The Vanishing Twin Phenomenon and its Effects on the Body-Mind

Until around the seventies the medical community was convinced that newborns had no feelings or consciousness. In hospitals or other medical settings, this denial of infant pain often led to surgery without anesthesia, painful obstetric routines, and harsh handling. As far as medicine was concerned, the infant would not remember anything before the age of three.

Even though things are slowly changing, many members of the medical and psychological community continue to view babies in 20th century terms. Psychological development is still taught to start at birth, with the baby's consciousness presenting a 'clean slate' that will develop in the years to come. (Chamberlain, 2007; Austermann, 2006)

Findings from experimental research, transpersonal and pre-natal psychology, and anecdotal reports seriously challenge traditional views of human development, both in medical as well as psychological terms. Not only do they indicate the existence of conscious memory since birth, they go beyond to memories of in- and pre-utero experiences.

The newborn, fetus, and embryo are not only aware of their environment and the occurring interactions, but they are often deeply affected by them on a physical and/or psychological level. Loosing a twin or multiple(s) in utero is traumatic and life-altering!

A twins experience with life starts out in a unique developmental way:

The womb provides the first primary experience of profound closeness with an 'other' but no way out nor "defense" when the twin is suffering or when the environment is not conducive to supporting two lives. Ultrasound observations describe twins hugging, caressing, kicking and interacting - positively and negatively - from very early on.

Most twin research has only focused on the problems that arise with the loss of a twin in later life. These pages will go beyond this by providing you information about:

• Medical Research: get an overview about the frequency and the medical detection of multiple pregnancies and twin loss, as well as forms of twinning. With a growing number of psychologists and counselors all over the world discovering wombtwin survivors, one may ask how those clients were able to come to their knowledge, especially in the absence of parental or medical reports of their loss.
• Prenatal memories: get an overview about selected theories on pre-natal consciousness and memory. This will help us to understand why such trauma will manifest as diverse physical and psychological effects and how only certain therapeutic approaches may enable the individual to slowly heal from their loss.
• Twin loss symptoms
• Therapy