Hypnosis

Hypnosis is probably one of the most off-putting elements of hypnobirthing when couples first discover it. Will I be hypnotised? Will I be able to remember my birth? I bet some of these questions came into your head when you first learnt about hypnobirthing.

Hypnosis and hypnotising are not the same.

Achieving a state of hypnosis is the ability to enter into a deeply relaxed state where you are able to tune out of your surroundings and into something else of your choosing. During hypnosis, as I use it with my clients, you are fully in control and have to actively choose to enter into this state and work at staying in it. It takes practice to be able to enter into a state of hypnosis, which is why it is something I practise with my clients and why I provide professionally recorded hypnosis tracks for them to practise at home with.

Why is it beneficial to enter into hypnosis during birth?

The ability to fully, deeply relax and tune out of your surroundings in birth is important for many reasons. Your subconscious mind controls your body’s response to external stimuli. If your mind perceives a threat, it will send the hormone adrenaline to your body and put you in ‘fight or flight’ mode. We want adrenaline to be at a minimum during birth because it affects the birth process negatively (see my video here for more information about this). Being in a state of hypnosis means you are less aware of your surroundings so are less likely to enter ‘fight or flight’.

Your uterus is such a powerful muscle and it works so cleverly to birth your baby. It has two layers of muscles running both vertically and horizontally to do exactly what it needs to do to get your baby out. The more relaxed you are, the more efficiently it will work at doing this incredible job. Achieving a state of hypnosis helps you to relax.

Where is your happy place? Visualisation is a powerful tool to help you relax deeply. Practise visualising yourself in your happy place regularly and you will find it easier and easier to do this.

so how do i achieve a state of hypnosis in birth?

Practise! Like any skill, you need to practise it. When you attend a hypnobirthing course with me, I will teach you numerous different ways to practise getting into a state of deep relaxation - visualisation, guided relaxation and breathing techniques are just some of them. Sound good? I have group courses available to book here or you can contact me to discuss your requirements if you think you would prefer to work with me privately. If you’re interested in relaxation specifically, I offer pregnancy relaxation classes on the first Friday of every month. They’re a great way to practise the skills learnt on a hypnobirthing course or to learn more about hypnobirthing before booking a course. Find out when the next course is on here.

Yours,

Rhi x