I was introduced to abdominal therapy via an amazing teacher, Dr. Rosita Arvigo, who has taught it to hundreds of practitioners (probably thousands at this point). I learned the self-care steps with Dr. Christine Lee, a practitioner and acupuncturist located in Framingham MA in 2018, and then had the pleasure to do an entire weekend workshop with her to learn more. I practiced the self-care massage every day for a month, and saw a marked improvement/difference in my cycle that month (less stagnation, healthier color, less PMS symptoms, etc) as well as an improvement in my digestion (more frequent bowel movements, which thankfully were not an issue with me, but it was still noticeable!). I was a convert to this magical work.
From there I decided to become certified as a practitioner so I could share this gentle but effective technique with my bodywork clients, so I went for a 5 day training in the fall of 2019. I was fortunate to be in a room with so many other like-minded caregivers, and it was lovely on so many levels beyond just the practical steps of the work. I have been practicing since then and have seen many wonderful shifts for my clients, especially reconnecting with their abdominal and womb space, where our society often creates negative feelings/shame around instead of celebrating how amazing our bodies are.
Now I am part of the Abdominal Therapy Collective (https://www.abdominaltherapycollective.com/), where I can tap into decades of experienced therapists from around the globe, include Rosita (what a blessing that is). To learn about the roots of this work, you can read more in-depth here: https://www.abdominaltherapycollective.com/origin-and-lineage. Basically Rosita earned the respect and trust of a Belize Shaman and Medicine Expert, Don Elijio Panti, and he eventually agreed to teach her about the medicinal plants in their area as well as the abdominal work (along with Miss Hortense Robinson, a local herbal midwife and fertility expert), as long as Rosita promised to take care of his people once he was gone.
I can’t speak to the history of when this work may not have been acknowledged/attributed properly, but the ATC has released a statement about giving the acknowledgement: “In order to acknowledge the roots of our work, for every class we teach, we tithe to Dr. Arvigo. Dr. Arvigo then may use the funds to support the Ix Chel Tropical Research Foundation in Belize, Central America. By doing so, we honor the pledge Rosita made to Don Elijio Panti to take care of his people. The Ix Chel Foundation is a nonprofit organization that sponsors the Belizean Bush Medicine Camp for children, school garden projects at local Belize primary schools, Ethnobotany in the Classroom programs, Useful Plants of Belize exhibits, as well as community outreach programs to teach herbalism and bodywork to disenfranchised people around the world.” (read more here: https://www.abdominaltherapycollective.com/cultural-acknowledgement).
I strive to give my own thank you and acknowledgement as I am doing this sacred work, and I so appreciate all the teachers and wisdom that came before me, and feel very blessed and fortunate to have it passed down to me so I can help others.