Active Hypnobirthing & Advanced Pain Management

Hypnosis helps many women during childbirth. Some clinicians believe that as many as 20% of the general population can be trained to use hypnosis as their primary analgesic. Not everyone may wish to rely solely on hypnosis, but a large percentage – probably everyone – can benefit from hypnosis to allay their fears of pain, including labour pain. Hypnosis helps women to keep calm during the stages of early labour to minimize discomfort, even if the woman opts for pain-relieving medication later on. However, the vast majority hypnobirthing clients don’t find it necessary to use any other form of pain relief in labour. Every woman – and partner – trained in hypnobirthing to date has reported that it gave them a far greater sense of confidence in their ability to cope with any eventuality and a much greater sense of control over both their emotions and physical sensations.

One well-known method of hypnobirthing has been trademarked in the USA as ‘HypnoBirthing’. This approach was originally developed by the American childbirth educator Marie Mongan. This method, along with many other ‘natural’ or ‘woman-centred’ approaches to pregnancy and childbirth, is based on the work of pioneering English obstetrician, Dr Grantly Dick-Read. Hypnobirthing proponents find that when a woman is given the proper preparation for childbirth, she can experience a safe, serene and satisfying birth, free of the fear that causes tension and pain.

Hypnobirthing takes advantage of the ‘Robot Response’ in which the body, controlled by the subconscious, can act according to whatever is determined in the conscious mind. For example, a football player who sprains an ankle in the last part of the game may focus his conscious attention so totally on playing and winning that, although he may feel the pressure of the swelling in his ankle, he feels no associated pain. His mind has narrowed its focus so much that it only accepts the suggestion that he must remain in the game and play his hardest to win. The pressure of the ankle is relayed by the subconscious as only a minor consideration that does not warrant a sympathetic or pain-stimulus response. So even though the sharp twist would normally be accompanied by strong sensations of pain, this message is over-ridden by the conscious mind’s focus on winning. It is only when the game is over and he can relax his focus and stop worrying about finishing the game successfully that the message of the sprain is relayed to the mind and the pain response kicks in.

In the same way, during childbirth, if the mind accepts the belief that, unless there are specific complications, birthing is a natural process, is not painful, and that no extreme – or even any – pain or discomfort will be experienced, the body’s physiological response is to feel only the tightening or pressure of the uterine waves as they dilate the cervix and then push the baby out naturally. This belief is learned and reinforced through a process of education and preparation using hypnotherapy.