HEALTH
Pain-Free Childbirth?
Hypno
-possible!
No epidurals, no Caesareans
and minimal discomfort!
Childbirth can now be
an exhilarating and
natural experience with
hypnotherapy. Family
& Life talks to a clinical
hypnotherapist, a mother
and a doctor to find out more
about hypno-birthing.
...it’s about
getting the
conscious mind
out of the way
so that the body
can get on with
the birthing.
Giving birth to a child is one of the
most joyous life experiences a woman
can have. However, at the same time,
the idea of going into labour scares
a lot of women due to the pain and
uncertainty they’ll be experiencing.
What if we told you that the
discomfort of childbirth can be
dramatically minimised and the
agony transformed into bliss?
That’s the magic of hypnotherapy,
according to experienced clinical
hypnotherapist Jonathan GarsideAtkinson of The Hypnosis Clinic.
There is no mumbo-jumbo involved;
hypnotherapy is just used to “encourage
the mother and her body to do what it
already knows how to do, without the
need for any medical intervention”.
With the painful portrayals of
childbirth in the media and the horror
stories from well-meaning friends,
a lot of mothers are, quite naturally,
afraid of opting for a natural birth
without the assistance of a cocktail
of drugs. Yet, the thought of losing
control of the process is also a
discomforting consideration.
Hypnotherapy does away with this
dilemma by empowering the mother
and letting her take charge of the
entire pregnancy journey, from when
she is first aware of the new life
gestating in her womb until the actual
childbirth itself.
Medical Opinions on Hypno-birthing
“Hypnotherapy gives you the tools
to not only minimise the pain of
childbirth but can also help you with
managing your morning sickness,
getting attracted to the right diet for
you and your unborn baby, and even
helping you maintain the elasticity of
your skin!” says Jonathan.
He continues, “Women are
genetically programmed to be able to
do this and a lot of the time, it’s about
getting the conscious mind out of the
way so that the body can get on with
the birthing.”
How does hypnosis and
hypnotherapy work?
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The common consensu
is that hypnosis
scientific community
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.
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therapist
During hypnotherapy, the
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the patient, allowing him
te pain or
overcome a fear, elimina
jective that
accomplish any other ob
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he or she wants to achie
So, does hypnosis and
hypnotherapy actually
work?
dy done in
A Stanford University stu
sis alters
2000 suggests that hypno
s the world.
how the brain perceive
ed subjects
In the study, the hypnotis
even though
observed seeing colours
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PET scans showed tha
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of the subjects’ brains res
owed
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of activity.
increased signs
t, science
So, yes, to a certain exten
y does work!
proves that hypnotherap
Essentially, hypnotherapy helps
mothers to relax, remain calm and
enjoy the experience.
Nicole, one of Jonathan’s
patients, share with us her
hypno-birthing experience.
Every hypno-birthing programme
is tailored to the specific needs
of each mother, based on her
expectations and fears. As part
of his programme, Jonathan also
provides each of his patients with a
memory stick that they bring home
to listen to on their own.
When the contractions came, I was
amazingly calm but at the same
time, overwhelmed with excitement
at the thought of seeing my baby.
Surprisingly, I didn’t feel any pain
at all, just mild discomfort – like
pins and needles – while I was
getting myself into position.
According to Jonathan, all of his
patients report that they are not
the only ones reaping the benefits
of hypno-birthing. Their babies
too are happier, more relaxed and
demonstrate higher Apgar (a simple
method to quickly summarise the
health of newborn babies through
complexion, pulse rate, reflex, activity
and respiratory Vff