Hypnosis in childbirth has sparked interest in pregnant mothers for decades. Videos are available online filming home birthing mom’s peaceful and easy births. How can this be? As a young pregnant first time mom, I knew that birth was supposed to be painful, I never had a baby before so I was challenged with a bit of fear and dread of the unknown, hypnosis during childbirth was quite a mystery back then. As a current doula, after much research, I decided to enroll in the Hypnobabies Hypno-doula course because I was curious as to what hypnosis in childbirth was and if I could equip my clients with a better and easier labor experience.
The first myth of hypnosis, and most people when you say the word “hypnosis” think of people being programmed to act like chickens, or even a pendulum watch swinging back and forth while someone is chanting “you are getting very, sleepy”. This in fact is NOT what hypnosis really is. Hypnosis can be compared to a state of deep concentration, think of when you are driving in your car and zone out, you get to your destination and can’t really remember specifically how you got there. It really has to do with repetition, how many times have you driven to the store, the same route, over and over again. It’s like when your mind zones out and you go on auto-pilot.
The mind is very powerful. I learned in the Hypnobabies hypno-doula program that the mind is made up of three components. The subconscious, consciousness and the critical faculty. The subconscious is when you are not completely aware of what you are doing, but you are able to be influenced based on what you believe. The conscious state is when you know what is going on around you. The critical faculty takes orders in a conscious state but monitors what it is receiving and then rejects it or accepts it as belief and makes changes to the inner mind to reset.
During pregnancy, women have been conditioned by the medical system and society to believe that birthing is something to be feared as it is a painful experience. The Hypnobabies program is a birth preparation course that looks at birth differently. Hypnobabies views birth as a positive journey, a woman going through a transformation and that indeed, it doesn’t have to be painful. Taking the thought process in mind and using the philosophy of hypnosis, the mind has to be reset and can do so through techniques that have to be learned. This learning takes place in the six week classes using the Hypnobabies format. Once a week, the couple will go to classes to learn the techniques and practicing them daily is required.
The hypno-doula program has made me rethink birth, and has added a lot of positive thought to my birth philosophy. I can understand that there is a lot of fear that surrounds birth and the technique of hypnosis can really help women rethink the process. I believe that the hospital system also can create a very stressful and destructive environment for a laboring mother. Hypnosis helps a mother to remain focused and can add protection to her thought process as she progresses through her birthing time. It is also a great tool for a doula to learn, as it will help equip and empower a hypnobirthing mom as she progresses.
The Hypnobabies program also addresses that positive words are very effective and using negative words that associate the mind to pain and suffering can hinder a laboring mother. As a Hypnobabies Hypno-doula, controlling an environment that is 100% supportive to a hypnobirthing mother is essential to her birthing time.
This course has helped me to learn so much and become a hypno-doula for those clients that take the Hypnobabies course. As there are many positive reasons to use hypnosis during birthing time, I can also see that women and their partners have to practice this daily and attend all their meetings as well as use their materials wisely. This program cannot work unless it is used to the fullest. It is not a “quick fix” program and has to be used in conjunction with all the elements or it will not be effective. I recommend taking the Hypnobabies program locally or even online. I believe that the best weapon a pregnant woman can have is knowledge as it will equip her to have the best possible experience and outcome during labor and birth!
