What is Hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a natural state of mind that everyone enters several times each day. It also happens to be a highly effective time to create the changes you want in your life. During hypnosis, the conscious mind (with which you are reading this article) is turned down temporarily, so you are able to access and change the subconsious or inner mind. Real, permanent change takes place only within the subconsious mind, where all of your beliefs, thoughts and feelings are housed.
Meditation, prayer, becoming engrossed in a book and losing track of time are all forms of hypnosis that everyone has experienced at some point in their life. Hypnosis is regularly used by therapists to help clients overcome trauma, stop smoking, lose weight or overcome physical or mental challenges. Dentists have been using hypnosis for years on patients having root canals and medical surgery is performed using hypnosis on individuals with allergies to chemical anesthesia. And yes, many women have achieved a comfortable, easy birth using hypnosis.
According to Jack Sparks, Certified Hypnotherapist, when asked what can be accomplished through hypnosis, he responds, "almost anything
provided there is a readiness and willingness on the part of the person being hypnotized."
How Does Hypnosis for Childbirth Work?
For many women, the thought of giving birth triggers feelings of anxiety, panic and loss of control. For women using hypnosis, they view it as merely a challenge. These women use hypnosis to eliminate fear, tension and pain from the birthing experience.
When learning how to use hypnosis for childbirth, our students are taught an understanding of how their uterine muscles will work efficiently together, as they were designed to do, when their body is completely relaxed. The depth of relaxation necessary can easily be achieved with hypnosis, and they will learn these skills in Hypnobabies classes or with home study, and practice them at home every day until the baby arrives. All aspects of Labor and Birth are covered in our Hypnobabies course, as well as information on Nutrition, Exercise, Avoiding Complications, Fear Clearing Sessions, Birth Plans and Choices in Childbirth. Hypnobabies has it all!
In other cultures, childbirth is regarded as a natural, normal event in a woman's life. The birthing women are given support from other women, and children are often present to witness the event. In this way, birth is celebrated and honored. Young girls then grow up with the belief system that birth is a positive event and their expectations of childbirth reflect this attitude. As a result, their births are similar to their predecessors;without pain and fear. They have a positive expectation of childbirth. In our culture, it is very much the opposite.
In Hypnobabies, our students are taught to surround themselves with only positive people and messages, to create a positive view of childbirth and the expectation that the birthing of their baby will be a beautiful, peaceful experience. Fear Clearing Sessions are integral to this process, as they allow them to address fears, work through possible solutions and then release them. Fear in labor can create tension, which creates pain, then more fear, and the cycle continues. Freedom from fear can make a significant difference in the birthing experience.
By learning and practicing hypnosis, our students are able to enter into self-hypnosis instantly, and create their own natural anesthesia whenever and wherever they need it. This is important as any drugs taken by a laboring woman can be dangerous for her, and especially her baby. With hypnosis, she is in total control over her body, and is always an active participant in her birth process. She is aware of everything around her (if she wants to be!), and as labor progresses, she will go deeper inside herself, trusting in her body's natural ability to give birth with ease and comfort.
