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Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, Jessica Alba, and some Russian stars who have used gentle hypnosis during childbirth have drawn a lot of attention to the practice. Why is she so good and why are more and more women becoming “hypnomists”?
In the minds of many women, childbirth and pain are closely connected, and it is not easy to free yourself from fears in anticipation of this event. Special relaxation and visualization techniques help women to calm down and positively set themselves up both during pregnancy and during childbirth.
Soft hypnosis (for example, with audio recordings of a hypnologist) and self-hypnosis help to calm the mind and relax the muscles so that childbirth takes place harmoniously and as naturally as possible.
Plunging into hypnosis, we abstract ourselves from reality for a while. The body seems to become soft, heavy, there is an effect of detachment from it. And gradually manifests natural hypnoanesthesia (hypnotic pain relief).
Hypnosis in childbirth was one of the first to be used by the British obstetrician Grantley Dick-Read in the 30s of the last century and wrote the book “Childbirth without fear”, it is available in Russian. Later, the American hypnologist Mary Mongan based her technique on Dick-Reed’s research (“The Book of Healthy and Safe Childbirth. Hypnobirth – the Mongan Method”, All, 2011).
Studies show that the use of hypnosis in childbirth reduces the use of pharmacological pain relief and shortens the duration of the first stage of labor (Kenyon, 2013). And the course on self-hypnosis improves the experience of childbirth in women, and also reduces the level of fear (Werner A., Uldbjerg N., Zachariae R., Wu CS, Nohr EA, Denmark, 2013).
Mongan writes that gentle hypnosis does not conflict with the ideas of natural childbirth. “Hypnobirthing is not a loss of control, but a state in which the environment becomes not so important, because the attention is focused inside. Sometimes this state is also called focused relaxation, ”explains Anastasia Ivanova, psychologist, hypnosis specialist and author of the course.
Hypnobirthing techniques have been practiced in some Russian maternity hospitals since 2015, and more obstetricians in maternity hospitals are being trained in this method.
How does everything work in practice?
In fact, childbirth under hypnosis is only one part of the method. Hypnobirthing involves a thorough preparation during pregnancy, which includes saying affirmations daily, visualizing (for example, your ideal birth), doing the 6-Stage Soothing Breathing technique, listening to hypnosis audio recordings at night, relaxation and calming exercises.
Regularity is very important here, it allows you to bring the breathing technique to automatism, which can be useful in a stressful situation. You can immerse yourself in hypnosis using various techniques. One of those that Anastasia Ivanova offers in her course is called the “6-stage soothing breathing” technique.
6-Stage Calming Breathing Technique
In order for the concentration to be as effective as possible, it is important to observe three conditions: choose the right place and time where you feel comfortable, where no one will distract you, turn off the phone; find a comfortable position in which you would like to fall asleep or relax very deeply and tune in.
Hypno-moms use the following self-hypnosis text: “I am doing this exercise in order to prepare my mind and body for a gentle, comfortable birth. I want to develop the skill of getting into a comfortable state of hypnosis in any circumstance. I want my mind to learn to be calm and trust the flow of life. I want my body to be relaxed and supple during labor.”
Usually a few repetitions of the affirmation are enough and the mind begins to calm down.
The first stage
Any breathing technique begins with passive observation of your own breathing. Therefore, you sit or lie down, close your eyes, put one hand on your chest, the other on your stomach, and, as if from the side, observe the natural rhythm of “inhale and exhale.” You can mentally pronounce to yourself “breathe” and “vyydooooh”, as if synchronizing the rhythm.
Explanation: This method creates the position of an external observer, which is very helpful in giving birth to let go of conscious control. Closed eyes make it easier to focus on your own feelings. The superficial level of trance is when the external ceases to be so significant to you.
The second stage
Once you have tuned in to your natural breathing rhythm, pay attention to whether you are inhaling through your nose or through your mouth. For deep relaxing breathing, it is better to breathe through the nose.
Explanation: Breathing through the nose improves brain nutrition and promotes better and deeper relaxation.
The third stage
You are attuned to the body, you inhale through the nose and pay attention to breathing with the stomach, that is, with each breath, the stomach rises.
Explanation: Diaphragmatic breathing helps to relax the body deeper and fill it with oxygen better, thus removing blocks and clamps in the body. Belly breathing is natural for us. If you watch children, you will notice that they breathe with their belly.
The fourth stage
You are attuned to the body, you inhale through your nose and breathe in your belly and help your exhalations to be slower and longer. It will be great if the exhalation is twice as long as the inhalation. For example, inhale for 3, exhale for 6. Inhale for 4 – exhale for 8. Do several cycles of such breathing.
Explanation: By increasing the depth of exhalation, we help release the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which relaxes the nerves and promotes relaxation. You should not intensify breathing until pain or tension in the abdominal muscles appears. Your goal is peace and relaxation.
Fifth stage
You are attuned to the body, you breathe in through your nose, breathe in your belly and help your exhalations to be slower and longer. And you just repeat this rhythm to yourself for a while: “woooooh – youyyydooooh.” That is, as if mentally pronouncing the breath. If you are the kind of person who likes to count, then count to yourself. For example, inhale 1-2-3-4, exhale 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8. Some people prefer to just say this rhythm “inhale – exhale” to themselves.
Explanation: Deep breathing causes a relaxation response, followed by a chain of beneficial changes in the body: slowing the heart rate, blood flow to the limbs, and muscle relaxation.
Sixth stage
You are attuned to the body, you breathe in through your nose, breathe in your belly and help your exhalations to be slower and longer. Now think about the feeling that you want to be filled with, which would be useful for you now. It can be joy, tenderness, calmness, lightness.
Ask a question what you need at this moment, and with each breath fill yourself with this feeling. Self-hypnosis at this moment: “With every breath I inhale … (joy / comfort / lightness / calmness, etc.), with each exhalation I exhale too much, unnecessary.”
For both inhalation and exhalation, it is important to choose one thing – something that now prevents you from feeling comfortable. The entire exercise takes 2-3 minutes to complete. This is one of the great practices of gentle hypnosis in childbirth that can be used between the waves of contractions.
Avoid false expectations
The authors of the method claim that hypnobirth has no contraindications. But is this method suitable for all women?
Svetlana Bezrokova, midwife
“It is important to understand why a woman turned to this method. What do you expect from hypnosis? If you want to learn yet another breathing technique, relaxation, another great tool to get in touch with the body and more calmly live contractions and attempts, then the experience of hypnobirth is most likely to be positive.
But if a woman is very afraid of pain and hopes to get a magic pill that will completely relieve her of suffering, she may be disappointed. Hypnobirthing can relieve pain, but cannot eliminate it.
When a woman suddenly experiences very strong sensations in attempts or during contractions, she has a shock: how? Why do I feel pain if I was told during the courses that the child will easily and imperceptibly come out of me? Maybe I’m kind of “not like that”.
In addition, there are women who are immune to hypnosis, to (self-)suggestion, and it is likely that this technique will not work on them. There are women who are not able to live through pain, dissociating from the body and being carried away somewhere into rainbow fantasies. They need to face the internal, real sensations in the fights in order to understand how to interact with them.
So I recommend not to rely on this method as the only one possible for yourself and to master different methods of self-help in childbirth. This will help to avoid frustration and disappointment in yourself.