These past few weeks there has been a trend in people hitting up against unwanted feelings, thoughts and behavioural patterns with no apparent cause or trigger. Many of these kinds of foreign or inexplicable problems have stemmed from in utero experiences. If you are finding you are frustrated with a physical symptom or emotional response that you just can’t seem to shake, despite all your self care and self awareness, you may also be one of these people needing to heal trauma acquired in utero.
What Happens In Utero?
Understanding the stresses affecting how we develop and function is a key to being able to heal the experiences that have impacted us while in utero. These are the primary influences on us while in utero…
Teratogens, are any toxic substances that affects a baby while in utero. Alcohol and cigarette smoke are two highly toxic substances for a developing baby. The most extreme form of this is where children are born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and have extremely poor brain function and ability to modulate their emotions, learn and problem solve. Any environmental toxin such as cigarette smoke, air pollution, diesel fumes, pesticides, fungicides and heavy metals can affect a developing baby’s brain, immune and digestive functions. Additionally, heavy metals can be inherited from the maternal blood, so toxins such as heavy metals and pesticides are accumulating in the food chain not only through the creatures on land and sea, but also through our human selves.
The brain is a very complex and highly tuned organ. It regulates absolutely every bodily and behavioural function. A baby’s brain is easily affected if there is inadequate oxygen supply to all its cells which can be a result of these types of toxins circulating in the blood stream. The nerves of the brain have a number of highly specialised support cells (glial cells) that influence neural signalling and therefore brain function. A baby’s immune and digestive functions continue to develop rapidly after a child is born and if these functions are already compromised by dealing with toxins, then these systems will not be as adequate. In my time as a kinesiologist I have found a number of areas of the body showing stress and deficits in functioning as a result of these kinds of toxins, not only from in utero experience, but from any age in life. We have kinesiology techniques for supporting detoxification and for re-activating areas of the brain affected by oxygen stress.
Maternal viral or bacterial infections can also cause some stress to organ or brain functions. A study of the effects on the Zeka virus on developing babies gives some explanations about how this happens, yet there are still things that haven’t been definitively explained by science. 1 The good news is that the body gives direct feedback with muscle testing about what stress is associated with imbalances in the body, and in many cases, I have used kinesiology to restore health and balance for a number of people who had stress in utero.
Cortisol and other biochemical imbalances that the mother is experiencing can influence the health of a baby. For example a 2003 study showed that low vagal activity (therefore high levels of stress) was noted in newborn babies born from women who experienced chronic anxiety, depression or excessive anger during pregnancy. These babies also showed low levels of dopamine and serotonin. 2 If this persists for the baby, it can set up patterns such as depression, anxiety, lack of drive, poor sleep, poor immunity and poor learning.
A mother’s emotional state, ability to bond with the baby, degree of stress and perceptions of the world are all subtle influences on a developing baby. Emotions have an energy frequency and an infant in the womb is energetically receptive and has intrinsic memories developing in relation to this. Intrinsic memories are the unconscious memories that are stored in certain parts of the brain and the body and are associated with our automatic responses. They are not conscious thought memories, they are body response memories.
For example, a mother who is highly anxious and perceives life to be in service to one person after another and who has never taken time for herself to relax can influence her child in the same way. An infant has intrinsic and therefore unconscious memories of this and is wired so that it can be prepared for the world it is being born into. There have been a number of people who I have consulted with who are doing everything they can to not be like their mother ,and yet still tend to unconsciously act out their mother’s behaviours. When we clear the energetic patterning from the unconscious and support the more conscious brain functions, then these people have more capability to choose their behaviour.
Like conscious memories, these unconscious memories and responses can be triggered by things that happen in life that remind us of the original moments of experience. The nervous system is like muscle tissue. The more those triggers happen, the more those same neural pathways respond in that way, and the stronger they become. Additionally, these areas of the brain are usually brain functions associated with survival which means they are wired to respond more quickly than our conscious thought pathways and therefore create the initial experience. The good news is that with kinesiology we can calm down these pathways and support the conscious brain’s ability to respond instead. This gives us the ability to problem solve and use creative thinking to form new responses and behaviours. Looking at it all in a positive light, when we feel triggered and feeling reactive rather than mindfully responsive, it is a wonderful opportunity to heal. These are the perfect moments to stop, breath and connect with our heart, which has the amazing power of compassion and ability to transform emotional energy and guide us on the path of love and truth. In each moment we have the opportunity to re-pattern and re-define ourselves in a way that is more true to our soul.
Our Innate Healing Abilities
This all sounds like there is so much against us and there is no wonder that we are doing a lot of healing in relation to in utero experiences. However, the good news is that there are many incredible little souls being born these days who are showing us a new way of being in the world. They are a lot more aligned with truth and the spirit of creation in its purest form when coming from this womb space. You may have noticed it yourself as a Mum when that little baby gets upset when you do too much, rush too much or get wound up. Many of us are learning to be more balanced in our masculine and feminine energies. We are learning the benefits of slowing down, being more gentle with ourselves and connecting with our intuitive knowing.
The womb space is a beautifully feminine space of connection with elemental energies which will live within us and support us throughout life. The book Womb Awakening describes these processes in great detail and is a brilliant read for anyone interested in this topic. 3 It suggests that by visiting our time in the womb, we can not only understand more about the patterns that unfold in our lives, but we can also restore our elemental balance. For example, connection with the element of water helps us to access and process our states of feeling. Fire can fuel our heart’s desires and sexual energy. Air can support our visionary capacities. Earth can ground us and support our ability to thrive on the earthly plane. We have all these elements available to us in nature and can embody them simply through imagination. This can guide our healing journeys, so if you ever feel drawn to a particular experience in nature, such as smelling the bush, swimming in the ocean or soaking up the sun, remember that there is wisdom and healing in this simple act.
Take Aways:
Don’t be hard on yourself if you keep falling into the same patterns throughout life. Compassion and forgiveness to self and parents is an important healing step.
There are ways to re-pattern ourselves. Awareness and self healing acts, such as spending time in nature, using emotional stress release, listening to music and moving our bodies can all help. My book ‘Melting Moments, the delectable art of nourishing your soul’ goes into detail on this.
Healing can come in many forms. Trust your soul with the experiences it offers you and practice choosing from a place of self love.
There are ways to rebuild your neurotransmitters that may tend to be imbalanced from stress in utero. My Blog on neurotransmitters affecting mental health gives more information about this. http://www.soulnurturing.com.au/blog/2020/6/19/mental-health-super-heroes
Pregnant women and mums - listen to your body, your baby, your needs and know that you only need to do your best. Trust the soul of your baby. It is receiving exactly the experiences it needs to learn and grow as a soul.
Reach out for professional help to make the transformation easier.
References
1 J Adibi et al,Teratogenic effects of the Zika virus and the role of the placenta, The Lancet, Apr 09, 2016, Volume 387 Number 10027, p1483-1590. Published online https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(16)00650-4/fulltext
2 T Field et al, Pregnancy anxiety and comorbid depression and anger: Effects on the fetus and neonate, Wiley Online Library. 2003, May. Published online https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/da.10071?casa_token=A_A__b5jUTkAAAAA:yPgFubMYtcWdiqkRwQ9sdd-O-jitwiRv-CsEDR-XbZ4Ibpak4ClFTRge94lJnIBDPvFS_fnaXa9-e9YAeg
3 A & S Bertrand, Womb Awakening, Bear & Company, Toronto, 2017.
N Doidge, The Brain that Changes Itself, Scribe, Melbourne, 2007.
Krebs C. LEAP®: The Learning Enhancement Acupressure Program: Correcting Learning and Memory Problems with Acupressure and Kinesiology. http://i-leap.org/pdfs/LEAP-Research.pdf