I recently attended a regional conference for the Association For Prenatal And Perinatal Psychology and Health (APPPAH). There, I was reminded, once again, of the vital role that these earliest experiences can have upon our lives; and how any traumas we undergo during this fragile phase can effect us throughout our lives, at both physical, psychological and even, spiritual levels. Regulating the effects of traumas that occurred in the womb (prenatal) or during birth (perinatal) has always been a particular therapeutic priority in Esogetic Colorpuncture acu-light therapy. More than 40 years ago, colorpuncture originator and naturopathic physician, Peter Mandel, concluded that the imprints of pre- and perinatal trauma (we call this “conflict stress”), if left untreated, can have adverse effects on our physical health years later. What is more, the traumas we encounter during the rest of our lives are often “repetition conflicts,” set in motion by negative imprints stored in our cells and subconscious related to our perinatal experiences.
Having observed that many of his chronically-ill patients had histories of pre- and/or perinatal trauma, Mandel began incorporating prenatal treatments into his Esogetic therapeutic approach, whenever his diagnostic assessments indicated their relevance for that client’s situation. These treatments proved helpful in a wide variety of clinical circumstances. Since then, the growing field of neuroscience has contributed greatly to our understanding of exactly how and why prenatal stress can have long term effects on both our physical and psychological well-being. We now know that when a pregnant mother experiences stress or trauma herself, her body reacts by producing increased levels of stress hormones like cortisol. These hormones are automatically passed to the developing fetus via the placenta. And there, they can influence the development of vital systems in the fetus’s tiny body. This includes the developing endocrine system, autonomic nervous system, limbic brain, central nervous system and immune system.
For example, scientists have found that higher levels of blood cortisol can stimulate increased synaptic growth in the developing fetus’s amygdala. The amygdala is the mid-brain structure that enables us to recognize danger. When it perceives threats, the amygdala signals the brain, endocrine and nervous systems to start responding to these threats (by fighting, running away or freezing). When the amygdala becomes more sensitized (i.e., develops more synapses), it can tends exert excessive influence on these body systems going forward. This and many other studies by neuroscientists have confirmed the Esogetic perspective that pre and perinatal trauma, if left untreated, can weaken vital systems of the body and may eventually open the door to disease. And since these same systems (brain, nervous and endocrine) actually form the physiological basis of our psychological experience, this same research helps explain how and why prenatal trauma may indirectly influence our subsequent psychological well-being, relational abilities and even our sense of identity.
However, to really understand why Esogetics places such importance on regulating prenatal trauma, it is helpful to understand that this is an “information medicine.” According to physicists like David Bohm, life as we know it, involves the coming together of three basic components: information, energy and matter. In this triad relationship, information actually directs the show. From an information perspective, the physical symptoms that eventually manifest in our bodies, as well as many psychological stresses and/or issues of self-awareness, are usually preceded by blockages or distortions in the flow of information/energy in our bodymind structures. Therefore, to support the body’s natural healing capacities, we focus on restoring the healthy flow of information/energy in the body.
In Esogetics, we seek to accomplish this with light. By applying specific frequencies or colors of light to a specific series of points on the skin, an Esogetic practitioner sends a corrective information signal into the body. These signals help restore and stimulate improved exchange of information between the body’s cells. Colored light frequencies also work powerfully to surface and release hidden imprints of past “conflict stress” stored in our cellular memory.
According to Epigenetics theorist, Bruce Lipton, our cells respond to environmental signals by producing proteins that record memories on the cellular membranes. This capacity for memory formation occurs in all our cells, not just the synapses in the brain. That fact is especially relevant when we consider how to access stored memories of pre and perinatal trauma. During this phase of development, the baby’s brain and nervous system are not yet fully formed. Hence, memories of these times tend to get stored in cellular memory or, what is referred to in trauma therapy as implicit memory. When we want to access cellular memories formed before we even had language to describe them, it turns out that light is a particularly useful therapeutic medium.
A full discussion of what information is and how it effects us is beyond the scope of this blog post. If you would like to learn more about this subject, I recommend that you read my book, Energy Psychology Using Light and Color. For the purposes of this post, I would just like to mention one other aspect of this information medicine perspective that is particularly relevant for the issue of perinatal trauma. In Esogetics, we consider that each individual brings their own unique template of subtle information with them into this life. We call this the individual’s life program or life script. A key premise in Esogetics is that maintaining contact with this life script information and allowing it to flow unimpeded through our bodymind structure, will not only help to guide us in this life. It will also help support our physical and psychological well-being.
The traumas that occur as we first enter this world have a particular significance because they tend to block the flow of this original life script information. Moreover, because they occur so early, they tend to become mixed into our sense of what our script in life is all about. Consider a fetus developing in a womb who gradually begins to sense that she is not welcome or wanted. Apart from the stress hormones she may be receiving from an unhappy mother, this “conflict stress” can instill a deep identity of being “the unwelcome one.” This identity can follow her throughout life, causing her to invest unnecessary life energy into trying to counter a false identity. Thus, as Esogetic practitioners, one of the first things we may need to do is to clear any adverse pre-and perinatal imprints, in order to restore the client’s connection to his or her life script information.
Over the past 40+ years, Mandel has developed a large body of Esogetic Prenatal Therapies, as well as special information/energy assessment techniques to help Esogetic practitioners identify when these treatments might be most appropriate for their clients. Specific colorpuncture treatments have been developed for each phase of this journey; from pre-conception and conception, to the weeks and months spent in the womb, and finally to the birth itself and even the subsequent impact that these events may have had on childhood development. Like all colorpuncture treatments, each prenatal therapy involves treating a series of points and zones on the skin with a specific sequence of colored light frequencies. Some treatments focus more on what we experience physically, in the womb and at birth. Others focus more on the psycho-spiritual aspects of this journey (the gradual merger of spirit and material). Also, certain prenatal therapies are designed specifically for children and even infants (light is very gentle), while others are more suitable for adults.
In the many years that I have used these Esoteric Prenatal therapies on my clients, I have witnessed some truly remarkable results. In one rather humorous instance, my client remarked that she kept hearing music as I treated points related to her birth. Later, upon questioning her mother, she learned that the obstetrician had insisted upon singing throughout her birth, much to annoyance of her mother. In another case, after treating points related to her conception, a client remarked, with wonder, that it was the first time she actually felt she had a “right” to be here! Yet another client, with whom I used a treatment related to preconception or what we call the Bardo Phase, described a deeply transformative sense of reconnection to an original field of Pure Love.
In addition to witnessing clients recover memories or come to powerful insights after these treatments, I have also observed that physical well-being can be enhanced by addressing prenatal imprinting. In one case, a woman with symptoms related to a chronic pain condition, who had experienced quite a traumatic birth, reported that her physical discomfort was considerably reduced after I addressed her birth trauma. Yet another client observed, after a series of prenatal treatments, that his tendency to get colds and flus in the winter was reduced.
Based on my own clinical experiences, I would say that the Esogetic Prenatal Therapies are among the most profound treatments in this remarkable healing system. They enable us to use the power of light and color to penetrate and heal those most precious and fragile moments of entry into this life.