“You never know how strong you are until you realize your body’s powers” 

Kate Middleton tried it; Jessica Alba had her first baby with it: the pregnant mothers’ latest comfort trend, Hypnobirthing. 

You may have heard different names such as HypnoBirthing, HypnoBabies, or Childbirth Hypnosis. So, what do all these different names mean? How are they different from each other? What is childbirth hypnosis? And most importantly, does it really work? Can it help mothers have a painless birth or is it just hype and a myth?

What is Childbirth Hypnosis?

Since the early 1800s, when Western medicine wasn’t as advanced as it is today, hypnosis has been used to induce natural anesthesia during surgeries. Many curious doctors, who wanted to create more comfort for patients during surgery, used hypnotic methods to help them dissociate from their bodies for them to block the physical discomfort mentally. This went on for years and years. Even today, hypnosis is used during dental surgeries, labor, and even during complicated procedures. However, since it is easier and more consistent to use Western medicine to bring a human to a dissociative state, it is preferred over other methods.

 The whole program of childbirth hypnosis relies on the hypnotic anesthesia techniques along with natural calmness and relaxation. As we learn more and more about the human body, we have so much more information about all physical changes going on in a woman’s body during labor. A female body is very well equipped with hormones, muscles and bodily functions for a natural birth. Hence, we can anticipate and direct the body towards the natural sequence of events for natural birth to happen easily and effortlessly.

Unfortunately, in the last 100 years, labor almost became a medical intervention. Going to a hospital, being around doctors and nurses, forcing the baby to come out by “pushing”, these are all elements that are hindering the natural sequence of labor. Eventually, the mother gets disconnected from her very own bodily powers and fear takes over. Due to fear, muscles tense up, birthing hormones are not released naturally and everything starts to feel painful.

Childbirth hypnosis program is prepared strategically to take the mother out of the fear state and create a natural anesthesia-like relaxation through conditioned response to hypnosis.

How are HypnoBirthing, HypnoBabies and Childbirth Hypnosis are different?

HypnoBirthing and HypnoBabies are two different trademarked names that provide different certification programs. Professionals need to complete their certification programs to be able to perform these techniques on mothers. 

HypnoBirthing was introduced by Marie Mongan who started using calmness and hypnotic techniques following her own birth experiences in the 60s. Today, to become a hypnobirthing educator, professionals need to complete a 4-day course. To become a hypnobirthing educator, one doesn’t need to be a hypnotherapist or even a professional in any other area. Course topics include areas such as the anatomy of the female reproductive system, the origin of the fear, baby’s support system and applications of hypnosis.

HypnoBabies was introduced by Kerry Tuschhoff who adapted well known Bradley birth method’s hypnotic applications to help mothers to have calm and comfortable childbirth. The current HypnoBabies certification program consists of a 4-day course that teaches the basics of hypnosis, a woman’s body, and the fear that inhibits the natural birth.

 On the other hand, the childbirth hypnosis program focuses mainly on hypnotic modalities that allow the body to create natural anesthesia. The program is focused around the mom, her self-image, her emotions through the pregnancy as well as physical discomfort. It is a conditioning process that takes place with repetition and continuous positive reinforcement. To be able to hypnotize someone, and create a program that relies on hypnotherapy, one must be a knowledgeable hypnotherapist.

Let’s dive deeper into childbirth hypnosis…

What does the Childbirth Hypnosis Program include?

 “Who knew, you can have an eyes wide open birth when you feel minimal to no pain. Surprisingly, it is possible with your mind’s power, with training and conditioning!” 

The childbirth hypnosis program is designed to empower mothers who have a fear of labor pain or want to be as comfortable as they can for the labor. The program usually takes about 5 weeks to prepare the body for a calm and present birth. Meanwhile, fear and worries around the labor are removed with hypnosis. During the process, one of the main goals is to strengthen the bond between the mother and the birth partner to create a powerful support resource for each other.

For a pregnant mother, there is a number of physical and emotional changes that are very new. Especially for first-time mothers, it may be confusing or hard to process and understand these changes. During the childbirth hypnosis program, the focus is always on the mother. It is important to help her to process all the physical changes such as weight gain, back pain, self-image as well as the emotional changes such as emotional overwhelm, crying unexpectedly and effects of hormonal changes.

Pregnancy is a process of transformation for a woman. A process of maturity, self-realization and most importantly significant changes in the ego. The person before and after the pregnancy will have different characteristics. During this process, it is important that the others around the mother get adapted to her changes as well. Hypnotherapy eases the transformation and creates a safe space for emotions to be surfaced.

Can you have painless birth with childbirth hypnosis?

According to Medical News Today, “Pain is an unpleasant sensation and emotional experience that links to tissue damage.”. Pain is a very subjective feeling. Everybody will describe the pain differently. This means that pain is a perception. And hypnotherapy is the ultimate way to change perceptions about anything.

Hypnotic mothers describe labor as “having pressure, feeling sensations around the uterus” or “feeling the baby”. According to one research, 30% of the mothers who used hypnotherapy before labor reported to block the pain almost altogether and completing the labor without the need for analgesia adjunct. According to another research from the British Journal of Anesthesia, a comparison of non-hypnosis intervention and hypnosis intervention showed that women who underwent hypnosis reported to have less severe pain and required less pain control. Additionally, some of the women reported that the pharmaceutical analgesia was not required at all.

Would you be a good candidate for the Childbirth Hypnosis program?

Take this test to find out more! It is possible to have labor without pain. Your mind is the powerhouse of all your sensations and emotions. The sensations and pain that you feel can be adjusted. Both sensations and pain can easily be increased by fear, stress, and worry. They can also easily be decreased by calmness, relaxation, and comfort. Are you ready to be in charge of your labor? Are you ready to be excited for your baby so much so that your focus is shifted? Most importantly, are you ready to be hypnotized?