RESOURCES FOR THE
TRANSPARADIGM NICU PROFESSIONAL

HONORING BIRTH STORY

IN THE NEONATAL

INTENSIVE CARE UNIT:

SENTIENCE & ENERGETICS

​​​

​​

​

Zephyr's

Forthcoming Book

​​​

​​

TABLE OF CONTENTS

​​

​​

​​​​​

​The foundation of working with babies is sentience and energetics.

Sentience is consciousness that exists apart from the biologically-

dependent, developing mind. Sentience may be met verbally,

somatically, and energetically. When babies are weak or

fragile, energetics may be the primary option for making

human connection.

 

Birth story is often the greatest event occupying prenatal sentience.

As with any person, the neonate needs to tell their story and be

heard. Failure to recognize sentience results in denial of birth

story, which has the potential to impair autonomic function, motor

function, feeding, sleeping, crying-settling cycles, and bonding

and attachment—all of which impinge upon healthy physiological

and neural development, which will set the foundation for a

lifetime. For babies in the NICU, respect for sentience, accurate

reflection of birth story, and a resonant caregiver field are gentle,

non-invasive, and humane neuroprotective responses that we are

morally obligated to offer as part of evaluating the need for

technological and pharmaceutical interventions, which induce

iatrogenic trauma and negatively impact the neuroprotective agenda.

 

Optimal care in the NICU requires the synergistic application

of allopathic medicine and energetic healing arts. Honoring Birth Story

in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Sentience & Energetics is written

for both allopathic and energetic practitioners, providing language

and context for transparadigm care: allopathic-energetic care. After

building a common foundation, this manual addresses twenty

aspects of care in the NICU and modes of energetic connection.

Each of the twenty chapters are grounded in vignettes of Zephyr’s

sessions with babies in the NICU. Supplemental discussion

appended to many vignettes includes explanation of the

energetics in a manner appropriate for allopathic practitioners

and laypeople, advanced energetic commentary, and relevant

material from masters, with emphasis on the work of Ray Castellino.

Parents and laypersons may wish to focus on the core of the vignette

and be selective as to the appended material, enjoying what they

find accessible and skipping the more technical.

​​

Stories from Zephyr's personal experience are juxtaposed with

the babies’ stories. The depth of Zephyr's experience as the

client on the table receiving a craniosacral session illuminates

the value such therapy has for neonates and infants. Zephyr's

journey to integrate their own prenatal and perinatal experience

illustrates that the memories, feelings, and expressions of

the adult are the same as those of the neonate and infant,

and that baby and adult have the same

need to be seen and heard.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​