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Program Description
This lecture was recorded at the Integrative Fertility Symposium in Vancouver.
The diagnosis of infertility impacts a woman like a death sentence. IVF and other radical interventions in the birth process may be traumatizing and difficulties during labor and birth may be stored as trauma memory in the body for a lifetime. In addition, childhood abuse and sexual trauma can interfere with a woman's ability to conceive. Shock, trauma, and PTSD have massive and often unrecognized effects on women's reproductive health. In this three-hour talk, we will explore the role of trauma in the domain of gynecology.
We will begin with a basic overview of trauma work from a modern Western and ancient Chinese perspective. We will look first through the lens of modern Western science to understand the neurological and endocrine responses to shock and trauma and how they affect a woman's capacity to conceive, carry to term, and experience a safe and satisfying labor and birth. We will then shift to the lens of the ancient Taoist system of wushen - the Five Spirits - in order to deepen our understanding of the psychospiritual effects of trauma on women dealing with issues related to infertility, pregnancy, and birth as well as on the developing fetus.
In the second part of the talk, participants will be introduced to safe and simple ways to calm and heal the shen - the spirit - including flower essences, essential oils, spirit points, and simple clearing treatment protocols. In addition, participants will learn simple practices that can be safely shared with patients to help alleviate the effects of trauma on the body, soul, and spirit. The importance of auxiliary support and timely referral will also be discussed.
Goals and Outlines
By the end of the seminar, participants will have: