Resources

Organizations

Teachers

  • Center for Prenatal and Perinatal Programs - the important and excellent center for learning about prenatal and perinatal trauma and healing, developed by my colleague and friend Kate White. This is a great website to review whether you are looking for healing yourself or a professional in the field looking for trainings. Kate is a deeply experienced practitioner and teacher herself plus she offers here programs led by many of the forefront teachers in this leading edge field.

  • Michael Shea taught the initial 700 hour training I took from 2002 to 2004. It was a full, rich and life-changing experience. I continue to receive supervision from Michael.

  • The Castellino Training website - Ray Castellino taught Prenatal and Birth Therapy, his highly effective multi-disciplinary approach to healing the after-effects from our earliest experiences of shock and trauma. I took Ray's Foundation Training between 2002 and 2004 and have continued to study with him and receive supervision since then. Sadly, we lost Ray December of 2020 to cancer. The work continues and I am part of this along with many colleagues.

  • Gary Peterson teaches Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy locally in the North Bay Area. He is a skilled, experienced Polarity therapist as well.

  • Colorado School of Energy Studies - Developed by Anna and John Chitty, since John’s death last year Anna and their daughter Elizabeth have continued the teaching of Polarity Therapy, Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, and other somatic trainings. Well worth knowing about them.

  • Jaap van der Wal, MD, PhD, the embryologist currently teaching from a phenomenological approach and inspiring the Biodynamic Craniosacral world.

  • Richard Strozzi-Heckler, the founder of Strozzi Institute, is a pioneer teacher of Somatics who has written and taught masterfully about what embodiment is and what we become capable of as we embody ourselves more fully. It turns out we become better leaders, whether leaders of ourselves in our own personal lives or of whole organizations and businesses. I have studied with Richard since 1992, both as an Aikido student in his dojo and as a student at the Strozzi Institute.

Other Professionals

Michel Odent is a gynecologist originating from France. He publishes about the relationship between the quality of pregnancy, prenatal existence and birth and the later constitution and behavior of children. He developed good arguments to state that the modern tendency to manipulate, to control pregnancy and birth (including fertilization) with technological measures is not free from consequences for the psyche of children. He asks whether there is a relationship between HOW we are born and our later attitude in life towards others.  Are the modern techniques of fertilization and controlling birth free of consequences?

Parenting Resources

Books

Calms, A Guide to Soothing Your Baby, by Debby Takikawa, DC, and Carrie Contey, PhD. This book is short, easy to read, and gives the kind of research-based support parents need to help them remain present when their baby is upset. You will benefit and your child will be blessed as you implement what's taught here! Unfortunately Calms is now out of print but you can get the same support from Carry Contey's PDF about it.