Hypnobirthing - a calmer, more comfortable way to birth your baby
- photo courtesy of niamwhan @ freedigitalphotos.net
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Using hypnosis in pregnancy and childbirth is a technique that, in recent years, has become more and more popular and is now generally accepted in medical circles as a highly successful way of making the whole process of child-birth a little more comfortable, a little less daunting, and with the possibility of the mom-to-be being less drug-dependent, which obviously has benefits for her and her baby.
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Essentially, hypnobirthing is a series of sessions where the use of hypnotic techniques for pregnancy and childbirth are taught, and in turn practised. These include:
- relaxation
- appropriate breathing techniques
- visualisation
- management of any discomfort that may be experienced
The more often these techniques are practised, the more natural they will feel when the birthing time actually arrives. Some of the techniques can also be applied in other areas of your life, for example for general stress reduction, while others are specifically for childbirth.
*** As a professionally trained and fully qualified hypnotherapist I possess the relevant skills in hypnosis in order to be able to help you:
- I will teach you techniques in self-hypnosis so you can use them whenever you feel the need to, whether it's focusing on the birth or at other times in your life.
- I will teach you about breathing techniques in order for you to feel calmer and more in control.
- I will teach you highly effective techniques in pain control.
- I will help you release any anxieties or fears you may be feeling about anything in the lead up to the birth and about the birth itself.
- I also offer hypnotic techniques to help deal with any possible phobias, for example, the fear of needles.
- I teach you techniques in visualisation, again providing methods for self-calming and self-confidence.
- I provide cds consisting of the techniques that are taught and these are often personalised for you and your specific preferences and requirements.
- I offer to work with both partners in the relationship. However, it is not a pre-requisite. If both partners are comfortable with this then that’s fine. If not, then that’s fine too. Whatever feels right for you.
- There is no stipulated number of sessions, although around 5 or 6 would allow a number of techniques to be learned thoroughly. I can advise you, but ultimately you are in complete control of how many sessions you attend. The first session (up to 1½ hours) is a ‘fact-finding’ session to provide me with valuable information about your ways of seeing the world, any possible anxiety you might have, techniques you may have used before, and your general health. Each session thereafter is an hour long and will consist of me teaching you the techniques I think are best for you.
- I am always available to offer guidance in between sessions.
- An advantage of working with me on a 1:1 basis is that often people enjoy the idea of working in a more private way and feel more confident about asking questions and raising any concerns they might have.
*** I have been fully trained in using therapeutic hypnosis up to a professional level offering a whole skills package encompassing cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy, solution focussed hypno-pyschotherapy and counselling.
*** I am also fully professionally insured and am a registered member of The National Council for Hypnotherapy.
Ultimately, you will learn a set of useful techniques that may be used at any time leading up to the birth and including the birth itself.
There is no need for me to be there at the birth. I teach you a set of techniques that you practise and learn to use of your own accord.
- relaxation
- appropriate breathing techniques
- visualisation
- management of any discomfort that may be experienced
The more often these techniques are practised, the more natural they will feel when the birthing time actually arrives. Some of the techniques can also be applied in other areas of your life, for example for general stress reduction, while others are specifically for childbirth.
*** As a professionally trained and fully qualified hypnotherapist I possess the relevant skills in hypnosis in order to be able to help you:
- I will teach you techniques in self-hypnosis so you can use them whenever you feel the need to, whether it's focusing on the birth or at other times in your life.
- I will teach you about breathing techniques in order for you to feel calmer and more in control.
- I will teach you highly effective techniques in pain control.
- I will help you release any anxieties or fears you may be feeling about anything in the lead up to the birth and about the birth itself.
- I also offer hypnotic techniques to help deal with any possible phobias, for example, the fear of needles.
- I teach you techniques in visualisation, again providing methods for self-calming and self-confidence.
- I provide cds consisting of the techniques that are taught and these are often personalised for you and your specific preferences and requirements.
- I offer to work with both partners in the relationship. However, it is not a pre-requisite. If both partners are comfortable with this then that’s fine. If not, then that’s fine too. Whatever feels right for you.
- There is no stipulated number of sessions, although around 5 or 6 would allow a number of techniques to be learned thoroughly. I can advise you, but ultimately you are in complete control of how many sessions you attend. The first session (up to 1½ hours) is a ‘fact-finding’ session to provide me with valuable information about your ways of seeing the world, any possible anxiety you might have, techniques you may have used before, and your general health. Each session thereafter is an hour long and will consist of me teaching you the techniques I think are best for you.
- I am always available to offer guidance in between sessions.
- An advantage of working with me on a 1:1 basis is that often people enjoy the idea of working in a more private way and feel more confident about asking questions and raising any concerns they might have.
*** I have been fully trained in using therapeutic hypnosis up to a professional level offering a whole skills package encompassing cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy, solution focussed hypno-pyschotherapy and counselling.
*** I am also fully professionally insured and am a registered member of The National Council for Hypnotherapy.
Ultimately, you will learn a set of useful techniques that may be used at any time leading up to the birth and including the birth itself.
There is no need for me to be there at the birth. I teach you a set of techniques that you practise and learn to use of your own accord.
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I also bring a couple of added dimensions :
- The type of language used in medical settings is hugely important and although this is becoming less ‘severe’ there are still instances when unhelpful language is still employed. I am also qualified in NLP (neuro-linguistic programming). This will enable you to be more aware of the more ‘unhelpful’ language that might be used by medical practitioners. To give a very quick example, whenever the term 'contractions' might be used (which implies by it’s very nature, some sort of uncomfortable stress) then you are taught to replace it with the word 'waves' or 'surges' instead – a much more gentle and natural word, would you agree? This can have quite a profound knock-on effect to the way you might experience the birth itself. |
- photo courtesy of Tuomas_Lehtinen @ freedigitalphotos.net
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- I am also a fully qualified and accredited Teacher of Mindfulness. This can be used to help you become more aware of your thought processes and more in tune with your own body and that of your baby too, responding to what is required at any particular moment in time, with reduced stress and worry.
I will teach you techniques that, once learnt, can be applied to all kinds of situations in the future. If further babies are planned you would not need to have further sessions unless you wanted to.
Whether you choose to have hypnobirthing sessions with me or not, I’d like to wish you all the best at this very exciting and happy time!
Please get in touch if you’d like to find out more.
I will teach you techniques that, once learnt, can be applied to all kinds of situations in the future. If further babies are planned you would not need to have further sessions unless you wanted to.
Whether you choose to have hypnobirthing sessions with me or not, I’d like to wish you all the best at this very exciting and happy time!
Please get in touch if you’d like to find out more.
Or you might like to click on the link to find out what the Hypnotherapy Directory says about the benefits of using hypnosis during childbirth: