I often try to convey to women the potential benefits of post-natal healing and Holistic Pelvic Care, but it’s patients themselves that usually say it best. This week, I received this message from Alexa and she has been very generous in allowing me to share it with you. I was so touched by her beautiful words that capture the liminal dimension that can be difficult to express. I thank her from my heart for describing her journey in a way that is so helpful for other women.
Alexa’s story:
My friend recommended Rebecca one day over coffee, when we realised that we were both left with prolapse after child birth. After a fruitless journey with the NHS, incorrect referrals and finally the offer of an operation over the course of 5 years, there was a niggling doubt in my mind that an operation wasn’t going to cure my problems and the risks just seemed too high.
When my friend explained what Holistic Pelvic Care was, I was quite sceptical as to how it would work or even if it was for me, but if 2020 had given me anything it gave me the opportunity to spend some time thinking about what I wanted and I devoted a little of my furlough time to myself. And I can honestly say that meeting Rebecca wasn’t just the best thing that happened during a pandemic but really a real turning point in my life. I think as a female we meet people along the way that are there to help us get to the next level and Rebecca was certainly a strong influence on this.
Before I started the sessions with Rebecca, I hadn’t really realised that I was letting some anxieties take over my life. I had a doctor’s diagnosis that I suffered with pre-menstrual syndrome, and that’s exactly what I did, I suffered with it. I panicked that my emotions weren’t real, that they were some form of side effect of this terrible syndrome, I’d get cross at my family and then be racked with guilt about it all because I was told I ‘suffered with pre-menstrual syndrome.’ I also dreaded the pain of periods, this dragging sensation that left me almost fearful that one day my insides would fall out.
The journey that I went on with Rebecca taught me to listen to myself; that you don’t have to suffer because you’ve been told you have a syndrome. And following the second of 6 sessions with her I am pleased to say that the fear of my period has gone away, I’m not worrying about the pain – it’s not there and I’m managing my moods better too. I was stuck in a cycle of trying to be the best all the time, of trying to help someone else who I now see is not my responsibility to help and I don’t have the qualifications anyway. I have learnt to listen to myself and to let go, to take time for myself where I can and use it wisely.
I can’t put my finger on what it is about Rebecca that makes this magic happen. You don’t walk in feeling like its therapy (despite the PPE). I suppose she made me feel that I was her equal – it wasn’t patronising in a sense that she was going to teach you these techniques to make you better, it was more like going for a walk with a friend and discovering something new together.
I can’t recommend Rebecca highly enough. The experience I have had has truly been wonderful, and I know that this it the beginning of a longer journey.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if you have any questions on this or any other topic. Please subscribe to my newsletter using the ‘Keep up to date’ form below, if you would like to get more news on women’s health, future blogs, workshops and programs.
Rebecca x