Reclaiming the Root: A Journey of Holistic Pelvic Care™ & Somatics - by Leigh Dennis, LMT
Reclaiming the Root: A Journey of Holistic Pelvic Care™ & Somatics - by Leigh Dennis, LMT
When I was 17 and applying to college, I sat in an unwelcoming bank office, sweaty and nervous, trying to explain to a man in a pinstripe shirt and tie why I thought Women’s Studies and Environmental Studies would be a logical double major. The year was 1992, the school was the University of Pennsylvania, and he was my assigned interviewer. He refused to give my words any meaning or power, and I let him take that from me. Needless to say, I did not get in.
Fast forward to now: I have earned a BA from another good school (thank you very much), learned countless life lessons, experienced the power of three home births, and gained the confidence of a middle-aged woman. I could talk all day about the link between our treatment of Mother Earth and our treatment of women’s bodies. About how the Feminine is alive and connected like a web among all living things. I still think about that 17-year-old girl, sitting in that cold chair, and wish I could give her a hug of understanding.
Instead, I bring these lessons to the women I work with—the confidence that they know what they need, that their body and spirit can align for healing, and the belief in intuition, deeper knowing, and connections beyond what we can see.
And the belief that healing women’s bodies will heal the greater living collective.
It is that belief which brought me to study Holistic Pelvic Care™ with Tami Lynn Kent. I wanted to reclaim the pelvic bowl, the root, and bring renewal and belonging to a space that has been called dirty, shameful, and smelly. A place that has been abused, disregarded, and stolen from us.
Holistic Pelvic Care returns us to the anchor of our bodies and clears the space for our grandmothers and our granddaughters. We reclaim the wisdom and power of the womb- this powerful seat of our intuition, creativity, and strength. (Whether we have children or not.)
Through gentle touch (including but not limited to: scar tissue work, abdominal massage, sacral manipulation), guided visualization, emotional and sometimes spiritual connection, we can clear away old traumas. We can manage chronic pain (that is often overlooked), disconnection, and dissociation. Together, we can face child loss, shame, and the life-altering effects of unwanted touch or violence.
There is, in fact, so much trauma in the pelvic bowl that I entered a three-year intensive trauma training, called Somatic Experiencing (SE), so I could best guide my clients to healing (and through my clients, the Feminine herself.) We use tools like pendulation, titration, and resourcing to feel and release the trauma without overwhelming the nervous system.
SE brings the emotional and clinical tools to navigate through difficult experiences, while bodywork addresses the muscle, tissue, and bone. Together, they work in concert to bring layers of relief and renewal to the feminine body.
And always, at the end of our sessions, we bring blessings and clearing to Mother Earth. We bring her honoring and all the gifts of our healing.
That 17-year-old girl might have lost her voice that day, but she never lost her mission.