My therapeutic work is about supporting those who wish to become, or who already are parents, through every stage of the parenting journey.
I aim to make my treatment room a place of true listening for you – a safe non- judgmental space to try to resolve any past traumas – using powerful body therapies to keep you resourced and calm your mind. Wellness care for parents, particularly mothers during pregnancy and after birth, can make a huge difference. The Chinese have a saying – when the child is screaming, treat the mother – as it is the mother who nurtures the child. Working with and supporting mothers (and fathers) impacts on the unborn child/baby/child/teenager through the empathic holding field. This is a field of energetic connectedness that keeps you bonded. It surrounds the unborn child, infant or growing child. Clinical psychologist William Emerson, a past president of APPPAH (Association for Pre and Perinatal Psychology and Health), writes about field theory in this article if you would like to know more.
Past traumas are held in the body and they can resurface when we become parents or on our parenting journeys when we face challenges. Trauma expert Peter Levine reminds us that ‘trauma is in the person not the past’ – which means it remains in the holding field. Modern life can be hard on parents. The saying is it takes a village to raise a child – but in the 21st century there can be so much pressure on mothers and fathers. So getting good support and coming into a space to reflect and be nurtured and supported yourself as a parent, can make a world of difference – and help you create an empathic holding field for your children. As an adoptive mother, I have found this can be especially important.
Sometimes our healing can progress by exploring our own birth trauma and this can be clearly seen by looking at how compressive forces shaped us through a birth mask reveal – a technique developed by Karlton Terry. Karlton likens the birth mask to an MRI scan. Using photographs of ourselves or our children, as babies (and adults in the case of parents) – and looking at the shape of our faces/heads, it is possible to ascertain at which stage the birth became difficult for us – or for our children – and to start to heal by having a compassionate understanding of our own trauma. I have recently contributed to an exciting Royal Society of Arts project to help educate and inform about the impact of birth trauma.
Please feel free to give me a call and talk about how my therapies might help you.