Workshop FAQ
Q: Can I bring my baby to the workshop?
ET: No, not into the workshop room.
You may bring her/him as long as this does not distract you or others during the training. A support person would be required and greatly appreciated. You may also want to consider sleeping accommodations away from others if they have trouble sleeping through the night. As this is an intense training, everyone will need their sleep.
Q: Elena, do you do private sessions or any phone/internet consultations?
ET: No, sorry... I do an average of 20 events in 10 countries per year, so there is simply not enough time to work one-on-one. I also found that the group dynamic is an equal player in this work. The vortex of energy created by a circle of amazing beings, who are drawn to this work, propels each individual so much further then they would be able to get to on their own. We cover a lot of ground and it’s exactly because we have the critical mass to lift us off the ground and generate some magical outcome.
I don't have any other form of working with trauma then in my workshops. This work has to be experiential. When participants are actually going through the motion of specific movements, combined with specific breathing, combined many other things, that is what does the 're-setting of our basic settings in the nervous system', anything that can be done on the phone is just talking about it. It creates another idea, or concept, which is good, but it can't replace the ‘feeling’ and 'doing it. Concepts by themselves are very important, but they take a very long time to manifest into physiological shifts and behavioral difference. Direct experience is much more efficient.
Q: I am concerned there will be lots of screaming and crying in this workshop.
ET: Not at all...the point of my approach is not going deep into the pain from your birth, but in arriving back from it, victorious. The ‘cathartic’ part only lasts for a few seconds.
The focus of it is not re-living the pain, but on creation of the new ‘reference point’, a new alternative memory, (non-cognitively, limbically). It’s about letting the nervous system register it through a direct experience, not just as a thought or an idea.
Q: Does the workshop price on the site include the lodging and meals?
ET: No. It is only the cost of the course itself. The food and lodging is individual and depends on local circumstances.
Q: If I was only able to attend one day - would that still mean that I would get the Limbic Imprint Re-coding? Which day of the workshop should I come for then to get the Limbic Imprint Re-coding? Also - there is no fee for doing a one day part of this program - would I still be charged for two days?
ET: Yes, you can come only for one day, it is better one day than non at all.
The actual process of Limbic Re-Coding is on the second day of the workshop. You can pay for only one day - $200US with your check or credit card by emailing the numbers in 2 separate emails or calling the office.
There are a few parts in the workshop:
1) clearing the space for the re-coding to happen (de-fragmenting the hard drive)
2) re-coding (getting a new software)
3) aligning with the new code (installing the new software)
4) clearing the space from old patterns/habits (un-installing the old programs and learning to use the new software) = 4 days
Q: I am 32 and my previous experience of giving birth was very traumatic for me. I was with a midwife I did not know at a birth center. The midwife decided after 6 hours that I was too tired and would have to be transferred to the hospital, though I didn’t think I was too tired, but because I didn’t trust the midwife I went to the hospital. Little did I know what awaited me there…- a failed epidural, forced oxytocin without consent and three hours later my baby girl was roared into being. I am still left hurting from the experience, I lost trust in the system here and sadly, I lost trust in myself. I have been through several different midwives and as of this moment, I do not have one that I feel would fit me in the upcoming delivery. I bought your film and was truly touched and informed by your beautiful stories of birth. I feel like I am still in shock from the experience and cannot find a quiet space within myself. This really scares me. I have been soul searching and hoping for some resolution, but am still feeling so incredibly uncertain and alone.
What can I do to help my baby and me bond? And what can I do to get past this?
ET: So sorry to read about your hospital experience and your disappointment...
So sorry there was no one who could help you through this ordeal... I wish we had a normal understanding of the birth process in our civilization...
At this point the main thing I could recommend to help your daughter (or any small child) heal her birth trauma is TOUCH. Your skin to her skin - holding, massaging, kissing, acupressure, Jin Shin Jitsy (ancient technique of holding different points on the body, connecting and activating meridians). Or you could try it’s modern version TARA approach, developed by Stephanie Mines, the author of ‘We Are All in Shock’. You can do EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) on her, an even simpler version of TARA. I recommend lots of touch, in any form. If you can find a very good chiropractor or skillful cranio-sacral practitioner, it would be very, very helpful for both of you. You went through a big experience, this would help you to integrate it. Every layer of healing that you would experience will be reflected in her. You are still one system. The more you learn to accept and love yourself, the more you can relax into being who you are, the more she can relax into having a body.
Remember that the important thing is that everyone is alive and the healing will happen, just because you love her. When the baby feels loved, Mom gets away with a lot of incompetent decisions. Birth is never predictable and has it's own logic. Baby’s Soul had her own agenda which you had no way of knowing. When it comes to birthing and dying, there are no accidents. The way she was born was not only up to you, her spirit also had a big part in how it unfolded. Just keep loving her, that's the best remedy. Babies are very forgiving.
Q: Is there any possibility to take your birthing course via email or online, or even just to talk to someone?
ET: I don't have any correspondence courses. Everything I teach is experiential. It's not so much talking and explaining, but mainly trying it on, role-playing, feeling, breathing, moving, all at the same time. It would be impossible to do it online or via telephone.
FOR ELENA’S BIRTHSHOP ORGANIZERS:
Q: If I want to organize Elena’s workshop in my area, what does it take?
ET: Space requirements for the birthshop: the room needs to allow 20 - 25 people to lay down on the floor comfortably, without being on top of each other. And of course, the obvious, common sense requests – accessible, affordable, in a quiet environment. If the room has large windows, drapes would need to be available. Keep in mind we are going for a womb-like atmosphere. The room can be a large living room. It needs to have clean floor, carpet preferred, but if not, we can ask the participants to bring their own comfortable blankets and pillows.
A sound system with a CD, DVD, and a TV screen to watch some footage. An auxiliary connection for an ipod would also be greatly appreciated in the sound system.
I will also need a place to stay, (a great plus if there is a bath tub:) - it’s hard to know the options from California; I’ll need your help with finding a nice, clean, affordable place near the workshop space.
Q: Do you help with promotion?
ET: Yes, of course! We’ll send you the ‘organizer’s packet’, which includes everything! The event will be put on the Events page of the site immediately. People are usually willing to travel to my events.
Q: Is there a break for lunch during the workshop, or how are meal times usually handled?
ET: Yes, of course, there will be a lunch break. It’s hard to tell exactly what time it will be, because it depends entirely on the group dynamic, but it is usually around 1:30. Keep in mind, the birthing Field doesn't look at the clock There is no 'usual' handling of lunches, every situation and location is very different. If it's in the house, people bring their own lunches and use the kitchen in the home. If it's downtown, there are usually plenty of restaurants around. If it's in a retreat center, then there should be catering arranged and people just pay an additional fee for meals, etc. We’ll discuss meals when we finalize the location and see what's around it.
Q: When do we start?
ET: We start at 10am, till 6pm. I will also do a couple of tea breaks for 10-15 min in between. It would be good to have some refreshments and teas available. I'll pay for it. If there is drinking water at the premises, please let me know. If not, we need to tell the participants to bring it for themselves.
Q: Would Elena be willing to do a Q&A after a pre-workshop screening of the movie?
ET: Yes, I would love to speak to the audience before the film, to introduce it, and outline the general concepts of my work. We can always have a Q&A session afterwards. That's what I usually do when I travel for a weekend workshop. We can announce the free attendance for the workshop participants and $10 fee for the general public. It would be great to make it a big event, invite lots of people, not just pregnant or birthing professionals, because the issue of how we were born concerns everyone. We also encourage young children to attend.
Q: What topics could Elena talk about after the screening:
ET: I can talk a bit about history, - how it all began in Russia and how it came to be. There are so many myths going around about what was actually happening there, so this is a good opportunity to de-mystify many of them and glorify the true heroes. What was really happening is far greater then any myths that I've heard, (but a little less sensational).
- Or I can just focus on the actual program of preparing for conscious birth. What it takes, what can be done, the common mistakes women fall into during preparation and pros and cons of Waterbirth.
- Or I can go global and speak about the BIG picture. How our procreation fits into the general trajectory of our spiritual evolution.
Q: I'm interested in getting pregnant and we have been unsuccessful so far. Can you recommend some one in the Los Angeles, Orange County area who has had good results with helping couples conceive?
ET: Thank you for writing! One of my apprentices works in LA. Her general approach is through healing a woman's sexuality. She herself was told by 3 medical doctors that she absolutely can not have children. She is now with a beautiful 2 year old, who was conceived a couple of weeks after she attended my workshop for the first time. She then came back with her partner while pregnant, and she took the 10 day course with me, and delivered her baby herself, at home, with a midwife.
I never directly advertise working with infertility, but noticed that when a woman’s own birth trauma is neutralized, most of them can get pregnant. But of course, there are lots of other issues - sometimes it’s the partner’s birth trauma that is causing the infertility, sometimes is chemical pollution. The answers always come to the right questions.
Q: I'm very attracted to your workshops regarding the healing of birth trauma. I have heard Elena talk about the what goes on in the workshop. It is clear that she has deep compassion and respect for the infant experience.
I am constantly reliving that experience over and over again. I can manage as long as this terrifying experience is not directly in front of me. Talking about birth can cause me to fragment and deeply regress into an infant state.
I was wondering if you have worked with people who are in regression and if there is some intervention you can do if someone gets stuck in their terror from their birth experience during the workshop?
ET: It's an intense subject to approach. To answer more completely I need to better understand what you mean. Is it, sort of, emotional hardship only or a full clinical case? I never had to work with clinical cases before and definitely not equipped for any medical assistance.
For my techniques to work, it requires full willingness, cooperation and ability to stay present. Then I have about 98% success rate. There are no guarantees, of course, that IS a big part of working with the Birthing Field, there is no way of knowing what will happen.
Q: Will we get hand-outs to take home?
ET: I don't really have any hand-outs. It's not a cognitive workshop, I don't offer the info that needs to be in writing. Whatever it is that you want to cognitively remember from my material, is on my website already.
Q: Your work focuses on reducing traumatic births, right?
ET: Reducing traumatic births is one of the many focuses of my work. The main focus is healing one's birth trauma, from the person’s own formative period, from conception through the early childhood. In my birthshops, most of the people are not even interested in birth at all. Young unmarried men, older women who are past their childbearing age- they come for their own healing of their dynamic with the Birthing Field.
As a natural side effect of this work their creative force is no longer obstructed, so it's easy to give birth to whatever they want to give birth to, any creative project, including a human baby!
This work also helps pregnant women to avoid possible future complications at birth, but not it’s limited to it.
Q: What is a good way for women to prep for this kind of birth?
ET: First things first - a pregnant woman needs to heal her own birth trauma. Hopefully, not just re-experience it in some therapy session, because just that, by itself, would have a re-traumatizing effect. Yes, she might understand what happened to her and how, but the actual healing happens when she acquires a new reference point. What it would feel like if she were not harmed when she herself was born.
Then, the next step of importance is for the father of the baby to also have that experience. If he is going to be present at the birth, he needs to be able to stay strong, relaxed and focused. That is achieved through healing of his own birth trauma, especially if he was circumcised.
Of course, the next step would be to make sure that everyone in the delivery team is free from anxiety about their own births, because, inevitably, it would be projected on the Birthing Field and prolong the labor.
The main ingredient in ecstatic birth is the woman's ability to relax and surrender. To expand instead of contracting. Giving birth is more of a shamanic rite of passage, initiation into the Divine Feminine Art of Creation. It is not a mechanical, medical event. We applaud magicians when they pull a rabbit out of the hat. Most women can pull a whole new human being out of their own bodies! There is nothing more powerful in this reality than that! Every woman who has done this consciously is a Hero of our time!
Q: I've visited your page and I'm SO glad I've found your website!
My three years old daughter was born by "Emergency Cesarean" because she was in a breech position & was running out of time. She was in distress and the whole experience was very traumatic. I'm a depressive mom who used to be low & stressed most of the time during my pregnancy. Now she's showing signs of anxiety, insecurity, fear and bad social skills.
Please, I need your help, how could you possibly assist us? What's your advice and what are the options I have for a possible cure please?
BIB OFFICE: Thank you for sharing your experience! I really feel for all that you and your daughter have been and continue to go through. The best option would be for you to join Elena at one of her trainings to experience the process of Limbic-Imprint Re-coding. Unfortunately, there is not much she can do without seeing you in person. This process will rewire your birth trauma and simultaneously, through you, it will benefit your daughter.
Q: I have a copy of your movie which I love and just wondered if you have an audio CD or could suggest where I might get one?
BIB OFFICE: I am happy to say that we just recently began to offer a CD of Elena's amazing Limbic Imprint Recoding meditation to the public. The CD is $20 and you can either email your payment information or send me money via paypal. This is a wonderful way for you to receive the transmission of the new imprint, but, to get the full ignition, I feel you have to experience the whole process in the workshop format. It would be a great start, though!
It would be wonderful if you could attend a Workshop. I can speak from personal experience that it catalyzed immense healing and a shift in me along with a few other things.
Q: I would like to attend your birthshop. Can you tell me more about what I need to do?
BIB OFFICE: You can go to the website and register for either the 2, 4, 6 or full 10 days.
Speaking from the experience of having attended the 10 day apprenticeship training in Chico, I witnessed every person who wasn't registered for the full 10 days wishing they had signed up for more days. Many people changed their schedules to stay longer. I would highly recommend either signing up for the 4 days or at least leaving your schedule open in case you decide you would like to continue.
To register for the workshop we take many forms of payment, PayPal, major credit cards, and checks. You can pay in full, or call/email our office to make a deposit and pay in installments. We also recommend watching the DVD and reading Elena’s articles and interviews (all featured on our site). Do anything that will allow you to be open to emotional healing. Yoga, meditation, hiking, nature, etc.