Womb Surround Process Workshop: Why this Format?
A ‘Womb Surround’ Process Workshop is a small group format developed and refined by Raymond Castellino beginning in 1992. Dr. Castellino found by experience that complete and lasting transformations most often happen in a small group setting.
The format creates a safe, welcoming environment for one person at a time to explore early imprinting from their preverbal life that is affecting their present life. Typically there are 4-6 participants in a workshop. The facilitator is often assisted by other graduates from the Castellino Foundation Training.
The facilitator begins each workshop reviewing the 8 Principles: basic interactive, empathy and contact skills allowing participants to actively support each other during the workshop with the intention of creating a safe and nurturing “womb surround.” Each participant receives a 1.5 – 3.5 hour session with the facilitator with group support during which they explore physical and emotional patterns of prenatal, birth or infancy origin. Each session is followed, at the end of the process and again the next day, by individual and group debriefing, integrative processing and discussion.
Tools used include group interactive processes, empathy skills following the principlaes, energy awareness, somatic work such as craniosacral work, somatic experiencing work, facilitated movement and other touch skills.
The purpose is to heal and re-pattern early trauma and to create more options for current behavior and ways of being in relationship. In addition to healing prenatal, birth and other early trauma, this process has the principle impact of encouraging loving bonding within primary relationships. Participants commonly state that the process is transformational on a deep level.
Womb Surrounds – the Process
The workshop facilitator begins the process by asking the group for a volunteer to be the turn-person. The rest of the group will be the surround. Once the turn-person affirms their consent to the process and the rest of the group consents to provide womb support to the turn-person, the session begins.
Each turn-person begins by engaging in a dialog with the lead facilitator to explore the physical and emotional patterns originating from their prenatal experience, birth, and infancy. During this process, the group is directed to support and encourage the turn-person in exploring aspects of their pre-verbal life. Each step is taken with consciousness and consent and with the goal of supporting the turn-person’s intention as they explore this early material.
The facilitator asks questions pertinent to the turn-person’s exploration, coaches them through slow movement patterns, uses gentle touch, and makes suggestions to both the turn-person and the group. Group members are coached to support each other as well as the turn-person and are encouraged to use the same kind of attention with the turn-person that they would use when holding a newborn baby. During this process, all members of the group are guided to interact at a very slow tempo to allow each person, especially the turn-person, to integrate and make sense of the early body memories.
Example: As the turn-person relaxes into a memory, their body begins to move in such a way as to allow unique movement patterns that they potentially experienced during their birth. Meanwhile, the surround members quietly and gently hold the turn-person, working as a team, creating a very respectful and gentle atmosphere, as if attending a birth. This allows the turn-person to move through the birth pattern in a very conscious and integrated way. Doing this at a slow tempo, with warmth, contact and support, re-patterns the experience for the turn-person.
The session ends with each of the surround members sharing a brief essence statement of how the turn-person’s work touched them. It is usual for the sessions to end with the whole group in awe and reverence for the sanctity of the turn-person’s journey and for life itself.
Each morning there is a group check-in and a debriefing of the previous day’s work. Individual and group debriefings also happen at the end of each session. The purpose of these discussions is to facilitate the integration of the sessions. When the group is in session, the participants are in experiential right-brain mode. During the debriefing following the sessions, participants are in more of a cognitive left-brain mode.
Tools for Integrating the Experience
The close of every Womb Surround comes with tools and recommendations for integrating the experiences from the workshop. These include contact with other members of the group, professional support, and suggestions for ways to integrate their new perceptions, needs and ways of being with their families and communities.
Reactions To The Womb Surround
Scheduled Womb Surrounds
Below is a list of Womb Surrounds offered in 2025 which is updated as facilitators update their information. When an approved facilitator is co-facilitating with a facilitator who is not yet approved, the non-yet approved facilitator is in parentheses (with …). The womb surround ‘counts’ if one or more of the facilitators is approved.
Workshops not shown that fill shortly after posting, please contact the facilitators directly: Regina Bucher (in-person), Cherionna Menzam (on zoom).
MARCH
Kristin Sipley and Cynthia Cutting, March 19-23, 2025, Longmont, CO
Lin Vermeiren, March 29-April 2, 2025, Devon, UK (in English)
APRIL, 2025
Kristin Sipley and Alison Greene-Barton, April 1-4, 2025, Amherst, MA
Tara Blasco (with Sarah Grace), April 18-21, 2025, Ojai, CA
Marion (Bodhi) Kotowski, April 18-21, 2025, Freiburg, Germany (in German)
MAY, 2025
Charisse Basquin and Klaus Kaeppeli, May, 2025, Scotland
Lin Vermeiren, May 9-11, 2025, Girona, Spain (in Spanish or English, to be decided)
Frank Carbone, May 15-18, 2025, Boulder, CO (1 space open)
Kristin Sipley (with Seiji Ohno), May 19-23, 2025, Yokohama, Japan (Japanese/English)
Frank Carbone, May 23-26, 2025, Ojai, CA (co-ed now, 2 spaces open)
JUNE, 2025
Kristin Sipley and Cynthia Cutting, June 3-7, 2025, Lafayette, CO
Tara Blasco, June 7-10, 2025, Ojai, CA (for T17 assistants only)
Frank Carbone, June 23-26, 2025, Miami, FL (full, waiting list)
Mary Jackson (with Moriah Melin), June 25-29, 2025, Ventura, CA
JULY, 2025
Charisse Basquin, July 20-24, 2025, Anstruther, Scotland
Mary Jackson (with Marmot Snetsinger), June 25-29, 2025, Ventura, CA
Tara Blasco, July 18-21, 2025, Ojai, CA
AUGUST, 2025
Kristin Sipley and Kevin Davis, August 5-9, 2025, Charlotte, NC
SEPTEMBER, 2025
Cindy Barnum (with Natalie Garvey, MA, LMFT), Sept 5-8, Florence, Oregon
Marion (Bodhi) Kotowski, September 6-8, 2025, Arillas Corfu, Greece (in German)
Marion (Bodhi) Kotowski, September 10-12, 2025, Arillas Corfu, Greece (in English)
OCTOBER, 2025
Marion (Bodhi) Kotowski, October 2-5, 2025, Freiburg, Germany (in German)
Kristin Sipley (with Seiji Ohno), October 3-7, 2025, Yokohama, Japan (Japanese/English)
Kristin Sipley (with Seiji Ohno), October 12-16, 2025, Yokohama, Japan (Japanese/English)
Frank Carbone (with Maya Koyakay), October 24-27, 2025, Ojai, CA
November, 2025
Kristin Sipley and Alison Greene-Barton, November 5-9, 2025, Amherst, MA
Tara Blasco and Mary Jackson, November 19-22, 2025, Japan
December, 2025
Tara Blasco, December 12-15, 2025, Ojai, CA
April, 2026
Kristin Sipley (with Seiji Ohno), April 18-22, 2026, Japan (Japanese/English)
Kristin Sipley (with Seiji Ohno), April 27-May 1, 2026, Japan (Japanese/English)
Not everyone who is approved currently offers Womb Surrounds. Those who are actively offering are starred (*). A ‘P’ following the * means ‘in-person’. A ‘Z’ following the star means ‘zoom’
The 2nd column, first line is where the facilitator lives, the 2nd column, 2nd line is where they offer Womb Surrounds. If there is no 2nd line, they work only where they live.
Language
Workshops are in English unless otherwise stated. Workshops by Claudia Koehler, Klaus Kaeppeli, Regina Bucher Sabera Dringenberg are in German only. Marion (Bodhi) Kotowski offers workshops in either German or English. Carme Renalias, Lin Vermeiren and Rebecca MacSween offer workshops in either English or Spanish.
Approved Womb Surround Facilitators
Please contact the facilitators directly about their offerings
All those listed below have demonstrated competence to facilitate a womb surround. They have met specific requirements that indicate their skill and experience. Womb Surrounds whose facilitators have been approved by Ray or another Mentor (Tara, Mary) and have a minimum of 4 participants may be taken as a prerequisite for required Womb Surrounds for potential trainees who wish to apply to take a Foundation Training. For trainees, they meet the requirements for graduation from a Foundation Training and for further advanced study. The womb surrounds are also open to anyone for personal and/or professional growth. Many facilitators are willing to travel to offer Womb Surrounds. Some offer zoom workshops. The practitioners listed below also offer other courses/workshops and work with families and individuals.
| Name and Email or Website | Location: Lives/Offers Womb Surrounds | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| (*P) Alison Greene-Barton, RCST® www.greenebartons.com | Amherst, MA (United States) | 805 276-8207 |
| (*P) Bodhi Marion Kotowski; bodhiart(at)mac.com www.Bodhi-Art.de | Freiburg (Germany) & other European cities | +49-761-8889-3565, +49 175 992 5560 |
| (*P) Carme Renalias, RCST® carmerenalias(at)gmail.com | Fontcoberta (Spain) various cities in Spain | +34 629 291-654 |
| Chantek McNeilage, RCST chantekmary(at)live.co.uk www.becomingmindful.co.uk | Essex, England (United Kingdom) | +44 07970 181 775 (cell) |
| (*P) Charisse Basquin, DC, MSc earlyimprintsuk(at)gmail.com www.earlyimprints.co.uk | Anstruther, Fife, Scotland (UK) UK, Europe, Turkey, Taiwan | +44 7531 863160 |
| (*Z) Cherionna Menzam-Sills, PhD, RSMT/E, RCST birthingyourlife@icloud.com www.birthingyourlife.org/ | Devon (United Kingdom), zoom, UK time | +44 7801-515-865 |
| (*PZ) Cindy Barnum, LMT, RCST, CD(Dona) cbarnum2@msn.com | Florence, OR Florence OR and Fresno, CA (US) | 541 991-6217 |
| (*P) Claudia Koehler, PT info(at)lebens-wandel.net www.lebens-wandel.net/ | Dresden (Germany) | +49 351-2679271 |
| (*P) Cynthia Cutting, CNP, SEP, BCST, CNMret cynthiacutting(at)gmail.com | Williamsville, VT (US) Williamsville, VT (US) and Squamish, BC (Canada) | 917 902-6114 |
| (*PZ) Eileen Sendrey, CMT eileensendrey(at)mac.com www.eileensendrey.com | Santa Cruz, CA (United States) | 408 892-2820 |
| (*PZ) Frank Carbone frankjcarbone(at)aol.com www.wombcontinuum.com | Queens, NY (US) Queens, NY & Maryland (US))+zoom | +805 320-7985 |
| (*P) Gitte Virkmann Larsen, RPE Gitte@satori.dk www.healingcenteret.dk | Malling, Denmark and Perth/Sydney, Australia | 45 8693 0377 |
| Judyth Weaver, PhD, RCST®, SEP, SAL, RMP www.judythweaver.com | Cortes Island, BC (Canada) Cortes Island, BC Canada and Seattle, WA (US) | 415 548-0365 |
| (*P) Kevin Davis®, LCSW, LMFT, LCAS, SEP kevindavis701(at)gmail.com | Charlotte, NC (United States) | 704 807-8939 |
| (*P) Klaus Kaeppeli, dipl.psych.FSP klaus.kaeppeli(at)bluewin.ch | Eggersriet, CH-9034 (Switzerland) | +41 7122 34891 |
| (*P) Kristin Sipley, RCST® kristin(at)consciousbeginnings.net | Santa Cruz, CA (United States) CA, CO, OH, NC, MA, FL (US), Japan, willing to travel, zoom | 831 295-8384 |
| (*P) Lin Vermeiren biodinamicaperinatal(at)gmail.com | Girona (Spain) | +34-690-179-969 |
| (*P) Mary Jackson, RN, LM, RCST® mjmidwife(at)gmail.com www.birthinconnection.com | Ventura, CA (United States) Ventura, CA (US), Italy | 805 649-3063 |
| Myrna Martin, MN, RCC, RCST® www.myrnamartin.net | Comox, Vancouver Island, BC (Canada) | 250 509-1033 |
| Rebecca MacSween, RCST; rebeccamacsween(at)gmail.com | Madrid (Spain) Madrid, Spain and Montreal, Quebec (Canada) | +34-91-327-2785 |
| (*P) Regina Buecher, RPP, RCST, dipl.Heilpaed rbuecher@einstueckwegbegleitung.de www.einstueckwegbegleitung.de | Merdingen (Germany) | +49 7668 950764 |
| (*P) Sabera Dringenberg, Heilpraktikerin, BCST sabera(at)web.de | Stuttgart(Germany) | +49 176 4200 5788 |
| (*P) Sarah Theismann, MA, CMP, SEP, CSB www.somatictraumahealing.com | Berkeley, CA (United States), Berkeley, CA, Hungary, Croatia | 510-610-0320 |
| (*P) Scott Engler, MA, RCST, BCST www.heartofstillness.com | Cotati, CA (United States) | 707 953-1441 |
| Susan Lange, OMD, LAc www.meridianholistic.com, thebirthdance.com, playformula.com | Patagonia, Arizona (United States) | 310 395-9525 x2# |
| (*P) Tara Blasco, PhD, RCST® tarablasco(at)gmail.com www.tarablasco.com | Ojai, CA (United States) | 805 570-4314 (cell) |