Mindful Reflection as a Form of Reproductive Health Care
An Interview with Denell Barbara Nawrocki
Meet Denell Barbara Nawrocki. She has a BA in history and an MA in Integrative Health Studies. Denell works as a guide, teacher and speaker through her company Cervical Wellness, where she encourages women to “feel more empowered and in control of their reproductive health.” Healing, personal transformation, indigenous wisdom and plant medicine are the cornerstone of her work. Denell shared her thoughts with us, back in November 2019, on sexual-self reflection and its role in women’s reproductive health.
What she told us was so important, we knew we had to share it with our readers.
MSB: In your experience, what is the most common misunderstanding people have about their own reproductive health issues?
DBN: Over the last three years, I’ve received hundreds of stories of reproductive health issues from women all over the world. I’ve noticed that the most common misconception is a complete disregard of the impact our mental and emotional wellness has on our reproductive health.
Our personal beliefs, mindset, repressed traumas (both individual and familial), and sense of belonging all correspond and connect to our relationship to our body and reproductive organs. We so often want to pour all of our focus on the physical body and how to meet its needs (like nutrition, exercise, herbs, supplements- which are also very important), but it’s imperative that we also pay attention to the subtleties of our behaviors and felt-senses. These layers of awareness provide key clues and insights regarding the underlying cause of a diagnosis which act as sign-posts along your healing journey.
MSB: A lot of the work you do is based on mindful reflection, but how do you, personally, interpret the phrase “sexual self-reflection”?
DBN: To me, sexual-self reflection is the process and practice of actively remembering our sexual history for the purpose of integration. For many of us, our sexual history is replete with alcohol/drug-filled experiences, disassociated and numb experiences, or painful and difficult experiences.
When we don’t take the time that’s needed to process and integrate these experiences of our body, the energy remaining can wreak havoc on our self-esteem and self-worth, our immune systems, and the overall wellness of our reproductive system.
MSB: That’s really interesting. So if someone wants to integrate this practice into their routine and avoid these negative side effects, how might they do so?
DBN: One way someone might practice sexual self-reflection is by writing out their sexual timeline. I invite all my clients to do this, and it’s a very powerful practice. What this looks like is drawing a literal timeline on a piece of paper, and noting down the entirety of your sexual history on the timeline; the first kiss, the first time someone touched you sexually, first time having sex… Any notable sexual experiences (positive or negative). Spend as much time as you need to fully flush out the timeline. It may take a few days, a few weeks, or even a few months.
Once you feel you’re complete, I invite you to then take a step back and look at the timeline.
Where are there energetic charges? Where in your timeline do you need to focus some love and attention towards that version of your past self? What comes up for you when you look at your timeline?
Everything which emerges is only for healing.
MSB: That sounds a lot like what we preach here at MySexBio! Reflecting on your sexual timeline. Are there direct health benefits to this kind of mindfulness and reflection?
DBN: This kind of reflection helps us get clear as to what exactly we’re working within our body. Even if our mind chooses to forget or block something out, our Body never forgets. Very often we can be having strange symptoms or conditions that we don’t have any idea where they came from.
I’ve come to know that these strange symptoms/conditions are messages from the Voice of our Body that there’s remaining unwell energy within the system that must be looked at and processed. And once the energy has been looked at and processed, the symptoms/conditions go away on their own.
MSB: These techniques are pretty revolutionary! Do you see them as transformative in the way we will view reproductive health care moving forward?
DBN: Just within the last 3–5 years I’ve noticed a quickening in the desire for integrative and holistic reproductive health information. More and more people are getting fed up with the bureaucratic allopathic western medical model of medicine, and are searching for alternatives. Social media platforms like Instagram have been an incredible incubator for underground holistic health practitioners to get a word out in regards to different approaches and therapies for a whole range of reproductive health concerns. It’s a beautiful revolution to witness and be a part of.
I see the future of reproductive health as one of decentralization- where the approach is not a one-size-fits-all treatment but rather a whole-person approach with a variety of practitioners supporting along the way. I see a future where it’s recognized that human reproductive health mirrors the fertility of our planet Earth and that by tending to the Earth we’re tending to our bodies as well. The future I see is like a great web interconnecting all facets of our lives and knowing that when we heal other aspects of our lives, we’ll heal our bodies too. It’s all interconnected.
MSB: Can you describe how [reproductive health care] might play a part in shaping someone’s identity? And how might someone command that identity to be an empowering one?
DBN: When we allow ourselves to slow down and quiet down enough to notice the subtle layers of our body and being, we begin to recognize that we’ve actually had the answers all along. We’ve always known what we needed to do to help ourselves achieve the highest version of ourselves. This shapes our identity by giving ourselves full permission to be who we are- no pretense and no masks. There is no stopping someone when they’re courageously expressing who they actually are because they’re living for themselves and the healing only they can bring about for themselves.
When we choose to slow down, quiet the mind, and listen to the voice of the body through our feelings, sensations, and visions, we can tap into a deep well of wisdom that can only be found within ourselves. Our body wants to live and knows how to keep alive. When we rest in trusting our body to guide us the way, we open up to more joy and pleasure in every moment, which is in of itself, what we’re all looking for.