From Hands-On Healing to Whole-Body Wisdom: A Holistic Doctor’s Journey Through Bodywork, Motherhood, and Health Reimagined

Long before I ever held my own child or began the deep, beautiful journey of motherhood, I was in love - with manual therapy.

As a residency and fellowship-trained orthopedic manual physical therapist, I began my career devoted to the subtle art and science of healing through touch. The human body fascinated me - its mechanics, alignment, and potential for recovery when supported properly. It was here, in this highly specialized field, that I learned how profoundly hands-on techniques could ease pain, restore function, and rebalance a person’s entire system.

What I didn’t know then was that this foundational work would one day become the anchor for a much broader and more personal calling.

The Manual Therapy Advantage in the Perinatal Journey

Many people associate orthopedic manual therapy with sports injuries or chronic back pain- but its power extends far beyond that. In the perinatal world, this form of therapy is a largely untapped treasure.

Manual therapy can play a pivotal role in:

• Fertility: By restoring pelvic and abdominal alignment, releasing fascial restrictions, and enhancing circulation to the reproductive organs, it supports the body’s natural capacity for conception.

• Pregnancy: As the body shifts dramatically, manual therapy can ease round ligament pain, sciatica, pubic symphysis dysfunction, and postural discomfort- providing relief without medication.

• Postpartum Recovery: From helping the core and pelvic floor re-integrate, to addressing birth trauma or scar tissue adhesions, this work restores mobility and optimizes healing.

• Baby’s Wellbeing: Gentle manual therapy techniques, such as craniosacral work, can help release tension from birth, support feeding and digestion, ease colic or latch issues, and promote nervous system regulation and healthy development from the start.

The Power of Touch in This Sacred Season

Beyond its structural benefits, manual therapy offers something much deeper: the power of touch.

In today’s fast-paced, high-tech world, safe, nurturing, intentional touch is often missing, yet it is vital during the childbearing year.

During pregnancy, a woman’s body is not just growing a baby; it’s undergoing profound emotional and energetic shifts. Gentle, skilled touch helps anchor her into her body, soothe her nervous system, and remind her that she’s not alone. It helps her feel held- not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually.

Bodywork is one of the most effective, non-verbal ways to regulate the nervous system. When the body is met with safety and presence through touch, it signals the brain that it’s okay to relax, receive, and restore. This shift from “fight or flight” into “rest and digest” allows healing to unfold on every level- from hormone balance to digestion, mood, and even immune function.

After birth, this need only deepens. I’ll never forget how much I longed to simply be held in my own postpartum experience. Not to be “fixed” or given more advice- but to be witnessed, supported, and touched with reverence.

Postpartum bodywork is also essential for recovery and integration, especially when birth has left behind physical trauma - such as perineal tearing, scar tissue, or interventions like forceps, vacuum assistance, or cesarean birth. These experiences can leave imprints in the tissue and nervous system that benefit profoundly from skilled, trauma-informed hands-on care.

And let’s not forget the baby. Infants, too, may carry tension or restriction patterns from birth- particularly if the delivery was long, fast, or involved interventions. Gentle bodywork for babies,such as craniosacral therapy or myofascial release, can help ease feeding issues, colic, latch difficulties, and promote better sleep and nervous system regulation from the very beginning.

The postpartum period is often called the “fourth trimester” for a reason. It is tender. Raw. Sacred. And yet, too many mothers move through it in isolation, depleted and disconnected. Through touch- whether it’s manual therapy, myofascial release, craniosacral work, or simply presence- we restore a sense of safety and belonging in the body. We begin the healing process from the inside out.

But after becoming a mother myself and navigating my own complex health challenges- as well as my daughter’s- I realized that physical alignment alone wasn’t the full answer.

Despite all my clinical training, I found myself without answers when my daughter began struggling with colic, eczema, reflux, and food allergies while I was breastfeeding her. The tools I had weren’t enough. Mainstream solutions felt incomplete, and I was piecing together remedies from both conventional and alternative sources, desperate for something that would work.

That’s when I began to explore a new frontier: the gut.

What I discovered transformed not just my family’s health, but my entire practice. I learned that the gut is more than just a digestive organ- it’s the command center for our immune system, our energy, our hormones, and even our mood. And most critically for perinatal women- it’s deeply interconnected with fertility, baby’s development through the microbiome, nutrient absorption, and epigenetic signaling.

I went on to integrate holistic nutrition, functional medicine testing, nervous system regulation, and emotional energetics into my work. I became fluent not just in structural healing, but in cellular, emotional, and spiritual healing too.

Why This Matters for Moms and Babies

When a mother is supported on all levels- physically, emotionally, energetically- her baby receives that regulation and resilience. Physical and gut health during pregnancy and postpartum affects everything from nutrient delivery and inflammation to mood, bonding, and even breast milk composition.

When we clear emotional blocks, soothe the nervous system, and nourish the body’s foundation, we don’t just help a mother feel better. We help her become the grounded, radiant version of herself that her baby intuitively needs.

This integrative approach is now at the heart of what I teach and offer through my programs, one-on-one services, and masterclasses. I believe every woman deserves access to this wisdom, no matter where she is on her journey.

To support women like you, I’ve created a free Masterclass Vault- a collection of powerful trainings that dive deeper into gut health, energy, emotional healing, and the perinatal body.

And I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be hosting a free Holistic Pregnancy Masterclass very soon. We’ll explore how to prepare your body, mind, and soul for pregnancy, birth, and beyond using practical, science-backed, and soul-aligned tools. I am also available for in-person sessions in Western MA and CT.

You don’t have to choose between traditional care and natural wisdom. You can have both. You can be held, informed, and empowered in every phase of motherhood.

Because healing isn’t about fixing what’s broken- it’s about remembering what’s whole.

Dr. Beata Harasim PT, DPT, FAAOMPT