Birth Psychology

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Birth Psychology is prenatal and perinatal psychology.  It is the study of the baby’s experience starting preconception through the first year of life. Pre and perinatal psychology and somatic health is the study of influences on the baby’s experience from preconception through the first year of life.  This includes conception, prenatal experiences, birth, and attachment.  Studies have shown that ancestral health, the womb environment, how we are born and attach with our caregivers all have biopsychosocial effects that can have lifelong implications.

The Secret Life of the Unborn Child (1981) opened doors and proved to be the forerunner of the activities to follow. The book became an extraordinary instrument educating the world about prenatal and perinatal psychology, an emerging field that was neglected in academic psychology. The book became an international best seller, ultimately translated into more than 25 languages, with a quarter million books sold in Japanese alone.

Verny went on to found the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health, APPPAH, in 1983. You can read his Kindred interview entitled, “Ducking Pies Presenting Birth Psychology for 34 Years,” here.

You can also read Kindred’s collection of interviews and articles exploring the New Story presented by the pioneers of this frontier field of science here.

In 2016, Kindred created the In Utero Film and Discussion Guide as educational material for the ground-breaking documentary by Stephen and Kathleen Gyllenhaal. You download the In Utero Film Guide here, and read interviews with the filmmakers here.

Birth Psychology Month is celebrated every March, and was created by Kindred’s editor, Lisa Reagan. You can find resources and free events to celebrate Birth Psychology Month here.

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