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Part I: The Kintsugi Process

a four-week course

Learn to Listen Empathically to Your Own Story

The Kintsugi Process is a prerequisite for Birth Story Mentoring Part II.  In preparation for giving the gift of empathic, deep listening to someone struggling with their birth experience, you must first give it to yourself. You cannot guide another through a place you have not yet gone. Begin by turning your ear inward,  listening to the story you are telling yourself about yourself, the medical system, and birth in our culture.

What does "kintsugi" mean?

In the 15th century Japanese began repairing broken ceramics with gold or silver lacquer, a process they call kintsugi (pronounced kin-tsoo-gee); “kin” golden, “tsugi” repair.

kintsugi

In the West, a broken teapot or sculpture will be thrown away or repaired with invisible glue to conceal the cracks and make it look like new. But the Japanese view once-broken pottery—after the pieces are fused with gold—as even more beautiful and valuable than the original piece. No two ceramics break in the same way, so the lines and patterns of every repair is one of a kind.

The same holds true for birth stories. No two people—even when they are in the same birth room—experience or are cracked open by a birth the same way. Like a treasured ceramic unexpectedly dropped and shattered at your feet, unforeseen events in birth can suddenly shatter expectations, beliefs, dreams, confidence, and even relationships. Our first task is to gather up the scattered pieces and discover that what initially us can become a source of compassion.

Who the Kintsugi course is for:

Every birth-related professional--midwife, lactation consultant, therapist, social worker, chaplain, and life coach —who wants to learn about listening to birth stories that have cracked you open and the stories you are telling yourself.

"Don't be satisfied with stories,
how things have gone with others.
Unfold your own myth"
~ Rumi

How this course works:

One week before each live call (including the first one), you will receive:

    •  A link to a pre-recorded lesson in your email
    •  Access to written modules on the Birth Story Listening online course
    •  Practice-homework assignments and suggestions for the week
    •  Valuable written feedback on your homework and the opportunity to further accelerate your skills and comprehension by learning from peers on the Forum.

You will participate in a weekly, 90 minutes live consultation call with your Birth Story Facilitator. You and your peers will bring questions and insights to this call, and learn from lively demonstrations, role-plays, and a solution-focused dialogue with your facilitators.

woman writing small Birth Story Medicine

The Kintsugi journaling process begins with exploring birth stories
but can become a pathway to exploring all of your life stories
in a more meaningful way.

Upcoming Courses

  • 2024.02.22 / BSM Course, Part 1 / Nora Niculescu

    Course Dates: February 22 – March 14, 2023

    Thursdays, 10:00 to 11:00 am PST

    Price: 250$

    *Please read our refund policy below before signing up
    (You will be redirected to your tutors payment page link: Cuibul Berzelor)

  • 2024.04.21 / BSM Course, Part 1 / Nicole Tricarico

    Part I April-May 2024 with Nicole

    Nicole lives in Australia, so two time zones are included for our Australian, American, and world wide students

    (USA) Sundays April 21st-May 12th from 4.30pm-5.40 pm (Pacific). There are 4 x 70 min calls in total.

    Which is this day and time in:

    (Melbourne, Australia)  Mondays April 22nd-May 13th 9:30 am-10:40 am. There are 4 x 70 min calls in total.

    To check your own time zone visit here: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

    *Please read our refund policy below before signing up
    (You will be re-directed to tutor Nicole’s payment link at Vital Huntress Foundation)

"Whatever you can dream, you can begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic."

~ Goethe

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