How Fertility Massage Works

Clare Blake Fertility Massage

Improving fertility is about a number of factors, both emotional and physical, and one of the valued practitioners I work with is Clare Blake, who specialises in fertility massage. It is a practice that a number of my clients have benefitted from, but to explain more, here’s Clare!

How did you start working in fertility massage?

I have been a body worker for over 16 years, I am also a trained naturopath in Australia and I studied the Billings Ovulation Method, which is about understanding the mucus through the menstrual cycle. I got into fertility massage because I wanted to work in a very intuitive, feminine way with women. I was present with a lot of women when they gave birth and I wanted to work with them to welcome their babies with energy and enthusiasm, to change the approach to childbirth. What I realized is that if you have a good relationship with the body when you get pregnant it improves the pregnancy and the relationship with the baby once it’s born as well.

What does the massage involve?

The initial consultation is 90 minutes, and during that I go through the client’s case history, asking about physical and emotional complications. Then they lie back and the massage focuses on the digestive system, sacrum and reproductive systems, all of which are all linked, so if someone has problems with constipation it’s likely they will have other concerns. I start the massage on the back and then move from the pubic bone up to the rib cage, getting the digestive system working, the blood flowing and activating the immune system (80% of which is in gut area and has an impact on reproduction).

How does it work?

There are three key modalities I have brought into the massage – womb massage, pulsing (gentle, rhythmic, dance like massage which is the same as the heartbeat), and a wrap at the end. The process brings people into a calmer space and slows down the energy – the rocking of the pulsing massage works on releasing tension in the connective tissue that wraps around all the organs in the body, and circulation is increased. At the end of the massage you are left wrapped up in a cocoon, in your own space for a while, and the unwrapping is like a ceremony or emergence from that space so you can leave everything before the massage behind. You see, every time we go through stress or trauma we disconnect from our bodies and the wrapping is about bringing you back to being whole again.

To what extent is it about working on the physical and emotional?

The physical is important but the emotion is a huge part of it. Austrian psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich, who worked with Freud, noted that just talking about problems doesn’t clear them. If you have body work done it has a much deeper effect. People come to me and say they have been for counseling and they have dealt with whatever concern was bothering them, but then it comes up again in the massage because it works at releasing those emotions. It’s not just for women trying for babies, it’s really about womb healing, it works at a deeper level and I often find I work with women who have suffered abuse and childhood trauma.

In practical terms how does it work physically?

The key things are that it targets direct circulation into the womb and ovaries, improves digestion by breaking down hardened faeces, gets rid of waste and generally makes it all work better. It also breaks down tension, scar tissue and adhesions, and can also correcting any misalignment of the womb, which is a common problem. I would usually refer people to also incorporate nutritional and herbal support on their fertility journey as well because the combination works extremely well together.

Why do women come to you?

A lot of women come to me and say they want to reclaim their bodies and reclaim their femininity. They are women with normal 9-5 jobs – lawyers, accountants, police officers, and they feel like they need to reconnect with their femininity. I often find that people who are at a sticking point in their life and don’t know where they want to go also come to me, and of course in large part, women who are looking to improve their fertility. While there are always people who come along as part of a box checking exercise on their fertility journey, the people I really love working with have a deeper understanding of it all and really want to connect.

My next event is a retreat in April which focuses on preconception health which Clare is a part of (also in attendance will be consultant gynaecologist Dr Marcellina Coker). She will be talking more on fertility massage and those who attend will have an opportunity to try a session with her (included in retreat costs). If you would like to attend the retreat, please click on the link below for further details.

Peace & fabulous health!

 

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