PRENATAL AND PERINATAL SOMATICS
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    • Advanced Bodywork for PPS Level Three

IPPD Graduates

Graduates from the Integrated Prenatal and Perinatal Dynamics (IPPD) program have completed an advanced certificate program that trains professionals to prevent and treat birth trauma using a somatic trauma resolution approach.

Our skills include presence, relationship, listening, recognition, and conversation, and they work to identify and transform nervous system states related to stress and threat responses from trauma experiences connected to conception, pregnancy, birth and after birth.

Our work is non-regressive and is present-time oriented.

Practitioners learn about parts of the baby’s experiences starting preconception based on prenatal and perinatal somatic psychology. These include:
  • Preconception and Ancestral/Parental patterns,
  • Conception,
  • The threshold moments of the embryo,
  • The birth sequence and patterns in the body from birth,
  • The impact of birth interventions, and
  • Trauma for antenatal experiences
Practitioners also learn the midwifery model of care, including ways to create continuity of care, a safe relational space, and many elements related to pregnancy, birth and after birth, including:
  • Preconception and conception dynamics
  • Uterine shapes, placenta dynamics, cord dynamics
  • Physiologic birth dynamics
  • Heart tones and what they mean during birth
  • Many different birth patterns that can be overwhelming
  • Induction dynamics
  • Anesthesia and analgesia dynamics
  • Birth interventions, including forceps, vacuum assist, and c-section dynamics
  • After birth dynamics, including the baby’s experience of feeding, crying, and sleeping trauma
  • Postpartum distress dynamics
  • Attachment and bonding sequences starting preconception through the after birth and postpartum time
Practitioners also learn somatic trauma resolution skills related birth trauma/traumatic births including:
  • Medicalized Birth Trauma
  • The Shock of Witnessing
  • Working with a Birthing Timeline (single episode) in relationship to the body
  • Restoring Primitive Survival Responses to Overwhelming Situations
  • Attack and Assault
  • Near Death
  • Injury and Recovery
  • Repairing Relationship to Essential Self, Supportive Other, and World
IPPD graduates are not trained in psychology, nursing, or massage therapy skills. They learn rudimentary biodynamic craniosacral therapy elements so they can understand field theory and relational repair. In essence, our practitioners:
  • Help recognize, reach, and transform trauma responses and patterns related to birth and earliest experiences for families wanting to conceive, or who are already pregnant or have given birth.
  • Welcome newborn families and connect the family members to themselves and each other so that the whole family thrives.
  • Refer to bodyworkers, lactations consultants, medical providers and mental health specialists as needed.
They conform to their professional scope of practice and ethical standards that may change from state to state and country to country.

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​Rachel Smith LMT, IPPD
MindfulMassageCville.com
[email protected]
Charlottesville, Virginia​
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Suzanne Miller SEP, LMT, RCST®, IPPD​
bodywork4wellbeing.com
[email protected]
Silver Spring, Maryland
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Heather Zivkovich LMT, BCTMB, IPPD
balancedbeingwellness.com
b​​[email protected]
Annapolis & Edgewater, Maryland
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Ahara Vatter​, IPPD
liquidlightbodyworks.net
[email protected]
Denver, CO, Santa Fe, NM
Austin, TX, Sedona, AZ
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Vanessa Worthington, SEP, IPPD
traumahealing.com.au
[email protected]​
Wamberal, NSW, Australia
Teaching Team for Australia​
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Lenka Valinhas, IPPD
sacredlifeflow.com
[email protected]
Trim, co. Meath
Ireland

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Lesha Nelson, IPPD
leshanelson.com
[email protected]
Salt Lake City, UT
Teaching Team Member Salt Lake City
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Heather Hinz, IPPD
withinsight.net
[email protected]
Springfield, OR

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Shatia Owsley,  MS, PPNE, CEIM, CYT
Indigowomb.com
​
[email protected]
Alexandria, VA
Multicultural Wellness Director
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Patrica Jacqulin Winchester
[email protected]
New Jersey and Trabago


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Laura Layla Centorrino
lauralayla.com
[email protected]
Sacremento, CA
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Kirstin Soares
gentletoucheastbay.com
[email protected]
Albany, CA


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Sarah Downer, LSCW, IPPD
sarah-downer.clientsecure.me
​[email protected]
Seattle Area, Washington State
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Milijana Majstorovic Nana
synchronylab.com
[email protected]
Belgrade, Serbia
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Marinah Farrell
indigenousbirth.com/
 [email protected]
​
Phoenix, AZ
​Teaching Team member Salt Lake City

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Nina Cikes Stegic, MD, IPPD
 Centar za perinatalnu psihologiju i rano roditeljstvo
[email protected]
Rijeka, Croatia
The Prenatal and Perinatal Somatics Institute is an official training organization within the USABP. 
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  • Home
    • About PPSI
    • History and Legacy
    • Educator, Practitioner, Assistant, Faculty Tracks
    • Stories from the Field
  • PPN Wellness Toolkit
    • List of Twelve Modules
    • Your Instructors
  • IPPD
    • Indigenous Midwife Training Project
    • New York CIty IPPD Training
    • Australian Training >
      • Australian Logistics
    • Foundations >
      • Arizona Foundations for Indigenous Midwives
      • Virginia Foundations >
        • Virginia Foundation, IPPD Training and Logistics
    • IPPD Training >
      • IPPD Level One
      • IPPD Level Two
      • IPPD Level Three
    • Practitioners
  • Pediatric Bodywork
    • Pediatric Bodywork Level One
    • Pediatric Bodywork Level Two
    • Pediatric Bodywork Level Three
    • Practitioners
  • Early Family Somatics
    • Assessment and Evaluation
    • Practitioners
  • Advanced Bodywork
    • Advanced Bodywork in PPS Level One
    • Advanced Bodywork for PPS Level Two
    • Advanced Bodywork for PPS Level Three