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Workshop
Descriptions
Mind/Body
Fertility Workshop
A Nine Week Program
Wednesday 6:30 - 9:00 PM
Starting every January, March and September
Based
upon the famous Alice Domar Infertility Workshop, this
program is designed specifically for women who are having
difficulty conceiving. Thrust into possibly the most
emotionally challenging battle that you've ever faced, you
will learn to tap into more strength, wisdom and awareness
than you may have thought possible. You will come to
understand how stress affects your life as well as your
reproductive health. You will learn methods that you can
easily integrate into your daily life that will ease the
impact of stress on your body and mind. You will learn that
you can move with grace and integrity through this and other
challenges that you meet.
Difficult
conception is not timed as to be convenient for anyone. The
nine-week, Mind/Body Fertility Workshop offers weekly
reinforcement of the stress-reduction methods that are
taught as well as in-depth discussions of the integration of
the practices into your daily life. When these “traits” or
practices become a part of your life, what you do and who
you are, you can actually live a more peaceful existence.
You can know that you don’t have to be battered about and
haunted by your thoughts or life circumstances. We can’t
always change our circumstances, but we can change how we
are affected by them.
Difficult
conception will probably have a significant impact on your
life. With some gentle guidance, inner exploration, and a
few new tools to assist you, you can choose how you might
grow from this journey and how you can affect positive
changes for yourself, both physically and emotionally. If
you believe that infertility has taken something away from
you, if it has made you angry, or you feel victim to
something beyond your control, then you want what this
workshop has to offer.
You
cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your
head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your
hair.
Chinese
Proverb
Infertility affects a huge population. Busy fertility
clinics, chat rooms, bulletin boards, blogs and chat rooms
are filled with new women every day. No one should have to
feel alone or helpless. It is my experience that women in
this community are strong and vibrant. Who else could endure
such a challenge? It is when we come together as a community
that the threads that bind us are strengthened and we’re
able to weave the fabric of our own lives with a little help
from our friends.
RESULTS
-
Increase likelihood of pregnancy
-
Understand the relationship between stress and
infertility
-
Recognize and CHANGE the impact of stress on the
body and emotions
-
Improved relationship with self and others
-
Application of coping strategies EVERY DAY
-
Integrate nutrition, exercise and stress management
interventions
-
Support community
-
Peace of mind
And always,
the invaluable exchange of information between participants
and the unquestioning support of others who "get" what
you're going through.
Past
participants had this to say about the Mind/Body Fertility
Program of D.C.
"Amid all the stress and uncertainty of infertility
treatments, the Heal from Within group provides a soft place
to land. Lisa Eaves is a warm and nurturing presence. She
facilitates an environment where participants learn both to
better help themselves and to support each other. The class
is interactive, thought provoking, and exposed me to many
new ideas. I highly recommend it."
"The Heal-From-Within Mind and Body Program helped me to
reach a place of peace and harmony within so that I
was emotionally grounded and psychologically ready to
accept a possible negative outcome of my IVF cycle. As it
turned out, my cycle was successful and I became pregnant!"
RESEARCH
Past
participants experience significant improvements in
psychological health as well as increased pregnancy rates
following completion of the program."
~ Fertility and Sterility, Vol. 73, No. 4, April 2000
Mind/Body
self-care interventions reduce costs of medical care by
reducing visits to doctors up to 50%."
~Behavioral Medicine, Vol. 16, pages 165-173, 1990
Infertile women have a 42% conception rate, a 38% take-home
baby rate, and decreased levels of depression, anxiety, and
anger."
~ Journal of American Medical Women’s Association,
Volume 54, pages 196-8, 1999
Click here to download Registration Form
One-Night
Workshops
2nd Thursday each month
6:30 - 9:00 PM
On the 2nd
Thursday of each month, the Heal from Within office is open
to all women who are having difficulty conceiving.
Difficult conception presents challenges that are similar to
those who are diagnosed with life threatening conditions:
finances, time constraints, interference with work, time
management (doctor appointments), relationships and family
issues. And these are the more superficial challenges. The
foundations that we’ve built our lives upon are shaken to
the core: faith, what we believe about ourselves, perhaps
what we believe about our spouse/partner, family, marriage,
our strengths and weaknesses, relationship to friends,
family, co-workers. We may get to know isolation,
depression, anxiety and anger at a whole new level. These
challenges and emotions are not the enemy. They are our
teachers.
This is the time to gather
yourself, examine your situation, your emotions and your
reactions, and to choose how you want to move through this
difficulty. You have all the resources. Perhaps all you need
is a little guidance. The only thing we truly have control
of, is how we respond to the situations in which we find
ourselves. Difficulties are inevitable. But you can decide
whether the difficulty cripples you or breaks you open to
new ways of “being” and living your life.
In this peaceful setting,
we will find stillness so that we can listen to our teachers
and our own inner guides. We will also listen to and learn
from each other. The first half of the evening will be
learning and practicing techniques that help us to slow
down, mentally and metabolically. The second half of the
evening we will discuss at least one of the fertility
related topics that are submitted by those present.
If you are visibly
pregnant, we respectfully ask that you not attend this
event. We wish you a healthy and peaceful pregnancy, a
smooth, fast delivery, and a happy, healthy, tiny new person
who will be the light of your life! Women who have a history
of difficult conception have much to share. If you are no
longer on this journey, but would like to come, we
appreciate your guidance and wisdom.
6:30 – 6:45 Arrive by
6:45, submit your topic of interest
6:45 – 7:45 Learn and practice stress reducing
techniques
7:45 – 9:00 Discussion
The $10 fee for this
session will be donated to RESOLVE. Bring a sister, a
friend, your Mom or cousin, if you like. Please call or
write if you plan to attend: 202-244-2289,
LisaEaves@Heal-From-Within.com. |