I just think it's the way the world should work. It's the way it used to work before corruption, and the way it still works in some cultures. Trading skills and services is the way forward (seems that all the ways forward are also ways back to a better time).
I am a member of Skillshare Network, a local branch of a nationwide, nay, worldwide Skills Trade Organisation. In my local network we have 100+ members, offering a range of services and skills. For each hour given, a member earns one Time Dollar. That time can then be 'spent' with any of the other members, for any offered service. Members can earn hours by helping the network (publicity, outreach, distributing fliers, office duties etc) and can also earn a time dollar for each hour of volunteer work they do in the community at large.
I offer Bowen work. Over the years I have received legal advice, healing work, computer advice, time spent in a cabin in the mountains, had my dvd player fixed, had someone help me to clean a friends house, and today I am inspired to write this because I received a wonderful acupuncture treatment. None of this I would have been able to afford to pay real money for, but that is not the reason I love it so much. I meet wonderful, like-minded people, who are willing and excited to share their skills and connect with their community, and that includes people who do have enough money to buy these services. What is so wonderful is that no-ones time is worth more than anyone elses. The lawyer gets one time dollar for his legal advice, the woman with a truck receives one time dollar for her help transporting a large item from one end of town to the other, the person who knows about computers gets one time dollar for his one hour spent explaining to me over the phone how to move my documents from one computer to another. (How many lawyers have you met who would do this? I once tried to explain the concept to a colleague who was interested in joining. She was a student of graphic design. In the end she didn't want to join because her time was worth $200 an hour so she couldn't reconcile that with what she would receive in return. This is our current mentality as a society, and one that I don't believe serves us well)
Outside of skillshare I have come to love informal trades with anyone I meet who is up for it. I have traded Bowen work for childcare, more Bowen work, massage, coffee shop vouchers, personal Pilate's sessions, private Tai Chi classes, Bob Dylan tickets...!
I don't have much money, but even if I ever do, I still want to live this way, in fact I just want to live this way more and more. And really, there is nothing stopping us because here is something we can really all do at grassroots. There are some things we will still have to pay money for, and those will be the things that are governed by corruption (first example that comes to mind, gas..). But in large part, I believe that with just a small shift in awareness of what is possible and a shift away from our consumer society where monetary value is equated with personal value, we could all be creating communities that support us and nourish us instead of separating and lining the pockets of corporations. That separation from the whole, that 'independence' which allows us to spend our money without dependence on individuals in our community, comes at great cost to our true independence, our freedom to live consciously and in harmony with those around us.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Skills trades, thrift store shopping, freecycle, recycle.... I tell you, it's the way forward
Monday, August 4, 2008
Our Sacred Earth
This is my feedback as a letter to the group of women I gathered with in the mountains for a wonderful afternoon of connecting with Nature and Spirit and Selves...
Hello All,
This is what I wrote yesterday (Sunday) when I saw that it was raining! It's a bit rambling... apologies!
It was wonderful to meet and re-meet with you all, thank you!
Looking at the rain today, hoping that it will stay, and be the soaking rain we prayed for. I'm sitting in a coffee shop, listening to Scott and friends making nice music. People are running quickly to their cars to avoid getting wet. I just had to get outside in my bare feet and stand in the rain! It would have been so wonderful to attract even more confused looks by having yesterday's group all be out there with me in the parking lot, doing a happy rain dance!
I really enjoyed out time together at Bonnie's beautiful home and surrounded by untouched nature.
Bonnie, I love your style of leading a group. The time we had flowed effortlessly from one thing to the next, and there was great balance between the thought and heart you put into planning, and your ability to allow spontaneity. You didn't try to squeeze too many 'activities' into our time, allowing for deeper connection with what we did do, with nature, with ourselves and with the group as a whole in nature.
There is something very perfect/transcendent about women gathering in nature. Reminding ourselves of our goddess nature, that we are one with everything else. That beauty and power is something I've only been able to open up to over the past few years. It's something I've always known, but never thought I could feel, something that other women (the ones I admired!) could feel. i still have to push myself to seek these experiences of connection with other women, yet I do it more and more as I wise up to what is good for me and for the Universe. I start to take responsibility for myself and for my own thoughts and actions. I take responsibility because I know that what I do counts. After years of feeling like an insignificant presence, I now understand, feel and take joy in just how significant I am, which is exactly as significant and divine as every other person.
Our gathering was another powerful reminder to me.
I loved connecting with the aspen (the flower remedy I have needed most over the years is aspen). I had such a strong sense of the trees accepting me/us and protecting us. The tree felt so very strong, so very spacious and so open, a reflection of what I can be in moments of meditation, peace, gathering, community. The work is to make those moments longer-lasting, more frequent and to bring them into all aspects of life..
Love,
Katie
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Woman centered childbirth
Another bit of writing for my childbirth educator class... a question about woman centered birth and its benefits for mother, partner and baby... I feel I could have written a book, but I don't think I was supposed to...
The most crucial element to making a birth truly 'woman centered' is that of choice. Every woman should have the freedom to choose the place in which they would like to give birth, and who their care provider(s) will be. Inherent in this choice is the need for the woman and her supporter(s) to be able to access appropriate education and resources that will allow her to make an informed decision, and will empower her to trust that she is capable of making choices and giving birth to her baby.
An informed decision can only be made when there is appropriate information available. It is worrying that a great number of women will read hugely popular mainstream 'catch-all' pregnancy/birth books while they are pregnant, attend their local hospital classes and think that they are well-informed. Unfortunately they are receiving information based largely (if not solely) on the technocratic model, and embed themselves deeper into a culture of fear-based standardized care. The widely read book 'What to expect when you're expecting' has only one page (of 437) dedicated to describing alternatives to standard hospital care. The language speaks volumes (my italics);
on water births... “Though many women who have experienced such a birth report that it was exhilarating, most physicians and hospitals feel that the risk of the fetus drowning, though probably remote, is still too great to make the procedure an acceptable one.”
on home births... “ And sometimes such a birth is very successful. (..) Those low risk women who insist on a home birth will need to be certain they will be attended by a physician or certified nurse-midwife”
Woman centered birth is about the woman being truly informed of all her options, and being educated in what labor is, how it works, how varied labor is from woman to woman, how she can deal with it naturally and what support is available to her. This as well as having at the least a basic knowledge of what medications and procedures may be suggested, why they may be suggested, what they are intended to help with, and what negative effects might be.
The more relaxed and at ease a woman can feel during pregnancy and especially during labor, the more efficiently her body will function. When the woman is comfortable in her environment, when she has privacy and is able to labor undisturbed, when she is well-supported in her choices and attended by people who trust in her ability to birth, then birth can more easily be the natural experience it is meant to be.
A woman centered birth means a deep trust in a laboring woman's intuition about what is best for herself and her baby. A laboring woman is not a patient, no-body else 'delivers' the baby. Birth is not a medical condition controlled by attendants and by technology. The medical institution can be considered a resource to be used in specific circumstances, The Statement of Values and Ethics of MANA (Midwives Alliance of North America) says that the mother is “the only direct care provider for her unborn child”. This does not mean to say that the mother is alone, just that other providers should trust her with that responsibility and thus empower her to know that childbirth is what women do naturally and that she can do it too.
Advantages for the mother are huge! - feeling supported, trusting her own body in its amazing capacity for giving birth, feeling informed and making choices -all these things will make her feel at ease, which will help with the effective and safe progression of labor. There is a greatly reduced chance of intervention. The life-changing empowerment of the childbearing experience for any woman cannot be denied, yet sadly is often missed when a woman feels that the whole process was controlled for her and that she was a passive recipient.
Advantages for the partner are that he or she will have an important role in being a partner to the mother. They will lose the sense of powerlessness that can come from not being informed. If they are as well informed as the mother then they will not need to be so fearful, they will know too that labor varies widely and that there is no 'normal' or 'right' way to do it. They will not be so very afraid of the mother's labor pain, and this way they can truly be a calm presence for themselves and the mother. Their trust in an attendant that they have been involved in choosing will further help them to be confident and peaceful in their role, and they can really share in the birth process.
Labor is hard on baby too! Essentially gentle birth can happen when mother is relaxed and following her instinct. Her trust in her own body means that she can be in connection with her baby – this is not something that is happening to her, mother and baby work together. Physically and emotionally the baby has a far easier time if the mother trusts and can feel safe. With the lessened chance of intervention comes many benefits to baby, he or she arrives more alert, less stressed and in better physical condition.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Finally! (the doctor I thought I'd never find)
I thought my idea of what a doctor should be perhaps didn't exist. I have quite an aversion to western medical doctors, or rather I should say to the medical system that has developed in western societies. Something about a model that sees the body as a machine that needs 'fixing' doesn't feel right to me.
I grew up in a culture of acceptance -that is, accepting without question that those in 'authority' know best. Doctors have great authority. My experience, however, was that authority figures often insisted I did, felt or believed things that just didn't ring true. Ah, intuition, oft maligned, and so many of us caught in that culture of blind following rooted in fear. We have not been taught to know and trust our body's innate wisdom. We are fearful when our bodies display symptoms, rather than gratefully acknowledging the messages that those symptoms are giving us.
I try hard to be reasonable, but my own fearful response to doctors, hospitals and all things medical means that I find it very difficult to trust. (I had one very negative childhood experience of hospital and one adult experience that left me pretty cynical. Add that to unfathomably cold treatment from doctors during and after a miscarriage and a questionable willingness to prescribe drugs without question at my first ever sign of anxiety, well, that makes for a disillusioned Katie).
I come from a land where medical care is free and universal. Living here without health insurance adds a whole new layer of fear. Just because I prefer not to visit the doctor often doesn't mean that I do not appreciate what allopathic medicine offers in complex and emergency situations. I would love to feel that it was there for me as a safety net in case of such an event, but instead I carry a fear of needing it because I can't afford it.
I like to think that I trust my body and am aware and intuitive to its needs. However, the fact that I found myself (for the first time in 9 years) heading to see a doctor put me right back into that role of frightened patient. Well, there must be something really wrong with me if I'm going to see a doctor. I felt that my body was 'letting me down', and I mentioned this to the doctor. It didn't even seem right to me as I said it, but the fear in me told me that going to the doctor meant I just was not a healthy person.
With all my great awareness I explained some of my ideas as to what was going on in my body/mind/emotion. He took great care to explore with me what I felt about the symptoms and exactly what they were. As our time together unfolded, his wisdom flowed and I did not feel I was in a doctor's office, instead I felt like I was in a temple in a rare personal meeting with a great, wise teacher. I would do injustice to the magnitude of what happened in that hour if I were to try and capture what I learned in words - suffice to say, I came away feeling healthy instead of sick, with no drugs, no tests and no unanswered questions. I had a renewed trust in my body and my self, and a deep knowing that all was well. None of my original ideas of what was going on with my health made sense any more. All I had needed was to remember that I have everything I need right here.
A doctor who truly lives his philosophy and passes on that wisdom is a rare find, and, in my humble opinion, is the only sensible way forward.
An Acupuncture Aside... the doctor gave me acupuncture after our consultation. It was my first experience of acupuncture and WOW!! Days later, if I lie still and draw my attention to my body I can still feel the points where the needles were, and I can still feel the energy flowing with some great force and vitality around my body. Oh yeah! That's health care!!!!!!
Monday, May 5, 2008
a letter from prison
I feel compelled to share this part of a letter I received from my friend (who is in prison) today.
"To observe the terror and shock in Rich's eyes with his pale white skin and 'frothy' mouth that never stops chewing is something I expect to remember for years to come. (...) He shot and killed his wife and is so disconnected from the event that he participates in laughter and joking from cruel people around the subject. And allows pictures of his deceased wife on the morgue table to be passed around while he professes that it is Hollywood make-up and she's living with their children nearby. He's paying for what he did, but what is justice?
If this sounds sad or outrageous I must say there is something much worse - the way our society treats one like this.
I recently received a visit from the chief detective on Rich's case. He wanted to speak with me about some comments I made on the phone about Rich.
This man had more murder in his heart and eyes than Rich does.
Are we all so weak-hearted and afraid that Love and 'The System' cannot be joined together?"
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
homework #1
The first bit of writing for my class - why do I want to be a childbirth educator?
My own pregnancy and childbirth experiences were truly amazing and transformational, for many reasons, and in great part thanks to the active birth classes I took. I was fortunate enough to live a 30 minute walk away from The Active Birth Centre in London when I was pregnant with my son (my first, if you don't count a previous miscarriage). It is a wonderful place, a comfortable and welcoming community. I used the place well, saw the osteopath there, did post-natal mum and baby yoga, bought the best organic cotton maternity bras that were quite stylish,
bought a 'homeopathy for labor' kit of remedies, hired my birthing pool from them- and, most importantly my husband and I took the active birth classes that Janet Balaskas taught there.
The classes are really what inspires me to teach a class of my own. Between what I learned and what I felt deeply inside me I have been fascinated since that pregnancy by women and birth in our culture. I was fortunate enough to have beautiful birth experiences, and I think, in large part, that was due to the preparation I did physically and emotionally during pregnancy. Janet's classes focused on active birth yet she was non-judgmental about other preferences. Her role was to educate, inspire discussion, generally share with everyone the knowledge that women can give birth, naturally. I went to a very sweet pre-natal yoga class, an active birth yoga class, held in a cozy attic room in a big old London house. Lots of cushions and blankets, lots of meditation, but most importantly everyone in the group shared their week before the class started. After the yoga and meditation (lying down with lots of pillows and bean bags, dimmed lighting) we would sit and drink herbal tea and talk. When people had their new babies they would bring them to visit at this time. They would share their birth stories – when I had my baby I didn't feel the need to go anywhere much or visit people in the early days, but the one place I really wanted to go was back to yoga class to show my baby and share my story! When Nilsson was one week old we got on 2 buses across London on a cold January night to do so! The community and support is so important for women at this time. When I first saw that the class structure ALACE suggests has the last class potluck and bringing together of the new mums and the ready-to-be mums, I was reminded of how important that was to me in my pregnancy and beyond.
So my main motivation for being a childbirth educator is to be able to achieve what Janet achieved in her classes. To be a place where women and couples can come to be in community while they explore their beliefs and learn so that they can make informed choices. I'd like to be someone who can facilitate women trusting in their bodies and their maternal instinct and helping to bridge the gap between what women really know instinctively and what they are told they don't know because others know better.
Other motivations are rather 'possible positive outcomes' than motivations at this point. It would be nice if women in my class would like to try Bowen work, which is so helpful during pregnancy, labor and for new mums and babies. I don't intend to talk about it at all except in introducing myself, but I hope that some women will be interested as we all get to know each other. It would be great to have that connection with my Bowen 'clients'.
Monday, April 28, 2008
donations only please...
I've had a difficult time accepting money for my body/energy work 'services' over the years. This manifests practically as feeling uncomfortable when people ask me how much I charge. I feel apologetic. I don't think that I feel this way because of a sense that what I offer is not good enough, it's more just that I don't feel comfortable charging a set fee of money for that kind of work. I feel better about the work if I am doing a more informal trade or a free treatment for a friend.
I've been trying to work through why it is that I am not attracting an abundance of interest in my work?
'Clients'... I think that on a subtle level it is largely due to a resistance I have to doing this for a living, even though I thought for a long time that to have a busy
practice would be my ideal work situation. As I become more fulfilled in the other work I am doing, in my studies and in my home life, I realize I have rented office space to practice out of this whole time because it was a way of being positive - look! I do this! I have an office! I will become fulfilled! (some day in the future...)
So, what a great relief it is to realize all of a sudden that I don't even need an office. I can still practice as and when there is interest, and do home visits. Here is where the change comes in though - I've decided that from now on I will not charge a fee for Bowen work. I want to be able to provide this to as many people as are interested in it and I have long been troubled by the fact that only people with money can afford $50 a session. I can't, lots of other people can't, and lots of people can afford it but feel guilty spending money on something so 'indulgent'. Even having a sliding scale excludes some, and means that people have to ask about it. Some people feel guilty about not being able to pay the full price, so having to ask for a reduced rate can create anxiety.
I haven't really followed through all my initial thoughts on how this will all work, but I'm thinking donations. Simply free doesn't work for a lot of people because it's hard to believe that something that you don't pay for is 'worth' anything.
Donation can be monetary if people feel they can afford it, and whatever feels comfortable to them, not too much money, not too little - both of these often evoke guilt and anxiety! Here's the fun bit though! People who do not feel they can afford to give monetary payment can bring something else. It could be a trade of services that they could offer. It could be something they have made, or a flower from their garden, an old book they'd like to share. The important thing is that from the very start they are aware that I am not attached to getting money. Receiving something beautiful, heartfelt, useful would be a rich experience in true community.
I'm loving this idea and I feel a huge freedom from even contemplating how much more at ease I will feel about my work, and my life in general. These are my true ideals and I am slowly working out little ways to live them fully.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
home birth stories
Nilsson, now age 8...
After my 20 week scan I decided I'd better start thinking about how I'd like to plan my birth. It hadn't really crossed my mind until then. I knew that I'd rather not have the baby in hospital, since in my childhood and even in adulthood I had had some pretty difficult and disempowering hospital experiences and had developed something of a distrust of the medical world in general. I felt sure that I didn't want to have lots of people busying around me and mostly I just didn't want to feel that my birthing experience was out of my control.
My instinct was just to be at home, but I wasn't sure if that was possible for me. Fortunately I lived in an area of London that had a home birth team of midwives attached to the local hospital, and I was supported by the midwives I saw during pregnancy. The system is somewhat different in England, in that midwives provide most of the care during pregnancy and much of it during labor too, even within the hospital setting. What else is different is that it was all free!!!
I started researching my options and all of a sudden I knew I wanted to try and have a water birth. It just felt good to me, I always feel calm and relaxed in water and somehow I just knew this is what I wanted to do. We signed up for childbirth education classes at the active birth centre in London, a great place run by Janet Balaskas, a well-known and respected woman at the forefront of the active birth movement. We were lucky enough to be taught by Janet herself. What an inspiring and encouraging experience that was, and a home water birth was what I wanted. I made a birth plan which the midwives went through with me a few weeks before my due date. They explained to me what I would need to have in my home for the birth and what they would bring. I had already learned about my pain relief options if I decided to be at home and in water. I was determined (but not attached to) the idea of not having any medical pain relief. We had studied homeopathy for labor and bought a special homeopathic remedy kit for labor. We had aromatherapy oils, flower remedies and nice music and lighting planned. We hired the birthing pool from the active birth centre and had it all set up in the living room. I went to active birth yoga classes.
Baby was due on Christmas day 1999. The midwives told me that the only day they would not be able to come out to my home would be millennium NYE – remember people thought the world may come to an end, or at least all systems would crumble and there would be chaos and looting in the streets? So when baby didn't arrive by NYE I was a little worried... no need though, because he decided to wait until my 'you're late' appointment at the hospital with the consultant on 6th January. I was very worried that 'they' would 'make me' have the baby, if they decided I needed to be induced then I would have to be in hospital. Luckily my consultant was not too rigid. He gave me the weekend to have the baby before I might need to come into the hospital and be induced. Actually he swept my membranes, which he didn't tell me and I could be upset about but actually I am grateful, he knew how much I wanted my home birth. (The midwives told me that is what he'd done after the birth when we were wondering why labor was so very fast!)
Strong contractions started that afternoon. I went to bed after acupressure point massage, a long walk, curry, wine and sex (we were following all the advice about how to get labor going!). At 4am I woke up with a particularly strong contraction and I instinctively rolled to the edge of the bed and stood up. There was a popping sound and my waters had broken. I was so excited!
Contractions were immediately pretty strong and after half an hour or so of wondering around the house with a towel between my legs and stopping wherever I could get comfortable for the contractions, I decided it was time to call the midwives. A midwife came to see me half an hour later, I was 5 cm dilated so was allowed to get into the birthing pool (we'd already filled it up because I so wanted to get in). She left again and said another midwife would arrive shortly to stay with me throughout. It was so much less intense in the pool. The water was relaxing and the contractions seemed more manageable. By the time the midwife arrived I felt pretty much in control and was in my own rhythm of breathing through contractions and resting between them. Labor progressed quickly. At one point the midwife asked me to get out of the pool to be examined. I had a few contractions out of the water and the difference was amazing – the pain felt unbearable. It was as if the water dulled or softened the intensity of pain. When it looked like second stage was imminent the midwife called for the second midwife to arrive. The only one who was nearby enough to arrive in time was on her rounds with a student midwife. She offered to leave the student midwife in the car but by that time I was in my zone and would have been happy having a stadium audience, so in they came. Something about the birthing pool suited me so well. It was as though I had my very own womb, it was my own space and I was so calm and focused on what was going on for me that nothing else mattered. The midwives and my husband were wonderful, respectful of my calm place and quietly supportive. Once when contractions slowed down during the second stage, I took a homeopathic remedy which brought them right back again. The second stage ('pushing') was nearly 2 hours long. Usually that would be about the time the midwife might consider a transfer to hospital. In most hospitals that long a second stage would be considered problematic and some intervention would likely happen. Anyway, baby arrived 7 hours after my waters broke, 9lb 9oz, long and with an impressive head circumference! Later the student midwife told her colleagues she couldn't believe I pushed that big baby out! I stayed in the pool the whole time, and baby was born underwater.
We got out of the pool, I hovered over a bucket and delivered the placenta, and then we lay on a futon on the floor, baby and I, while I was examined and all that stuff. The midwives left when all was taken care of, and there we were, at home. Went to bed!
What I realized in conversation with the midwives after the birth (I saw most of the team in the weeks after the birth, including those who did not come to the birth) was that they were all so passionate about what they do. They loved home births, loved that they were able to be what they are supposed to be and what they are professionals at. In hospitals they are second to doctors and specialists. At home they are the specialists and can practice their wonderful art just the way they should. I felt so proud because I was the talk of the department – what a wonderful birth they all heard it was and how they wished they could have been there.
Rosa, now age 5.....
By now I lived in an more rural area of England, but was fortunate that the local hospital also had a home birth team. It wasn't on such a grand scale though, so there was a small chance that if the midwife on call when I needed one wasn't experienced in water birth I wouldn't be able to deliver in the water. And if they were really busy at the hospital they might not be able to come at all. I did have a problem with my MD office when I told them that I was pregnant and asked to be referred to the midwife team for pregnancy care (that's how it works) - when I told them I was planning a home birth they refused to have anything to do with me or even refer me for services. I received a phone call a few days later, a female doctor really laying it on thick about how irresponsible I was being, how I could die and my baby could die if I didn't go to hospital to deliver. I did manage to find a local doctors office that was willing to take me onto their books.
The night I went into labor, I called the midwife team almost immediately because I knew that labor would often progress even quicker in second and subsequent pregnancies and I was half expecting a 2 hour labor. The midwife on call didn't have experience in water birth, but such was their dedication that she called the hospital and 2 midwives that were actually officially on hospital duty but had previous home birth and water birth experience left the hospital and came out to me. Apparently it was a quiet night on the labor ward and they could spare the staff, luckily for me!
When the first midwife arrived it turned out I could probably have waited a few hours to call, but it all worked out nicely because it meant that we had a few hours to sit and chat and get to know each other a little. She was very calm and gentle, and had a great deal of experience and confidence in childbirth and home birth. I realized that the midwife I had had first time around was a little nervous about certain things, so that there were a few small details I had conceded because they didn't seem too important (for example I would have preferred not to get out of the water to be examined, would have preferred to stay in the pool with baby for a few minutes and nursed rather than get out immediately, and I would have liked not to have to hand over baby while I got out of the water). This time I knew the midwife and I were on exactly the same page, and with me being that more experienced this time too, it was wonderful. The second midwife arrived and we waited.
After a few hours of drinking tea and visiting between contractions, things got more exciting and I was able to get into the pool. I was probably only in there for an hour or so, when quite the opposite to last time, the second stage consisted of 2 contractions. In fact, the midwives and my husband were making tea and toast in the kitchen when I shouted to them 'er, I think the baby's coming!' they came in just in time – baby Rosa shot out with such force that I exclaimed 'WOW!' and the midwife caught her with milliseconds to spare. This time we stayed in the warm water and nursed a while. I needed a lot of help to get out of the pool whilst still holding the baby, but managed it and again we settled down onto a futon mattress. Rosa was 7lb and 13oz, but looked so tiny. This time the placenta took a little longer, but when it came, the midwife showed me how it worked, what all the parts were and what they did, I didn't see it first time. It felt so much better for it not just to be 'clinical waste', to be disposed of immediately. We sat there for quite a while quietly, the midwife stayed until we were ready to go to bed. I know she must have examined me before she left, but she was so very non-invasive and in the moment with us that I don't even remember it.
I feel so lucky that I was able to have the birth experiences that I had, and grateful beyond words to all the midwives who were so present with me. It's a strange system because they were part of the overworked, underpaid NHS (national health system) so not only did I not meet them before the labor, but I didn't see them again afterwards. (I did make sure to write nice words in cards and give champagne though..)
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Hurrah for the Equinox!
Equinox time... ready for a big shift in energy.
Winter has always been my dormant time, Spring my springy-time. (I'm a perennial.)
I have a tendency to create new possibilities for myself at this time of year and get a burst of positive energy to make things happen.
(Working on being an evergreen...)
So I have registered for a class and I am so excited to be learning something after not (formally) learning anything for a few years. And it's something I'm very passionate about, so I'm going to be launching myself into it and generally being a girly swot about the whole thing. I'm training to be a childbirth educator, so when I am qualified I will teach birth classes to women and couples. I found an organization whose people share my feelings about how these things should work and about what women need to support them and allow them to trust in their bodies natural capacities for carrying and giving birth to their babies.
I was fortunate enough to take my own childbirth education classes with Janet Balaskas, one of the foremost 'pioneers' in the active birth movement. I lived in London at the time, a 30 minute walk from her active birth center. It was a wonderful place, with holistic health practitioners specializing in working with pregnant women and babies, pre and post natal yoga classes, water birth classes and of course childbirth classes. Oh and a great shop which sold all the best natural stuff you needed (or just plain wanted) to make pregnancy and mummydom healthy and comfortable and happy. I was so happy to see that the first core text book on my list is by Janet Balaskas. So I know I'm in the right place.
Her classes were wonderful, definitely leaning toward active natural birth, but not judging those in the class who wanted something more medicalized. The classes were designed to give women and their birth partners the information they needed to make good choices, to form ideas of what they would like their experience to be, to make an informed birth plan, to explore the options, to learn about alternative/holistic ways to deal with labor - in short, she empowered people to trust the birthing process as the beautiful, natural, powerful and enriching experience it can be.
I'm about to write about my own birth experiences, but for now I am just so so happy and excited to be embarking on this adventure and hoping to be an inspirational force to many women and couples through my classes.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
don't forget to get sick sometimes!
I'm sitting here enjoying an Emergen-C cocktail (OK, it's just Emergen-C and water, but it feels like a cocktail after the few days I've just had). I have just had the stomach flu bug that has been taking out the local area and even causing a few schools to close their doors. It's quite a nice image to me, the idea of the whole area being cleansed (if you don't actually imagine the vomit, dry-retching and shitting going on in bathrooms all around town).
I'd love to say my first response to being sick was one of quiet acceptance. But it wasn't. I immediately got involved in a pitiful 'poor me' rant about how I can't afford to be sick and take days off work. I was royally pissed off that this was happening to me, now, of all times, now, when aren't I struggling enough? blah blah blah. That was before I got so busy throwing up and being deliriously feverish that I had no energy to fret about such trivialities as paying rent this month. Actually, even though the night of sweating and tossing and turning and hallucinating was most uncomfortable physically (I have not felt so very SICK for years) it was quite wild spiritually. I'll spare you the wacky details, but somewhere in that night I had quite a transformative experience.
So, once I had come to accept that I was indeed sick, that there was no way I could work because I couldn't even stand up, then I started to enjoy it. I had been thinking for a few months that I 'needed' to get sick. I have been fighting off colds all winter and not getting them but just feeling slightly under the weather for a few days. Although I was happy to keep on working and not getting sick, I had this niggling feeling that if I would just get sick I would feel great afterwards. You know, cleansing and purging and all that stuff.
In true Katie-style I did it well and thoroughly when I finally did it. And I really do feel cleansed and purged (and all that stuff). The day after the delirious night I took full pleasure in not being able to get out of bed, not washing, not eating, not listening to music, just being, in bed. I enjoyed looking at the sunshine out of my window and letting the almost-spring air in. I confess to some brief moments of boredom, because I had no energy to read,write or anything else. And in a moment of panic I called work and said I'd be fine tomorrow. They didn't believe me and told me to call if anything changed. I called back 20 minutes later when I realised that someone with a 100 degree plus temperature and not able to stand up for longer than a few minutes at a time would probably not be fine to work all day tomorrow. And I realised it was rude to go round spreading the sickness if I might still be infectious (despite my propagating the joys and benefits of being sick, I feel it is not something I should impose on unsuspecting others if I can help it).
This next part I apologise for in advance if it offends you... It's an opinion and a personal experience thing. And I certainly don't want people getting involved in flu parties on my advice... (Although, since you mentioned it, remember those chicken-pox parties? Those wise parents knew that you'd be better of getting it now and being immune.)
Our immune systems are designed to deal with pesky intruders. There are reasons we might not want to think that getting sick occasionally could be good for us. (Vaccines, antibiotics - a whole 'nother book waiting to be written about the disasters that they have been - but in a nutshell the viruses that are around these days, mutant super-bugs, are extra scary.) We put an awful lot of effort into not being sick. Of course, we should keep our immune systems healthy, and we all know how to do that. But I think more importantly than avoiding sickness altogether, that should be so that when we do get sick we recover well.
I think our problem is that we try not to get sick because it is an almighty hassle in our lives. It means we have to cancel stuff, change stuff and do nothing for a few days. I challenge us to believe that this can be a good thing. Like a body yelling at us because we ignored all previous warnings ('look, you'll get sick if you don't slow down' -ok, I'll take some echinacea... 'i mean it, I'm tired' - you're strong, let's just keep going, yeah?) 'OK, THAT'S IT, NOW YOU HAVE TO THROW UP AND STAY IN BED FOR 2 DAYS!' - ok.
It has been my experience that when I am sick it works best for me to intervene as little as possible in terms of medicating myself. I'll take echinacea, take vitamin C, zinc, herbal immune boosters etc. I am quite indignant on the harms of taking painkillers etc to reduce fever. If you have a normally functioning immune system then your best bet is to let it do it's work. It is smarter than your desire to feel better and get back to your life.
From a medically-source:
'Your immune system responds to the infection, and in the process of fighting, it produces chemicals called pyrogens that cause your body temperature to increase. This fever actually helps you to fight the infection by slowing down the rate of viral reproduction, because most of your body's chemical reactions have an optimal temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius). If your temperature rises slightly above this, the reactions slow down. This immune response continues until the viruses are eliminated from your body.'
That's pretty cool. I wouldn't want to mess with that. And I can't help but feel that our immune system gets a good workout and gets stronger when we give it an occasional chance to do its job properly instead of making it work on a low-level constantly while we try not to be sick and run ourselves into the ground with our busy-ness.
OK, I've said my bit ...
May everyone be Healthy!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
To protest or not?
My best friend is in prison. It's not the first time I've communicated with someone in prison, but it is the first time I have had open and honest, raw communication with someone in prison. My friend is an incredibly intelligent and loving individual. He is my soul friend and I often feel that we are in this together. He's doing the hard part of course, but I am experiencing some things that test me and my sense of what this world is.
What do I do when I hear his stories? How this person who has never physically harmed another being spends huge amounts of time shackled at the feet and hands, sometimes waist? How because he was caught smoking a cigarette when he shouldn't have been has been on 'lock-down' meaning that he is in a cell 23 hours a day, 24 on weekends? How he went for 3 months without seeing daylight, not even through a window? How he was doing fine in his solitary confinement, using the time to meditate, practice Tai Chi and study, but now is struggling after a week of having to share this cell with another man 'on punishment' who talks all day long about violent acts he has committed and that he'd like to commit and who spends a lot of time screaming at the gate? About the fellow inmate, a 20 something year old man who threw piss out of his cell at a passing guard - 6 armed guards with cattle prods came to get him and take him to 'the hole', a cold cell with no light, where you are not allowed to wear clothes and your food gets brought to you only once a day, all meals pureed up together? How the guards belittle and humiliate at any opportunity?
When I was able to go visit, all I saw in prison were a lot of scared and hurting people. That includes the guards. Pain, trauma and hurt, cycles of injustice. Where is the love?
When I hear the stories and think of what my friend and the other inmates are living through I feel sick and disgusted. Like most of us do when we hear stories of injustice, inequality, torture and humiliation inflicted by humans on other humans (and non-humans too). And here lies my challenge - to work out what it is that I am supposed to do.
I have always been in awe of and inspired by activists, demonstrators and reformers. Yet I never felt called to do it myself. Over the years I have beaten myself up about it, wondering perhaps if I am lazy, stupid or other for not getting up and making a scene.
I got off the phone with my friend today and felt disgusted by 'humanity', by how nastily distorted this world has become. What is it all about? It's not right to escape it, but what the fuck are we supposed to do to make it better? And today, for the first time I made peace with that part of me that wanted to feel inadequate for not making a big scene. I realised that my reality is something different, and that's OK. It's OK if I allow someone else to do that good work to change the way things are in the bigger picture. Because, quite honestly, if I were to get involved at that level I'd allow myself to lose myself in craziness about it. I would get bogged down and sick with it all. I figure I'm no use that way. I'm more useful being there for those people I come across in life that need my acceptance and love. Because if we all could be that to everyone we came across there might not be a problem.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
TMJ problems
OK, here's a short article I wrote for Natural Awakenings Magazine... Hmm, soon I'm going to run out of stuff I already wrote and have to start creating new and exciting things... But for now....
Jaw, neck and shoulder pain, popping in the jaw, bruxism (grinding teeth), ear pain, tinnitus, sinus problems, eye pain, migraines and headaches, dizziness - these are all symptoms of (and often also the cause of) TMJ problems.
The temporal-mandibular joint (TMJ) is a major source of discomfort and pain to many people. TMJ symptoms can be caused by trauma, or muscle tension in the jaw itself or in another part of the body altogether. Treatment for TMJ pain is traditionally by prescription painkillers and/or use of a mouth guard at night. Although this can be effective for some, in many cases relief is only temporary, and often a sufferer is lead to believe that little can be done for the problem except to block the pain. TMJ is often treated solely as a dental problem, and some of the other symptoms listed above are never linked to the TMJ. However, realigning and relaxing the TMJ area can relieve these symptoms as well as helping to regain postural balance throughout the body. Often, misalignment of the pelvis or sacrum is either a cause of or a symptom of TMJ problems.
It is impossible to ignore the emotional and environmental components of TMJ disorders. If one looks at the body as a physical expression of the emotional state, it is easy to see how closely chronic emotional stress and chronic jaw stress are linked. Clenching one's teeth may signify 'biting one's tongue', suppressing emotion, containing anger. Stress and emotional conditions such as depression and anxiety increase both the severity and duration of teeth grinding while asleep. SInce moving to this area, 75% of clients I have seen have suffered with one or more TMJ symptom, most often sinus problems and migraines or headaches. This suggests some environmental factors (perhaps elevation, pollution levels, climate, allergens) are at play.
With all this in mind, it is especially important to look at the big picture when dealing with TMJ symptoms. This means taking into account postural imbalances, past and present health issues and patterns of pain, emotional state, stress or anxiety levels and environmental factors.
Those diagnosed with TMJ syndrome, who suffer with any of these symptoms or feel that a symptom may be related to TMJ, may want to consider bodywork and relaxation techniques to help reduce tension and spasm in the area and improve awareness of how stress affects the body.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
We are all 'healers' - Ways to consider energy interaction in your life
Being in nature is a way that most dramatically can help people feel at one with the universe. Think of the inner peace that comes from having time to be quiet and draw on the energies of the mountains, the flowers, the sun... this inner peace is a connection that you make with yourself and your world as you allow your 'thinking' life to melt away. You connect with the true essence of yourself, and your internal energy balances and softens. It is meditation. Physically tangible changes occur in your body and, in this state, whether it lasts a few seconds or many minutes, your capacity for healing yourself and others is great.
What happens when a butterfly lands on your shoulder? A sense of beauty and awe that is a gift and reminds you that you are a part of something. The butterfly benefits from your response too. It is a communication of love through energy exchange.
How do you feel when you watch children (especially your own) or animals? A heart connection, a pouring out of love, a sense of awe at their 'innocence'? This 'innocence' is that they are still able to access their inner peace (much better than we can now that we have responsibilities and daily stresses).
If we can recreate this feeling wherever we are, draw on our resources to 'empty ourselves' and connect to something greater than our own day to day life, we can release the stresses that close off our intuitive nature.
We use our innate intuition often but don't often stop to realise its power.
When we hurt ourself we intuitively grab or rub or otherwise put our hands to the wounded area. When our child is hurt we caress, hold, rub. The healing lies not only in the touch but is made possible by the love of the giver.
How do you feel when a loved one kisses your head? Takes your hand? Smiles? An uplifting of your spirits, a heart connection.
As long as we can give freely of our love and compassion to others, whether we know them or not, we have the capacity to allow them great healing.
We should always be mindful that we do not actually heal someone. We allow them the space, time and love to begin their own healing.
If you are feeling emotionally fragile and someone touches or hugs you, often you cannot help but dissolve into tears. If someone offers a safe place to release our tensions and sadness we do. That was a healing touch or a healing hug, because it was heartfelt and the intent of the giver was to be present to you. That's healing with touch.
In an emergency situation, we often find that we are able to remain more calm and clear than we could ever have imagined. It is not just adrenaline that causes this apparent phenomena, it is our true strength, and a trust in our own capabilities that we tap into. We work with the situation and do not rationalise and worry ourselves into non-action as we might ordinarily do.
Healing with energy is not 'using up' your own energy and becoming drained. This is a common misconception, and can happen if this is the way you try to use it. We don't give away ourselves. We don't heal another. We need our energy to remain clear and strong and loving in order to help another. Instead, by emptying ourselves enough to allow the healthy flow of energy within us and through us, we use the freely accessible and never-ending supply of universal energy to help balance our own energies and those of the person we are helping.
Practice feeling energy in your body, in your hands. Find someone to practice with. Touch yourself when you hurt. Touch others when they hurt. You cannot cause harm if your intent is loving and healing.
If you are going to practice often, it is wise to find a way to 'protect' yourself from taking on too much.
Although you should not fear this process, it should be treated with due respect and care. Energy work does affect the physical body, sometimes profoundly, so any body that would be adversely affected by, for example, an increase in blood or lymph circulation needs to be treated with extra care. Seek advice if you need it.
Mother and Baby Bowen
This is an information sheet I made a few months ago for a special expectant mother event.... watch this space for more in depth discussion on pregnancy/birth and after!
I gave birth to both my children at home in the water. My youngest received Bowen within an hour of being born (I didn't know about Bowen first time around!) My coccyx shifted an inch to one side during the labor (very uncomfortable!) – and back again with one Bowen treatment, 3 days after the birth!
Introducing Bowen work
'Less is More'
Bowen is a non-manipulative body/energy work which works on the principle that our bodies have the innate wisdom to heal themselves. The work itself consists of a series of gentle rolling movements made with the fingers and thumbs over precise points of the body, with breaks in between each group of moves to allow the body to respond. Bowen has been referred to as a kind of 'physical homeopathy', because the body is given time and space to respond to very gentle stimuli.
Bowen and Pregnancy
Many of the 'problems' associated with pregnancy can be treated with Bowen both before and after childbirth. These include backache, headaches, nausea, tiredness and decreased energy levels, sciatica, leg ache and heartburn.
Many of these symptoms are caused by the rapidly increasing stress on both the spine and the pelvis which occurs during pregnancy and which intensifies as the birth approaches. Knock-on effects of pain and discomfort are often also felt in the muscles and ligaments which support the spine and the pelvis.
A great advantage of Bowen during pregnancy is that women can be treated in the sitting position or lying on their side. It is also completely non-invasive. Most of the symptoms associated with pregnancy can be easily relieved and the treatment itself is extremely relaxing.
Mother & Baby
The long-term effects of the changes in the body, both on a hormonal and musculoskeletal level, can last many months after childbirth, often with uncomfortable symptoms. These can be exacerbated by the process of caring for the baby and the pressures of adapting to a completely new routine. The relaxing and therapeutic effects of Bowen work are particularly useful during this period and can be received within days of birth.
Babies also benefit greatly from Bowen work, which has been shown to be effective in treating colic, hyperactivity and spinal misalignment caused by labor.
| Mothers use Bowen to relax and restore their bodies, helping them to feel more vibrant and better able to take care of themselves and their new babies. |
See below for special 'Baby Shower' discounts!
Back Ache/Sciatica
Breast tenderness
Swollen legs
Carpal Tunnel
Heartburn
Hormonal imbalance
Anxiety
Improve general wellbeing and energy levels
POST PREGNANCY
Realignment of pelvis, sacrum, coccyx, spine after childbirth
Mastitis/breast milk flow
Depression/anxiety
Hormonal imbalance
NEW BABY
Hyperactivity/'Restless Baby'
Colic
Jaw/Spine misalignment after birth
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Special 'Baby Shower' Offers!!!
Have 3 Bowen treatments during your pregnancy
and receive a free treatment for your partner
(daddy or mommy to be)
or...
Have 3 Bowen Treatments during your pregnancy
and receive a free treatment for both you and
your new baby after the birth!
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
FOR INFO/APPOINTMENTS CALL KATIE – 303 408 4221
Or E-mail katielouisewells@hotmail.com
Monday, January 14, 2008
What is Bowen work?
The principle philosophy behind the work is very firmly that the body is designed to heal itself. We are all born with an innate ability to put right what goes wrong in our bodies. Sure, we all want to do better than that, so that in situations where we might die or be really sick then we want to change that around, and hand our health over to someone else. But the natural plan was just that if certain things happen to our bodies, then we die. No big deal. The other stuff is taken care of by the body and it's person. In a simpler world, where we ate a more healthy diet, were inspired by our work and enjoyed each moment of our lives - then we probably wouldn't get too sick and prone to injury. A lot of it is about the stress level in our lives, the layers of emotional and physical pain we carry with us, and the toxic stress on our bodies (and souls) of car fumes, perfumes, chemicals everywhere and pesticides/hormones in the food we eat. It's hard for us to deal with all that and be in the right state to heal ourselves. People walk around with undigested food in their system for days because they are so busy and stressed that their body cannot be relaxed enough to digest. Digestion takes up a lot of energy. If a person does finally relax, that's when their body can manage digestion. (That's why you start to gurgle outrageously during your massage/ bodywork/healing session)
Similarly to Homeopathy, Bowen works on a vibrational level as much as it does on the physical. The greatest healing effect comes from the least disturbance to the body - less is more. Bowen really seems to help the body reach an optimal vibrational state during the treatment, with this effect often lasting a long time afterwards. People most often describe feeling an improved sense of well being, a calmness and relaxation, and better, more refreshing sleep. On a physical level, the work creates simple messages to the brain, speaking directly to your parasympathetic nervous system. Change takes place on a cellular level. Rather than the body being stimulated consistently, as happens during a massage for example, it is given just a few gentle stimuli. The practitioner performs a few of the Bowen moves and then leaves the room or moves away for a few minutes. This is the key to the treatment, without any further stimulus the body quickly reaches a state of relaxation. Individual areas of the body relax as they are worked on. The treatment continues on like this, and usually lasts 45 minutes to an hour. Having only a few simple messages to the brain gives the body the space and time to heal itself. Too much stimulus is overload for the brain and it exhausts itself trying to respond. In the end it gives up trying to figure out what you want it to do with all that information coming from the outside.
What people love about Bowen is that it is relaxing, non-manipulative and gentle, yet, incredibly, very effective. Most people first come to Bowen work because they have a chronic injury or condition that has not responded to other holistic modalities or allopathic medicine. At the end of the first session many people feel great, but doubt very much that something so gentle and seemingly 'nothing' will make their frozen shoulder feel better, which is what they came in for in the first place, (for example). But it does. That and lots of other things- injuries, musculo-skeletal problems and postural balance, digestive problems, respiratory problems, TMJ problems, stress and anxiety, depression, it has even been very successful in working towards fertility in couples. It's great for mothers-to-be, babies and children. In the beautiful and natural states of pregnancy, labor and motherhood, a woman's body is extremely powerful and responds well to simple guidance to regain balance. Needless to say, babies are so pure that their bodies and energies need very little help, so the gentle nature of Bowen work is perfect - after labor (it's hard on baby as well as mum!) and for those little adjustments to life outside.
Simplicity.
