Welcome to the first blog for Hypnosis for Birth!
To start off I thought I'd answer some of the most common questions I hear about hypnosis in childbirth. So here goes....
What are the biggest myths/misconceptions about Hypnosis for Birth?
Probably the biggest is that with hypnosis their mind is going to be put to sleep while the hypnotherapist does whatever they want. For birth specifically, women are usually concerned they are going to spend their labor in La La Land and not be present in the room or thru the process. Neither of these could be further from the truth!
All hypnosis is self hypnosis, and is completely controlled by the individual. Hypnosis is a natural state we all go into and out of regularly. [An example would be pulling into your driveway and not really remembering the last 10 minutes of driving, or zoning out during a boring meeting or class.] By practicing hypnosis, people can develop the mental muscle to focus their minds and hold the focus where they wish. The individual is always in control.
As with any tool, women can choose how they use hypnosis during the birth process. The method I teach is for the mother to go quickly into her deep focused state at the beginning of a contraction and come back to the room at the end. If needed, she can also stay in her focused state and catch a cat nap between contractions. Additionally the hypnosis does work with an eyes closed inward focus, or an eyes open external focal point.
What about claims that hypnosis in birth can make it pain free?
Wouldn’t it be lovely if this were true for everyone? Unfortunately it isn’t. Hypnosis is a proven method for reducing pain and increasing relaxation during birth. However, the actual amount of pain reduction is very individual. Some women report hypnosis allowed them to labor with little discomfort, while others say it allowed them to cope with the discomfort from labor more effectively.
Hypnosis is very effective at assisting a woman to maximize her individual ability to achieve her greatest level of comfort throughout birth, and often shortens labor times. More importantly, it assists women in staying calm and working smoothly with whatever their birth experience brings. Ultimately I believe that is one of our greatest powers – to manage our response to life events. These learned skills are really life tools and are helpful long after the birth is past, for the woman and her partner.
How does Hypnosis for Birth work with other childbirth preparation techniques?
Hypnosis for Birth works well with all childbirth preparation techniques, largely due to its design. My intent with clients is for them to learn how to very quickly go into a deeply relaxed, focused, and aware place to work with their contractions, while diminishing their perception of sensations and discomfort. These skills amplify and build on the information and techniques taught by other childbirth classes, and will work in a variety of birthing positions and situations. I’ve had women comment after their birth took an unexpected turn [C-section, transfer to hospital, etc.] that the hypnosis skills were a huge help in staying calm and flowing with the change.
Are there particular types of clients for whom hypnosis is most helpful?
Most frequently, the couples I see are interested in avoiding or minimizing her usage of pain medication in birth. They are either planning on not using any drugs, or want to avoid systemic drugs while they consider/plan on using an epidural as needed.
I often receive referrals from other birth professionals for women with anxiety around birth, panic attacks, a history of abuse, or previous birth related traumas. I also see couples with anxious fathers or couples who have difficulty communicating with each other. Any of these clients and situations may benefit significantly from the hypnosis process and tools; particularly because I only work in private sessions with women and their partners. Working privately allows me to more specifically meet the needs of each couple and tailor the skills and tools I have learned over the years to their particular situation.
Hypnosis is also very helpful for women, and their partners, who are coming into birth without any added challenges – providing tools for both partners to navigate birth more calmly and smoothly.
I'll answer more next time. If your question wasn't answered in this blog, feel free to email it to me - I'll include as many as I can!
