What is Integral Pelvic Therapy?

Integral Pelvic Therapy (IPT) is a safe and accessible form of bodywork specifically designed for pelvic pain women and men. The balance in the pelvis is restored, allowing the self-healing capacity of the body to flow again. As a result there is more feeling in the pelvis, less complaints and a better sense of limits. Many feel a deeper connection with themselves and experience more pleasure in sexuality, often after just one session.

The basin: the place where new life begins. The place where our intuition dwells, where we can experience a safe bed. But also a place we sometimes have little connection with. Often unconsciously, we store a lot of tension here. Many women and men experience complaints in the pelvic area. But find it difficult to talk about the complaints. Or think that it is ‘part of the deal’ or that there is little to be done. Men can also experience complaints in their pelvis. For them, it is possibly even more difficult to be able to find the right path to help, and again, it is a subject that is not easily discussed.

Are you experiencing these (pelvic) symptoms?

• Little to no feeling or contact with your body and/or pelvis
• Low libido
• Erectile dysfunction
• Involuntary urine leakage
• Sagging of bladder and/or uterus
• Trauma in the pelvic region
• Severe menstrual pain
• Chronic inflammation
• Fertility Problems
• Pain during intercourse
• Unexplained pain in the lower back

You can learn to live with pelvic discomfort by simply ignoring it. But there is another way! Do you also want to live without pain or discomfort? And be fully in touch with your femininity and (sexual) power?

At Dana, we take your pelvic symptoms seriously. We offer a safe foundation for all your pelvic related complaints. Integral Pelvic Therapy® (IPT) can help with this.

Pelvic floor muscles too strong or too weak?

The muscles in your pelvis can become too tense (hypertonia) due to tension, stress or trauma. This tightening of the muscles is something the body does automatically in an attempt to protect the area. Hypertonia can cause problems such as:

• Chronic pain in the pelvis
• Numbness or pain during intercourse
• Vaginismus (the involuntary tightening of muscles so that penetration is not possible)
• Unexplained lower back pain,
• Pain in the hip
• Constipation

Other women have muscular tension in the pelvis that is too weak (hypotonia). Hypotonia causes symptoms such as prolapse of uterus or bladder, or stress incontinence. However, most women have a combination of both where the pelvis is out of balance due to unwanted patterns of tension.

For real change to take place, the body needs to learn that the danger has passed and to live in the reality of the present.

Bessel van der kolk: ‘The body keeps the score’

Fascia, the key to relaxation and recovery

Connective tissue (fascia) is present throughout the body, including the pelvic area. It provides support and protection for the organs in this area. We often see that the connective tissue becomes tense or adhered, due to, for example, a difficult childbirth, surgery, or prolonged physical, emotional or mental stress. Pain, or a numb feeling in the pelvis is often the result. For example, it causes severe menstrual cramps and painful orgasms.

Stored voltage

The body has its own memory. Physical, energetic, mental or emotional stress is stored in our cellular memory. Think of things that may have been passed down from the family lineage. Or stress in the pelvis due to traumatic events, such as traumatic childbirth, obstetric violence or other forms of trauma in the pelvis.

Because of the integral approach and safe bedding, all layers are addressed during the IPT sessions; physical, emotional, mental and energetic. The relaxation of the tissue allows everything to flow again; your body’s self-healing capacity can thus do its work optimally.

What does an IPT session look like?

Intake

Prior to the first IPT session, there is always an intake (1 hour). Here we discuss your request for help and relevant (medical) history. Based on this information we can get a good picture of whether Integral Pelvic Therapy® can be useful for you. An intake never commits you to a treatment.

External and internal massage

We apply gentle external and internal massage techniques on and in the pelvis, releasing adhesions in the fascia. Gently we seek out the tension patterns in your pelvis where the intention is to allow you to “feel along” all the way. By using breathing techniques, your voice and/or visualization techniques, your pelvis can relax and return to its natural state.

The emphasis is on consciously feeling what is going on in your body, your pelvis. It is not always necessary to treat internally (vaginally). Everything depends on your personal process and boundaries.

Releasing Emotions

In the session, you may experience various emotions such as anger or sadness. By acknowledging and feeling through these feelings, they can eventually be released. After this, the physical tension disappears from the body, often not to return to the same extent. Your emotions are then processed on a physical level. The balance in your pelvis returns.

Healing starts with feeling safe

Embodied consent

Embodied Consent; consent literally means permission. Embodied means that all aspects of the body are aligned. Do you feel a ‘yes’ with your head, heart and body? Then the body can relax and you can receive the treatment instead of undergoing it. Both are conditions for processing, feeling through and recovering from trauma.

We take extensive time during the session to explore this. Expressing a truly felt “yes,” “no” or a “maybe” often works very healing in itself.

After the session

After the session, our advice is to take it easy for a few days. Specifically, we recommend that you do not exercise or lift heavily immediately after the treatment. Be gentle and kind to yourself; pamper yourself with warmth and gentleness. Feel into what your body needs; be your own best friend.

What does an IPT session provide me with?

After 1 IPT session, we often hear back from women that they:

• Indicate reduction or largely disappearance of their symptoms.
• Are more aware of their feelings and emotions and experience a greater sense of spaciousness in their bodies, especially in their pelvis.
• Experiencing more contact with their bodies.
• Sensing boundaries more clearly and being able to indicate them more easily to the outside world.
• Experiencing more feeling and pleasure in sexuality.
• Sometimes be able to experience different or more intense orgasms.

Read our blog about a mom’s experience after an Integral Pelvic Therapy session here .

IPT in preparation for pregnancy

IPT can be a good preparation during childbearing, pregnancy and/or birth. It is also very effective during childbirth. For example, if the dilation will not start.

After a traumatic childbirth or other traumatic event in the pelvis, IPT is a very gentle method to restore balance to this vulnerable area. By releasing physical, energetic, emotional and mental blockages, the body’s self-healing capacity is addressed and natural balance and vitality can be restored.

What does an Integral Pelvic Therapy® session cost?

You always start first with a comprehensive intake. The next time follows the 2-hour session of IPT. See here our team of IPT Practitioners.

Daphne and Mariëtte only offer trajectories in a series of 3 sessions after an intake. Maintenance sessions are possible after receiving at least 3 regular IPT sessions.

	MASTER PRACTITIONER	PRACTITIONER / MIDWIFE	PRACTITIONER
	Daphne van der Putten – Mariëtte Frits	Martine Boerma – Flo Joly de Lotbiniere	Daphne Hooiveld
Intake Integral Pelvic Therapy (approx. 1 hour)	€ 175	€ 175	€ 110
Integral Pelvic Therapy session (about 2 hours).	cannot be booked separately	€ 350	€ 245
Pathway intake + 3 sessions of Integral Pelvic Therapy	€ 1495
Maintenance session (approx. 1 hour)	€ 220	€ 180	€ 125
Maintenance session (approx. 2 hours)	€ 440

Fees for an IPT session are to be paid by debit card or payment request on the day of treatment. Payment for a course is made in a lump sum by pin, payment request or invoice. Appointments must be cancelled up to 48 hours in advance. After that we are obliged to charge the full amount.