Breathing coaches, yoga instructors and doctors are nothing new to pregnant women. However, many mothers-to-be are now adding a hypnotherapist to their pre-natal planning. Hypnosis sessions aid in conditioning the mind to deal with stress and pain management better to ensure a more positive labor experience. “Hypnobirthing” founder Marie F. Mongan explains, “We will help you prepare for the birth your plan and want for yourselves and your baby, rather than the birth that someone else directs. We will help you look forward to your pregnancy and birthing with joy and love, rather than fear and anxiety.”
Pregnant women may need to find a hypnotherapist to help assist with the painful birthing process. Sure, everyone knows how to breathe, yet in times of great peril or pain, these psycho-somatic techniques can quickly be forgotten, leaving many women gasping for air or hyperventilating. Lamaze Breathing Techniques conjure up images of husband and wife in a yoga classroom setting, with the wife practicing healthy breathing patterns and the husband supportively going along with it. Similarly, one of the most common hypnosis techniques used to induce people into a state of trance is, in fact, relaxation breathing. Therefore, it makes sense that women would adopt some hypnotherapy training methods to help them relax through deep breaths of fresh air.
In addition to breathing, a pregnancy hypnotherapist can help the woman center on her physiological processes to aid in the birth process and find a sense of inner peace. Often times, maternal anxiety can cramp up the muscles, making the birth more difficult and painful. By relaxing and fixating on deeply embedded positive imagery, a woman will ease the baby out. It is believed that stored images and sensations with emotional attachments can actually trigger the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which naturally relieves pain and diminishing anxiety. Thus, the hypnosis techniques that have been practiced will come back during labor and assist the mother in having a smoother childbirth.
To find a hypnotherapist specializing in hypnobirthing, one can go to www.hypnobirthing.com/findaprac.htm to search for practitioners by state or even by country. Another good site to check out is www.natboard.com, which lists licensed, certified hypnotherapists of all types, including those for childbirth. Women may also choose to buy a hypnosis CD to guide them in the comfort of their own home. At www.gentlebirth.org, there are a number of resources to read up on hypnobirthing. The “Hypnobabies Home Study Course” (www.hypnobabies.com) for $139.99 is also highly recommended for mothers who cannot afford $400 for a course.
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