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Hypnotic childbirth emphasizes the power of the mind
By Erica Layne Nielsen
11/27/2006 The Salt Lake Tribune/ Health Science
PROVO - As a registered nurse, Barb White knows complications can arise during delivery. In nursing school and in the delivery room, White became accustomed to the medical terminology and procedures associated with birth.
But when the Provo resident became pregnant with her first
baby, she wondered how to avoid associating fear and pain with labor. She
soon found HypnoBirthing®, a childbirth method she felt could help her
achieve this goal.
"HypnoBirthing® focuses on the fact that the birthing
experience is a natural thing," White said. "It's not a disease
or a surgery or a medical condition. It's part of life. It changed my thinking."
Hypnotic childbirth emphasizes the power of
the mind in relaxing the body during labor. It provides women and their partners
with techniques such as deep relaxation and visualization to bolster confidence
and ease pain. Marie Mongan of Chichester , N.H. , pioneered HypnoBirthing®,
a method that has been taught in Utah for at least 10 years. [this is
the original HypnoBirthing®
program.]
Some doctors discredit the validity of hypnosis altogether,
attributing any associated benefits to relaxation. However, medical schools
such as the Stanford University School of Medicine offer hypnosis courses
for their students.
Monica English, a HypnoBirthing® instructor who works
out of a health foods store in Orem , taught a method for natural childbirth,
the Bradley Method, for more than four years before a friend who was teaching
HypnoBirthing® finally convinced her to observe a class.
"I kept saying, 'I am just not interested in something
called HypnoBirthing®,'" English said. "It sounded kind of out
there."
But English sat through the HypnoBirthing® class and
quickly decided there were significant differences between the methods she
and her friend were teaching.
"In most of the childbirth classes that were being
taught, women were taught that they should relax, but the techniques that
were given to them didn't stand up to the face of labor," English said.
"HypnoBirthing® had excellent techniques to help women relax through
their labor, let go of the worry and the concern, and just approach birth
with a peaceful mind and a confidence."
English completed her training through the HypnoBirthing®
Institute, based in Epsom , N.H. , and has been teaching this method ever
since. She said about 60 percent of her clients are referrals from care providers
- certified nurse-midwives, doctors, and doulas (professional birth companions)
who have seen HypnoBirthing® work. About 35 percent, she said, are referred
to her by couples who have used the method.
"A lot of people are concerned about the word hypnosis,
particularly in our community," English said. "Hypnosis is often
different than what people perceive it to be. We use hypnosis every day. The
same brain wave patterns, the same techniques are used when you get engrossed
in a book or a movie."
She compares the process that happens during hypnotic childbirth
to that which occurs when athletes practice so much that they "hit the
zone" when competing.
"That is an everyday state of hypnosis, and what I
hope to teach women is to be in that zone for their birth," she said.
Holly Richardson, a registered nurse and a licensed direct-entry
midwife at the Birth and Family Place in Holladay , said she has met a few
women who say they could never use hypnotic childbirth because it gives mind
control to someone else.
Their perception of how it works is incorrect.
"It's not a parlor trick," Richardson said. "It's
self-hypnosis. And if you prefer to say it's positive self-talk with deep
relaxation, then call it that. I think it is tapping into your own power
and your own resources."
Mothers who anticipate a painless birth through self-hypnosis
may be disappointed, though some advocates of hypnotic childbirth say this
is achievable.
As a midwife, Richardson has delivered babies for many
Utah women who have relied on hypnotic childbirth during labor. She said most
of the mothers she works with don't expect it to be painless, but knowing
how to work with their bodies, relaxing from head to toe one step at a time,
alleviates pain.
"The more they practice that, the deeper they go,
and then when they get into that nice state of deep relaxation, they can go
into a visualization," Richardson said, such as visualizing their ideal
birth or releasing their fear by addressing it...........
......In
addition to self-hypnosis, hypnotic childbirth classes provide education on
the anatomy and physiology of birth, the phases of labor, and other comfort
techniques, such as massage.
English said hypnotic childbirth is not exclusively for
women who want to birth without an epidural. The techniques, she said, also
help women who choose an epidural or need a cesarean section remain relaxed.
White, who took HypnoBirthing® from English, said that
on the first day of class they talked about positive affirmations, positive
sayings mothers repeat through the entire pregnancy. White said she continually
told herself, "I am having a relaxed birth."
White said she also appreciated that English showed videos
of local women giving birth using HypnoBirthing®.
"I had a lot of people telling me that I would not
be able to do it natural," White said. "But in the HypnoBirthing®
class, I watched about six women my age in the hospitals nearby have wonderful
experiences. I watched them pushing even, and they were relaxed. Because I
realized I could do it, I was not scared of it. I was just really excited."
This article has been edited to reflect the Registered Trademark status of HypnoBirthing®.
Positive Human Dynamics, Ltd.
1453 Rio Rancho Blvd., Ste. E
Rio Rancho, NM 87124
(505) 975-7777 www.posihd.com