Daphne van der Putten, Owner, Founder of Integral Pelvic Therapy, Midwife, Instructor, IPT-Practitioner

A midwife through and through, dedicated, caring, loving, skilled, and strong. For years, she has been guiding women through the special process of pregnancy and birth. In addition, she is an entrepreneur with a passionate vision. She makes connections where others do not see them, with equality and freedom as essential principles.

My name is Daphne van der Putten. I am, in addition to being a creative entrepreneur, a midwife at heart and in spirit. My sources of inspiration are Ina May Gaskin, Michel Odent, and Sheila Kitzinger. These birth professionals not only possess profound knowledge about the female body and the birthing process, but they also honor a woman’s inner wisdom. They advocate for the unfolding of autonomous birth (i.e., without unnecessary external interference). Female empowerment and body wisdom have always been the common thread in my career.

I assist women in their journey of body awareness, enabling them to perceive and respond to their bodies, emotions, and boundaries.

Medical Background

I graduated as a midwife in 2009. I completed my education in Belgium and worked as a caseload midwife in a small midwifery practice. We provided care for home and hospital births. After a while, I felt a desire to delve into more complex issues that can arise during childbirth, so I started working as a clinical midwife. I later worked at an academic hospital, the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital in Utrecht, where I assisted with complicated births that required specialized knowledge and care. I became a certified neonatal life support trainer, a basic life support trainer, and a certified hypnobirthing instructor during my time there.

I always tried to bridge the gap between the medical and complementary worlds during my time in the hospital, something I continue to do with passion!

I now work as a midwife at Dana Centrum, which I co-founded with Mariëtte Frits. There, along with my wonderful colleagues, I assist with home and hospital births. I prefer to work in a flexible manner, free from rigid protocols, but always respecting scientific knowledge. Currently, I support my fellow midwives at Dana Centrum in case of illness or vacations and occasionally assist a small number of clients each month as a caseload midwife.

In addition to my work as a midwife and bodyworker, I am the proud mother of three sons, currently aged 14, 19, and 22. I am very proud of them and feel grateful and blessed every day that they are healthy and happy!

Spiritual Development

My spiritual journey runs parallel to my professional development, and I have taken various courses in this area, including learning to pray and meditate. I embraced the beautiful concept of humans as sexual beings through various tantra training. I learned to feel without judgment and to accept all emotions, allowing everything within me to be as it is, without wanting to change it, be it joy and ecstasy or discomfort and pain.

De-armouring

Through my spiritual journey, I came into contact with de-armouring, a method to release the body from stored blockages as a defense mechanism.

One of my teachers is Susanne Roursgaard (Gaia Method). She provided me with a solid theoretical and practical foundation in the field of internal and external de-armouring for both women and men. Afterward, I began delving deeper into the importance of connective tissue (fascia) in releasing tension in the body. I trained with several friendly osteopaths to broaden my practical knowledge of the external pelvic area.

I also took some training in Myofascial Energetic Release from Satyarthi Peloquin and Roland Engelbracht. In 2017, I had the opportunity to take the Holistic Pelvic Care™ training, developed by Tami Lynn Kent. She is a pioneer in intimate bodywork, and I learned a lot from her. My practical knowledge regarding the pelvis deepened in this setting. I learned how to work on a structural level, such as working with fascia and resolving tension patterns, as well as using visualization techniques to replace a trauma imprint in the pelvis with a healthy one. This is especially useful after childbirth.

Integral Pelvic Therapy®

All these different techniques and theoretical approaches have left their mark on my role as a therapist in the field of women’s health. Through this, I developed my own way of working, a blend of mindful touch, fascia and trigger point release, emotional bodywork, and energetic techniques.

In January 2018, I decided to stop working as a midwife in the hospital to fully dedicate myself to my practice as a bodyworker, specializing in pregnancy and childbirth. My approach received a name: Integral Pelvic Therapy®.

Together with my friend and wise woman Mariëtte Frits, we developed the Integral Pelvic Therapy® Education training for professionals. The training is now accredited by CRKBO, KTNO, BATC, and KNOV. We also established the professional association Integral Pelvic Therapy Association (IPTA). Our mission is to make holistic bodywork more accessible within the conventional system so that it can be accessible to every woman in the future.

I’m proud that I’ve found my own path, that I can work from my heart and pelvis, and that I have the support of family and friends. I’m grateful for the respect of my fellow bodyworkers, midwives, and doctors. Everything seems to fall into place as my path continues to unfold.

Childbirth: My vision of childbirth is based on trust. Trust in yourself and trust in the process. Freedom of choice and the feeling of an embodied consent are prerequisites for birthing in confidence. It’s essential to me that I can work with you as a client on an equal basis, where I can guide and advise based on my expertise, and where you can feel and decide at each step whether you want something or not.

I find guiding this process enriching every time. It’s an honor to be so close to the transformative experience of birth, as a midwife, as a coach, as a sister. To provide you with proper guidance in this process, it’s important to me that you feel the willingness to delve deep into yourself and examine your own frame of mind about yourself, your relationship, and birth in general. 

I believe that childbirth can be a profoundly spiritual experience and should therefore be approached with awareness, holistic, and attentive care.

BIG-Code: 999 133 82 703