{"id":362,"date":"2010-05-27T15:29:00","date_gmt":"2010-05-27T15:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fertilekitchen.com\/blog\/2010\/05\/27\/fertility-and-the-mind-body-a-review-of-circleblooms-innovative-fertility-program\/"},"modified":"2026-11-06T03:27:02","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T03:27:02","slug":"fertility-and-the-mind-body-a-review-of-circleblooms-innovative-fertility-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fertilekitchen.com\/blog\/2010\/05\/27\/fertility-and-the-mind-body-a-review-of-circleblooms-innovative-fertility-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Fertility and the Mind-Body: a Review of Circle+Bloom\u2122\u2019s Innovative Fertility Program"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

<\/a><\/a>
\nCIRCLE+BLOOM and MIND-BODY
\nWhen I was trying to conceive, not only did I put myself on a strict fertility friendly diet, I also employed a number of mind-body techniques to reduce stress, promote healing and encourage success. Specifically, I did yoga for fertility three times a week, meditation or guided relaxation for 20 minutes every day, and ten-minute visualizations twice a day.<\/p>\n

Within four months, against the odds, I got pregnant and later delivered a healthy baby.<\/p>\n

It is well-understood, and scientifically proven, that the state of our minds and emotions affects our physical health, sometimes dramatically, and that mind-body techniques\u2014therapies such as mediation and guided imagery, which focus on the interaction between mind and body\u2014can make a huge difference.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s just one example: Dr. Alice Domar conducted a Harvard study which demonstrated that 55% of the infertile women who participated in her ten-week mind-body program conceived within 6 months afterwards\u2014and these women had been trying for years!<\/p>\n

So I feel it\u2019s important to participate in some form of mind-body work or healthy relaxation while trying to conceive, and Circle+Bloom\u2122\u2019<\/a>s innovative fertility program could provide the perfect solution.<\/p>\n

Their program wasn\u2019t around while I was trying to get pregnant, otherwise I would have snatched it right up! Their convenient, 6-CD set (or downloadable equivalent) contains twenty-eight 15-minute audio sessions to be listened to daily over the course of one monthly cycle, averaged to 28 days. Each daily session uses a combination of soft, calming music, words and guided imagery that, according to their website, is \u201cdesigned to help your body manage stress and understand what it needs to do to get ready for conception.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each 15-minute session is organized roughly into three parts: (1) full-body relaxation, (2) physical visualizations, or guided imagery, of what your body should be accomplishing on that day of your cycle; and (3) visualization exercises to strengthen your emotional state or optimistic feelings.<\/p>\n

WHY I LOVE IT!
\nSo here is why I just love this program, think it\u2019s brilliant.<\/p>\n

First, Circle+Bloom\u2122 spends the entire first half of that 15 minute session putting you into a deeply relaxed state, and I mean DEEP. I\u2019ve used guided relaxation CD\u2019s before, and have not felt as deeply relaxed. You\u2019re listening and you think you\u2019re totally relaxed, and then the soothe, calming voice guides you even deeper.<\/p>\n

To accomplish this, Circle+Bloom\u2122 uses progressive body scan techniques, along with having you imagine, for example, a relaxing, vibrating energy field, or a heavy blanket securing you, or your sinking into a warm bath.<\/p>\n

For this benefit alone, I\u2019d buy the CD set. Eliciting what Dr. Alice Domar, author of Conquering Infertility<\/a><\/i>, calls the relaxation response significantly helps us manage overall stress, something critical while trying to conceive. Once you come out of the session, you tend to stay calm for a while. Getting deeply relaxed in the first half of the session has another benefit: it makes you more open and \u201csuggestible\u201d to the guided imagery portion that follows, making the effect of visualization even stronger for you.<\/p>\n

Second, Circle+Bloom\u2122 uses physical visualizations that follow your monthly cycle, meaning on certain days you\u2019ll be visualizing what your hypothalamus and pituitary glands are doing, and how they\u2019re communicating with your ovaries, and later in your cycle, you\u2019ll be imagining your \u201cball of new life energy\u201d burrowing into the cushy lining of your uterus. Beautifully, softly.<\/p>\n

I know of no other mind-body program that follows your cycle like that! According to their website, they \u201charness the incredible power of the mind to help ovulation, fertilization and ultimately implantation and pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n

POWER OF VISUALIZATIONS
\nAt this point you may be thinking, how can this be? How does it work? Well, let me diverge a moment to explain.<\/p>\n

Images in our minds have a powerful effect over our thoughts and emotions which in turn can have a physiological effect on our bodies. On his website, Dr. Andrew Weil <\/a>describes it like this: \u201c[Guided imagery] takes advantage of the connection between the visual brain and the involuntary nervous system. When this portion of the brain (the visual cortex at the back of the head) is activated, without receiving direct input from the eyes, it can influence physical and emotional states. This, in turn, can help elicit physiologic changes in the body, including therapeutic goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

In their brochure, Circle+Bloom\u2122 says, \u201cScientific research has proven [visualization techniques] can lead to physical changes in the body and heal life-threatening diseases such as cancer or heart disease.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the audio introduction, Circle+Bloom\u2122 founder Joanne Verkuilen tells the story of a small boy who imagined \u201cshooting\u201d his cancer away, and after a period of time (months?) he felt it was gone, and turns out, it really was! This story comes from Love, Medicine and Miracles<\/i><\/a>, by Bernie Siegel, MD, who has also endorsed Circle+Bloom\u2122\u2019s program.<\/p>\n

As I always say, we have more power than we think we do to make a difference in our health!<\/p>\n

I really enjoyed some of the other visualizations too, such as the one around ovulation time in which I looked into my partner\u2019s eyes. This gave me such a rush of love and attraction for my husband\u2014who was nowhere in the room, by the way\u2014because in our day to day lives, honestly, we never look into each other\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n

I also like the image, around Day 5 or 6, of writing negative thoughts on a paper and tossing them into the fire.<\/p>\n

ONLY 15 MINUTES A DAY
\nFinally, the third reason I really liked this program is that it only took 15 minutes a day! This is a very small commitment considering the lasting effects you get back.<\/p>\n

Founder and co-CEO of Circle+Bloom\u2122, Joanne Verkuilen, originally created this program to help a friend who was struggling to conceive. She herself had been diagnosed with PCOS and had difficulty conceiving. Her sister, Susan Cooke, co-CEO, later joined Circle+Bloom\u2122 on their mission to help others and make a difference.<\/p>\n

Not only is their program endorsed by Bernie Siegel, MD, but their website is filled with numerous success stories! In addition to a natural cycle plan, Circle+Bloom\u2122 also has a program specifically designed for those going through IVF. To learn more, visit\u00a0http:\/\/www.circlebloom.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Additional Resources:
\nDr. Weil’s Guided Imagery<\/a>
\nHealing Visualizations (a book I used – no longer available)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CIRCLE+BLOOM and MIND-BODY When I was trying to conceive, not only did I put myself on a strict fertility friendly diet, I also employed a number of mind-body techniques to reduce stress, promote healing and encourage success. Specifically, I did yoga for fertility three times a week, meditation or guided relaxation for 20 minutes every […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":363,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[46,124,39,125,38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-circlebloom","category-guided-imagery","category-mind-body","category-relaxation","category-visualizations","entry"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www.fertilekitchen.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/Chick.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/www.fertilekitchen.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/Chick.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"baileycom","author_link":"https:\/\/www.fertilekitchen.com\/blog\/author\/baileycom\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fertilekitchen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fertilekitchen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fertilekitchen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fertilekitchen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fertilekitchen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=362"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.fertilekitchen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":527,"href":"https:\/\/www.fertilekitchen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions\/527"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fertilekitchen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fertilekitchen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fertilekitchen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fertilekitchen.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}