Learn More About Kristen!
Dr. Kristen Bell is a Holistic Women’s Health Physical Therapist, Women’s Health Coach, Super Proud Mom and Owner of Women’s Wisdom Integrative Wellness.
She empowers women to tune-in and compassionately connect to their bodies and inner knowing, so they may unlock their healing potential and live an empowered life.
Embodiment From an Early Age
Dr. Bell has been on a lifelong path exploring the body, movement, mindset, belief structures, and the weaving together all aspects of health- physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual long before she began her professional career. Growing up, she found her way by rooting into her inner knowing, connecting to her Higher Self, and exploring her innate power through movement, writing, being in nature and in prayer. When so much was out of her control, she was able to go within, come home to her body, connect inward, and find her true nature. She knew at an early age that her path was to empower others to uncover and trust their inner wisdom, to feel their worth, tap into their innate power, have courage to overcome life’s challenges and create an authentic life that honors their heart and soul. She has cultivated a passionate life that honors this purpose and continues her life-long journey of deepening this sacred connection both personally and professionally.
Inspiration to Pursue the Path of Pelvic Physical Therapy
Her professional career began after receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science & Health Promotion when she guided and empowered clients through movement based practices, exercise, visualization, meditation, nutrition and lifestyle practices. She felt a calling to deepen her knowledge and level of expertise of holistic and natural treatment of the human body, which led her to seeking out and earning her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of St. Augustine, where she completed their advanced manual therapy program. She developed an understanding of the power of human touch in healing.
Her interest in women’s pelvic health was sparked early on during her studies. This continued to grow while she practiced in an outpatient orthopedic physical therapy clinic. Dr. Bell saw an alarming pattern emerge among many of the women she was treating for conditions such as chronic and recurring low back pain, pelvic pain, and hip pain. During the comprehensive evaluative process, many of these women recognized that their symptoms began either during pregnancy or after giving birth, whether that was 2 years ago or 20 years ago.
She heard this time and time again. It became clear that women were not receiving the support they needed and deserved to be able to fully recover and heal after pregnancy and childbirth. They were never taught how to reconnect with their body and breath after birth, how to engage their core with functional activities, how to manage their intra-abdominal pressure, how to protect their backs with lifting, carrying, bending, or tending to their newborn. They never had their scar tissue treated, whether from cesarean, episiotomy, or perineal tearing. They were not taught about their pelvic floor- how to reconnect, engage, strengthen, or release it. Some women who experienced a traumatic childbirth were never able to both physically and emotionally recover from the trauma they endured. This often led to dissociation, abandoning parts of themselves, their full femininity and led to chronic recurring pain.
Many of these women, would eventually share other uncomfortable, less talked about symptoms such as leaking urine, feeling a heaviness or fullness in their vagina, having pain with sex or not feeling sensual. All while thinking they’d have to accept this as their new normal.
Stepping into the Power of Motherhood
During this same time, Dr. Bell had entered into her own journey of Motherhood which completely lit her heart and soul on fire, both personally and professionally. Never before had she ever felt so empowered and deeply connected to the fullness of life and her femininity as when she was nurturing life from within. During her birthing process, she experienced her own injuries including tearing and a very painful dislocated coccyx, which she related to her history of sustaining many direct falls onto her tailbone in childhood and years past and never having these tissues properly addressed to promote optimal healing and mobility. She later would learn her pelvis had a lot more to say and was actually holding quite a bit of stored tension, emotions and trauma.
Her personal experience fueled her passion and curiosity into exploring the positive and powerful impact Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy could bring into helping women feel connected and empowered in their bodies, especially surrounding this very special time in their life. With a passionate heart, she began her postdoctoral studies and trainings aimed at supporting women at this deeper level. This was just the beginning into the world of Pelvic Health!
Becoming Unbound: A Holistic Approach to Rediscovering Hope
Dr. Bell is not only passionate about supporting women during the conception years! Prior to opening Women’s Wisdom Integrative Wellness, Dr. Bell practiced in a specialty clinic focused on addressing abdominal adhesions where she had the opportunity to treat both men and women from all around the world who were suffering from conditions such as chronic abdominal and pelvic pain, infertility, endometriosis, PCOS, Interstitial Cystitis and digestive conditions such as chronic inflammatory bowel disease, recurring small bowel obstructions and SIBO. There was often a multitude of symptoms reported with a long list of diagnoses the patient had been labeled with. Often these people reported one or more of the following: being let down by western medicine, feeling unseen and unheard, being told there was nothing more that could be done for them, that they would have to learn to live with the pain, dysfunction, or rely upon medications,. They had been told by Western medicine that their diagnostic tests were all within normal ranges, that nothing was wrong with them, that yet another surgery was inevitable to manage their condition and symptoms, or that they would never be able to conceive naturally. This was heartbreaking, unacceptable, and just plain wrong. It was clear these people were not being seen or heard and that their inner knowing was dismissed by Western Medicine. Dr. Bell, with a compassionate heart and strong inner knowing, knew that more could be done. When she palpated and tuned into the person and their body, it was clear that there were plenty of reasons for their symptoms and that hope was not lost.
She was able to witness many of her patients transform over the duration of therapy which included tuning into each person’s unique experience and crafting a blend of manual therapies- myofascial release, craniosacral therapy, visceral manipulation, and pelvic floor therapy as well as teachings of therapeutic exercises, nervous system regulation techniques, nutritional and lifestyle modifications. Above all, she was able to provide presence and attunement within a safe container, allowing each person to feel seen and heard, giving them a platform to unfold and explore themselves more deeply. Within this nurturing and safe environment, emotional holdings were often discovered within the tissues, with their own stories to tell. This allowed an opportunity for deep physical and emotional healing to unfold. Once feeling hopeless, defeated, and bound by their conditions, they were now feeling more open, free, connected and at home in their bodies. No longer bound by layers of physical and emotional holdings. No longer bound by their diagnoses. They now had a better understanding of their body, how to tune in and hear the messages, notice emotions and the affect on the body, and have supportive tools to navigate through this new understanding.
Hold More Power
It was while treating this special population that Dr. Bell recognized how many of her patients were holding onto past traumas in their tissues, leaving them unable to feel safe and at home within their own body. There was often an emotional component related to their physical symptoms. This gave Dr. Bell the opportunity to hone-in and practice the power of her therapeutic presence, grounding, mindful listening, and intent on creating a safe, non- judgmental space, to be open and in-tune with each of her patient’s needs and allow true healing to unfold.
During this same time, Dr. Bell found herself once again being called to go deeper into expanding her knowledge and expertise to include an even more integrated and holistic approach to healing. It had become very clear how much mindset, beliefs, daily lifestyle choices, stress, nutrition, sleep, connection to nature, connection with yourself, and with others were all integral pieces to true wellness and wellbeing. She was often faced with the reminder that all the professional advice in the world did not hold the power to implement lifestyle changes and overcome limiting beliefs. Each individual alone holds that power. She wanted to not only teach her patients about the role of lifestyle choices and modifications but to also guide and empower them along their journey of discovery and implementation of what was meaningful to them.
This fueled her strong desire to pursue studying with the Integrative Women’s Health Institute, where she completed the Women’s Health Coaching and Functional Nutritional Program, becoming a Certified Women’s Health Coach.
The Birth of Women’s Wisdom Integrative Wellness
In 2021, Dr. Bell once again followed her inner knowing and the fire in her heart when she decided to take action and open her private clinic, Women’s Wisdom Integrative Wellness. She has been able to integrate her vast knowledge, experience, and expertise as a Holistic Women’s Health Physical Therapist and Women’s Health Coach to uniquely support women to tap into their own inner knowing, unlock their innate healing potential, and live their most authentic and empowered life. During this time, she has continued to navigate her own personal journey of deep inner work and transformation. This has taken presence, compassion, openness, trust, and courage to lean into the uncomfortable, to shine a light on the darker parts in order to heal. It has also required conscious awareness and action to continue to align her life in a way that honors her heart and soul and represents her most authentic self.
A Growth Mindset: Knowledge and Experience
Dr. Bell has demonstrated her dedication to expanding her level of expertise by completing extensive postdoctoral studies in the following areas: Pelvic Health & Rehabilitation with Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute, Visceral Manipulation with the Barral Institute, Craniosacral Therapy and Somatoemotional Release with the Upledger Institute, Therapeutic Yoga for Trauma Recovery with the Embody Lab, among others. She obtained her Women’s Health Coaching and Functional Nutrition Certification through the Integrative Women’s Health Institute. She continues to learn, grow, and deepen her knowledge and experiences for both her personal and professional journey. Integrating the above therapies into her practice has allowed her to facilitate the body’s innate healing ability in such beautiful and meaningful ways while honoring each person’s unique story and life path.