Hypnosis for birth

A unique approach to hypnosis for birth which is reassuring, relaxing and very enjoyable.

One to one sessions

Home visits

Bespoke hypnosis: tailored to the specific needs of individual women

Case history to facilitate the creation of the specific hypnosis programme

optional add on sessions for partners (stress, anxiety, smoking cessation)

Sessions recorded onto flash sticks or CD’s

Sessions can be used in pregnancy and in labour

Why do hypnosis for birth at all?

Feel good! Relax deeply! Be empowered!

Eagerly anticipate the labour and birth of your child!

First of  all, you might wonder why do hypnosis for birth at all.

Studies have shown that women who use hypnosis during labour and birth are much more likely to be relaxed during the process, both physically and emotionally.

This impacts very favourably in regards to the women reporting a much more comfortable, and less painful labour than they might have otherwise expected.

In addition, the likelihood of a normal physiological labour and vaginal birth WITHOUT intervention are much higher.

A tendency to anticipate labour positively rather than dreading is more likely;

Also a  better ability to cope with whatever happens in labour with self reliance and a feeling of empowerment;

A deep sense of empowerment in oneself, connection with the baby and a reduction in fear and anxiety.

No one can predict with absolute certainty what will happen in labour, but this approach to utilizing hypnosis for birth allows you to make the best of whatever happens to you in labour.

Who is this for?

Any woman who wants to give herself the best opportunity in labour to feel that she has done the best she can to prepare and travel on that very special journey, no matter how it may turn out.

She may be a first time mother who feels good and simply wants to carry on feeling good, or she may be a first time mother who is scared of the unknown. She may be a second time mother who has done hypnosis with me before and wants a refresher, or perhaps terrible things may have happened previously and she needs to deactivate a trauma before she can prepare for labour and birth.

This course is for any woman who is having a baby and wants to not feel bad and who wants to feel good about it at a deep gut level, who is prepared to experience profound maternal relaxation and the sense of her own immense maternal power.

What do I do in my role as hypnotherapist?

I have worked with pregnant women and their partners for over 12 years, for late pregnancy and birth preparation, nearly 10 of them as a formally qualified clinical hypnotherapist.

I have worked with groups of women, couples and done a host of  work with women individually.

I have eventually come to the conclusion that doing 1 to 1 bespoke work is the key to facilitating a woman having the best labour and birth experience possible, due to the consistently positive feedback I have got from clients after their births.

Working with women individually produces the best hypnotic results

Everyone is different and women having babies especially so.

My job is one wherein I can put forward the approach which is most suitable to the woman who comes to me as a client.

Some women want reassurance, some pain management, some have been traumatized and some want to do the best they can for themselves and to simply feel good.

I find out what they want and help them to do that with an hypnotic approach which is suitable to them.

I have developed my own unique approach because of the feedback I get about what works and what doesn’t. So I do what works and abandon what doesn’t.

What I teach is based on who is in front of me.

It doesn’t come out of a manual or a weekend course where one size fits all.

I want the women who come to me to have the best chance possible to have the best kind of birth that they can.

I am a full member of the British Society of Clinical Hypnotherapists, and have appropriate insurance.

Key things that might happen in  hypnosis for birth course:

Relaxation:  deep, very deep letting go of anxiety relaxation.

This is one of the more obviously noticeable features of my approach, the extremely thorough

Reassurance: accessing inherent maternal power and wisdom

Accessing hypnotic states: frequently, regularly and profoundly.

Accessing empowerment: to draw out the best and most powerful resources a woman has.

Labour and birth preparation: a positive understanding using hypnosis, at a deep level, of the process of normal, physiological labour and birth, by programming clients at an unconscious level to prepare for it, physically, mentally and emotionally.

How to do the hypnosis for birth course

Firstly, I visit the woman in her home so that she does not have to even experience the hassle of travelling to come to the session.

If she likes, her partner can be present for some of the course.

Partners often find listening to some of the sessions can be very relaxing and reassuring for them as well as for the women.

The woman has hypnosis done to her by me for the whole course.

This is the most deeply relaxing, reassuring and easiest way for the women who do hypnosis for birth with me to experience trance.

All hypnosis is recorded so the woman can reinforce the learnings during the rest of her pregnancy and use them in labour.

Hypnosis sessions are a mixture of hypnosis for:

relaxation

confidence,

feelings of comfort

analgesia

understanding the physiological process of labour- what her body is programmed to do and making sense of her own ability and power to enable that to happen.

The woman simply listens to the sessions over and over again so that they become more powerful and so she is more able to access her own innate inner resources.

Almost no effort required on the part of the woman, except to listen to the recordings of the sessions over and over again, becoming more and more relaxed and in that state of being where she can really enjoy her pregnancy and look forward with anticipation to her labour.

Structure of the course

The course consists of 2 in depth sessions.

The first is a 2 hour session which lays in the groundwork for the subsequent session and which allows for a decent possibility to do hypnosis practice in the interval.

It consists of taking a case history of the pregnant woman in order to formulate the most appropriate and effective course of action for her.

Any queries she may have about hypnosis are answered.

Hypnotic practices are done.

The second session is a 3 hour one, which allows an in depth approach to be taken.

Hypnosis sessions are even more fine tuned based on the feedback from the homework from the

All courses are done in the clients home enviroment, or else (soon) in hospital consulting rooms or in a therapy centre.

CD or flash stick recordings of the sessions are given to clients for reference and reinforcement.

Sessions are undertaken in a  1 to 1 bespoke manner, to facilitate the needs of the individual client.

|t allows for a sufficient amount of pertinent hypnosis to be done and to sink in in the easiest and most enjoyable way for the woman who is doing the course.

Simply put the woman has  bespoke hypnosis sessions done for her during contact time, and these sessions, which are recorded are listened to over and over again during her term and  also in labour.

This facilitates the release of endorphins and a particular feeling of well being which is amenable to gestation and labour.

Other things to know:

All sessions are home visits, unless you come to our lovely studio in Stroud.

Session times are approximate. Sometimes sessions might need to go on a bit longer than scheduled, so leave a little space for that.

A good idea not to book anything too hectic into your itinerary for the rest of the day.

These hypnosis sessions are extremely relaxing and women who do them tend to be very sensitive to what goes on around them subsequently- so dinner parties or raves best avoided too soon after. Much better to chill out for the rest of the day.

I tend to drive to my clients quite a bit, so my simple need is to ensure that some reasonable and accessible parking option is possible and my clients tend to sort that out for me if they live in a restricted parking zone.

Eat something before hand. Not too much or little.

You can eat in the session if you need to.

Partners are welcome to attend but things tend to flow better when the woman has hypnosis done to her by herself.

There is also the option for hypnosis to be done to partners for their own issues (see below).

Small groups by arrangement occasionally.

Top up sessions are also possible- useful for some women when necessary.

IN ADDITION

Couples’ hypnosis:

This is useful. From my point of view this is both the most enjoyable hypnosis work for me to do (getting a couple to work successfully together as a team hypnotically), but is also the most labour-intensive and unpredictable.

Because people are so unique, how successful this approach is depends on so many variables.

Simplest and perhaps most important variable is: will the couple actually do any meaningful practice together?

Despite this being the most popular approach to using hypnosis for birth generally, it is the least reliable.

Some couples work beautifully together, and others despite loads of effort just never gel.

A simple rule of thumb: if the partner is really willing to give the matter a go, then possibly it is worth doing.

A second rule of thumb: if the couple aren’t going to practice regularly it really isn’t worth taking this option.

Regular practice here defined as practicing regularly as soon as it is learnt, not once maternity leave begins, not fitted around social engagements, not after the nursery is completed or the birthing pool delivered, and not once a week in a solitary big session.

You will need to do a little bit daily (ideally) – 10 or 20 minutes is good, longer is better.

This option takes more time 3 sessions totalling 8 hours of contact time altogether. It is very intensive and is very closely supervised by me to ensure that it works. It costs 50% more than the standard 1 to 1 option.

Hypnosis for partners

Partners who have their own issues around this important time in their lives can use this as an occasion to utilize hypnosis to address them. For instance, issues to do with stress, anxiety, sleeplessness and the desire to stop smoking can be tackled on the same visits to the pregnant woman having hypnosis.

These are dealt with on a case by case basis. You can enquire about this when booking or when the course has already begun.

The partner can (where appropriate) join in some of the hypnosis done to the woman, enjoying the benefits of relaxation it can give.

Fees

Fees are £300.00 for the course payable in advance either by cheque or preferably, electronically.

An invoice will be sent to facilitate