Applications of Pre- and Perinatal Psychology: An Overview
The basic tenet of Pre and Perinatal (PPN) Psychology is that the baby is having an experience from conception onward and that this experience will have an influence on her for the rest of her life. While PPN therapy is becoming increasingly well known and accepted, the notion that it applies only to prenates, infants and mothers is still all too common. Even more so, the idea of working with babies in the womb is too foreign to grasp for many people. When I talk to peers or potential clients about what I do, their first question usually is: "So you work with pregnant moms?" And I reply: "Yes, I do work with pregnant moms - and with everybody else too". Most PPN therapists are very familiar with this kind of exchange, but those of us who have been practicing in the field understand that PPN therapy is really about the following: Supporting our clients to integrate early somatic imprints, and that anybody - no matter which phase of their lifespan they are in, from conception to the dying process - can benefit from this integration.