Birth Story Medicine®

"When I was a young nurse-midwife, certified but not yet initiated by the power
of birth itself, I used to teach 'fantasy birth' classes.  In labor, I had a profound
awakening and vowed to tell the truth and to bring change to how women are
prepared for birth. While on the cesarean operating table, I realized that the naive
positivity and promises I believed (and taught) were the seed for my own rapidly manifesting emotional birth shock, trauma, and postpartum depression. I sought
counseling from a midwife, cesarean support group, and therapist, but found only superficial listening. This prompted me to earn a Masters in Psychology /Counseling
from Antioch University, with an emphasis on perinatal issues and group dynamics.

"Eight years of searching for answers and self-acceptance had passed since my
initiation through birth; after meeting many teachers and authors and participating
in conferences and ceremonies, I had a second epiphany which made me laugh
out loud: 'All this time I thought I had to heal my birth, but now I see my birth healed me.' Perhaps this was the pivotal moment I morphed from the seek to a wounded healer."

Thus began Pam's now four decade-long devotion to the study of emotional birth
trauma and the development of the Birth Story Medicine philosophy and process
that has helped many find their way "home" to self-acceptance and self-compassion following their initiation through childbirth or birth work.

Following the publication of her best-selling book, Birthing From Within
(from 1999 to 2016), Pam created and taught a profound movement in multi-sensory,
holistic, and mindful childbirth preparation and developed the concept of childbirth mentoring (versus teaching).