The Benefits of Hypnosis for Pregnancy and Childbirth

When you say the word hypnosis, many people instantly think of people in a stage show being magically transformed to do things they would not otherwise do. But the truth is hypnosis is much more than that, and carries many benefits throughout all stages of pregnancy, helping women to cope with everything from morning sickness, pain and the actual delivery.

The Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Kate Middleton, underwent hypnotherapy to treat food aversion and morning sickness related to her pregnancy. Since then, expecting moms everywhere are wondering if hypnosis is right for them. The simple answer is yes because after all, hypnosis is an all-natural therapy, but if there are any medical complications related to your pregnancy and your doctor does not want you to do it, always take his or her advice.

Benefits of Hypnosis for Pregnancy and Childbirth

Medical professionals have used hypnosis and self-hypnosis techniques since the 1930s to help expecting moms achieve physical comfort and relaxation.

Other benefits to hypnosis for pregnancy are:

Shorter labor and quicker recovery
It can help a woman sleep better and deeper
It can lower blood pressure
It can help keep the mom to be in a more positive state of mind and also avoid postpartum depression
It can help alleviate heartburn, nausea and morning

When starting out, it is best to use hypnosis in the afternoon or evening when the physical symptoms are less. This helps the patient stay more focused and relaxed.

Hypnosis can be done with a certified clinical hypnotherapist, and similar self-hypnosis techniques can be used alone by the patient.

If you decide to work with a professional hypnotherapist, it is highly recommended you make sure they are certified by the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners, or similar organization.

How It Works

The process usually begins by having the patient lie down and begin taking slow and even deep breathes for about five minutes. With the patient fully relaxed, the hypnotherapist will then proceed to offer suggestions out loud. These same suggestions can be made by your spouse or a trusted partner.

A few examples:

Your stomach is calm and relaxed.
You are calm, relaxed and feeling strong.
Your baby is calm, relaxed and healthy.
The more relaxed you feel the calmer and more comfortable your stomach feels.
The more comfortable your stomach feels the easier it is to focus your mind and remain calm and clearheaded.
As you feel your head clear, you feel that you can eat what is nourishing to you and your baby, and as you do, your stomach feels calm and comfortable.

These are just the most common suggestions that are made during hypnosis, but you can replace these suggestions with some that are more personalized to your situation. If you’re worried that you won’t be a good mom, for example, come up with suggestions that reinforce the reasons why you will be a good mom.

Additionally, the hypnotherapist or spouse can reinforce the suggestions physically, by putting their hand on the woman’s stomach. As they put their hand on the stomach (or instruct the pregnant woman to use her own hand), they make a verbal suggestion by saying, “Any time you don’t feel well, you feel better when you put a hand on your stomach. When you put a hand on your stomach it feels calm and comfortable and your mind becomes clear and focused on your health and well-being.”

This physical touching combined with the suggestion forms an association, so even when the pregnant woman is not hypnotized and she begins to feel nauseated, she can trigger the subconscious suggestions with the simple physical touch of her hand.

Why It Works

The reason hypnosis works so well is because the conscious mind acts as a gatekeeper to the subconscious mind, and under hypnosis we can make the conscious mind inactive, allowing us access to the subconscious mind. This allows us to get deep into the part of the brain that deals with the reactions to stress, pain, emotions and more. In a sense, hypnotherapy can reprogram your beliefs that birth will be comfortable, easy and exciting.

Many women are apprehensive at first when trying hypnosis, and for that reason it’s important they know they are always in control and will never do anything against their will.

A person under hypnosis can come out of it whenever they choose. In most cases, after the first session, most women are eager to get back to a hypnotic state because it makes them feel better, more confident and relaxed about their pregnancy.

About the Author:

Colin Christopher is a clinical hypnotherapist certified by the American Council of Hypnotist Examiners. In his clinical hypnotherapy practice, Colin works with expecting mothers to make pregnancy relaxing, less painful and more enjoyable.

He is author of the book Success Through Manipulation: Subconscious Reactions That Will Make or Break You. Visit www.easybabybirth.com, http://www.colinchristopher.com, and www.stmbook.com.