Second perinatal matrix. Grof matrices

Have you heard about the theory of basic perinatal matrices? Its creator is the famous Czech psychiatrist Stanislav Grof. It was he who came up with the idea that all received perinatal impressions associated with the main stages of the birth of a child do not disappear without a trace, but are recorded in the form of prototypes. And on the basis of this received base, the psyche and the future develop. Does it seem incredible? Agree. However, this concept is very interesting and that is why we will look at it in more detail.

It is very important for a baby to feel that he is loved and waited for.

So, first basic perinatal matrix covers the most important thing at this time - the physiological and psychological comfort of the baby. If the child is loved and desired, the parents are looking forward to his birth, the pregnancy proceeds without any pathological abnormalities, poisoning with toxic substances (including alcohol, nicotine), then the matrix is ​​filled with a feeling of joy, calm, safety, goodwill.

Information subsequently shapes a person’s self-esteem, comfort in society, the ability to find contact with people, optimism and even sexual orientation. There are people with the so-called “happiness syndrome” - the ability to be happy always, under any circumstances. This means that they have successfully formed the first matrix. On the basis of this perinatal experience in the future, consciousness will filigree all new types of emotions and character traits.

The child must go through his birth journey on his own

Second matrix formed during contractions. The baby has his first stressful experience: the world around remains the same, but at the same time, something is no longer right, pain occurs from compression of the walls of the uterus, the release of the mother’s stress hormones, hypoxia and lack of nutrients.

At this stage, it is important who exactly stimulated the onset of labor: the baby himself or the doctors artificially. If labor began on the initiative of the child, then in the future it will be easy for him to make independent decisions. During the natural course of the process, a matrix of patience, resistance to life’s troubles, and the ability to self-analysis is formed. If something goes wrong, a pathological victim matrix is ​​formed. The use of anesthesia at this stage is fraught with a rapidly developing dependence on potent substances in the future.

Third basic perinatal matrix covers the period of pushing. This is a time of struggle and overcoming obstacles. The baby acts, and the mother tries to help him. This matrix is ​​responsible for the child’s future ability to solve life’s troubles, his hard work, determination, and perseverance. The use of anesthesia and stimulants at this stage does not give the child the opportunity to realize himself, so in the future such a person will not be able to independently find a way out of critical situations.

Fourth perinatal matrix Grof called the “phase of experiencing death and rebirth” - this is the immediate birth of a child and the first hours after it. However, the formation of this matrix in some cases can last a lifetime.

The negative experience of matrices can be erased with love, care, education

The ordeal is over, and his well-being and self-esteem, attitude to reality, his own capabilities and abilities depend on how he accepted the baby. It is very important to restore what was lost and return to familiar, comfortable conditions of existence. That is why a newborn baby is not immediately separated from the mother in labor, but is placed on his stomach and given the breast so that the child can hear the usual heartbeat, a familiar voice, feel the warmth of the body, and most importantly, boundless love and the joy of birth. At such moments, he understands that he went through all the tests not in vain, that now everything will be fine, and the main thing is that they love and wait for him.

In the case of artificial birth or caesarean section, the child does not go through all the matrices, but immediately goes from the first to the fourth. Grof believes that such people are haunted by a feeling of dissatisfaction with life, due to a lack of impressions from their own birth experience. Such individuals have a hard time making independent decisions; they “go with the flow,” led by someone else’s hand.

Be that as it may, there are medical indications for medical intervention in the natural process of childbirth. If they were, do not be upset, because negative matrices can be compensated for by attention and all-consuming love for your child.

Photo by Ekaterina Shulyak

Perinatal Matrices

Today I would like to talk to you about where the roots of most problems, complexes, illnesses and fears come from. About the psychology of childbirth. We work through all the problems of this period with people on ours, in particular at the seminar “Healing Women. The First Discovery of Power.”

Stanislav Grof most consistently characterized the condition of the child from conception to birth. Stanislav Grof is an American physician and psychologist of Czech origin, one of the founders of transpersonal psychology. In the concept of prenatal (antenatal) human existence he created, four main periods are identified, which are stored in the human subconscious. Grof calls them basic prenatal matrices (BPMs) and characterizes in detail what happens on each of these matrices, what the child experiences, what are the features of living in each of these matrices, and how BPMs can influence human behavior in later life. Each matrix forms a unique strategy for relating to the world, others, and oneself.

PERINATAL MATRIX I

Primordial unity with the mother (intrauterine experience before the onset of labor)

This matrix refers to the initial state of intrauterine existence, during which the child and mother form a symbiotic union. If there are no harmful effects, the environment for the child is optimal, taking into account safety, protection, a suitable environment and the satisfaction of all needs.

First perinatal matrix: “Matrix of naivety”

When its formation begins is not very clear. Most likely, it requires the presence of a formed cerebral cortex in the fetus - i.e. 22-24 weeks of pregnancy. Some authors suggest cellular memory, wave memory, etc. In this case, the matrix of naivety begins to form immediately after conception and even before it. This matrix forms a person’s life potential, his potential, and ability to adapt. Desired children, children of the desired sex, have a higher base psychic potential during a healthy pregnancy, and this observation was made by humanity many centuries ago.

9 months in the womb, from the moment of conception to the moment contractions begin - HEAVEN.

Even the very moment of conception is imprinted in our psyche. Ideally, a child lives in conditions that correspond to our idea of ​​​​Paradise: complete protection, the same temperature, constant satiety, lightness (floats as if in weightlessness).

The normal first BPM is that we love and know how to relax, rest, rejoice, accept love, it stimulates us to develop.

A traumatized first BPM can subconsciously form the following behavioral programs:

In case of an unwanted pregnancy, the program “I’m always at the wrong time” is formed. You've probably met such people
If parents were thinking about abortion - fear of death, the program “As soon as I relax, they will kill me.” These people have been unable to relax since childhood; they even have toned muscles from birth.
With toxicosis (preeclampsia) - “your joy makes me sick,” or “how can you develop when children die of hunger.” This happens because the mother, for one reason or another, could not accept her pregnancy.
If my mother was sick, “if I relax, I’ll get sick.” Such thoughts also do not allow you to relax
So, the first matrix that Grof talks about is the long period from conception to the preparation of the mother’s body for childbirth. This is the time of the “golden age”. If the course of pregnancy is not complicated by psychological, physical or other problems, if the mother desires and loves this child, he will feel very good and comfortable in her womb. He is nourished by his mother in the literal and figurative sense - not only depending on her physically, but also spiritually - with her love. This period ends (one would like to say that all good things come to an end!) with the appearance of warning chemical signals in the body, and then mechanical contractions of the uterus. The primary and habitual balance and harmony of existence are disrupted, and the child experiences psychological discomfort for the first time.

PERINATAL MATRIX II

Antagonism with mother (contractions in a closed uterus)

The second perinatal matrix refers to the first clinical stage of labor. Intrauterine existence, close to ideal under normal conditions, is coming to an end. The world of the fetus is disrupted, at first insidiously - through chemical influences, later in a rough mechanical way - by periodic contractions. This creates a situation of complete uncertainty and threat to life with various signs of bodily discomfort. At this stage, uterine contractions affect the fetus, but the cervix is ​​still closed and there is no way out. Mother and child become a source of pain for each other and enter into biological conflict.

Second Perinatal Matrix: “The Sacrifice Matrix”

It is formed from the moment of the onset of labor until the moment of complete or almost complete dilatation of the cervix. Approximately corresponds to the 1st stage of labor. The child experiences the pressure of contractions, some hypoxia, and the “exit” from the uterus is closed. In this case, the child partially regulates his own labor by releasing his own hormones into the mother’s bloodstream through the placenta. If the load on the child is too high, there is a danger of hypoxia, then he can somewhat slow down his labor in order to have time to compensate. From this point of view, labor stimulation disrupts the natural process of interaction between mother and fetus and forms a pathological matrix of the victim. On the other hand, the mother’s fear, fear of childbirth provokes the release of stress hormones by the mother, spasm of the placental vessels occurs, fetal hypoxia, and then the victim matrix is ​​also formed pathological. During a planned caesarean section this matrix cannot be formed, but during an emergency it is formed

From the beginning of contractions to the beginning of pushing - EXILEMENT FROM PARADISE or THE ARCHETYPE OF THE VICTIM

The second BPM begins from the moment contractions begin until the cervix is ​​fully opened and pushing begins. At this moment, the compression force of the uterus is about 50 kilograms; imagine that the body of a 3 kilogram child can withstand such pressure. Grof called this matrix “Victim” because the state of a victim is when it’s bad, you’re under pressure and there’s no way out. At the same time, a feeling of guilt arises (expulsion from Paradise), the blame is taken upon oneself: “I was bad and I was expelled.” The development of love trauma is possible (loved, and then hurt and pushed out). This matrix develops passive strength (“you can’t take me with your bare hands, I’m strong”), patience, perseverance, and the ability to survive. A person knows how to wait, endure, endure the inconveniences of life.

The negatives of this matrix are divided into two groups: when it is not there (caesarean: planned and emergency) and when it is excessive.

If the first matrix is ​​insufficient, a person does not have enough patience; it is difficult for him, for example, to sit through a lesson or lecture, or to endure an unpleasant situation in his life. The influence of anesthesia leads to “freezing” in life situations that require patience. With an emergency caesarean section (when there were contractions and then they stopped), it is difficult for a person to complete the job. During rapid labor, a person tries to solve problems very quickly, “at once,” and if something doesn’t work out, give up.
If there is an excess of the second matrix (long labor), a person plays a strong role of the Victim throughout life, he attracts situations when he is “pressed”, put under pressure, either by his superiors or in his family, he suffers, but at the same time subconsciously feels comfortable in this role . During labor stimulation, the program “until they push me, I will not do anything” is written down.
After a period that is meant to be a time of bliss, calm, silence, peace, “rocking in the ocean of the mother’s womb,” comes the time of testing. The fetus is periodically compressed by uterine spasms, but the system is still closed - the cervix is ​​not dilated, exit is not available. The womb, which has been protective and safe for so long, becomes threatening. Since the arteries supplying the placenta penetrate the muscles of the uterus in a complex way, each contraction limits the flow of blood, and therefore oxygen, nutrition for the baby. He begins to experience a pervasive feeling of increasing anxiety and a sense of impending danger to life. Grof believes that at this stage the newborn baby experiences a state of horror and hopelessness.

It is surprising that each person experiences this stage differently. Someone “makes a decision” to look for a way out and subordinates his entire fortune to this search. Someone shrinks in horror and makes every effort to return to their former peace. Someone falls into a state of inaction, experiencing a kind of paralysis. Some psychologists draw parallels between this matrix of intrauterine development and how in adult life a person begins to react to changed situations. The way an adult experiences a state of increasing anxiety, how he solves the problems of impending danger - the roots of his behavior, perhaps, are in the decision that he “made” in the mother’s womb.

PERINATAL MATRIX III

Synergy with mother (pushing through the birth canal)

This matrix is ​​associated with the second clinical stage of labor. The contractions continue, but the cervix is ​​already wide open, and the difficult and complex process of pushing the fetus through the birth canal gradually begins. For a child, this means a serious struggle for survival with crushing mechanical pressure and often suffocation. But the system is no longer closed, and the prospect of ending the intolerable situation arises. The efforts and interests of the child and mother coincide. Their joint intense desire is aimed at ending this largely painful condition.

Third Perinatal Matrix: “The Matrix of Struggle”

Approximately corresponds to the 2nd stage of labor. It is formed from the end of the opening period until the birth of the child. It characterizes a person’s activity at moments in life when something depends on his active or expectant position. If the mother behaved correctly during the period of pushing, helped the child, if he felt that during the period of struggle he was not alone, then in later life his behavior will be adequate to the situation. During caesarean section, both planned and emergency, the matrix does not appear to be formed, although this is controversial. Most likely, it corresponds to the moment the child is removed from the uterus during the operation.

Pushing and childbirth – LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL – MATRIX OF STRUGGLE or THE HERO’S PATH

The third BPM covers the period of pushing, when the baby moves from the uterus along the birth canal. Normally this lasts 20-40 minutes. In this matrix, active strength (“I will fight and cope”), determination, courage, courage are developed

The negatives of this matrix can also be either its excess or its deficiency.

With a caesarean section, rapid labor, or pushing a child out, people subsequently do not know how to fight; when a situation of struggle arises, they must be pushed in the back. Children intuitively develop this matrix in fights and conflicts: he fights, he is beaten.
The excess of the third matrix is ​​manifested in the fact that for these people their whole life is a struggle, they fight all the time, they always find themselves against someone and with whom.
If at the same time asphyxia develops (the child was born blue or white), a huge feeling of guilt arises and in life this manifests itself in playing with death, in a deadly struggle (revolutionaries, rescuers, submariners, extreme sports...).
With the clinical death of a child in the third BPM, a hidden suicide program arises.
If obstetric forceps were used, someone's help is needed in action, but on the other hand, he is afraid of this help, because it is painful.
With breaks, there is a fear of one’s own strength, a feeling of guilt, a program “as soon as I use my strength, it will cause harm, pain.”
When giving birth in a breech position, people tend to do everything in an unusual way in life.
The third stage is associated with the dilatation of the cervix. An exit option appears. A very important point in psychological terms - first a person makes a decision - to look for a way out or not, and only then does the possibility of a way out appear! At this time, the child is doomed to begin the “struggle for survival.” Regardless of whether he “made” the decision to go out or try with all his might to preserve the situation, uterine contractions push him out. He begins to gradually move along the birth canal. His body is subjected to crushing mechanical pressure, lacking oxygen and suffocating. Grof notes that these circumstances make him similar to mythological characters passing through complex labyrinths, or fairy-tale heroes making their way through impenetrable thickets. If the psyche has the courage to overcome obstacles, if the internal determination to overcome has already matured, then passing through the birth canal will become the child’s first experience of a purposeful path. There is only one way - you have to be born. But how a person overcomes this path, whether they help him along the path or not - according to the author of the theory, much depends on these circumstances in his future life.

According to Grof, it is during this period that the foundations of most behavioral, psychological and, as a consequence, social problems are laid. The first serious test in life, which a person was unable to overcome on his own, because someone “came to his aid”, lays the foundation for expecting help from others in the future. When a child is born from the family womb, psychologically separated from his parents, taking upon himself the burden of independently establishing social relationships, he “remembers” the experience of his own birth.

PERINATAL MATRIX IV

Separation from the mother (termination of the symbiotic union with the mother and the formation of a new type of relationship)

This matrix refers to the third clinical stage of labor. The painful experience reaches its climax, the pushing through the birth canal comes to an end, and now extreme tension and suffering are replaced by unexpected relief and relaxation. The period of breath holding and, as a rule, insufficient oxygen supply ends. The baby takes his first deep breath and his airway opens. The umbilical cord is cut, and the blood that previously circulated through the umbilical cord vessels is directed to the pulmonary area. The physical separation from the mother is complete and the child begins its existence as an anatomically independent being. After the physiological balance is again established, the new situation turns out to be incomparably better than the two previous ones, but in some very important aspects it is worse than the original undisturbed primary unity with the mother. The child’s biological needs are not met on a continuous basis, and there is no constant protection from temperature changes, irritating noises, changes in light intensity, or unpleasant tactile sensations.

Fourth perinatal matrix: “Freedom Matrix”

It begins from the moment of birth and its formation ends either in the first 7 days after birth, or in the first month, or it is created and revised throughout a person’s life. Those. a person throughout his life reconsiders his attitude to freedom and his own capabilities, taking into account the circumstances of his birth. Different researchers estimate the duration of the formation of the 4th matrix differently. If for some reason a child is separated from his mother after birth, then in adulthood he may regard freedom and independence as a burden and dream of returning to the matrix of innocence.

From the moment of birth to 3-9 days – FREEDOM + LOVE

This matrix covers the period from the moment the baby is born until 5-7 days after birth. After the hard work and experiences of childbirth, the child is freed, loved and accepted. Ideally, the mother should take the child in her arms, give the breast, the child needs to feel care, love, security and freedom, relief. Unfortunately, in our maternity hospitals, only in recent years have they begun to think about and implement the principles of the non-traumatic fourth matrix. Most of us, unfortunately, subconsciously associate freedom with cold, pain, hunger, and loneliness. I strongly recommend that everyone read Leboye’s book “Birth Without Violence,” which very vividly describes a child’s experiences during childbirth.

In connection with the birth experience, we also determine the experience of love in our lives. You can love according to the first BPM and the fourth. Love according to the first BPM is reminiscent of placing a loved one in an artificial womb: “I am everything to you, why do you need others - you have me, let’s do everything together...” However, such love always ends, and after a conditional 9 months a person is ready to die, but break free. Love on the fourth BPM is a combination of love and freedom, unconditional love, when you love no matter what the other person does and give him the freedom to do whatever he wants. Unfortunately, for many of us this is extremely difficult.

There are also other traumatic situations associated with childbirth, for example:

if the child was expected to be a boy or a girl, but he was born of a different gender, a trauma of gender identity arises (“will I live up to my parents’ hopes”). Often these people try to be the other gender.
If a premature baby is placed in an incubator, then a barrier subconsciously arises between itself and the world.
In the case of the birth of twins, a person needs the feeling that someone is nearby; during childbirth, the second one experiences the trauma of abandonment, that he was betrayed, left behind, and the first one experiences guilt that he abandoned him, left him behind.
If the mother had abortions before this child, they are recorded in the psyche of this child. You can experience the fear of violent death and feelings of guilt, the fear of giving yourself freedom (in case they kill you again).
Pain relief during childbirth can leave the program that my pain is not felt or stupefied.
The fourth period is childbirth itself. Grof believes that this is the completion of the feat. A sharp change in all previous conditions of existence - a transition from a water to an air type of existence, a change in temperature, the action of a strong irritant - light, the action of atmospheric pressure - all these conditions together cause severe stress to the entire organism of a newborn. According to most psychologists, it is birth shock that allows the child’s psyche to develop so intensively in the first three years of life. There is an opinion that a person is never as close to death as at the moment of birth. And at the same time, it is after this test that the impossible in other periods of life becomes possible. Within three years after his birth, any child carries out an intellectual program that is beyond the capabilities of even a Nobel laureate. And the feat of birth is one of the main reasons for such achievements.

Rapid labor, caesarean section, premature birth are extremely stressful for the child, which, according to Grof, will then negatively affect his psyche and physiology. But full breastfeeding for up to a year, good care and love can compensate for negative prenatal matrices. And a loving mother knows and feels this without any theories.

It is likely that each stage of biological birth has a specific additional spiritual component. For a serene intrauterine existence, this is an experience of cosmic unity; the onset of labor parallels the experience of a feeling of all-encompassing absorption; the first clinical stage of labor, contraction in a closed uterine system, corresponds to the experience of “no escape” or hell; pushing through the birth canal in the second clinical stage of labor has its spiritual counterpart in the struggle between death and rebirth; the metaphysical equivalent of the completion of the birth process and the events of the third clinical stage of labor is the experience of the death of the Ego and rebirth.

The first matrix has a special meaning. The process of its formation is determined by the most complex processes of development of the fetus, its nervous system, sensory organs, and various motor reactions. It is the first matrix that makes the body of the fetus and the newborn child capable of forming complex mental acts; for example, in the normal position of the fetus, it reflects the biological unity of the fetus and mother. Under ideal conditions, this is the case, and the resulting matrix is ​​manifested by the absence of boundaries of consciousness, “oceanic consciousness” connected “with mother nature”, which provides food, security, “bliss”. Under the influence of unfavorable factors during the first months and years of life, symptoms may appear, the content of which will be unconscious danger, “inhospitability of nature,” perverted perceptions with a paranoid tinge.

It is assumed that if such a person develops a mental disorder in adulthood, the main symptoms will be paranoid disorders and hypochondria. With various complications during pregnancy (hypoxia of the intrauterine fetus, emotional breakdowns in the mother during pregnancy, threat of miscarriage, etc.), memories of a “bad womb”, paranoid thinking, unpleasant bodily sensations (trembling and spasms, “hangover” syndrome) are formed. disgust, feeling of depression, hallucinations in the form of meeting with demonic forces, etc.).

The second matrix is ​​formed over a relatively short period of time (4-5 hours) as contractions intensify. For the first time after a period of “bliss” and security, the fetus begins to experience strong external pressure and aggression. Activation of this matrix under the influence of unfavorable factors throughout a person’s subsequent life can lead to the detection in the patient’s nervous system, i.e. in memory of situations that threaten the survival or integrity of the human body. It is also possible to experience being in a closed space, apocalyptic visions of a world ominously painted in dark colors, a feeling of suffering, being trapped, a hopeless situation with no end in sight, a feeling of guilt and inferiority, the meaninglessness and absurdity of human existence, unpleasant bodily manifestations (a feeling of oppression and pressure, heart failure, fever and chills, sweating, difficulty breathing).

Of course, all statements about matrices are largely a hypothesis, but the hypothesis received some confirmation in the study of patients who underwent cesarean section. The latter leads to the fact that a child born by caesarean section does not pass the 3rd and 4th matrices. This means that these matrices cannot manifest themselves in a subsequent life.

S. Grof, who specifically dealt with this issue, concludes that “having reached the level of birth, under hypnosis, those who were born by Caesarean section report a feeling of wrongness, as if they were comparing the way they came into this world with some phylogenetic or an archetypal matrix showing what the birth process should be. It’s amazing how they clearly miss the experience of a normal birth - the challenge and stimulus it contains, the encounter with an obstacle, the triumphant exit from a constricting space.”

Of course, this knowledge served as the basis for the development of special techniques. When giving birth by caesarean section, transpersonal psychologists believe that in order to eliminate the consequences of an unexpected severance of contact with the mother, a number of special measures must be taken immediately after birth (lay the baby on his stomach, place him in slightly warmed water, etc.) and then the newborn develops “ psychologically favorable impression of the world.”

At the same time, it is known that experienced obstetricians have long been striving (in the absence of fetal suffering) during a cesarean section to restrain the rapid extraction of the newborn, because this, through the reticular formation, contributes to the inclusion of the respiratory system, more precisely, the first breath of the newborn.

Recognition of the role of perinatal matrices makes it possible to come to the fundamentally important conclusion that in the womb the fetus lives its own mental life. Of course, the latter is limited by the unconscious mental, but, nevertheless, the fetus can register its own mental processes occurring during childbirth. Knowledge of the pattern of activation of matrices allows us to predict the symptoms of the development of the clinical picture in specific conditions of exposure to harmful factors.

Ways to transmit information

If we recognize that the fetus and newborn have the opportunity to record information about the perinatal period for life, then the question immediately arises about the ways of transmitting this information from the pregnant woman to the fetus and back. According to modern ideas, there are 3 main ways:

1. Traditional - through the uteroplacental blood flow. Hormones are transmitted through the placenta, the levels of which are partly controlled by emotions. These are, for example, stress hormones, endorphins, etc.

2. Wave - electromagnetic radiation of organs, tissues, individual cells, etc. in narrow ranges. For example, there is a hypothesis that an egg in favorable conditions can accept not any sperm, but only one that matches its characteristics of electromagnetic radiation. The zygote (fertilized egg) also notifies the mother's body of its appearance at the wave level, and not at the hormonal level. Also, the mother’s diseased organ emits “wrong” waves to the fetus, and the corresponding organ in the unborn child may also develop pathologically.

3. Aquatic - through the aqueous environment of the body. Water can be an energy-informational conductor, and the mother can transmit some information to the fetus simply through the fluid media of the body.

The electromagnetic field of a pregnant woman operates in the millimeter range, changes in accordance with environmental changes and plays the role of one of the adaptation mechanisms. The child, in turn, also exchanges information with the mother in the same range.

It is interesting that the problem of surrogacy can be viewed from a completely different angle. A surrogate mother carrying someone else's (genetically) child for 9 months inevitably influences him informationally, and this turns out to be partially her child. A child being carried also influences its biological stepmother.

So, after reading the research of Stanislav Grof, you can understand where you or your children may have certain health or behavior problems. Unfortunately, in our country they are only now beginning to develop a humane approach to pregnancy and obstetric care, and parents, having the opportunity to protect themselves, can plan the desired pregnancy. This means that there will be fewer people who were injured at such an early age.

Put everything aside for a minute, close your eyes and try to remember your first childhood memories. How old were you? What do you remember?

Stanislav Grof, one of the founders of transpersonal psychology and the theory of perinatal matrices, believes that in the depths of the subconscious are stored memories of our intrauterine life, development, and all stages of childbirth.

We remember not only bodily sensations, but also emotions of high intensity and intensity. These memories leave a deep trace in the psyche—the unconscious—that influences one’s future fate: shaping behavioral patterns, attitudes toward the world, toward oneself, toward people around him, and even a predisposition to diseases.

Sometimes we catch ourselves feeling that we are “stepping on the same rake”, “running in circles”, from which it is difficult to escape, sometimes we are overwhelmed by strange inexplicable feelings and vague images... And we do not understand what is happening, where This? Often the reason may lie in the mystery of birth.

“When we return to the experience of birth through deep self-exploration, we find that the memory of each stage of labor is associated with different experiential patterns that are characterized by a particular combination of emotions, physical sensations and symbolic images. I call these patterns the basic perinatal matrices.” (c) S. Grof.

Grof identifies four basic perinatal matrices.

I would like to note that the theory of perinatal matrices is not considered scientific now, since no experimental data have been obtained to confirm it.

Stages of development and birth and their correspondence to basic perinatal matrices (BPM)

BPM 1, "Naivety Matrix". It is formed from the moment of conception and continues throughout pregnancy until the first contraction.

BPM 2, "Victim Matrix". Forms from the first contraction until the cervix is ​​fully dilated, normally lasts 4-5 hours (up to 10 at the first birth)

BPM 3, "Struggle Matrix". It is formed from the moment the cervix is ​​fully dilated until the birth of the child, lasting from 20 minutes to 2 hours during the first birth.

BPM 4, "Freedom Matrix". It is formed from the moment the child is born and lasts up to 3-9 days.

Let us consider in detail human development from conception to the first days of life.

BPM 1. “The Matrix of Naivety”, “The Matrix of Paradise”.

This is the matrix of unity between child and mother. The whole world, the whole universe for a child during nine months of pregnancy is the uterus. The child is in a state of protection, at an ideal comfortable temperature, always well-fed, in a comfortable, relaxed position. All his needs are met. These are oceanic experiences of complete serenity and calm.

With a normal pregnancy and if the child is desired, the ability to accept oneself, rejoice, relax, develop, and feel like a part of nature is formed.

BPM injuries 1.

The threat of abortion, miscarriage, toxicosis and illness of the mother create a fear of death, a feeling of uselessness, and an inability to relax. “No one needs me,” “If I relax, I will die or get sick.” An unwanted child may develop a feeling of guilt for the very fact of his existence, pain that he is not accepted for who he is.

BPM 2. "The Sacrifice Matrix", "No Exit", "Exile from Paradise"

It starts from the moment of the first contraction until the dilation of the cervix.

A comfortable environment, the whole loving and safe world of the child suddenly suddenly becomes aggressive - it begins to shrink, painfully squeeze and “kill”. And there is nowhere to go, there is no way out. The child finds himself in a situation of threat and horror, hopelessness, hopelessness. It is believed that at this stage of childbirth, the ability to wait and endure in difficult situations, fear of death, and feelings of guilt are laid.

BPM 2 injuries

Short matrix or lack thereof.

Occurs during caesarean section or rapid labor. A person develops impatience, an inability to complete a task and fight, and a feeling that all problems can be solved quickly. “You never have to put in effort.” People with insufficient BPM 2 tend to give up when something doesn’t work out on the first try, and they lack persistence in achieving goals.

Long matrix.

Occurs during long labor and forms the role of the victim. In life, a person can often find himself in situations where he is under pressure and usually does not resist, but endures. People with a traumatized 2nd matrix often live with a feeling of “being trapped” or under the slogan “there is no way out, but we must endure.”

BPM 3. “Struggle Matrix”, “There is a way out”

It begins from the moment the uterus opens until birth. Mother and child act together: they both push and fight for a common goal.

At this stage, the child has a way out in a world that is squeezing and killing him. The body, which has been in the “fetal position” for nine months in a state of lightness and weightlessness, is subjected to severe compression, hypoxia, and bends unusually while passing through the birth canal. This first path to freedom in life - the “hero’s path” - is full of pain, effort and suffering. But he is also full of hope. This matrix contains aggression, the ability to fight, determination, self-confidence: “I can!”, courage, a feeling of disgust and disgust. Sexuality is also established at this stage.

BPM 3 injuries

Short matrix. An inability to fight and defend one’s interests develops. A person is inclined to expect help in solving problems from the outside - a “magic kick” - when pushing the child out by obstetricians. If a child was born with the use of forceps, this can lead to the pattern “help is dangerous to accept” and the person will refuse it.

Long matrix. A period of childbirth that is too prolonged forms the motto “life is a struggle.” Such people find situations where it is necessary to fight with someone; they do not feel the ease of life, the joy of simple decisions.

BPM 4. "Freedom Matrix", "Return of Paradise"

The child, after long and difficult experiences, finds himself free. The main leitmotif of the fourth matrix is ​​freedom after effort. In a sense, the fourth matrix is ​​a mystical experience of death and rebirth: a person who existed in the serene “universe of the womb” dies and is reborn in a completely new quality. Contact with a new world is a huge stress. On the one hand, the horror of the killing pressure has ceased. But on the other hand, he finds himself in a hostile and, most importantly, unusual world. Here there is a different temperature, suffocation before the first breath, there is no amniotic fluid and the first collision with gravity occurs, here there is helplessness. At this stage, it is very important that the child immediately finds himself in the mother’s arms and feels security and warmth, a familiar smell. This is the return of Paradise, reconciliation with a new unfamiliar world.

BPM injuries 4.

The child is separated from his mother immediately after birth. After the difficulties of childbirth, after the “hero’s path,” the child finds himself in an aggressive environment: they begin to weigh him, wash him, measure him, and put him on a cold table. In this case, the pattern “It was all in vain. Why make the effort if everything ends so badly?” - a person does not see the point in actions, since they “do not lead to anything good.” Freedom can be regarded by such people not as a value, but as loneliness and coldness.

Violations in the basic perinatal matrices can and should be corrected! Love, acceptance, attention, and some special parenting methods in the first years of a child’s life largely compensate for the traumatic consequences.

Adults who want to look into the mystery of their birth and work through the negative consequences can use holotropic breathing techniques.