Today we’d like to introduce you to Maggie Flood.
Maggie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My personal and professional stories are really one in the same. After suffering with unexplained pelvic pain for years, I was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2010. Endometriosis is a condition that affects more than 1 in 10 women worldwide. While it’s been labeled a reproductive disorder, it wreaks havoc on the whole body over time. After my diagnosis and subsequent surgery, I began to walk down the road of self-healing – not only of the physical but of the emotional. I discovered that so many aspects of my being were consumed with a chronic state of feeling unsafe and out of control. I knew that, for my own body, the missing link seemed to be hidden somewhere in the connection of where I felt and internalized emotions and traumatic experiences into the very tissues of my physical body. I was determined to one day create the therapeutic experience that I once needed but never received, to assist other women in their sexual and interpersonal healing.
After my five years studying acupuncture and Chinese medicine, which gave me a thorough understanding of holistic medicine, I worked as an acupuncturist in a clinic that specialized in fertility and pregnancy. There I began specializing in postpartum and pelvic health. Seeing the lack of attention and care given to postpartum women by the western medical system reminded me all too much of the challenges I faced as a female patient with endometriosis. I soon began to realize that not only were there similarities in treatment but that many of the symptoms showed up in the same way. To this day, I see similar emotional and physical presentations in all my patients… the sexual, emotional and physical disconnect is clearly connected, and I knew it was time to offer more.
After that, I went on to become a Certified Sexological Bodyworker. Today I offer embodied pelvic care for women, in combination with acupuncture and herbal medicine. As I continue to seek knowledge, become more trauma-informed, and add tools to the toolbox, I have found that the pelvic bodywork has served as the foundational piece of healing, both for myself and for others.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
My mother always quipped, “you’ve never chosen the easy road, Mag!” Indeed, this road has been and will continue to be bumpy. I often feel that life has handed me a machete and pointed me toward the jungle to forge my own path. Not only am I combining two very different modalities of approach in my private practice, but my writing and online presence is aimed at enlightening women to a different way of processing emotions through the body and reconnecting with sexuality as a healing force.
Since we live in a society that does not readily embrace women’s sexuality, I often run into a lot of pushback from individuals, doctors and social media platforms, which can be challenging. However, I’ll admit that all of it fuels my fire to stay on the soapbox. I speak for those who haven’t yet found their own voices, and I’d encourage any young woman to never stop fighting for her own self-worth, her own body and her own autonomy.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Sacral Spaces – what should we know?
Because of my own experience, I tend to specialize in uterine disorders like endometriosis, PCOS, fibroids, menstrual issues, pelvic pain, sexual boundary repair and complications in postpartum. I’m known for speaking out against things like the use of birth control to “fix” hormone imbalances (spoiler: it doesn’t!) and the general gaslighting that many women are subjected to in the western medical system.
While many providers will claim to fix, I claim to teach. I teach women to use pleasure as a means to balance pain and nervous system dysfunction. I tell all my new clients that their healing is their responsibility. If you want your libido back, if you want your pelvic pain gone, if you want to learn to be in your body, the work can only be done by you… I only provide the tools.
I value interpersonal dynamics in the way I practice this mix of new and ancient medicine. I don’t fear any discussion, no matter how personal or intense, which is probably why I ended up specializing in sexual health!
Which women have inspired you in your life?
I’m inspired by any woman who seeks conversation that others are afraid to have. There are so many amazing women out there, speaking their truth and being unabashedly present in their sexuality, no matter how that shows up for them. Some of my favorite current writers in the topic of women’s health include Holly Grigg-Spall, Tami Lynn Kent and Emily Nagoski.
Pricing:
- Acupuncture + Herbal Medicine (90 mins, with somatic work) : $150
- Embodied Pelvic Care Session (90 mins) : $250 (price changes depending on number of session purchased)
Contact Info:
- Address: 4405 Manchester Ave.
Encinitas, CA 92024 - Website: www.sacral-spaces.com
- Phone: 858-255-0162
- Email: maggie@sacral-spaces.com
- Instagram: @sacral_spaces
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/sacralspaces
- Other: medium.com/@maggieflood
Image Credit:
Dawn Silva
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