about me

Introduction

Infectious lightness, loving, warm, intuitive, caring presence, softness: these are the words I see repeated in the testimonials I received, and they resonate with me. Since becoming a mother I would add: perceptive, empathetic, and a new depth of groundedness. It is a beautiful gift to feel seen by others, but even more so to truly recognise one’s own values. My work as a midwife and IPT practitioner have greatly served me to better understand the sort of person I am, to my awareness around childhood wounds, patterns, and triggers, and how to grow through challenges which come with daily life. Therefore I am incredibly grateful for the work I can offer, being and making use of who I am to serve others, and reciprocally feeling inspired and humbled by the clients I meet.

Life journey

Originally from the UK, I had a Christian upbringing which I chose to follow and found great meaning in. Christian worship in the charismatic style provided a space for me where what I was feeling on an emotional level was welcomed, normalised and encouraged. To cry, shake, and release was interpreted as receiving the Holy Spirit. Therefore from a young age I learnt to release what was weighing me down, and to heal. I am grateful for having learnt this means of releasing early on in my life. However, the teachings also led me to believe that not only was God number one, but also that everyone else’s needs should be put before my own. What many would consider part of growing up and developing one’s individual sense of “self” can often feel condemned by the Church as sinful or disobeying God’s Word. Such teachings internalised in me the conviction that “I am bad, unworthy, and deserving of punishment”. I later realised how significant my Christian upbringing was to the “pleaser”/“martyr” roles that I had developed since childhood.

These roles were further entrenched during the divorce of my parents, but the awareness of these strategies as a way of coping only became clear to me as a result of the IPT training, and also through participation in family constellations. I am grateful of how IPT served me in this way, and how I can now utilise it with my own clients; separating the self from the character structures which develop as a means of survival, in order to recognise the process, acknowledge previously repressed/hidden emotions, and healing aspects of the “wounded child” which can inhibit us in adult daily life.

Prior to the IPT training however, I read Theology at university and then following a year of travel, I began my degree to become a midwife. Although perhaps not the transition most would expect, my Theology degree did in fact influence my path towards midwifery, focusing my Dissertation on comparing the loss of a spouse to miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death. I believe that what I learnt as a Theologian developed my ability as a midwife to support clients considering abortion, coping with loss, and realise that there are no right decisions, only the importance of taking responsibility for what is chosen.

Despite becoming a midwife not being immediately obvious to me, I was always fascinated by pregnancy and birth, and curious to know more about the whole process of becoming a mother, not only on a physical level but also emotionally, mentally, energetically and spiritually. I will always be grateful to my mother for the positive impression of birth that

she imparted on me. I first learnt that pregnancy and birth are “normal”, physiological, and that it is desirable to give birth at home. Of course, I appreciate that this is not the case for everyone and I am incredibly grateful to have access to safe and life-saving care for when it is necessary. It is just that I truly felt these rites of passage were innately natural and not something to be feared, and this was an attribute I could embody and use to support the women and families that I worked with.

It is now easy for me to see that my midwifery training ignited the start of my healing journey. It was also during this time that I was introduced to tantra and deepened my understanding around consent and boundaries. Incidentally tantra lead me to the teachers and founders of Integral Pelvic Therapy and then is what brought me to the Netherlands, to work with one of them as a midwife. Before which I actually started as a kraamverzorgster (maternity nurse) in order to learn Dutch and gain my midwifery registration in the Netherlands, an achievement which I am proud to recognise. Becoming a midwife felt like a gateway to other possibilities; it opened the door to finding a speciality and niche area, which for me came in the form of IPT. My healing journey was furthered through IPT, and it empowered me not only to see my qualities and skills as a person and practitioner, but also to embody them. My self-awareness and confidence grew, and I learnt to make a practice of loving and being appreciative of myself. Work that I also practise and support with clients.

"I am grateful for everything that I have experienced, for how the challenging periods have contributed to my growth and ability to hold space for others. My intention is to remain humble in what I can offer, knowing that the work is never finished. "

The final milestone in my life so far has been becoming a mother. Amongst all of the reasons I became a midwife, I have a sense that one of them was to feel fully informed, empowered and safe for when my own mothering journey began. I now feel even more deeply the importance of feeling heard and safe enough to be able to trust another and lean on them for support. You can only be vulnerable and form trust with someone when you first feel safe. This is why what I offer clients focuses so intently on the feeling of safety, to provide an opening for trust and the ability to work together successfully.

Summary

Making mention of all of these milestones felt important to me as acknowledgment of how they have contributed to the person I have become. I am grateful for everything that I have experienced, for how the challenging periods have contributed to my growth and ability to hold space for others. My intention is to remain humble in what I can offer, knowing that the work is never finished. If you are interested in working together I would love to hear from you. Thank you!

contact

The location for the sessions is at the Dana Centrum. There is free parking on site. Please enter Dana Centrum through the main entrance, leave your shoes here and wait in the first room on the right as you enter, and I will come to greet you when I am ready. It is a large building and can sometimes be cold underfoot, so you may wish to bring some extra socks or slippers with you. I look forward to meeting you.

Flo’s Centre

Adress	Dana Centrum - Boulevard 19, 3707 BL Zeist
KvK	91075955
BIG	09930895403