Hypno what? You’re going to hypnotize me? Do I have to stare at a pocket watch swaying in front of my face? When people hear the word HypnoBirthing, they typically respond in one of two ways: they are either intrigued and into it, or they are skeptical and perhaps even a little wary. In this post, I'll explore what HypnoBirthing is and is not, and whether it could be the right fit for you.
The major obstacle tends to be the idea of hypnosis.
Thanks to stage hypnotists, the word elicits a very specific image in many people’s minds — of someone sitting in a chair on a bright stage with their head dropped down on their chest and seemingly in a trance state. The stage performer gives them a command that at the sound of a bell, they will quack like a duck or some other such nonsense. You know how the rest of this scenario looks: cue bell ringing, duck quacking, audience laughing. This version of “hypnosis” is really just a lot of show business.
What is hypnosis?
So let’s clarify the kind of hypnosis used in a HypnoBirthing class. First, I want to explain what hypnosis actually is. In the simplest terms, hypnosis is a state of deep relaxation that allows a person to bypass their critical mind and access their subconscious level. Therapeutic hypnosis is often used to assist people in getting rid of habits that they do not wish to have, or to improve some aspect of their lives.
One of the most important things to understand about hypnosis is that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis.
No one can actively hypnotize you. It’s actually inaccurate to use the word as a verb like this. In reality, you take yourself into hypnosis by allowing your body and your mind to relax into a deeper state.
A hypnotherapist is merely a guide who helps facilitate this deep level of relaxation that you give yourself permission to enter. In other words, hypnosis is a form of guided meditation.
If you are familiar with some of the principles and practices of mindfulness or meditation, then hypnosis will be very familiar. In fact, we all experience hypnosis on a regular basis. When you find yourself fully absorbed in an activity like reading a book or binging your favorite tv show, you’re experiencing hypnosis. When you’re driving a route that is so familiar, you barely have to pay attention, you’re experiencing hypnosis. When you daydream and lose sense of your immediate surroundings, you’re experiencing hypnosis. You didn’t do anything special to enter this kind of relaxation, you just let go.
What is the goal of hypnosis?
Therapeutic hypnosisis only different from solo meditation in that you have someone there to help purposefully guide you into this calm state, and you have a goal in mind for once you are there.
These goals vary from person to person, but the common denominator is that they want to change their deep-seated, subconscious thinking about something. For some that’s the way they think about smoking; they want to change their associations from one of need and want, to one of dislike in order to help them stop smoking. For some it’s their relationship with food, if they want to try to free themselves from addictions to unhealthy foods.
Within HypnoBirthing®, we use hypnosis to help change our thinking about birth itself. We want to get rid of fears and negative thoughts about birth and replace those with knowledge, confidence, and positivity.
HypnoBirthing is More than just Self-Hypnosis
While self-hypnosis is what really sets HypnoBirthing apart from other types of childbirth prep, that's not the only thing that happens in a five-week class.
Parents and birthing partners get regularly-updated, evidence-based education on the physiology of pregnancy, labor, and birth. It's incredibly important to actually understand what is happening in your body and what your baby is experiencing. Not only do you deserve to have knowledge about your own body, but learning these details helps you actually visualize what will happen in labor, so that when the big day arrives, you feel confident and prepared for all the changes and new sensations that you will experience. Knowledge is a major part of releasing fears.
To help avoid the Fear-Tension-Pain Syndrome, we combine education in physiology with education into how your mind works. If you know how the way you think and your perceptions can actually influence your physical body, then you can realign your thoughts to allow for a calmer, gentler experience and rescind the invitations to fear and tension.
Parents and Partners learn what to expect during the entire labor process, from early signs that labor is imminent to the birth of the baby and the placenta. We talk about best practices, coping techniques, positions, and, most importantly, ways that the partner can support the birthing person throughout. This is about the whole team coming together!
We also spend time talking about nutrition, overall health during pregnancy, and details about the immediate postpartum and breastfeeding basics.
Finally, one of the greatest tools HypnoBirthing teaches is self-advocacy and informed consent. You are in control of your birth experience from start to finish. You don't need to be blindly told what to do. You have a right to know all of your options and then make the best choice for you. and if you are in the driver's seat on every decision, then it is much more likely you will feel like you had a positive birth experience!
So Who Should Take a HypnoBirthing Class?
Honestly, this kind of class can benefit anyone who is open to it!
The techniques and knowledge you gain can be applied to any birth scenario, whether you have an unmedicated home birth, a hospital birth with an epidural, or a cesarean section. A baby born any of these ways deserves to be born calmly and gently, and that’s exactly what HypnoBirthing helps parents to do. You learn to shut out any unnecessary noise (often coming from well-meaning people), go deep within yourself, connect to your baby, and bring them earthside surrounded by love. It’s this intentional practice that you learn to cultivate through HypnoBirthing that helps you view your birth with excitement and positivity before, during, and after the big event!
If you’re able to birth with confidence and love, you enter the postpartum period ahead of the game. You’re in a much better place emotionally and mentally which helps you heal much quicker physically too. What’s more, there’s a long term added bonus with HypnoBirthing® because the breathing and relaxation techniques that you learn can be used for any stressful situation for the rest of your life!
Note that with any birth prep class, the earlier that you learn the information and techniques, the sooner you can start practicing. This is very true of HypnoBirthing. We suggest that parents start the five-week class series between 20 and 34 weeks. This gives you plenty of time to practice before the big day! However, if you are past 34 weeks, this doesn't mean you can't do HypnoBirthing. We can tailor the curriculum, so that you get the most important parts quickly, just in case that little baby is eager to join you earthside! So don't hesitate to reach out to me or another HypnoBirthing® educator, if you are past 34 weeks and have an interest in the class.
You can find more information about me and my classes here.
And if you're still searching for the perfect birth bag and postpartum checklist, I've got an awesome one for you for free!
Whether you choose HypnoBirthing or not, I wish you an empowered, positive, and gentle birth!
