WHO WE ARE

Ten Moons Rising* is a non-profit organization committed to raising awareness about Prenatal & Birth Psychology, and empowering parents to make informed birth and parenting choices that support wholeness in individuals, families and society.  We also offer resources for healing early trauma in infants, children and adults. 

 *An average pregnancy lasts 280 days —  equal to ten lunar months, or Ten Moons.

WHAT IS PRENATAL & BIRTH PSYCHOLOGY?

Prenatal Psychology, used interchangeably with Birth Psychology, is the pioneering field of science that explores how our earliest experiences - in the womb and at birth - can have lifelong effects on our self-image, our perceptions, our behavior and relationship patterns, even our health. 

Scientific evidence collected over the last several decades has shown that infants have capabilities far beyond what we have believed.  Based purely on the extent of their physical development, it was mistakenly assumed that babies' brains did not yet have the capacity to be aware of their surroundings, to have memory or even to feel pain.  However, babies are now being recognized as complex beings who observe, learn, feel and remember.

A PSYCHOLOGY OF BODY, MIND & SPIRIT

Although psychology in the modern sense refers to the study of mental processes and behavior, Birth Psychology differs in that it holds true to the root meaning of the word.  "Logia" refers to "the study of," while the origin of "Psyche" refers to "animating spirit" or “the soul, mind, spirit, breath, life, the invisible animating principle or entity which occupies and directs the physical body."  Prenatal Psychology explores infant consciousness, viewing infants not simply in terms of brain functions, but as conscious beings with capacities that exceed the limitations of the physical body.  

 
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT

With the knowledge that Prenatal Psychology is making available, we have the ability to prevent violence at its source and reverse disturbing trends such as hyperactivity, learning disorders, autism, depression, suicide and a host of others; which research indicates can often result from traumatic foundational experiences.  Trends such as these make it is painfully obvious that, somewhere along the line, our children have needs that are not being recognized and met.  We believe parents will play a critical role in turning the tide. 

Acknowledging that we always do our best and that "when we know better, we do better," we now have the ability to make better choices than ever.  Rather than wasting energy feeling guilt over past choices, we can initiate change with our POWER TO CHOOSE to:

• RELEASE judgment and blame (of others and ourselves)...
• SUPPORT each other...
• LEARN from our mistakes...
• LET GO of the past...
• EMBRACE new information...
• CREATE a brighter future, together, for all of us.

As our birth and parenting practices begin to reflect the understanding that babies are complex beings who feel deeply, learn and remember, we set the stage for them to blossom into more joyful, confident, compassionate individuals.

It also provides the opportunity for each of us to resolve our early experiences, opening the door to more joy and fulfillment in our own lives. Once we begin to find peace and healing as individuals, it extends through families, into communities and out into the world.

Ten Moons Rising is a Minnesota-based, 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization.

Photographs courtesy of Dawn Vogel at Luminous Concepts Photography .