Birth Story Processing
for infants, children, teens and adults
Why process birth stories?
Regardless of age, each person deserves to be seen, heard and witnessed.
Each individual has their unique perspective of what they have experienced during their lifetime.
The transition into life is a profoundly transformative experience that touches all levels of a being. It a powerful emotional, physical and social event. When those experiences were overwhelming, in isolation, and without support in processing and integrating them, they become baseline experiences (imprints) that form a foundation that their brains, nervous systems and bodies use to interpret new stimuli from new experiences.
For babies and young children many of their experiences happened before they could speak and so those memories are stored in their bodies and nervous systems without a verbal story, they are somatic stories and can lay down an altered template for how the individual bonds, sleeps, eats and how their nervous system responds and finds ease.
The good news is that it is never too late to get support in processing and integrating our early experiences.
With support, attunement, accurate reflection, resonance, presence and connection in a supportive relationship our brain, body and nervous system can effectively repattern the early experiences and discover more capacity for choice, voice, sense of self and boundaries and ability to connect with others.
My work is grounded in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, developmental neuroscience, attachment theory, interpersonal neurobiology, Pre and Perinatal Somatic Psychology, trauma informed, generational / legacy burdens / Family Constellations and relational body-centered therapies. At its core, this is a listening-based approach—one that trusts the body’s inherent capacity for organization and healing when met with safety, presence, and respect.
Birth story processing for infants
Provide an opportunity for the child to tell their story, through movement and vocalization
Sessions are at a slow pace and focused on the child and their needs and expressions.
Can help heal and integrate challenging experiences (conception, gestation, birth, procedures, separation)
Support attachment and bonding
Stories told through play
Children are also always communicating with us. As they learn the ways and rules of the family they are also aware of what their body is signaling - curiosity, new sensations and abilities, figuring out boundaries in combination with desires - quite a challenging mix.
Sessions are play focused giving opportunities for children to tell their stories through play as their words are not yet their primary way of communicating.
Teens
Teenage years are an important time of self differentiation. Learning independence yet also wanting to be seen and understood and supported. There is a sense of what doesn't work or hasn't worked, yet no clear sense or awareness of how to achieve other kinds of relationships than the ones modeled to us by our parents and extended family members.
Establishing a safe place where one feels heard and seen can make such a huge difference.
Adults
As adults many of our early experiences seem hidden under the layers of all of the experiences we have had over or our lives.
When we look at our early experiences and heal those early times when we weren't seen or heard we can then be more present in the current moment for our loved ones.
Sometimes we get labeled as anxious or strong and independent yet these characteristics often are learned survival mechanisms that were necessary when we were young yet may not be serving us as adults.