How Prenatal and Birth Imprints Set the Stage for Adult Behaviors – HPP 15

Annie Brook, MA, PhD

Take a moment to think about all of your healthy habits that are in your life. Do you brush your teeth regularly, make your bed on a daily basis, keep the house clean, get to work on time, do your laundry, eat healthy food, and exercise on a regular basis?

What about the habits that cause problems in your life? Do you drink too much? Do you find yourself eating too much sugar? Do you procrastinate important tasks at work? Do you avoid challenging conversations? Are you overworking yourself and constantly feeling like you are about to burn out?

How far back in your own life do you think these patterns developed? Was it time in your adulthood, maybe adolescent years, early childhood or even as a toddler?

Developmental psychology usually looks into pattern development from ages 3 and up with some patterns developing during infancy. But what if it’s possible that many of these patterns both unhealthy and healthy started at birth or even prenatally?

Prenatal psychology examines human behavior in a very different light than how most people frame their history and how it impacts who they are. From a prenatal psychology perspective, the development in the womb and the birth process can have a huge impact on who we are as adults and the behaviors that we default to.

Our guest, Dr. Annie Brook will explore the cues to look out for when there is shock present in the nervous system of a young child that occurred during a very early developmental process, how to recognize compensations in adults for challenges that happened during prenatal development, birth trauma and how to work with it, a case example of a child who worked through a disruptive birth experience, and why pre and perinatal psychology is essential to understand as a clinician.

Show Notes:

The cues that there is shock in the nervous system [14:45]

Premature imprints in the body and compensation later in life [17:45]

Preverbal signals that a child has pre-natal or birth trauma [23:15]

A case example of a child who worked through a disruptive birth imprint [25:15]

Why prenatal psychology is essential to understand as a clinician [36:15]

Annie Brook, MA, PhD

Dr. Annie Brook has worked as a psychotherapist for over thirty years working with children, adults, couples and training other professionals. Dr. Brook received her PhD in Perinatal and Somatic Psychology, an MA in Family Systems Theory, and a BA in Somatic Psychology. She has six certifications in bod-based modalities and is a published author, speaker, and a highly influential voice in the field of Somatic Psychology and Pre and Perinatal Development. You can find more information at: anniebrook.com