Creative Health and Birthing Arts

What does holistic mean?

The Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary defines holism as
1: a theory that the universe and especially living nature is correctly seen in terms of interacting wholes (as of living organisms) that are more than the mere sum of elementary particles
2: a holistic study or method of treatment (Merriam-Webster, 1986, p.299).

The Universe & Living Nature are Interacting Wholes

When I think of the word holistic/holism I think of a verb-ever changing, ever moving, liquid that moves from one form to another, vibration that resonates within and without. I think of interacting life force; sometimes in a mass and sometimes as vibration. Both have the ability to weave in and out of their current form.

So how does holism relate to midwifery? What is holistic midwifery?

If the role of a midwife is to be the guardian and observer of natural process could it also be said that the role of the holistic midwife is to observe the universe and living nature interacting as a whole in relationship to a pregnant woman?

When there is conflict or disharmony within the whole, stagnation and congestion may occur. Through accessing perceptions and intuition a midwife holistically is aware of where this disharmony is held within the motherbaby.

A holistic midwife uses her senses, and her heart as an organ of perception, to deeply perceive the health of each motherbaby she attends. Let's look at some ways to develop and access this way of perceiving and knowing.

Exercises for Perception Awareness

1. Take a friend, ideally another midwifery student, to a public place where there are a lot of people mingling. Find a quiet spot where you can sit together. You and your friend should both observe the same person (without that person noticing you). Just observe the person with soft eyes and an open heart. Quiet the chatter in your mind. What do you sense about this person? What emotions is this person emanating? Do you sense their energy level? Do you sense or see pain in their physical body? Now with your friend verbally compare your perceptions and intuitions surrounding this person you observed.

Make sure your intentions are clearly to focus on developing your perceptions and intuitions. This exercise must never be done with a feeling of judgement, or to please your own ego.

2. Energy Awareness Exercise-With a friend stand facing one another. Both of you rub your own hands briskly together. This eliminates the static energy that surrounds your hands. Now, one of you closes your eyes, and with elbows bent, hold out the palms of their hands. Stand steady. The other person, with eyes open, will quietly, and without touching the other's hands, move their palms back and forth. The object is for the person with their eyes closed to be aware of when the other person's palms are close to theirs. This is a great exercise for sensing and bringing awareness to energy fields.

If you think of everything that there is-the body, soul, emotions, and thought-and all of nature and the universe, being made up of vibrations, you can begin to understand how deeply and profoundly interconnected everything in existence is. The energy of the universe flows through a laboring woman. The months preceding birth lead to the open vessel that women's bodies provide for the emergence of a new being. By developing her skills and understanding of energy and perception, a holistic midwife learns to free energy that is not flowing.

3. I highly recommend that you read Stephen Buhner's book, The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in the Direct Perception of Nature.

We all know how negative emotions feel within our body. When buried, they can stop or reduce the free flow of energy.

In the book The Hidden Messages In Water, Dr. Emoto writes,

If only for a moment how can we go about freeing ourselves from all of the negativity? Based on the principles of vibration, the answer is very clear. All we need to do is emit the emotion that is opposite to the negative emotion. By combining two opposite waves, the negative emotion disappears. There are parallels to this principal for human emotions. For every negative emotion, there is an exactly opposite positive emotion. The following list contains emotions that create opposing frequencies:

Hate Gratitude
Anger Kindness
Fear Courage
Anxiety Peace of mind
Pressure Presence of mind
(Emoto, 2004, p.72-73).

Midwife means "with woman." Be with her. Pay quiet attention to her body and word language, her breath, how she carries herself, muscle tension, pain held in her body, fears, and worries. If you see or sense, feel or perceive tension in a woman's being, let intuition be your guide as to how you may assist her. Here are some ways that a midwife can assist women to melt away congested energy and tension:

The above idea of concentrating on an emotion that is the opposite of the emotion that the person wishes to eliminate is very effective. This exercise can be especially effective for replacing fear with trust.

Hold your hands on an area that is holding tension and pain. Your hands may feel heat, or a tingly feeling. Keep your hands still until that feeling subsides, or when you intuitively feel that there is balance.

Encourage deep breathing. "Breathe in love, breathe out tension." Breathe deeply with her.

Listen with your heart and soul to the women you serve. Active listening requires patience and the ability to keep yourself out of the equation. Put yourself in her shoes.

As Caroline Myss writes in Anatomy of the Spirit, "Just let go. Let go of how you thought your life should be, and embrace the life that is trying to work its way into your consciousness" (Myss, 1996, p. 257).

For Further Reading

Brooke, E. (1997). Medicine women: a pictorial history of women healers. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books.

Buhner, S. (2004). The secret teachings of plants: the intelligence of the heart in direct perception of nature.

Emoto, M. (2004). The hidden messages in water. Hillsboro, Oregon; Beyond Words Books.

Kitzinger, S. (2000). Rediscovering birth. New York: Pocket Books.

Myss, C. (1996). Anatomy of the spirit: the seven stages of power and healing. New York: Random House.

Reeves, P. (1999). Women's intuition: unlocking the wisdom of the body. Berkeley, CA: Conari Press.

Aspiring Midwife Study Guide ~ Holistic Midwifery

What does holistic mean? The Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary defines holism as 1: a theory that the universe and especially living nature is correctly seen in terms of interacting wholes (as of living organisms) that are more than the mere sum of elementary particles 2: a holistic study or method of treatment (Merriam-Webster, 1986, p.299). The Universe & Living Nature are Interacting Wholes When I think of the word holistic/holism I think of a verb-ever changing, ever moving, liquid that moves from one form to another, vibration that resonates within and without. I think of interacting life force; sometimes in a mass and sometimes as vibration. Both have the ability to weave in and out of their current form. So how does holism relate to midwifery? What is holistic midwifery? If the role of a midwife is to be the guardian and observer of natural process could it also be said that the role of the holistic midwife is to observe the universe and living nature interacting as a whole in relationship to a pregnant woman? When there is conflict or disharmony within the whole, stagnation and congestion may occur. Through accessing perceptions and intuition a midwife holistically is aware of where this disharmony is held within the motherbaby. A holistic midwife uses her senses, and her heart as an organ of perception, to deeply perceive the health of each motherbaby she attends. Let's look at some ways to develop and access this way of perceiving and knowing. Exercises for Perception Awareness 1. Take a friend, ideally another midwifery student, to a public place where there are a lot of people mingling. Find a quiet spot where you can sit together. You and your friend should both observe the same person (without that person noticing you). Just observe the person with soft eyes and an open heart. Quiet the chatter in your mind. What do you sense about this person? What emotions is this person emanating? Do you sense their energy level? Do you sense or see pain in their physical body? Now with your friend verbally compare your perceptions and intuitions surrounding this person you observed. Make sure your intentions are clearly to focus on developing your perceptions and intuitions. This exercise must never be done with a feeling of judgement, or to please your own ego. 2. Energy Awareness Exercise-With a friend stand facing one another. Both of you rub your own hands briskly together. This eliminates the static energy that surrounds your hands. Now, one of you closes your eyes, and with elbows bent, hold out the palms of their hands. Stand steady. The other person, with eyes open, will quietly, and without touching the other's hands, move their palms back and forth. The object is for the person with their eyes closed to be aware of when the other person's palms are close to theirs. This is a great exercise for sensing and bringing awareness to energy fields. If you think of everything that there is-the body, soul, emotions, and thought-and all of nature and the universe, being made up of vibrations, you can begin to understand how deeply and profoundly interconnected everything in existence is. The energy of the universe flows through a laboring woman. The months preceding birth lead to the open vessel that women's bodies provide for the emergence of a new being. By developing her skills and understanding of energy and perception, a holistic midwife learns to free energy that is not flowing. 3. I highly recommend that you read Stephen Buhner's book, The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in the Direct Perception of Nature. We all know how negative emotions feel within our body. When buried, they can stop or reduce the free flow of energy. In the book The Hidden Messages In Water, Dr. Emoto writes, If only for a moment how can we go about freeing ourselves from all of the negativity? Based on the principles of vibration, the answer is very clear. All we need to do is emit the emotion that is opposite to the negative emotion. By combining two opposite waves, the negative emotion disappears. There are parallels to this principal for human emotions. For every negative emotion, there is an exactly opposite positive emotion. The following list contains emotions that create opposing frequencies: Hate Gratitude Anger Kindness Fear Courage Anxiety Peace of mind Pressure Presence of mind (Emoto, 2004, p.72-73). Midwife means "with woman." Be with her. Pay quiet attention to her body and word language, her breath, how she carries herself, muscle tension, pain held in her body, fears, and worries. If you see or sense, feel or perceive tension in a woman's being, let intuition be your guide as to how you may assist her. Here are some ways that a midwife can assist women to melt away congested energy and tension: The above idea of concentrating on an emotion that is the opposite of the emotion that the person wishes to eliminate is very effective. This exercise can be especially effective for replacing fear with trust. Hold your hands on an area that is holding tension and pain. Your hands may feel heat, or a tingly feeling. Keep your hands still until that feeling subsides, or when you intuitively feel that there is balance. Encourage deep breathing. "Breathe in love, breathe out tension." Breathe deeply with her. Listen with your heart and soul to the women you serve. Active listening requires patience and the ability to keep yourself out of the equation. Put yourself in her shoes. As Caroline Myss writes in Anatomy of the Spirit, "Just let go. Let go of how you thought your life should be, and embrace the life that is trying to work its way into your consciousness" (Myss, 1996, p. 257). For Further Reading Brooke, E. (1997). Medicine women: a pictorial history of women healers. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books. Buhner, S. (2004). The secret teachings of plants: the intelligence of the heart in direct perception of nature. Emoto, M. (2004). The hidden messages in water. Hillsboro, Oregon; Beyond Words Books. Kitzinger, S. (2000). Rediscovering birth. New York: Pocket Books. Myss, C. (1996). Anatomy of the spirit: the seven stages of power and healing. New York: Random House. Reeves, P. (1999). Women's intuition: unlocking the wisdom of the body. Berkeley, CA: Conari Press.