What is Hypnosis in Labor?
Hypnosis is the use of hypnosis to achieve maximum relaxation, comfort, and relief during childbirth.
The some methods that us hypnosis for laborare based on the work of Grantly Dick-Read, MD, the English obstetrician who wrote Childbirth Without Fear in 1944. According to Dr. Dick-Read, use of hypnosis during labor helps laboring women break what he termed the "Fear-Tension-Pain syndrome" which makes labor more difficult. He believed the syndrome actually caused blood to flow away from nonessential organs such as the uterus to large muscle groups in the legs. He theorized that relaxation achieved through hypnosis would prevent that from happening.
How Does Hypnosis in Labor Work?
The process of hypnosis is based on the power of suggestion. The laboring woman uses positive affirmations, suggestions, and visualizations to relax her body, guide her thoughts, and control her breathing. She can either do this herself (self-hypnosis) or receive assistance from a hypnotherapist. Sometimes women work with a certified hypnotherapist to learn self-hypnosis. They often play a tape of verbal affirmations that help them enter a calm state of self-hypnosis. Alternately, they might use a visualization--such as a flower opening its petals--to picture what's happening to them, and achieve relaxation.
A hypnotherapist may or may not be present during the birth, depending on the needs of the laboring woman. For some people self-hypnosis is easy to achieve, while others respond better to the assistance of a therapist.
