Breakfast SpeakersSix speakers spoke during the breakfast period for 30 minutes each. The speakers were: Benig Mauger, Jungian psychotherapist from Dublin, Ireland, Prof. John Sonne, M.D. of Moorestown, NJ, Dorothy Mandel, C.C.H.T.and Douglas Gosney, MA, MFCC of Santa Rosa, CA, Alison Hunter from County Wicklow, Ireland, Kelduyn Garland, L.C.S.W. of Lakeland, FL, and Aletha Solter, Ph.D. Goleta, CA. Some of these presentations are abstracted below. All presentations are available on audiotape from Gold Key Recordings at vgoldkey@ev1.net
The Wounded Mother and Lost Child
Benig MaugerSwiss psychiatrist Carl Jung described the greatest malady of the 20th Century as "loss of soul." This is because modern living alienates us from our true natures and our spiritual lives. Giving birth and being born are archetypal experiences of great spiritual and emotional significance. But modern medicine strips nature of its spiritual dimension, dismissing soul. The means that mothers are wounded because they have been denied a potentially transformative experience, and babies are lost because they are all too often born into pain and left alone.
Magic Babies
John Sonne, M.D.Adoptees and abortion survivors often suffer from feelings of not being fully alive, real, connected and loved, feelings derived from the disruption in their prenatal holding environment. Many feel themselves as commodities. The same feelings are likely to arise from the host of babies being created today by unusual means. My thesis is that the mental and emotional state of the parental lovers during sexual intercourse becomes an intangible component of the child who is created, and becomes an ingredient in how the child relates to self, to others, and to God. The component of loving creation is deficient in those being created by means other than a loving sexual intercourse between their parents, and therefore a distortion and debasement of the sacred meaning of creating life has become a part of the social milieu. I will show how those who suffer from this deficiency may be helped to acquire it by coming face to face with their loses, and by claiming and valuing their own conception despite the manner in which they were conceived.
Hold Me!
Aletha Solter, Ph.DAn overview of research on holding newborns during the immediate postpartum period will address the physiological and psychological benefits of touching, carrying, and holding infants. Close physical contact is important in each of the three major states of consciousness: awake, asleep, and crying. Recommendations were made for child-rearing by modern parents in industrialized nations.
Dorothy Mandel CCHT and Douglas Gosney MA, MFCC
Video camera technology can be used to identify and work with shock and other unconscious behavioral, emotional, and psychological dynamics that are often unreachable using other techniques. Slow-paced viewing and still frames can identify split-second expressive "leaks" which can then be gently worked with using a variety of techniques including gestalt dialoguing, guided imagery, and regression. This technique was discovered by William Emerson, Ph.D. as a means of breaking through otherwise heavily defended material and is appropriate for use with children, adults, and couples.
Time was made available for special interest groups to convene and create their own programs at 5 pm. Some of the groups and their speakers were these:
Birth Therapies
Elaine Childs-Gowell, Ph.D, Jeane Rhodes, Ph.D, and Anne Maiden, Ph.D.Birth Practitioners
Sandra Bardsley, Karen Frank, R.N., CCE, Teresa Robinson, CNM, M.S.N., and midwife June Whitson, R.N.Body-Related Therapy
Cindy Silverlock, CMT and Patricia Cramer Circumcision: From Harm to Healing. Marilyn Milos, R.N., Steve Scott, Tim Hamilton, Mary Conant, R.N., Morris Sorrells, M.D., and Jeannine Parvati Baker.Infant Massage
Emma Miller and Kalena Babeschoff, C.M.T.Pre- and Perinatal Music
Dolores Clark, M.F.C.C., Sister Lorna Zemke, D.M.A., and Renee Guindi, musician.Order audiotapes of these presentations from Gold Key Recordings at vgoldkey@ev1.net.
Saturday Night Jamboree
A wealth of concurrent sessions was offered on Saturday Night. The list and a sampler of Abstracts follows.
Adoption
Nancy Verrier, Michael Trout, Marcy Axness, Carol Schaefer and Ginger Maker.Abortion
Kelduyn Garland, Susanne Arms, John Sonne, and Victoria ThornHypnotherapy
Tony Madrid and Diane Zimberoff.Parenting and Beyond
Janae and Barry Weinhold, Dennis and Sheila Linn.The Earliest Bond
Carista Luminare-Rosen, Mary Knight, Niravi PaynePrenatal Technology and Psychology
Joann O'Leary, M.P.H., neonatologist Judy Ney and Sue Papke, perinatal nurse.
Ludwig Janus, Ph.D., Chairat Panthuraamphorn, M.D., Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. and Robert Van Howe M.D..
Some Abstracts:
Abortion Aftermath
Victoria M. ThornAbortion is an unnatural end of the natural process of pregnancy. Pregnancy, especially the first, is a passage time for a woman. In the first pregnancy a woman moves into the identity of mother. This involves chemical, psychological, biological changes. The chemistry is designed to move from conception to weaning to complete the cycle. The interference with this process can have permanent physical and psychological impact on the woman. Abortion is always a life changing event. The woman may experience some aspect of the abortion as traumatic. She may experience grief at some future time when dealing with her "mother" identity. Furthermore, the experience of abortion can impact subsequent childbearing because of increased anxiety, difficulties in labor or delivery, or impeded bonding with the baby she has born. The mother/child bond may become distorted, overprotective, or emotionally distant. Sometimes, when an abortion occurs later in a woman's childbearing history, the bond she has with her other children may be disturbed.
Metamorphosis: Addressing Prenatal Patterns
Cindy Silverlock, CMT, CHTMetamorphosis is a hands-on approach that addresses the prenatal patterns through the spinal reflex points of the feet, hands, and head as well as directly on the spine itself. This technique was founded by Robert St. John in the early 1960's. Robert believed that we bring karmic and genetic patterns as well as attitudes toward life with us at conception. These patterns affect our ability to move forth into life fully and freely. Metamorphosis addresses underlying, unconscious attitudes that affect us on a daily basis. This is a gently healing modality that is relaxing to receive and does not require dialog. It allows for deep change without intellectual intervention, trusting the life force to shift out of stuck ways of being on its own.
Prebirth Communication: The Early Bonding
Carista Luminare-Rosen, Ph.D.Research increasingly demonstrates that the prenate is capable of primal feelings during the first trimester. Yet, prospective parents can begin communicating with their future child before it is conceived as well as during the pregnancy. Both the parents and the child can benefit when telepathic communication begins before birth. Preconception and prenatal bonding optimize the physical and psychological development of the child. By educating parents on how to bond with their child before conception and during pregnancy, bonding at birth is a natural occurrence. New parents report greater confidence and trust in their intuitive responses to care for and communicate with their babies. Prebirth bonding can optimize the health of the future child and the evolving parent/child relationship.
Music, Hypnosis, and Bonding
Dolores M. ClarkMusic is a pathway to soul and to love. Long before hearing has developed in utero, a child is aware of energetic musical vibrations as well as the mother's emotional and biochemical response. Through shared musical experiences mother and child can psychically bond. Hypnotherapy coupled with music can assist bonding, encourage intrauterine play and dance, resolve fears about childbirth, and prepare both mother and child for childbirth. This musical bonding from preconception to postpartum has life-long implications for the infant's sense of security, sensitivity to art and beauty, and to spiritual awareness. Exercises and techniques were demonstrated.
Infant Massage and Family-Centered Work
Kalena BabeshoffPrograms of the International Association of Infant Massage teach both caretakers and parents to massage their own babies in a way that emphasizes listening to, and responding to babies' verbal and non verbal language. Parents are taught how to adapt the massage to the growing child so that massage continues to be a practical way to stay in touch, express love, respect, and nurturing within the family. Massage can meet the needs of healthy babies, babies with special needs, adopted babies, and babies exposed prenatally to drugs.
Environment Influences Human Brain Growth
Chairat Panthuraamphorn, M.D.To test the concept that an enriched prenatal environment can enhance brain growth and development of infants, a multimodal stimulation program was practiced by 150 pregnant women throughout their pregnancy. Results were compared with 150 women who did not use the program. Head circumference was used as the measurement of brain growth and the Denver Developmental Scale was used to evaluate infant development. Other more informal comparisons we made showing fetal learning. Measurements showed that 87.5% of experimental infants showed recognition of the maternal voice and 70% recognized music heard prenatally. Sixty five percent of all babies learned to kick back in response to pats on the abdomen. Experimental infants had significantly greater head circumference than control infants when measured at birth and at six months. These babies demonstrated earlier than control infants the following behaviors: smiling, resisting when a toy was pulled away, playing peek-a-boo, following an object through space, clapping hands, reaching for objects, vocalizing, laughing, turning to voice, calling dada or mama, holding head up, rolling over, and sitting and standing. Experimental babies also calmed down notably when hearing music which had been introduced prenatally, hearing the heart beat sound, rhythmic patting and rocking patterns which had been part of the enrichment program. We believe that prenatal enrichment programs should be introduced routinely in prenatal care as an effective way to enhance mother and child attachment as well as to promote infants' physical, social, emotional, motor, and intelligence development.
Basic Goodness: The Origins and Development of Trust, Empathy, and Altruism
Thomas R. Verny, M.D., D.Psych.The starting state of every human being is one of love, compassion, and trust. This innate goodness is gradually corrupted by external biological and psychological factors. A few individuals survive these negative influences. Factors that enhance the development of healthy, caring, and empathic personality were explored. Of particular importance are the prenatal communications between mother-child, birthing practices, bonding opportunities, and the modeling of moral qualities by the parents.
Love and Healing: Birth and Soul
Barbara Findeisen, MFCCBirth is both a physical and psychological event including both the mind and emotions. Birth is a symbol of awakening, emerging, changing, and new beginnings. Everyone sees birth as a physical event but few see birth as a psychological event. Birth symbols are found in all cultures, in art, myths, and fairy tales as well as in everyday language. Least understood in our society is birth as a spiritual event. Birth is often a transpersonal experience bringing opportunities for altered states of a spiritual nature. Women may describe birth in mystical terms. I believe the souls of infants before and after birth also have spiritual experiences. In over twenty years of regressing clients to pre- and perinatal memories, I have been present as many have touched inner levels of spirit which they had previously denied as a possibility. Not unlike a near-death experience (NDE) a during- birth experience (DBE) contains insights which can forever alter one's way of viewing life. In exploring the connections between spirituality and birth, we discover the healing power of love. With that understanding, we are even more aware of the importance of our work in transforming birth in our society.
Audiotapes of the conference are available from Gold Key Recordings at vgoldkey@ev1.net