Menu
of Services Available
Services
for the continuum from preconception through infancy
(Details on specifics here
coming:)
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Conscious Conception, Prenatal Attachment and
Development
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Preparation for Natural Birth (physical,
emotional, and spiritual)
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Labor Support and Baby Advocate
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Mother-Newborn Attachment and Communication
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Prenatal and Birth focused CranioSacral Therapy
Prenatal and Birth Therapy
for
Newborns, Infants, and Children
·
Newborns to infants up to six months of age and their parents
My specialty is in resolving prenatal and birth traumas at the
earliest opportunity by beginning therapy with newborns to three
months. Newborns are fully conscious, they are most open to
resolution of trauma, and they have not yet experienced further
traumas that have a reinforcing and deepening effect.
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Children over six months of age and their parents
This includes the healing of traumatic events, and resolving
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Treatment for older children is
more involved because of the reinforcing traumas and family
dynamics that have reinforced the prenatal and birth traumas.
By six months of age a baby begins to integrate their traumas
and reactions to the trauma into the lifelong personality and
the structure of the body. Over
the years the body will be fully into the physical compensations
that become chronic pain or illnesses seen in adults. Any injury
or traumatic event is known in the pre- and perinatal psychology
field to be a reflection or re-experiencing of prenatal and
birth events. This is because the prenatal and birth experience
creates the lens through which life is perceived.
Treatment for children always involves total and active therapeutic
participation of one parent and the participation of both
parents is optimal.
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for Pregnant and Post-partum Women
Get a copy of the CIMS questionnaire
Having a Baby? 10 Questions to Ask
Has your hospital received the CIMS designation for being
A Mother-Friendly Childbirth
Hospital?
Learn about the
Coalition for Improving Maternity Services
(CIMS)
Ten Steps to Mother-Friendly Childbirth
Initiative
for Mother-Friendly Hospitals, Birth Centers, and Home Birth Services
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Individual and couple
sessions in preparation for natural birth
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Post-partum depression
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Assisting a baby to turn from
breech position
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Birth Support Preparation
Process for Mother’s birth support team
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Baby Doula Services
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Individual and couple sessions in preparation for
natural birth
Prenatal therapy assists women in resolving feelings and
situations that create prenatal experiences that lead to
complications at birth. Women who have had previously traumatic
birth experiences can greatly benefit from Prenatal and Birth
Therapy during her subsequent pregnancies. Old traumas and fears
can compound during this time and may contribute to an
unnecessarily fearful and difficult pregnancy and traumatic
birth that interfere with prenatal and birth attachment. Therapy
assists in releasing physical restrictions and emotional traumas
that are now known to lead to the need for medical
interventions.
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Post-partum depression
A woman whose baby is experiencing colic symptoms is often
diagnosed as having post-partum depression. Medical birth
contributes to post-partum depression. It is often associated
with the use of drugs in birth. Drugs remove
consciousness in order to give the perception of no pain, but the
severe consequence of this is that the mother is not able to
stay connected with her baby during labor. In the case
of epidural the woman is conscious but she (and medical people)
are not aware of the pain that the birth is creating for the
baby. The baby feels the disconnect. Read the section on
colic to learn more.
The hospital protocols at birth — the cord cutting, the bath,
the shots, etc. — that are done prior to mother-child attachment
contribute to dis-attachment between mothers and babies, and so,
contribute significantly to post-partum depression.
Disappointment over the birth process increases depression.
Something is not quite right and it is difficult for a woman to
identify that it was the disempowerment of birth. Women who had
drugs in labor and at birth often are unable to even articulate
this. Sometimes it takes years. Post-partum depression is the
continued disconnect between mother and baby and can persist in
different forms for years.
I have worked with a woman in her early seventies dealing with
the five decades of relationship issues with the daughter. We
followed this back to the depression after having her breasts
bound (against her will) to prevent her from breastfeeding.
Several years before our work together she
had both breasts removed because of breast cancer. In her session
she dealt with the trauma of not being allowed to bring her baby
to her breast
— a biologically programmed need. A child can spend a lifetime
symbolically coming to and being rejected the mother…and neither
can quite get what it’s about.
Prenatal and Birth Therapy allows a mother and baby to heal the
emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual wounding that
occurs in prenatal and birth experiences.
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Assisting a baby to turn from breech position
CranioSacral Therapy and Prenatal and Birth Therapy are both
very effective in assisting a baby to turn from breech position.
A baby in the womb knows why and how she came to be in that
position and how to move to get into the correct position for
birth. Based on the knowledge that a baby is fully conscious, we
believe that the baby knows what the issue is. The baby knows
how to move to get into the optimal birth position. Often it is
emotional issues or physical restrictions in the mother’s body
that are contributing. Even in cases where the baby is not
breech, but the mother is experiencing pelvic or leg pain, the
work has assisted to release the tension in her physical body to
allow the baby to move. This has also been the case during
labor, that the mother is able to release the tension allowing
the baby optimal movement. It is important to note that when
drugs are involved in labor, either inducing drugs or pain
relief drugs, the baby and mother are unable to work through the
issues that happen during labor. In every case I have worked
with prenatally or during labor, the mother’s physical, body
restrictions have had to be addressed in order for the baby to
turn. In one case I knew that the baby was unable to turn
because it would compromise the cord. This is the only time the
baby did not turn.
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Birth Support Preparation Process for Mother’s Birth
Support Team
A Birth Preparation Process session is a two to 3-hour session
that facilitates the mother and her support persons
(spouse/partner, family, friends, physician/midwife, doula,
etc.) in preparing to support the mother in birthing her baby in
a loving and peaceful way. This group process is for a mother
who believes that birth is a sacred and intimate experience. She
knows her body has an innate, biological ability to birth
normally, safely, and naturally. She knows in her heart that her
baby’s birth is not a medical crisis to be managed. She knows
the risks and lifelong consequences of inducing and pain relief
drugs use during labor and delivery for herself and her baby.
Support is essential for a woman to birth normally. This process
is about preparing to have the support she needs to have the
birth she wants for herself and her baby. She and her support
team can create space and boundaries to support the conscious
intentions the mother and father have for their baby’s birth.
Even with best of intentions, unspoken and unresolved issues
between people often erupt during the labor and this can prevent
the support of the birthing mother. This group process
facilitates them to address their own emotions and needs prior
to the mother and baby’s labor and birth. They learn how to be
fully present for mother and the baby when they or the mother
experiences moments of difficulty, overwhelm, or potential
unwanted medical interventions, etc. If the birthing mother
feels overwhelmed by labor, by other’s needs (medical personnel
or her supporters), she may feel the need to care for those
present or to change her decisions for them. When the support
persons are prepared to support each other they can be fully
present for the mother and the baby. They are able to maintain
their awareness of their collective presence and influence on
the newborn’s first experience of this world.
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Baby Doula Services
A Doula supports a mother during the pregnancy, the labor, and
birth. I am available to attend birth as a support for the baby
and
mother and her partner. I offer post-natal sessions for mother,
father, and baby.
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Infant
Massage Instruction
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For Parent and their infant, newborn to six months
Infant massage is for parents to learn. It supports and enhances
the benefits of Prenatal and Birth Therapy: attachment and
bonding, stimulation of physiological and neurological systems,
relief from colic, release of birth trauma, and relaxation for
infant and parent. Massage is particularly beneficial for
adopted, premature, and severely traumatized infants, and for
when parents are unable to be the daily caretaker during
infancy. Massage time then becomes ultimate quality time for
interacting and bonding between infant and parents. Massaging
infants and children throughout childhood will contribute to a
society of adults who are healthier and more comfortable in
their bodies.
Parents learn
to massage their own infants using a massage protocol based on
the work of Vimala McClure who re-introduced this ancient
parenting tradition to our modern world. This tradition honors
and promotes a mother’s inner wisdom in nurturing her infant.
Clinical evidence now echoes this ancient wisdom and shows that
as a caregiver, her nurturing touch delivers multiple benefits
to support healthy physical and emotional infant development.
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Prenatal and Birth
Therapy for Adults
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Individual sessions
Adults of any age can participate in regression to prenatal
states to uncover and re-pattern early prenatal and birth
traumas that are the roots of current emotional, psychological,
physical, and relationship issues.
Prenatal and Birth Therapy works on the emotional and physical
level in a deep and gentle way that supports adult massage,
chiropractic, and physical therapy work to be more effective and
it facilitates the healing of the emotions stored in the body
structures. Body psychotherapy and body-mind therapies show us
that our emotions are stored within the body. In Anatomy of
the Spirit, Carolyn Myss says, “our bodies are our
biographies.” Any form of massage or bodywork on adults, such as
chiropractic work and physical therapy, will create the release
of emotions and memory from the tissues as they are kneaded or
worked.
My extensive experience and training in psychology and mental
health provides me with the skills and ability to deal with and
be present with intense emotions in a gentle, healing way.
Adults who have sought traditional forms of chiropractic,
massage or other body and energy work, psychological counseling,
and medical treatment will find the Prenatal and Birth Therapy
work to be integrative.
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Adult Birth Process Workshop
A one to 2 day-long workshop with two to three other adults who
are each working on healing their own prenatal and birth
traumas. Each participant experiences a 2 to 2-1/2 hour session
and receives the support from others in the group. Participants
experience significant additional therapeutic and relationship
healing by being a support person for the others. This
experience is powerful. For adults who have successfully
participated in previous therapeutic work and feel they just
can’t quite get to the core or root of their problems, this
group process can seem like years of therapy. It goes to and
heals the roots of lifelong issues and it integrates previous
traditional psychological and medical therapeutic work. At least
one previous individual session is required. Participants can
join a group or create their own group, such as with a group of
professionals.
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In-service presentations
For social service, educational program, and child care program
staff; pediatric, obstetric, and other medical practices,
including hospital labor and delivery staff; who are interested
in learning more about prenatal and birth psychology and trauma
healing.
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Consultation
For medical or social service programs interested in: 1)
implementing prenatal and birth psychology and therapy into
their practice or programs; in 2) developing partnerships and
coalitions to create and implement changes; and in 3) making
policies that support women and babies to birth peacefully and
with the appropriate medical care. For example, a labor and
delivery department can learn how to implement to Prenatal and
Birth Psychology research into their procedures and protocol.
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