, cry, arch, and go upside down in releasing their emotional and physical traumas. While gently following and supporting them, the therapist must be totally present and involved but not attached to their outcomes.
The key factor for CFT/IDM in the NICU is about everyone working on themselves by being present and holding the emotional and physical space to help the tiny bodies release and heal if they are ready to do so. The physical techniques of CFT/IDM can be learned in a short time, but the key for clinical excellence is for the NICU provider to be fully conscious and awakened to the emotional component of healing.

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