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|Text=Hello. I'm going to talk about [[circumcision]], particularly [[Abrahamic covenant| circumcision in the Jewish religion]] and relate the link between the suffering of the child, the traumas and this ritual. But before I do, I'll introduce myself first. I'm Eric, psycho-practitioner in somatic experiencing. It is a method developed by Peter Levin in the [[United States ]] that treats both, [[shock]] traumatism and developmental traumatism. I'll make the connection between SE (somatic experiencing) and any trauma that may arise from the circumcision.

We already know that [[circumcision ]] provokes, it is already scientifically proven, a lot of [[pain ]] and there are also many testimonies throughout the world and particularly in the [[United States]], all over the world, of the physical and [[Psychological issues of male circumcision| psychological ]] distress that it can generate. What is missing, in my opinion, is more of a comprehensive scientific study to make the interrelationship, to make the connection between the various symptoms, the [[post-traumatic stress disorder]], that may follow [[circumcision]].

[[Circumcision]], as we know, is very risky and there are several risks that we can talk about. There are three, mainly. First, there are risks due to the surgery, if something goes wrong in the surgery. Second, there are risks related to the health of the child, and third, there are risks related to the health of the mother. The first two, we know them, and normally the surgical conditions must be optimal, so that it happens best, then, even in the Jewish community and in the consistory, in France, or the rabbinate, there is a precautionary principle which says that in any case, if the health of the child is not good enough, the circumcision will not take place.

These are involuntary discharges and when this energy is discharged, the risk of him developing [[PTSD| Posttraumatic stress disorder| post-traumatic stress disorder]] after surgery is less. Otherwise there's a risk. The precautionary principle would be that mothers who are not fit after giving birth at the time of the circumcision, that the circumcision does not take place. But unfortunately this is not taken into account. If the conditions, which I have just mentioned, i.e. the mother is not mentally stable enough for this and cannot protect her baby after the surgery, there is a risk of post-traumatic stress with the future development of physical symptoms, colic, irritability, behavioural symptoms, which I have just mentioned, hyperactivity or apathy, lethargy, continuous sideration, eating disorders, sleeping disorders and so if you have all that going on, the baby will often find himself in a situation of dissatisfaction, instability, non-equilibrium, non-homeostasis, and so he will be in demand.

To regulate his system, he's going to ask his mother, insistently and with difficulty, he's going to cry a lot, he's going to be grumpy, irritated, and the mother won't know what's going on, she doesn't know that he has just undergone a very, very important stress during the [[circumcision]], since it's normal for her. So she doesn't know how to deal with that situation and maybe she'll get irritated, maybe the father won't be able to sleep well at night, too, and that's going to deal with the parents' own irritability. Maybe the father will be more stable, or the grandmother or the grandfather. It's getting very difficult in the family, so it can lead to a chronification of symptoms.

What we can do: The precautionary principle requires that, instead of performing a brit mila (a ritual circumcision) under these conditions, on the contrary, a brit [[Brit Shalom]], since it already exists everywhere in the world, in the [[United States]], in Israel, in Germany, even in France (where we are at the 4th or 5th Brit Shalom). Instead of making a brit mila we can offer families a [[Brit Shalom| brit shalom]] which is an empathic ritual of welcome, without cutting and without suffering.