29/09/2026
At Sofia University’s Global Mental Health Conference, I used a pre- and perinatal perspective to explore the highly relevant question of how we can remain connected to and can return to an inner sense of calm, stability and stillness in an uncertain world.
I reflected on the power of relationship to help us transition and adapt to a new environment by providing familiarity, holding and regulation.
Think of practices such as physiological based cord clamping (PBCC, Bewley et al., 2026), where the umbilical cord that provided oxygen for nine months is only clamped after the baby has begun breathing independently; skin-to-skin contact, where the baby adapts to a new environment while experiencing the familiarity and regulation provided by the mother; and responsive relationships during the first years of life, which support the developing brain and nervous system.
Just imagine the possible impact of having these experiences from the very beginning on how your body might meet new and uncertain environments later in life.
And yet, ideal and reality do not always meet. That is why I also explored the power of repair.
Approaches such as pre- and perinatal therapy, mindfulness and practices that support nervous system regulation may help us move from fear and dysregulation towards greater calm, stability and connection.
No matter our age, or the circumstances in which we entered this world and were held during our first years of life, we can continue to build a stronger foundation from which to thrive, even in out current VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world.
My work in pre- and perinatal integration with babies, children, adolescents and adults has shown me that when we experience an attuned and responsive relationship, our body can relax into connection and release fear and tension, creating more space for life to be fully lived, from an embodied and coherent place.
