Hypnosis
hypnobirthing is not…being in a trance or someone waving incense at your vagina.
There are a lot of misconceptions about hypnosis in general that impacts one’s understanding of what hypnobirthing is all about.
Hypnosis
Let’s start by clearing some things up. A hypnotized person is not:
Unconscious or asleep
Submissive to another’s will
In an eerie trance state
Prone to reveal confidential information
A hypnotized person is:
Totally conscious
A consenting participant
Fully in control
Comfortably relaxed
Aware of surroundings and what is happening
Hypnosis is a means of inducing a sleep-like state similar to daydreaming or meditation where the person is deeply relaxed and voluntarily accepts suggestions. The purpose of hypnosis is to provide a means of bypassing the critical mind and accessing the non-reasoning, suggestible subconscious. Perceptions about memory or awareness can be altered when in the subconscious state, and the effects transfer through to the individual's alert state. The purpose of hypnotherapy is to assist the client, through guided imagery and visualization, to bring about a desired change in behaviour, thought or physical well being.
As a person drifts off to sleep, they are passing through hypnotic states. When a person is daydreaming, driving a long highway road, watching a movie or a mesmerizing fire, they sink into hypnotic brain wave states.
So we have all been hypnotized!
Think about the last time you became immersed in a movie; you might have felt so connected to the characters that if something bad happened to them, you probably felt deep, sometimes even long-lasting emotional distress. Or when you’re driving the highway and your brain is zoned out but your body and all your reactions are still strongly online. This is because when our brain goes into deeper brain wave states, it’s like the veil between the alert mind and the deeper subconscious becomes thinner and we’re able to access more primal reactions/reflexes.
There are multiple uses for hypnosis.
Stage or demonstrational hypnosis is primarily used to entertain or educate. Unfortunately, stage hypnosis has left us with a number of misconceptions about hypnosis and only touches the surface of hypnotic applications;
Clinical hypnosis is intended to be used to treat people suffering from severe mental issues and traumas and is only to be used in medical settings;
Medical hypnosis can be used for surgical applications such as in dentistry, obstetrics or when someone is allergic to anesthetic drugs, emergency procedures, pain management, and healing;
Therapeutic hypnosis is used to help people rid themselves of habits, anxieties and phobias, or reaching goals, controlling pain, stress and improving life skills;
Persuasive hypnosis is used by religious leaders, marketing organizations, politicians, and others to sway consumers/followers;
And, finally…
Birth hypnosis is a form of self-hypnosis that is designed to help birthing people achieve an ultimate depth of hypnosis where the body is loose and limp and the birthing muscles free of tension, able to function in the way they were designed to function. It helps birthing people visualize the birth they want and helps them release fear of birthing or emotions that may be limiting.
Hypnobirthing is a highly powerful tool.
Hypnosis is like using a zoom lens on a camera to explore and examine beliefs, experiences, and habits that are less than clear on a conscious level. It provides the ability to ‘zoom’ in on limiting thoughts and release those that could interfere with the smooth, easy and calm birth people desire.
As a hypnobirthing childbirth educator, I help birthing people prepare their body, mind and environment for a positive, instinctive birthing experience. I teach special breathing techniques, visualizations, labour and birth positions and physical preparatory exercises, as well as evidence-based education and information about birth and the medical system, along with tools for making informed choices. I also guide deep hypnotic sessions whereby people can examine deeply held beliefs and rid themselves of unhelpful patterning to aid in birthing.