Introduction to OVUM (IBOW Practice)

Endometriosis, PCOS, Fibroids and The Fertile Heart™ Ovum Birthing Practice

As my high school Latin teacher used to say: “Nihil novis sub sole” (nothing new under the sun). Or as Mark Twain put it, “Adam was the only man who when he came up with a good idea, knew that no one had said it before.” There are ten thousand roads that lead to the same Truth, seek expression through our insights, our actions, our lives. The underlying universal Truths of the IBOW practice might resemble any number of philosophies. My contribution is in the particular manner they have unfolded for me. The Fertile Heart™ Ovum Practice is in many ways my third child, which was conceived and nurtured and has grown organically in the last 20 years into a profound, systematic healing modality with its own language and specific tools.

When I first began to lead informal support groups in our apartment on the Upper West side of Manhattan, the grief, rage and sadness in the room was palpable. One day I started calling the abandoned parts of ourselves—mirrored in such feelings—our inner Orphans. The voices within us which, when ignored, attempt to get our attention through physical symptoms such as endometriosis, PCOS, fibroids.

As we began to use specific, carefully crafted imagery and other tools to work through the pain, and access the compassion within us, we were able to connect with another aspect of our nature. The unconditionally loving, wise voice which I eventually named the Ultimate Mom. And the liaison was the part of us that wanted to learn, and build a fulfilling, meaningful life, but didn’t necessarily know how to make it happen. For many years I called that voice, the Student. I was never quite happy with that title, and one night a much more fitting term came: Visionary. To my amazement, when I combined the first letter of each of these words, they formed OVUM, meaning ‘egg’ in Latin.

And that’s how my work got its name: The Fertile Heart™ Ovum Birthing Practice.

I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect acronym. After all, the one prerequisite for any healthy creation is at least one good egg. Conception begins with engaging in a life-long relationship with our inner Orphans, our Visionaries and our infinitely fertile and knowing Ultimate Mother.

Currently, the most thorough experiential introduction of the Ovum Fertility Practice is the seven hour workshop offered in our studio in Woodstock, New York (check the Events page for the next workshop). The Body Truth CD and the Fertile Heart™ Imagery 2 CD offer a most in-depth discussion of the Ovum concept.

You may also want to take a look at the guidance on our Starting the Fertile Heart (IBOW) Program.

Adapted from the 2012 revised edition of The Fertile Female. All rights reserved.