Word of the Year: Faith

Each year Doulas of Prince George’s County choose a word to be our guide and intention for the year ahead.  Our word for 2023 is Faith. 

Faith.

Let’s take a moment to unpack it. Serge Prengel, a therapist who explores creative approaches to mindfulness, gave a talk titled “Faith as a Human Experience” and in it he shared several helpful frameworks to discuss Faith as we wish to explore it this year.  The following is paraphrased from his talk.

Faith need not be religious faith, though it may be.  We’re looking at Faith as a human experience, which can act as a resource and resilience for people in crisis or facing fears.

When you hear the word faith you may think of a religion, or without any specific religious connotation, a faith in God, or something mystical.  However, we aren’t using it in reference to any belief system or dogma.

What is it that gives us as humans the ability to have faith? Let’s consider the word Trust in concert with Faith. Trust being a reliance on the integrity, strength, or ability of a person or thing.

Trust and faith. 

Think about a car you’ve used many times on a cold, harsh winter morning.  You have trust that the car will work.  You have trust because of the result of repeated experience that the car will turn on.  It worked well in the past, you have faith that it will again. 

If your friends have been there for you in the past when you needed them, you have faith and trust that they will be there for you again in times of need. 

If you’ve had luck in dicey circumstances in the past, if things have worked out in your favor, you may have faith or trust that you’ll land on your feet again.

If your parents were there for you as a child, you generally have trust that the universe is a good place. If they weren’t, you feel the universe is an unpredictable place. Our childhood foundation of how the world works lays the groundwork for our relationship with faith and trust for the present and the future. 

When you try to look objectively at the future it’s impossible to discount our lived experiences.  This provides the foundation for our perception of the present and the future.  

We can consider our gut instinct, we can use it to address our unconscious biases.  If you want to grow in faith, instead of saying I *should* have more faith, willing yourself to change, you can’t force yourself to have faith or not.  Rather accept your experience of having faith, or not, you can focus on changing present and future experiences by gathering more information.

If you notice a lack of faith in the future, remind yourself that it makes sense given the database of experience you have. Then, rather than being on the lookout for more information that confirms your bias, instead be on the lookout for new data that could inform you differently and give new awareness.

We aren’t discussing a blind faith, but an informed faith, to help you build good trust for your present and future.  Ask yourself, “What is the possibility of a good foundation?  What is it that’s good in my life?  What is it that’s solid?”  Acknowledging that doesn’t mean what is not solid, what is unsteady, what is cause for additional care, doesn’t exist. 

Doulas of Prince George’s County’s began with three fundamental principles, that form the solid basis from which we provide all of our services:

Trusted.

Trust ourselves and our experience, trust our clients to know what’s best for them and their babies, and a community of trusted and vetted healthcare provider relationships on our Resource page.

Supported.

With a boutique and bespoke experience from commencement to completion, Doulas of Prince George’s County elevates the pregnancy and postpartum time for your growing family. Using our personality quiz we provide a carefully curated list of matches for you to choose from, allowing you to have guided support throughout your experience, from fertility and preconception through the first year of daytime and overnight postpartum doula and newborn care.  

Empowered.

By faith in women and birthing people to make educated, informed choices motivated by the need to have safe, healthy experiences, and a reduction in the impact of negative experiences caused by racism or bias in their healthcare, our clients leave feeling a greater sense of satisfaction and self-empowerment! We are stepping out in FAITH that our clients are interested in joining us for in-person Group Childbirth Education classes and also virtually for our monthly Parent Group held the last Wednesday of each month!  

Here’s to a faith-filled year!  

~

Emily and Jacquelin