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Prenatal Trauma
I was surprised when I began my trauma treatment and learned that the therapy approach used at Intensive Trauma Therapy in Morgantown, West Virginia, treats an individual’s earliest traumas.
One foundational component of the Instinctual Trauma Response Model (ITR) is based on the concept that significant life traumas can take place in the womb.
This psychological approach to trauma is not unique. Thomas R. Verney, co-author of The Secret Life of the Unborn Child (Verny & Kelly) and author of the article “What Cells Remember: Toward A Unified Field Theory Of Memory,” featured in Birth Psychology, a publication of the Association Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health makes the following statement:
“…a child’s central nervous system is sufficiently developed by the age of six months in utero (end of second trimester) to be capable of laying down rudimentary memories” (Verny & Kelly, 1981; Verny, 1987; Verny & Weintraub, 1991; Verny & Weintraub, 2002).
Verney has documented cases of people remembering experiences in the womb as early as conception. While the idea that a child could remember pre-birth events is remarkable, his article goes on to present biological and medical evidence for prenatal memory and cognition from conception from the following areas of research:
- Organ Transplants
- Cortical Memory
- The Human Cell
- Genetics and Epigenetics
- Single-Celled Organisms
- The Immune System
Verney presents the overall concept that 37 trillion human cells communicate collaboratively, much like musicians in an orchestra; therefore, memory, thought, and cognition are possible at every level of development.
Verney states: “Cells act as microcomputers and although they are tiny, they are capable of amassing vast amounts of memory as demonstrated by the ovum and sperm cells, T cells, unicellular organisms, etc. Epigenetics has shown that at conception we inherit with our genes not only a blueprint for our future body and personality but also memories of our ancestors.”
A growing number of experts agree about the significance of pre-birth trauma: “Recent research examining the heart rates and movements of a fetus during amniocentesis procedures have found that the fetus’s heart rate slows and movement stops because the fetus is aware and afraid of the procedure (A. Blasco Jauregui, T.M., 2006). Even more striking are the videotapes presented by doctors of fetuses batting away the needle during amniocentesis procedures or moving away from the needle (Emerson, 1996). Several other important leaders in the field of pre and peri-natal trauma such as Emerson, Laing, and Lake (Emerson, 1996), have all endorsed the idea that trauma experienced from the earliest stages of fetal development (from conception through the first trimester) have the greatest impact of future development.”
The impact of birth trauma can be so powerful that it influences every area of a baby’s future life and health.
Think about it. But don’t stop there. Has pre-birth trauma affected your life?
What steps do YOU need to take?
