Phoenix Heart ARISE Program

Why the Phoenix Heart ARISE Step by Step Program?  

We all are survivors in one respect or another. Growing up female or more feminine on the gender scale puts us at risk for dehumanizing treatment in these times. It is a known fact that we mostly don't talk about it as we are being groped, harassed, stared down, violated, dismissed and demeaned.  It happens all around us and to us. The 1 in 3 or 4 or 5 statistic of women who are sexually assaulted is flawed only by the acknowledged fact that it's under-reported. Each one of us has accumulated experiences of some kind or another. It might be that we get to a place of stability, where we aren't subjected to this type of treatment so overtly. Those other experiences were so long ago — we hardly remember and it's better now.  Well, we might have moved on or forgotten, but our body remembers. 

 

"So I ran faster, but it caught me here..." —Tori Amos, "Precious Things"

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Our body can only be ignored for so long. It has ways of getting our attention so we take the time heal. We can continue coping, numbing, running but again, either our body turns up the intensity to get our attention, or we realize we're tired of living like this or we have to prepare our body for childbirth, partnered sex, or surgery. Maybe we don't want to pass any of this pain, dysfunction or ancestral trauma on to our children. If we do the work, then there's less for them to do. 
 

As a physical therapist who works with many pregnant and post-birth mothers, I see how pregnancy and childbirth compel women to reconnect with their pelvic bowls. This can be a most unwelcome reunion. This area can hold pain, shame, damage, instability and trigger anxiety and panic. Our body remembers experiences where our body's boundaries were breached, like when consent was not given, there was insensitive handling of our body, a difficult childbirth all the way up to overt trauma and violence. Pelvic floor muscles can remain tight and hypervigilant in its protection long afterward any event. This can cause pelvic pain, pain with sex, difficulty yielding pelvic floor muscles in childbirth, etc.  

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How do I help women address this?  

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Without having to go through every or any details verbally, we work on an energetic and spiritual level of clearing out all that doesn't serve her so her body will be clear again. It's like pulling the primary cause of pain or dysfunction out by the roots. Then we can do the manual therapy, neuromuscular re-education, stretches, strengthening and activity modification to rebalance the body and move toward optimal function. That first step of flushing out the pelvic bowl is what the ARISE Step by Step program does. It's what I feel we have been missing when it comes to relieving pain and restoring function within the pelvic bowl/floor. Traditional physical therapy can address the other parts effectively. It's this type of integrative, intuitive practice that makes my practice uniquely healing and successful.

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Consider this 2017 quote by Gabor Mate, MD, author and visionary:

 

"Trauma is fundamentally a disconnect from the self, a disconnect from the body and a disconnect from the Essential Self. Why do people disconnect? Because it's too painful to be connected. So this disconnection is not a mistake. It's not an accident. It's actually a coping mechanism… No longer are you in touch with your gut feelings or your emotions and that means you start living life inauthentically. Coping mechanisms that help the child endure can be the source of pathology later on. In fact, invariably they are. And this is recognized in medical and scientific research. It's just not recognized in medical practice."  

 

This is where we need to change the paradigm.

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The ARISE Step by Step program not only helps you clear the root causes of pain and dysfunction, but it re-connects you to this place — your place — of power. We aren't really taught about our body's pelvic landscape and function. The names and words used to describe this region fall short and deprive us of an acceptable, common language to speak about it. It's our body. We should know about it and have a basic, respectful way of speaking about it. We need to teach our children the proper names for their "private" regions because at least one study found that knowing these words lowered their risk of being sexually molested. It's a safety issue for children and for us.  

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If we have power in our pelvic region, why don't we know about it and why aren't we standing in our power?  

 

The current systems at work on this planet are based on a patriarchal system. Within this imbalanced structure, feminine power has been subjugated for the unconscious masculine's use and abuse and we survive largely by disconnecting from this region. Our feminine sexual centers are highly sought after, to the point of making it dangerous to be a woman sometimes. Part of our work now is to clear the subjugation, the stealing, the disrespect, and reclaim ownership of our bodies, our boundaries, and to bring love and light back into this region. This is where we carry our children, our creations, our emotions and relationships. Moving from surviving to thriving, from disconnection to connection, changes the way our we see ourselves and each other. It nurtures loving wholeness in our children and equilibrium in our relationships. This changes the world by bringing us back into balance — the sacred feminine and conscious masculine. Divine Union. It is attainable but we must be the change we want to see in the world.

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Secret: There is a collective safety net placed in each heart.

 

Inside the outer fold is a list of hotline numbers just in case you need to talk with someone right away, anytime, day or night. When I had the vision to make these hearts, it was very clear to me that I needed safety numbers in them. Even if they are not needed for the work around the Phoenix Heart, the woman would always know she could find a number for domestic violence help or whatever crisis she might deal with. When we approached a label maker to print these, they said that there were too many numbers to fit on a label.  I felt resistance to changing anything. Sarah Mosher, my former client and the co-designer and original sewer of these hearts, agreed and wouldn't compromise either. She found a way to photocopy all the numbers on fabric and sew them in discreetly so every woman has access to them. This is the type of support that is sewn right in for you.

Every Phoenix Heart  ARISE™ Healing kit purchased makes it possible for us to donate to survivors of abuse and sexual assault.  

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This is only the beginning...