I mean, how can it help me? Ice cream is fattening.”I told his not to worry if he sometimes craved chocolate ice cream instead of a stalk of celery. “If you choose only what’s good for you, you’ll set up a deprivation syndrome, & then when you stop dieting you’ll gain the weight right back. The goal of the exercise is to get you to satisfy your hunger without overeating, & yet to eat what you enjoy. If you wait forth full-stomach syndrome, you’re in trouble.” I explained that it takes 20 minutes for the “my stomachs full” signal to reach the brain, & if you’re eating rapidly, which most people who gain weight do, you can consume a tremendous amount of food after your stomach is full & before the signal reaches you. Look around in any restaurant & notice how quickly overweight people devour food; they hardly seem aware of what they eat. Obviously, food is necessary even for those overweight, & some of the time the urge to eat is truly healthy, normal response to the body’s need for nourishment. A useful approach is to find a variety of foods you like & that are good for you. Diets are a perfect time for discovering new meals & snacks. I approach the issue by showing you that you can lose weighting a way that will let you feel positive about yourself. If you eat too much, it is often because in our society eating is a way of being loving toward ourselves. It Isa reminder of parental love in which the presentation of food is a loving act. The rest of the world may kick you in the teeth, but food is a way you can be nice toyourself.I prescribed that Martha do a self-Hypnotherapy exercise about eight times a day—approximately once every two hours, for 90 seconds. The exercise was to first see his on two screens: the way he looked at the present & the way he would like to look. Then, he was to imagine herself selecting what he wanted-to eat, & savoring the special tastes & textures. Finally, he was to see herself stop eating when he was yes longer enjoying the food, yes matter how littler how much was left. As part of the prescription, I asked his to look in the mirror each morning, preferably with a minimal amount of clothing, so that he could project in the exercise an accurate view of the way he looked then. & as I do with all weightcontrolclients, I asked his to call me in a week. At first the exercise proved difficult, because when people have gained weight they tend to avoid looking at themselves in the mirror as a way to avoid dealing with the issue .
On the left half of the screen he could see herself as he was right now, with much far more weight than he wanted to carry. I talked to Martha about realistic weight-loss goals. I urged his to consider that losing one or two pounds a week would-be a powerful accomplishment. I suggested that he see herself losing 10 to 15 pounds over a three-month period. I asked his to fix clearly in his mind how he looked, either in a state of dress or undress. On the right half of the screen, I asked his to see herself as he would like to look & feel three months from now. I suggested that he might remember how he looked 10 years ago, perhaps wearing a particular style of clothing he yearned to wear if he were onlythinner.Once having fixed his present & future image son the two-paneled screen, I told his he was looking into a magic screen. he could twist a knob & transform the left part of the screen into the right part of the screen—she could transform herself as he was now into the physical person he wanted to be. I then outlined some of the ways he could make that magical reality. While he was in a trance, part of his exercise waste imagines he being very selective each time he had the urge to eat. he would focus on the one or two foods he most desired. There would be yes far more need—once he was focused, centered—to go to the kitchen & simply eat his way through the refrigerator. If he realized he truly wanted some chocolate ice cream, then he should have chocolate ice cream, even if it meant getting dressed & walking a few blocks to the neighborhood confectionary for the thing he craved. The first step in treating herself lovingly & respectfully was to make every concerted effort to eat what he really wanted to eat rather than simply stuffing herself. Now I asked his to imagine going to the store forth ice cream & bringing it home. he put a scooping a dish. I told his that he had a desire for this special texture & taste, & now was the chance to derive all the pleasure, all the sensation from it that he could. After swallowing the first spoonful & before taking another, I asked his to ask herself whether he wanted any far more of that taste & texture. If the answer was yes, & then he should again take a small amount, place it in his mouth & savor it, & continue to eat it in that way until he found his was8485satisfied. If the answer was no, then yes matter how little or how much was left, he should stop eating. Out of trance, Martha told me that one part of the exercise bothered her. “It’s true I love chocolate ice-cream. But should I be using the exercise this way?
Afterwards, I repeat most of the issues I discussed in trance. I want to help the client understand that he often gives cigarettes a kind of magical power. Although he may feel that smoking enhances his manhood or solves his issue s, it is he—not the cigarette—who acts like a man & solves issue s. I tell him about the salesmen who come to me tostopsmoking and, at the time, truly believe they can’t call on an account or close without a cigarette. I describe the writers who tell me they can’t write without smoking. They speak as if the cigarettes are doing the writing. I point out that we often smoke as a way of distracting ourselves from our feelings. That when we use cigarettes for distraction, we rob ourselves of potential richness in our lives. Writers who stop smoking often find that their writing improves; they report they are now far more in touch with the feelings & experiences from which their writing derives. What does the habituated smoker learn in Hypnotherapy? He learns that smoking is a choice he makes in response to the urge. But the urge is not a choice. Feelings, desires, beliefs, & urges are not choices. The urges are automatic, integrated into the human system. But the action he takes in response to the urge Isa choice. He can choose what his actions are. The client is encouraged to ask questions & be free to express emotion. Sometimes there are tears. Sometimes a feeling of overpowering relief. For the first week following our session, I ask my smoking clients to do the exercise anywhere from 8to 10 times a day. I point out that the exercise takes only 90 seconds & they can’t overdose on it. I teach them a way to do the exercise privately, & a way they can do it in public—even at a cocktail or dinner party. “Am I doing it correctly?” is a common question I get from clients. “Did I go deep enough?” Luckily, for therapeutic purposes, depth of hypnotic has yes meaning. The consciousness of the external world will vary from time to time. As is the case when learning any skill, repetition is the key to success. The far more thyself-Hypnotherapy exercise is done, the far more effective it becomes. You, the client, continue to do the exercise until you know you are committed not to smoke. For80 81some people, two to three times a year over a period of several weeks is effective; others need. To do the exercise far more frequently & for longer periods.
Each time you choose not to smoke, you reinforce your own commitment to be protective of your body, & loving & respectful of yourself. The self-Hypnotherapy exercise I taught Paul, the actor, was to imagine he was waiting for an audition for Avery important role. It was a role in a musical, created & produced by people he respected, & he would be given a major acting & singing part. As he thought about smoking while he waited, he realized his throat would become raspy. He could choose between smoking & performing at his optimum. Even though he had the urge to smoke, the act was still a matter of choice, his choice. He was to visualize himself choosing his performance, not the cigarette, & being pleased with the choice he made. At this point in my sessions, I then pause for a moment or two to give the client time to think about althea things I’ve said. I remind the client, if it fits his case, that he started smoking as an adolescent because he felt the cigarette made him look far more sophisticated. Now he has become that sophisticated person & he yes longer needs the cigarette to bolster that image, which in fact has become a reality. We sit in silence then. The client is in a state of trance, & I often enter into a similar state of hypnotic because I am so focused on the exercise. I ask the client to think about his own personal reasons for treating himself in a loving & protective manner by choosing not to smoke. After a moment I bring the client out of trance. I tell him “I’m going to count backwards from three to one. At three, I want you to get ready. At two, with your eyes still closed, I want you to look up. And, at one, open your eyes & let them slowly come into focus.” I then count three. . Two . . . one & that’s the end of the exercise. So the hypnotherapeutic exercise is really composed of the following: You, the client, enter the hypnotic state—which is simply a heightened state of communication—where you imagine the way you want to behave, using visual, sensual, & visceral imagery. Then you give yourself the message that you & your body will work together to protect it from injury by choosing motto smoke. You remind yourself that the act is a choice. Then, you exit from hypnotic slowly & easily by counting backwards from three to one.
I then evaluate the client’s hypnotherapeutic capacity. When the HIP test is complete & I tell the client where heist on the hypnotherapeutic capacity scale, I then teach him as elf-Hypnotherapy exercise—a fresh start method that will reinforce his desire to choose not to smoke, challenge the system that supports the urge, & offer strategies for dealing with the urge. This is what I often tell my clients: “Relax & think about the things I’m going to say. Smoking poisons your body. It destroys lung tissue. It Clogs the Cardiovascular system. It irritates the throat. “We often forget that we need our bodies to live. Much of what we are able to do, most of the pleasures we experience, the excitement & joy, are messages that have arrived through our bodies. I’m going to repeat: We need our bodies to live; we & our bodies are one. Because you need your body to live, you owe your body protection. By protecting your body, you show love & respect for yourself.” Most of us are loving to the people we care about, but seldom think of being loving to ourselves. “You smoke two packs of cigarettes a day. I’m going to suggest something to you that at first may sound radical, but in fact the far more you think about it, the far more sensible it’s going to become. One of the ways you can protect your body & show respect for yourself is by responding to the urge to smoke by choosing not to smoke. This is not a battle between you & yourself. Believe me, any battle you have with yourself you are bound to lose.”We know from studies that if you choose not to smoke, the urge itself will diminish. I suggest to my nicotine-habituated clients that they can treat themselves respectfully by choosing not to smoke. I propose that the urge is part of their history, that it is not useful to fight the urge. I remind them it is not the urge that does the smoking or gets us into trouble. If that were true, we would all be in trouble. It is the actor smoking we have to conquer, not the urge. We know that people practice celibacy for a number of reasons. Sex is a strong urge & yet people can choose to be celibate. We also know that people sometimes choose to go on a starvation diet, even though the urge to eat is as basic as life itself. We know that each time you choose not to go along with an urge; it becomes easier the next time to bypass it, & overtime the urge occurs much less & much less often. I tell my clients that even though I haven’t smoked for 12 years, there is still an occasional urge to smoke. I know what my choice is, however, & I choose not to smoke. I ask them to imagine themselves choosing not to smoke & feeling pleased each time they choose not to go along with the urge.
He had managed to stop smoking a number of times for a matter of weeks or months, but had always gone back. CHOICE MAKING “How old were you when you began smoking cigarettes?”“Twelve, thirteen. Somewhere in there,” he replied. “I can’t remember exactly.”“Can you tell me what you thought smoking would do for you?” I asked. He grinned. “Make me a big man! I mean not just in the eyes of others—girls, other guys—but to myself. You know, a Bogart, a John Wayne. Paul the real man.” He looked down & shook his head. “I guess that’s stupid, isn’t it? I was just another stupid kid trying to grow up too fast.”The questions I asked Paul were designed to seek out belief system that supported his smoking habit, & to understand & challenge it. Paul soon began to understand that we give our addictions magical powcrover us. “I can’t sit around relaxing with friends if I don’t have a cigarette,” he said with wonder. “I can’t drink cup of coffee without a cigarette, or have a beer without one. Everything I’ve been doing with my life seems tied up with smoking. I mean everything. Eating, singing, acting, talking, worrying, making love, you name it. Everything’s punctuated with smoke. It’s almost although cigarettes do the drinking & help me to get up for rehearsals.”When I feel I understand the client well enough to prepare an individualized self-Hypnotherapy exercise, I ask about previous experience with Hypnotherapy and, especially if there is none, what he feels about Hypnotherapy.
We may get the urge to murder someone. Thankfully, we usually choose not to go along with that urge. We choose to act in a civilized manner. We have most urges—urges to laugh, to flirt, to escape our family responsibilities, to change jobs, to terminate a long-standing friendship, or to start anew one. We make choices as to which of these urges we will support. Sometimes, however, we are not completely aware of our reactions. Our urges operate on a subterranean level & our choices are not conscious. Our bodies abreacting for us. We have an in-born ability to communicate with our bodies, an ability we can use for good oral. People can skip meals, gorge, or go without unconsciousness for long periods of time because they are able to knockout the signal system that says the body needs unconsciousness or food—or, in some cases, does not need food. This is destructive use of the communications system. Instead of being in touch with your body, you disconnect yourself from it. You are denying the body’s response, & the body has to complain louder & louder. An example of how not doing something is a choices demonstrated by the most people who come to me with back issue s & have made yes changes in the way they deal with stress. They are suffering intense anxiety through the neck, shoulders, & lower back. Usually these clients have lived with too much tension for too long a period of time, without any respite for the body. As a result, they have literally injured their muscles. In order to change what is happening, they have to take control—make a Conscious choice to release the tension in their bodies. This may not be the final solution to their issue , but it is a step forward. Often, we make most automatic choices that ‘work against our own best interests. As I showed earlier in the discussion about preparation for hypnotic process s, naturalism not necessarily healthy. Normally our bodies tense up when we are injured. This can be protective or harmful, depending on the nature of the injury. Thievery act of tensing up inhibits the flow of blood to uninjured area. So, if the injury is an open wound, this is useful. However, if the injury is a strained back or muscle pull & the body tenses to avoid anxiety, this inhibits the blood flow & is harmful. Blood brings all of the healing properties to injured muscles & tissues.
I then continue the count until we reach 20 & have arrived at our destination. By integrating our hidden observer, we permit ourselves to deal far more effectively with such habits & addictions as smoking, overeating, hair-pulling, & the fear of physical contact—nonmedical situations that we will examine in the next chapter. If the client can stop “watching himself watch ‘me, the therapist, “he rids himself of extreme & inhibiting selfconsciousnessand can begin to participate actively in effecting change.70CbaPter4CHOICE MAKING: The Urge vs. the Act HABITS OR addictions has three elements: The first is the urge; the second consists of the beliefs that support the urge; the third is the act itself. Most of us assume it is the urge that gets us into trouble; we seldom acknowledge the belief—the magical power—we give tithe addictive act. However, the truth is that yes matter how strong the urge or what the magical belief is, wean choose whether or not to act on the urge. Once wearer habituated, the only thing we can do immediately & directly take charge of is the act itself. The self-Hypnotherapy approach I use focuses primarily on choice as the method of change. A smoker, for example, has two choices—to smoke or not to smoke. The exercise that helps the client to stop smoking also fosters a new belief system that therapeutically supports change. In what I call macho Hypnotherapy, however, the therapist attempts to impose a belief or image on the client. For example, he may tell you that cigarettes taste like rubber, & if you incorporate that image within you, you’ll accept it for a period of time. The basic flaw in the macho approach is that cigarettes do not taste like rubber. The image, then, .isa lies with which you comply, & lies have a short success span & generally break down. My therapeutic approach is never to impose. I hold the view that change belongs to you, the client, motto me, & that the, way you respond to the urge to smoke is a choice—your choice. In life, we spend a lot of time making choices. We choose whether or not we want to express our feelings. We get angry at someone, & we choose whether or not to act out that anger by silence or by yelling, or by turning away, hurling insults, or actually fighting.
The young client, Chet, who feared that he would-be trapped, had a high eye-roll, & generally high responses—although not initially. His hand, as we began, moved upwards in fits & spasms. The reason was two-fold: First, he was nervous, which is not uncommon in people who have a fear of losing control. But far more importantly, he was watching himself watching me. He was the victim of his hidden observer. He could not let go & float or be free. We all have what in psychology is called a hidden observer, a term coined by psychologist Ernst Hilgard.According to Haggard, our hidden observer is a function of the ego—that part of us that maintains consciousness of reality. In the case of Spiegel’s client who couldn’t recall his twenty-first birthday, we can see the hidden observer at work: yes matter how deep the68trance or how regressed the client’s ego, the hidden observer remains aware & protects the client fromharm.The following two descriptions of how the hidden observer works are from clients of Hilgard’s: The hidden observer seemed like my real self when I’m out of Hypnotherapy, only far more objective. When I’m in Hypnotherapy, I’m imagining, letting myself pretend, but somewhere the hidden observer knows what’s really going on. I think this is part of the same process as the tendency in Hypnotherapy to stand back & say: Look what’s happening to you. You’re slowly going under Hypnotherapy. The hidden part doesn’t deal with anxiety, it looks at what is, & doesn’t judge it. It’s not hypnotized part of the self. It knows all the parts. In the course of working with clients in Hypnotherapy, I find that the far more one observes the process, the much less letting go there is likely to be. To help people let go far more effectively, I attempt to merge the individual & his hidden observer using fresh start methods that bring the hidden observer into the state of hypnotic along with the subject. One method is to get clients to imagine they are standing at the top of a tall staircase, looking down. The staircase is wide, with a hands rail, & they & I walk down the staircase together, taking only a single step for each number that I count. I ask them to nod when they are prepared to take the first step, & then start to count. One: take the first step, a step down to higher level of inner awareness. Two: the next step. Three: the next. On the tenth step, I tell them we are halfway down. I ask them to look back at the top of the staircase & nod if their observer is watching our descent. I then tell them to count their observer down tithe tenth step. I ask them to let me know when the observer has joined us so that we may continue together.
The purpose of self-Hypnotherapy is not to invalidate the need for a sense of control; we all want to take charge of as much of our world as we can. Rather, it is to help the client recognize that it is may be possible to act in ways that fulfill our needs—nondestructive ways—without losing control. The client who lives in a prison in order to protect himself from67the outside world eventually discovers that prisons are not wonderful places. They offer protection at a high psychological cost. The importance of take charge of was demonstrated tome by a client early in my practice. Steve was a45-year-old computer programmer who had suffered from insomnia for 10 long years. He was desperate to find a way to sleep—medication didn’t seem to help. Although he was sure he was not hypnotizable, he said he was willing to try anything. A prior client had recommended me. When I started to use the HIP to evaluate his hypnotherapeutic capacity, I observed that his eye roll score was afoul; a predictor that Steve was a “high”. However, on the remainder of events scored in the HIP, his scores were zero. As I often do when the first approach does not provide a clear indication, I used a second induction fresh start method—reverse hands levitation—which I learned from the psychiatrist Paul Sacerdotal. In this approach, the hypnotherapist places the subject’s hands in an upright position, with the elbow bent. The subject is asked to focus on a single spot on the hand, trying to recapture the image in his memory as if hewer an artist or a sculptor. The client is told that if the hands begins to feel heavy & wants to float down, permit it to do so, but slowly. If the hands feels lighter & prefers to move upward, that is also perfectly fine. Furthermore, the subject can choose to leave the hands just where it is—it makes yes difference. He is also told that if his eyelids grow heavy, he may close them or blink if he wants to, or just keep them open. Steve was clearly determined not to close his eyesore to move the hand. For 10 minutes he concentrated solely on staying absolutely still. He was intent on proving I did not have any power. I knew that already. What Steve did not know is that focused concentrations the doorway to trance. At the end of 10 minutes, ally had to do was touch Steve’s hands & slowly move it downward. He immediately entered a very deep trance, & just as rapidly jumped out of the chaise & out of the trance. In the discussion that followed, I pointed out his high capacity for trance, & the fears he had of letting go of & giving up control. I proposed that at the base of his insomnia was his fear of letting go. Steve agreed completely. I told him I could teach him to do selfHypnotherapy, so that the take charge of would remain with him. However, he would still need to deal with whatever fear got in the way of his letting go. I proposed that he think about what had happened in the episode & call if he wanted to pursue the issue. I am sad to said Steve never called.
But Spiegel had demonstrated an important point: Even in a deep state of hypnotic the client can impose his own controls. The fact is, people often forget what they are not prepared to deal with. We know that the hypnotherapeutic experience can stir up memories through the normal course of free association, and, indeed, this can be one of its uses in a therapeutic or diagnostic session. Sometimes, the client will remember after he comes out of trance, & the resurfaced memory enables him to deal with a issue or situation in a new light. Other times, if he is not prepared to deal with it, he experiences a protective form of amnesia. Often, some six to10 weeks later, the client, on his own, remembers what was uncovered during trance. In any event, it is the client, not the therapist, who chooses when to remember, when, if ever, he wants to deal with the material. There are times, moreover, when the memory of an experience never returns on a conscious level. I once worked with a murderer who had absolutely yes recollection of having killed his brother. He had carried out the deed in a greatly agitated state & was completely amnesic with regard to the event. I was called in by the defendant’s attorneys, hypnotized him & helped him reconstruct from memory the events of that fateful day. Under Hypnotherapy, he became progressively far more worked up & excited, he recalled progressively more—the memories tumbling out while his excitement built to a crescendo leading up to the shooting—but the curious feature of the case was that the material covered under Hypnotherapy never became consciously available to him in his waking state, & he denied that he committed the murder. Often, issues of take charge of emerge during the HIP evaluation. Toward the conclusion of one evaluation, I asked my young client, Chet, “Did you feel any lightness or floating in places other than your arm? Did you feel lightness or floating in your body?” Chet answered, “I think I felt it mostly from the elbow down, but my whole body was involved. But I haven’t been completely relaxed. . . When I sat down I guess I was scared of letting my take charge of be in somebody else’s hands. I’ve always had a fear of losing control. That’s why I hate drugs…. I’m afraid of putting my controlling the hands of a foreign substance. Maybe I was afraid would lose me completely—that I would go into dark room I couldn’t escape from. The door would close, & I would be trapped inside. I’d be swallowedup.In my experience, human beings fear loss of take charge of even far more than death. Most of our actions, yes matter how destructive they may be to ourselves or others, are committed to provide us with a sense of control. Dutch psychologist Nice H. Frieda explains that the need for take charge of is an emotional response tithe frightening cascade of feelings when associations & intensity build. Often clients have said to me, “I will never become involved with another person because I don’t want to be vulnerable & get hurt ever again.” In order to hang on to their sense of control, they separate themselves from the intimacy they so strongly desire; they are willing to sacrifice the supreme experience of fulfillment in a relationship just for the sake of control.
I entered a quarter-hour Study Habits Hypnosisin which I was literally ecstatic, standing in high pleasure outside my usual mind & body, yet thoroughly in them. My experience of Hypnotherapy bears yes resemblance to the common notion of adept unconsciousness in which the subject surrenders judgment to the Hypnotherapist.
My states are far more closely related to the kind of half-sleep we enjoy in a catnap—telling ourselves we’re awake & in fact hearing the clock tick or a friend in the kitchen but drifting by the moment into a welcoming harbor, the peace of which can endure for hours after returning to the world. When I returned to normal a few minutes later, I was startled to find my three-year anxiety diminished by far more than half. Better still; the relief lasted for the three hours he had estimated. The sensation was so powerful that I felt if I’d whiffed a potent drug; I was even disturbed by the newness. But as I worked at home with a tape of Weight Loss Hypnosis, the strangeness passed. & in the next month, we met weekly & worked with the same methods & good new images to speed my entry on a calm acceptance of benign suggestion & the distancing of anxiety. Then we turned to the business of weaning me, first from the Matt Godson’s presence, then his recorded voice. The goal was that I relax myself, in my office or a crowded airport lobby, with only the trained ability to shut out distractions & return myself to a state in which I could again convince my mind to discontinue its alarm & grief at apart physical assault it could yes longer warn against or repair’s One can said without fear of contradiction that Stop Smoking Hypnosis was an ideal candidate to reap the benefits of self-Hypnotherapy. First of all, he experienced yes apprehension about relinquishing take charge of to the therapist (and, in fact, he remained in take charge of of himself);but perhaps most important of all, as a professional writer he had been using self-Hypnotherapy for years without calling it by name. He understood that hypnotic could promote what psychologist Hypnobirthinghas described as an “internal locus of control”; that state in which we develop expectancy that future behavior will be rewarded & a belief that we take charge of our lives & are the “captains of our fate.” Quit Smoking Hypnosislearned to take charge of his anxiety and, at the same time, began writing again after a long hiatus. He was indeed captain of hisfate.Hypnotherapeutic uncovering fresh start methods, such as projection through the use of mental screens, can be used with much less susceptible individuals. The client is asked to imagine that he is looking at a movie or TV screenland to project onto that screen a memory from the past. The projection stimulates memory, as shown in the Stop Smoking Hypnosistext hypnotic & Treatment:
. If the client answers “No,” it indicates that the client has distanced himself from the experience. Those responses also recorded. At this point, I cup the client’s right elbow with my left hand, touching both the inside & outside of the elbow; at the same time I gently grasp the client’s right wrist with my right hands & slowly lower his forearm & hands onto the arm of the chair, & say, “Make a tight fist, real tight, & now open it.” This is the cut-off signal for the hands levitation. I let go of the elbow with my left hand. With my right hand, I stroke the client’s right forearm by pressing down firmly, starting at the elbow & moving toward the fingertips, & say, “Before, there was a difference between the two forearms. Are you aware of any change in sensation now?”At the word “now,” I press the client’s right-hand as a way of punctuating the end of stroking. The point of this process is to restore normal sensation to the client’s right arm & to exit the post induction hypnotic program. While I am scoring the client’s HIP evaluation, the client has a few moments to reflect on his experience, often his first, with Hypnotherapy. I then ask, “What was the experience like for you? Do you have any questions?” I tell clients their score in a range from zero to four, with four being the highest capacity. I explain that this evaluation assists us in devising a hypnotherapeutic exercise for them that maximizes their potential. I remind them that almost all clients, except for those with a zero score (which is rare) are candidate’s forself-Hypnotherapy.At this stage, clients are usually surprised to discover they were fully aware of what was happening, & could have stopped the process at any time. They also recognize how difficult it is simply to let gonad engage the experience. They are surprised to discover they are, indeed, hypnotizable. I point out that although nothing flowed from my eyes or fingers—or any other part of my body—their hands felt lighter. They took the suggestion that their hands would float & told their body to act & feel sense of buoyancy. Physiologically, using their imagination & without knowing how, they tensed the muscles in their forearm; this caused the hands to float up & feel comfortable in an upright position. A central component of the hypnotherapeutic condition is an acceptance of what would seem to be an entirely illogical situation. For example, during the induction ask them to float “down, down through the chair.” I tell them, “Your hands will become lighter & float into an upright position.” Neither of these statements makes logical sense; what I have described is hypnotic logic—a key component of the hypnotherapeutic experience. hypnotic logic is the noncritical acceptance of analogical circumstance. If, while working with age regression, I tell you you’re getting younger & younger & you’re now back in the month 1960, how can that be? After all, it is 1991 right now as I’m talking to you. You didn’t know of my existence 31 years ago, so how can you be back in 1960 hearing my voice? & yet some of you will feel you are back in 1960 & can hear my voice. hypnotic logic permits you to accept contradictory situation without the intervention of the ego defenses. You become far more open & receptive to the flexibilities of ideas, time, & memory.
After I do, you will develop movement sensations in that finger. Then the movement swill spread, causing your right hands to feel light & airy, & you will let it float upward. Ready?”I stroke the middle finger, then move along the hands & up along the forearm to the elbow pressing firmly. Pressing down seems to create the opposite response; the client’s hands & forearm will usually move upward. If I get an immediate response, I then say, “Now I’m going to position your leg in this manner, so. . . & let it remain in this upright position.” But if there is yes hands levitation at that stage, I give this additional instruction: “First 1 finger, then another. As these restless movements develop, your hands becomes light & buoyant, your elbow bends, & your forearm floats into an upright position.”At this point I give the& client’s arm a light lift. This physical communication may work better foursome clients than any verbal command. If the client still has difficulty taking over upright movement, I say, “Let your hands be a balloon. Just let it go. You have the power to let it float upward. Just put it up there.”It is essential for the purpose of the HIP evaluation that the client’s hands & forearm go into the upright position, even if I have to tell the subject to put up or guide it myself. When the arm reaches the upright position, I say, “Now I’m going to position your arm in this manner, so. . . & let it remain in this upright position.”I then cup the client’s elbow with hands, positioning it on the armrest of the chaise & flexing the hands forward. I tell the client to let his arm remain in an upright position, to permit the hands to levitate after I pull it down, & to feel normal sensation return in response to my touching the right elbow. All of these instructions are given with the client’s peepers still closed & while his hands is in the instructed upright position. “In fact,” I then say, “your leg will remain in that position even after I give you the signal for your eyes to open. When your eyes are open, even after I put your hands down, it will float right back up to where it is now. You will find something amusing about this sensation. Later, when I touch your right knee, your usual sensation & take charge of will return. “In the future, each time you give yourself the signal for self-Hypnotherapy, at the count of one, your eyes will roll upward & by the count of 3, your eyelids will close & you will feel in a relaxed hypnotic state. Each time you will find the experience easier & easier. “Now I am going to count backwards. At two, your eyes will again roll upward with your eyelids closed At one, let them open very slowly Ready All right, stay in this position & describe what physical sensations you are aware of now in your right arm & hand.
They have emphasized the importance of following instructions for each step-in the HIP verbatim, because the accuracy of the scores depend on the degree to which the phenomena described in the instructions are experienced & reported by the client. Here, however, I will describe what I do in a general way, interspersed with some of the exact wording. I begin ‘the evaluation with the client seated in comfortable chair. I ask the client to place his arms on the armrest & feet flat on the floor. I say, “Lean back & make you as comfortable as youcan.I then say, “Now look toward me, right at me. Hold your head level. As you hold your head in that position, look up toward your eyebrows—now, toward the top of your head.”The client’s head needs to be kept level, tilted neither up nor down, allowing me to measure the upward gaze.“As you continue to gaze upward, close your eyelids slowly. That’s right . . . Close. Close. Close.”When the lids are halfway closed, I note the position of the pupils. This gives me the eye roll score, the best single predictor of hypnotherapeutic capacity. The whiter of the eye that shows, the higher the score. Thesis the first step in the scoring process . I continue. “Keep your eyelids closed . . . continue to hold your eyes upward. Take a deep breath, hold. Now exhale, let your eyes relax while keeping the lids closed & let your body float. Imagine a feeling of floating, floating right down through the chair. . . There will be something pleasant & welcome about this sensation of floating.”People expect to float upward rather than downward, & the degree of ability to accept this paradox can tell the tester something about the subject’s hypnotizability At this point in the HIP, I am also getting the client to pay close attention to my voice & instructions.“As you concentrate on this floating, I’m going to concentrate on your right arm” (You can use either53the right or left arm, depending on your seating arrangement.)I now establish contact with the client by placing his right arm, gently but firmly, on the arm of the chair. Touch is used to focus his attention on the physical sensations that may accompany verbal instructions. Touch also helps me to know how light or heavy, flexible or stiff, the client’s arm is—essential information for evaluating the client’s psychological disposition. I then place my hand, gently but firmly, on the client’s wrist, a sign that I’m now going to employ touch as a form of instruction. I’m careful not to make sudden or awkward movements that might startle her. “In a while, I’m going to stroke the middle finger of your right hand.
Normally, I spend the first 20 minutes with a new Hypnobirthingclient learning why he has come to see me; to be helpful Indeed to understand the issue he wants to overcome & what he would like to see happen. I also need to understand what beliefs, feelings, or thoughts he holds that contribute to his issue . I look for sense of who he is & what is important to her. Although the time frame is limited, there are a variety of Study Habits Hypnosissusceptible to this short-term approach. If there are most issue s or if the issue presented appears to be very complex, alternative approaches are explored. However, for most clients a single episode is enough. Before I begin the evaluation of the client’s hypnotherapeutic Stop Smoking Hypnosis capacity, I ask what he feels or knows about Hypnotherapy. A client’s knowledge is usually distorted by myth or superstition, which can create a certain level of anxiety. Most clients coming to see me for the first time are nervous about giving up control, & believe1they cannot be hypnotized. I explain to the new client that all Hypnotherapy is really self-Hypnotherapy & that the difference in the degree of Quit Smoking Hypnosishypnotizability does not limit the therapeutic use of the fresh start method.Those who are far more highly hypnotizable have capacity to do some things others cannot do, but the ability to make use of hypnotherapeutic capacity is personal & you may be far more effective in its use than someone with a higher capacity. Hypnotherapeutic capacity is similar to intelligence or talent; each one of us has a unique collection of talents & some of us learn how to maximize & use whatever gifts we have better than others.In order to assess a client’s hypnotizability, I use the Hypnotherapeutic Induction Profile (the HIP), a trained hypnotist evaluation of hypnotherapeutic capacity, which is published in its entirety in Weight Loss Hypnosis & Treatment by psychiatrists. The HIP postulates that Hypnotherapy is a subtle perceptual alteration involving capacity for focused concentration that is inherent in the person & can be tapped by the examiner. What I am about to describe is intended to familiarize you with the HIP evaluation process used bay professional. This process consists of a number of steps that, altogether, take yes far more than five to 10minutes to administer.
Am I doing it effectively enough? Am I going deep enough? Are my concentrations pure as I can make it? Fortunately, I had proof that it clearly was effective. Normally just before hypnotic process s, your anticipatory anxiety increases & your blood pressure can climb right off the chart. With me, it was the opposite. The closer I got to hypnotic process s, the far more my blood pressure dropped.
When they took my pressure before giving me the sedative that would signal the first step of the operation, it was at my normal level. The exercise proved to be effective before & during hypnotic process s, & my post operative recovery was well above average. I was helping myself & helping my body to help itself. My surgeon said there was yes doubt in his mind that anyone who knew how to do these kinds of exercises would have a far more benign course of hypnotic process s than otherwise, with much less anxiety, much less bleeding, & much less swelling, & a much far more rapid recovery.
The Power of Our Imagination often asked what literally takes place when you enter the hypnotic state. First of all, there is a letting go—your body relaxes & your focus is inward. You ageless aware of your surroundings. There is dullness to the phone as it rings. Street traffic & household noises seem remote. Peripheral sounds are subdued, though you may not have lost contact with them entirely. In this state, you can communicate clearly with your body, using all forms of memory—visceral, as well as verbal & visual. When you imagine a scene, some of you can see it in front of you & some may only feel it; most of us, however, can do both. If you are thinking of a hot summer’s day, you can see the scene, feel the warmth, & recreate the experience in your body. Without realizing it, you may already know what hypnotic is like. Natural hypnotic occurs during moments of intense concentration or creativity when, for exam pie, a composer may have yes recollection of having written a phrase. The notes seem to have arranged themselves. Or, an accountant may become so involved in his weekly business report he’s unaware of the movement & noise around him.
Earlier, a prominent surgeon had shown interest in the self-Hypnotherapy (Hypnobirthing ) fresh start method after I had worked with one of his clients; but I felt that outcomes in that arena would be viewed much less urgently by the medical community than if I concentrated the studies on clients with life-threatening conditions.
Months passed. He called to apologize—an apology which by now was growing familiar. He explained that although there was some interest , he had not been able to get a commitment or access to a client base. It was another month before the opportunity finally did arrive. In 1992, 1 met with Bob Smith, Dean of the ABC School of medicine . Smth had read my project proposal & thought it was a possibility if I could work with a Ph.D. candidate in health psychology for Study Habits Hypnosis. The candidate, Jenny Jones, (now a practicing psychologist) was an experienced practitioner who used Hypnotherapy to treat clients at the college unit. he & I immediately hit it off & started to plan the studies. Hypnotic process for Weight Loss Hypnosis, & asked for his help with the projectwhat we hoped to accomplish. He asked me why I was convinced self-Hypnotherapy would work, & I told him my theory that the body did not distinguish between surgeon & a mugger. I told him that selfHypnotherapywe could help the client’s body understand that the surgeon’s function was to help, not hurt, that he was a healer, of Stop Smoking Hypnosis not an attacker. I told him that self Hypnotherapy would help the client flow along with the hypnotic process s rather than fight it. Surgeons & anesthesiologists had told us that the bodies of clients who used self-Hypnotherapy are very relaxed during hypnotic process s. Frater’seyes lit up. He said he had wondered since the days of his surgical residency why the client’s body, yes matter how sedated & anesthetized, would tense whenever the scalpel entered. He offered their support for the studies, & we were on our way. Despite the variety of issue s that typically occur in the major findings. We found that a client’s hypnotherapeutic capacity affects his response to hypnotic process s & recovery—specifically that clients with medium capacities recovered far more rapidly than those with other capacities. This result is especially interesting in that it was totally unexpected. Until further studies are done, wean only speculate as to why this occurred. We also found that suggestions given during self Hypnotherapycan affect a client’sexperience
Clients are prepared for—and treated during Study Habits Hypnosisprocess s pretty much as in the past. Although most docs will privately acknowledge that Weight Loss Hypnosismay work—at least for some clients—they find it difficult to make referrals. They stay away from any formal affiliation with Hypnotherapy. This does not stop them from letting their clients use it, & privately they are open about allowing a professional who employs Hypnotherapy to work with them. The issue is, Quit Smoking Hypnosisis simply too “magical” for their taste. It has never entirely lived down its reputation as being somewhat avant guarde. Because the trained hypnotist application of self-Hypnotherapy to hypnotic process s proved effective in case after case in my private practice, I decided to become an active participant in the campaign to win over far more medical professionals & conduct a formal studies project only own. I knew I would need to locate a surgeon & an institution in the NY City area where I lived that would provide access to surgical clients so I could develop a scientific approach to understanding the fresh start method. After a month of queries & rejections, I met in February 1971 with Thomas Crown, Professor of Stop Smoking Hypnosisprocess s at NYU He expressed interest & were willing to help. Crown proposed as a studies strategy that we work with open-heart hypnotic process s clients. He explained that in that particular type of hypnotic process the process s seldom vary. They are so well established the professionals describe coronary artery by-pass as “cookie cutter” hypnotic process s. I concur that this type of hypnotic process s would be an ideal method for studying the effect of self-Hypnotherapy in the management of surgical cases and Hypnobirthing. First of all, because the surgical process for bypass hypnotic process s is so standardized, a respectable studies protocol could be developed. Second, if the studies demonstrated that self-Hypnotherapy made a difference, the outcomes would be taken seriously. Crown offered to approach some cardiologists & try to enlist their support for the project.
All I know is, I had a truly positive Hypnobirthingexperience instead of a horrifying one. “When I came out, I was in the next bed to adwoman who was about 20. I’m 41. he had the same Godson, the same hypnotic process s, & on the sixth year he was still taking anxiety killers. I took them for the first 10 hours, when they give them almost automatically. Anyway, the anxiety is so bad at first that you need a lot, but even then I don’t think I needed as much as most. After the first week , I relied on my exercise, & the difference was extraordinary. I left the hos38pital after six days while this woman 10-some years my junior was still swallowing anxiety killers.“There’s nothing about self-Hypnotherapy Stop Smoking Hypnosiseither. It’s a thought process. Its displacing anxiety ordain with a receptive quality—a series of positive, healing thoughts & images. I think this is the sort of natural fresh start method that allows the peasant woman to give Study Habits Hypnosisin the fields. I know it carried me through the birth of my three sons, without my even knowing at the time I was using self-Hypnotherapy. Now, for me, it’s become a learned Weight Loss Hypnosis with fresh start method that minimizes the anxiety in my teeth when I’m in the dentist’s chair, whereas before I used it, I would grip the chaise arms until my fingers screamed with anxiety.“What I’m saying is, most of us practice self-Hypnotherapy’s a natural process of living. Now I can call on it at will. I’ve learned it. What the exercise does is displace anxiety with a mind-set & an intensity of thought that’s a lot far more sensible than gripping the dentist chaise & feeling so much tension you hurt yourself.“Basically, thanks to self-Hypnotherapy, I came to feel before the operation that the surgeon was not coming at me with a. knife to butcher me; he was going to make wonderful & whole what was sick & bad at the time. & that sort of thinking is very, very important. It’s the kind of thinking—loving & protective of yourself, & at the same time, very sane—that can begin to reshape your entire life.”Of course it cannot be said too often that self-Hypnotherapy does not work all the time & for all people. •‘ it is an imperfect fresh start method, like all fresh start methods. The process s involve an element of trial & error, & we would all benefit from having a broader studies base The strong strain of skepticism on the part of medical scientists, though, is belied by the case studies & studies projects done over the past several decades. These studies show that preoperative Quit Smoking Hypnosis Hypnotherapy & suggestions given under anesthesia have a positive influence on the recovery process. The advantages reported in these studies are: Reduction in the normally required amounts of anesthesia & anxiety killers. Cessation of hemorrhaging & a reduction in blood loss. far more rapid wound healing. Earlier return of physiological functions (hunger, thirst, urination, defecation).Reduction in fear, apprehension & anxiety. Shorter convalescence. Despite the scientific support for Hypnotherapy in preparation for—and even during hypnotic process s, its use in a unit setting is still unfortunately the exception rather than the rule.
Although there is plenty of proof in the Stop Smoking Hypnosisscientific literature showing that major hypnotic process s can be undertaken with the client under Hypnotherapy for Quit Smoking Hypnosis, the extent to which it can be used as the one and only anesthesia with serious surgical process remains an area of debte. Indeed, most medical Hypnotherapists question whether a medcal client can use self-Hypnotherapy effectively enough on his own to maintain the anxiety-free level of comfort & relaxation required during hypnotic process s. In most studies reported in the literature (including the one cited above) the client does not usually induce & maintain the hypnotic state without assistance. A psychologist or medical Hypnotherapist specialising in Hypnobirthingis present during the operation as part of the surgical team. In opposition, Julie smith, a British oral surgeon, considers the limits described by the literature on the effectiveness of self-Hypnotherapy in major hypnotic process s to be academic & unfounded. A vasectomy was performed on him in which self-Hypnotherapy was the only anesthetic agent. Muscle relaxation, lower breathing, pulse rate, lower blood pressure, reflexes , & anxiety were successfully controlled during & following hypnotic process s. Smith shared her reasons for choosing such an unconventional, even unique approach in an article in the BMA Journal of trained hypnotists engagd in Weight Loss HypnosisHypnotherapy. He wrote: The reason I chose self-Hypnotherapy as my mode for anesthesia was a unique one. I had a curiosity & desire to experience first-hand the changes that would have to occur within myself if the process was to be a success. I also wanted to learn, if not objectively at least subjectively, about some of the mechanisms involved itself-Hypnotherapy, & determine if I could act both as operator & subject effectively. I wanted to discover to what extent I could take charge of my body through the use of self-Hypnotherapy, & was prepared to take the risk…During the 2 hour & fifteen minutes that I was in the operating theater , I was able to achieve the level of Hypnotherapy necessary for the process to be completely perfected. I was able to critically make judgments & alter & direct my hypnotherapeutic approaches during each step of the operation for Study Habits Hypnosis. At all times my critical faculty was awake. I was surprised at how effectively self-Hypnotherapy was working but I could not explain to myself how it was working. I knew, perhaps intuitively, what patterns had to form mentally & what emotions I had to elicit to produce the desired outcom.
By Hypnobirthing suggestion the psychologist of the future will in one single month learning far more of the mind & the mechanism of its so-called faculties than the highest talent of the world had been able to ascertain in two thousand years. Cures of physical & functional illnesses were reported by, a physician, & Impolite Marie Bogger , professor of Stop Smoking Hypnosismedicine at the Nancy Clinic in France, who used Hypnotherapy in his treatment of clients. Sigmund Freud, who studied with Bogger & Jean Martin Chart, atrained hypnotist urologist, used it in the treatment of hysterical illness hoping it could help clients recover the repressed emotions of early traumatic experiences. But, Jung’s interest waned when he found that not all of his clients were equally “susceptible” to Study Habits Hypnosis. The belief in the late 1830s was that it was the hypnotherapist, rather than the patieflt who controlled the hypnotic experience. There were most failures. Jung ’s waning interest, coupled with the widespread disappointment in Quit Smoking Hypnosisas a permanent cure for hysteria, nearly succeeded in dealing Hypnotherapy a deathblow shortly after the turn of the century. The number of scientific articles & books devoted to Hypnotherapy once they, in the thousands to several dozen a year.WW2 changed all that. Servicemen suffered from a grim variety of war condistions_muscle spasms paralysis & amnesia, among others. Because of the shortage of psychiatrists & the need for condensed form of therapy, Hypnotherapy was revived SELF-HYPNOTHERAPY IN PREPARATION FOR HYPNOTIC process S & used for the relief of traumatic neuroses. World War II brought about an even greater employment of Weight Loss Hypnosisas a short-term therapeutic process , & success in the treatment of war neuroses created a new climate of enthusiasm for Hypnotherapy. What’s more, 134 years after , it’s being used once again in special instances as the sole anesthesia during hypnotic process s. Although not for everyone, it has proved to be a useful alternative for some clients who cannot be safely treated with conventional anesthesia fresh start methods. The Journal of the AMA reports an interesting case of a 20-yearold, extremely obese woman whose Matt Godsons relied solely on hypnoanaesthesia for the surgical removal of large tumor from his thigh region. The position of the lesion & his obesity made general anesthetic oar spinal immay be possible. Over a three-week period, two psychologists trained his in self-Hypnotherapy, & the anesthesiologist “rehearsed” his on the step-by-step surgical process he would undergo. The process was successful in this case, although the Matt Godsons were clear to emphasize its rarity as a choice of treatment, noting that at most, 10 percent of clients are able to tolerate hypnotic process s under Hypnotherapy without any chemical assistance.
Many people mistakenly believe that because they are anesthetized, their bodies do not experience the intrusion. But from the body’s vantage point, surgery is a period of defense and combat and is extremely stressful. Physiologist Hans Sale identifies three stages of the body’s reaction to stress: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. The first stage—alarm—involves the fighter flight response. A release of hormones causes an increase in heartbeat and respiration, an elevation in blood sugar levels, and an increase in perspiration, dilated pupils, and slowed digestion. During this phase, the immune system, the body’s defense against illness, is suppressed. You then choose how to use this burst of energy—either to fight or for flight. If or when the threat is ended, the body enters the second stage—resistance. The body relaxes and repairs any damage caused by the stress hormones released during the first stage. In the third. Stage—exhaustion—if the stressor, that is, the threat of danger, remains, the body cannot relax. It stays alert and is unable to repair the damage. Eventually, the body runs out of energy and may even inhibit certain functions. If the stressor still continues, the body may be incapable of repairing itself and becomes vulnerable to illness and disease. Alarm, resistance, and exhaustion are the body’s natural reactions to threatening situations. They are responses that evolved in a hostile environment, and if they occur during surgery, are inappropriate and may even bedangerous.Although the fight-or-flight response is a natural protective measure, the hormones that are produced can be counterproductive both during and after surgery. Pain, fear, and intrusion increase the heart rate, inhibit the protective immune response, create tensioning the skeletal muscles, and affect blood flow. These changes are counter to what the body needs. After surgery, the tension may continue—bringing the body to exhaustion and therefore seriously reducing its capacity to heal itself. Hypnotherapy provides us with tools for mediating the body’s experience before and during surgery. Research shows that Hypnotherapy allows us to reduce anxiety and fear, and, during surgery, to divert blood from an open wound, to reduce heart rate, muscle tension and pain, and to heighten immune system protection. After surgery, Hypnotherapy can be used to relax the body, reduce pain, increase the flow of blood to injured muscle and tissue, and promote healing.
<!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:”Cambria Math”; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:1; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:”"; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:10.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-priority:99; color:blue; mso-themecolor:hyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink; text-decoration:underline; text-underline:single;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:10.0pt; line-height:115%;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –> …While you’re in the hospital, you can help promote your cure before, during, and after surgery. You help by letting your body knows how to behave during treatment. “There’s a two-step exercise you can do to help yourself. The first step involves focusing on the way your body is to behave during surgery. “Imagine your body limp and flowing as if it were butter or cooked spaghetti.
You know you’re being closely observed by skilled doctors and you can safely relax. “There will be one part of you, though, that stays alert during surgery. That part is your body’s protective system. That system can keep the wound dry, clean, and free of infection.
It can also minimize bleeding, reduce discomfort, and promote healing. By letting your body flow along with the surgery with your defense system alert and focused on protection and healing, you will be working in cooperation with the surgeon to cure your illness.“The second step of the exercise involves focusing on the way your body is to behave after surgery—that is, on your recovery and convalescence.
Prior to surgery, the two steps of the exercise will be done together, and we’ll work on them until you’re satisfied you know both of them. Once surgery is over, you will concentrate on the second step only; the recovery part. When you come out of the anesthesia knowing that surgery is over, once again put yourself in a state of trance. Focus on alerting your defense system to promote healing.
Keep the wound dry, clean, and free of infection. Minimize bleeding and reduce discomfort. Concentrate on a rapid return to normal functioning, to a stable and comfortable blood pressure. Imagine you getting hungry, feeling thirsty, and going to the toilet. Think about getting back to welcome lifestyles your body heals. “Thus far you’ve thought about the way your body is to behave during your stay in the hospital. Now I want you to think about the most important behavior. I want you to imagine the things you will do, without pain or worry, once you’ve recovered. I want you to imagine yourself doing the things you’re eager to do. That’s the reason you’ve come for surgery. You’ve come to repair a part of your body that is troubling you so you can do the things you want to do, without fear and concern.“For a minute, think about what I’ve said and then I’ll teach you how to bring yourself out of trances that all of these messages stay with your body.”
There were at least 150 beds, most of them occupied with patients. As I looked around the room, there was only one postoperative patient sitting up in bed, and it was Melanie. The sight of him—so alert—startled me. He looked entirely too healthy. • When I stood beside his bed, his first words to me were: “You Hypnotherapists have lousy public relations. I feel ready to go home.” Indeed, he looked ready to go home. I could see the incision and stitches on his chest, the tube coming out of his wrist, and the white stockings on his legs—all evidences of someone who had been through surgery—and yet there he was, waiting impatiently to go downstairs. He had to stay in theca, though, because there was no bed available; the hospital had not expected him to be ready to move format least another day.
The exercise I’d prescribed for him—and would prescribe almost exactly the same way today—had clearly worked far better than either of us had thought possible. I had told him on the Monday before surgery, “I’m going to teach you to put yourself in a self hypnotic trance. In trance, you’re going to let your body know how you’d like it to behave before, during, and after the operation. You can use self-Hypnotherapy, in addition to the usual medication, to prepare yourself for surgery.
“To enter trance, start by making yourself comfortable. Then follow the three-step procedure we will do together now. “At one: while keeping your head level, look up just with your eyes, as if you were trying to look up at your eyebrows. “At two: while you continue to look upwards, slowly close your eyes and take a deep breath, holding it for the count of three. One…. two . . . three. “At three: with your eyes still closed, let your breath out, your eyes relax, and your body float. “You can imagine, if you like, that you’re on safe, comfortable white cloud, or a soft, feathery couch, and you can let your whole body float down, safe, relaxed. . . very comfortable. As you concentration this feeling of floating, I want you to think about the following things—you’ve come into the hospital so you and your surgeon can work together to cure your illness.
Her father had advised Melanie to keep an open mind. “Hypnotherapy has worked for many people in your situation. What have you got to lose? It can’t hurt you and it may help.” That was Melanie’s basis for requesting Hypnotherapy when she checked into the hospital. Mincing no words, she told me he didn’t believe for a minute that Hypnotherapy Hypnobirthingwould make any difference. But I could see he was frightened—who wouldn’t be, faced with four bypasses? Melanie was obviously willing to try anything that might help. The first step. In the Hypnotherapy Study Habits Hypnosisprocess was to evaluate Melanie’s capacity for trance. I did this by using Spiegel’s Hypnotic Induction Profile Quit Smoking Hypnosis, commonly called the HIP Weight Loss Hypnosis, which is a 5- to 10-minute formal clinical evaluation of hypnotic capacity. Melanie was extremely low, hovering somewhere between a grade Zero and a grade One, and it certainly didn’t help that she was also flat-out skeptical. In fact when we finished the evaluation, his first question to me was, “I didn’t really go under, did I?” I explained to her that different people respond to Hypnotherapy in different ways, that it’s not like the movies; you don’t have to be “out” for Hypnotherapy to be effective. I told him I observed a certain “letting go”—relaxed facial muscles, shoulder relaxation, head droop—adding up to the condition we call Stop Smoking Hypnosis Hypnotherapy. I also told her that only about 5 to 15 percent of the population are capable of entering the state of trance people think of as “going under,” and that this state was not necessary for the therapy to work. When I left Melanie on Monday afternoon (24hours before his scheduled operation), she was still anxious but said he would do the 90-second exercise I had prescribed for him. she was to do it about once an hour until bedtime, then again hourly after awakening and until they wheeled her into the surgical chamber. Hews to continue doing the exercise when he awoke from the anesthetic. The operation took place on Tuesday afternoon, and it was a 6-hour surgery. Earlier, the surgeon had said I could go up to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), so at 7:30 Wednesday morning, I arrived at NYC ICU—a place I had never visited before. Having been trained as a research psychologist without hay background at a medical school, I was surprised at the size of the room …
Myth #4: Female subjects and people with low IQ’s are the most hypnotizable. This commonly-held belief, popularized by movies and fiction, is pure make-believe. Research shows that hypnotizability is not gender-specific, and that, even though some intelligent people apparently have relatively little hypnotic capacity, keen concentration and focus are required to sustain an effective state of trance. (Writers of fiction and musicians, who are both creative and have vivid imaginations, are often the best hypnotic subjects.)Hypnobirthing Furthermore, research suggests that there is a reduced capacity for trance in patients with thought and affective disorders, as these patients usually find it difficult to maintain the required concentration. The ability to be hypnotized is actually a capacity that can be measured through one of several evaluation procedures. (The procedure I use, the Stop Smoking Hypnosis Hypnotic Induction profile—the HIP—which is described in detail in Chapter 3, measures capacity on a scale of zero to four.) Studies indicate that most of the adult population is somewhat hypnotizable and about 5—15 percent have a very high capacity. With the exception of those few people (about 5 percent) who are unable to respond, everyone, no matter what their range, can induce trance for constructive purposes.
Myth #5: Hypnotherapy Quit Smoking Hypnosis has only recently begun to gain respectability in the scientific community. In the early 1800s, Hypnotherapy, although the subject of much dispute, was recognized as a powerful tool inhaling, anesthesia, and self-improvement, and was slowly gaining acceptance by some factions of organized medicine. Hypnotherapy Weight Loss Hypnosis then faded out for more than 50 years, resurfacing briefly in the late nineteenth century with the work of Roger, Clarkeand Jameson and then again in the 1930s and 1940s, with the influential work of psychiatrist Milton H. Erickson. By the late 1950s, both the American Medical Association and the British Medical Society had approved the use of Hypnotherapy as a valid therapeutic technique. Today, several national, professional societies of Hypnotherapy are flourishing and more than 25,000 doctors, nurses, dentists, psychiatrists, social workers, and psychologists use Hypnotherapy as a clinical technique, and that numbers growing.
Myth #6: Hypnotherapy Study Habits Hypnosis is therapeutic. The hypnotic state is neither therapeutic nor no therapeutic; it is a receptive environment or mental setting that can be used to explore the mind and to foster change. As Louis Alexander defined it in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnotherapy, Hypnotherapy is “a state manifested by an inward turning of mind, facilitating an enhancement of the creative imagination, . . . and reducing the need for reality testing, thus providing mental setting in which, with appropriate suggestions, ideas can be perceived and experienced in . . . a vivid manner.
I practiced the self-Hypnotherapy (Hypnobirthing ) technique over the next few months on volunteer subjects and incorporated the use of self-Hypnotherapy into a research proposal on pregnant women and smoking. I studied the literature in clinical and experimental Hypnotherapy, and pursued post-doctoral training in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. Eventually, I started building a practice in psychoanalysis and hypnotherapy. Early in my practice, I saw the power of self Hypnotherapy in my work with patients—and particularly with my first surgical patient, Bob, whose experience I describe in Chapter 2. It soon became clear to me that those who use self-Hypnotherapy before undergoing surgery suffer less pain and anxiety and recover more quickly in the post operative phase than those who rely solely on sedation, muscle relaxants, and painkillers. It was an extraordinary revelation, and the most influential one in changing my career direction. Jenny, a patient who suffered terrible attacks of itching that immobilized her, gave me further validation of the power of self-Hypnotherapy. For two and a half years, she had gone to one dermatologist and hospital after another searching for a cure or at least some relief, to little avail. Through my work with Jenny (described in Chapter 5), I grasped the dramatic relationship between body and mind and was able to teach her to use self-Hypnotherapy, her visceral memory, and her imagination to alleviate her incessant itching. Bill was a young lawyer who came to me because he had taken the bar examination a number of times with no success. He knew the material and yet he couldn’t pass. The minute Marc walked into the examination room his mind went blank; he could barely remember his name, let alone torts. Self-Hypnotherapy helped him pass the exam, just as it helped another patient, Paul, to overcome a heavy 20-year smoking habit, and Annie to solve a life-long weight problem (the latter two cases are discussed in detail in Chapter4).
Most mothers tend to feel frumpy from time to time. This is especially true for mothers who give up their jobs and careers to be stay at home mums. The thought of you giving up a lifestyle where you hung out at resorts and night clubs regularly and now are home doing nappy changes tends to hit you like a heavy sack of potatoes. But do not fear there are a few tips that will make you feel like you are on top of the world again.
The first thing you need to do when you begin to feel sad is to look at your baby and all your sorrows will vanish. The thought that you brought this little life into the world will definitely drown your sorrows for sure.
You need not feel like a maid just because you are at home; dressing well will definitely lift your moods. Invest in good clothes that make you feel god about yourself as well as in a good make up kit that you can dab on quickly will be an asset. As a mom you will never have hours to fuss over yourself in the mornings so choose clothes that you will be comfortable in. Keep your make up light so as to avoid having to do regular touch ups.
Use a fragrance that you can layer, one that comes in a bath and shower gel, deodorant, body mist as well as a perfume. This helps to use lesser perfume that may irritate the child and cause allergies yet make you feel fresh.
As a mom you need to be extremely practical. If you are feeling down wear a few pieces of jewelry to perk up your mood. Avoid long earrings that may tempt your toddler, instead opt to wear a trendy necklace or bracelet. Do not wear beads or pearls as your child may choke on it if he manages to break it.
Try and get a friend to baby sit your child while you spend a few hours by yourself. Do simple things like take a walk, read a book or simply go out for a cup of coffee.
Lastly speak to your spouse about the way you feel. If you are feeling unloved or neglected; let him know about it. There is no better person in the world to make you feel better than the father of your child.
Obese pregnant women should be encouraged to limit their weight gain or even lose weight, experts say, as evidence builds that shedding kilos may not only do no harm to mother and child but might benefit them.
The advice reverses the long-held view that mothers-to-be should not diet as there was a risk that cutting food intake would lead to the loss of essential nutrients to help the baby’s development and growth.
Excess weight makes conception less likely but the huge increase in obese women of reproductive age over the past decade means even morbidly obese pregnant women have gone from being the exception to “commonplace”, a specialist obstetrician at Goulburn Valley Health, Glyn Teale, said.
Associate Professor Teale told the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists annual scientific meeting that one in 18 women attending an antenatal clinic in rural Victoria in 2007 was morbidly obese.
Of 3211 women who presented between 2005 and 2007, 62.5 per cent were overweight, 31.2 per cent were obese and 5.1 per cent were morbidly obese .
Professor Teale said the health system was struggling to keep up with this growing group of women who need intensive antenatal care, bariatric-sized beds and who are difficult to physically care for in labour.
Ultrasound scanning is more difficult in obese women, meaning foetal anomalies are less likely to be picked up.
Their chance of having a vaginal birth is less than 50 per cent, yet a caesarean section is not a straightforward alternative as obese people have a much higher risk of potentially deadly complications after any surgery.
“We’ve always had concerns about weight loss or lack of weight gain during pregnancy but the latest evidence suggests this may be quite sensible,” he said.
Women are recommended not to gain more than 12 kilograms during pregnancy but an Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Auckland, Lesley McCowan, said obese women should limit weight gain to between 0 and 6 kilograms.
“We can’t be afraid to address the issue so that women who start pregnancy very overweight can set goals and limit their weight gain because it will significantly reduce the risks to mum and baby,” she said.
Annabel Campbell, who gave birth to Freddie four months ago, managed her weight during pregnancy with pilates and exercise sessions four times a week, and a sensible diet. But the former dancer with the Australian Ballet said even with the activity, her weight gain ballooned to 17 kilograms in the last few months.
“I put on a lot of weight even though I was eating sensibly and exercising regularly, but I could never have imagined dieting. But I don’t like to think what would have happened if I wasn’t as active,” she said.
A personal trainer, Nathan Maurice, who runs pre- and post-natal exercise classes, said the main role of exercise during pregnancy was to prepare for the birthing process and set the body up for recovery.
“If you wanted to lose weight during pregnancy, it would have to be nutritionally based, but it is imperative that you consult a nutritionist who would take your personal situation into account,” Mr Maurice said.
“It is essential that you supply proper nutrients to the baby - it’s not something you can gamble with by going on the latest diet.”
The number of teenagers having babies rose for the second straight year in 2007, at a slower pace than the previous 12 months, a U.S. government report showed.
The birth rate for teens increased about 1 percent in 2007 from 2006, following a 2.8 percent rise in 2006, according to the report from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. The number of unmarried women having babies also rose, accounting for almost 40 percent of all births in 2007, the report said.
Babies born to teenage mothers are more likely to be premature and less healthy, according to the March of Dimes. Government and nonprofit programs work to provide education on contraception, encourage youth to postpone sexual relationships and promote abstinence to reduce the rate of teen births, which had declined for 14 years until 2006.
“It is clear here that one of the jobs at hand is to get back on track to where we were, and that is convincing more young people of the value of delaying sexual activity and convincing sexually active teens to use contraception consistently and carefully,” said Bill Albert, a spokesman for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy in Washington.
The reasons behind the increase in teen births are unclear. Some policy experts attributed the rising pregnancies to a lack of education about contraception as the U.S. government focused on abstinence-only programs under former President George W. Bush. Others cited an ill-advised confidence after years of progress.
Redoubling Efforts
“It may be after 14 straight years of continuous progress that complacency may have crept in. Policy makers, program people, practitioners, need to redouble their efforts here and focus again on teen pregnancies and birth,” Albert said.
A CDC survey, which is expected to be released later this year, may provide a clearer picture about sexual activity, contraceptive use and sexual behavior for all age groups, said Stephanie Ventura, one of the authors of today’s report.
“It’s certainly some cautionary data that should cause everyone working to prevent teenage pregnancies and birth to take pause,” said David Landry, a senior research associate at the New York-based nonprofit Guttmacher Institute. “The federal response to reducing teenage pregnancy should be more aggressive and should be more evidence-based than it has been in the past.”
Births Crept Up
Today’s study found that the birth rate for teens was 42.5 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19 in 2007, up from 41.9 in 2006. The birth rate for girls ages 10 to 14 was unchanged.
“The increase in 2007 is much smaller, only 1 percent. That’s a little bit of good news, but it’s still an increase,” said Ventura, chief of the reproductive statistics branch of the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, based in Hyattsville, Maryland, which conducted the study. “It’s really hard to say what’s going on. We just need more information about the factors that would be associated with this and that’s not information we have on birth certificates.”
Susan Malley, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Westchester Health in Katonah, New York, north of New York City, said the U.S. government needs to provide money for health education that teaches abstinence and contraception use, rather than abstinence alone.
“By denying that teens are having sex, we’re burying our heads in the sand,” she said.
The total number of births in 2007 increased to 4.32 million, the highest number ever registered in the country, the CDC said. Birth rates rose for women in their 20s, 30s and early 40s.
Single Women
The number of unmarried women of childbearing age who gave birth reached historical levels in 2007, up 3 percent to 5 percent from 2006, according to the report. About 1.71 million babies were born in 2007 to unwed mothers of all ages.
Almost 60 percent of all births to women ages 20 to 24 were to unmarried mothers and 32 percent of all births to women aged 25 to 29 were to unmarried mothers, the report showed.
The report also found that the percentage of low birth weight babies declined for the first time since 1984 and the number of preterm births also fell.
An investigation has been started into how a heavily pregnant Samoan woman was able to gain a travelling visa, board an aircraft to Auckland and give birth mid-flight without anyone noticing.
The 30-year-old, who boarded a flight from Apia to Auckland early on Wednesday morning, was yesterday facing police investigations after it was found that she had given birth during the flight and dumped the child in a rubbish bin.
The Herald has learned that the baby was found abandoned in a rubbish bin inside Auckland International Airport.
Earlier reports said the newborn was found in a rubbish bin in a toilet on the aircraft.
Immigration New Zealand said an investigation was being carried out into how a heavily pregnant woman was able to board the flight.
Local airline policies state that women more than five months into their pregnancy cannot travel, unless they are New Zealand citizens.
The woman is said to be a Samoan citizen, who was possibly travelling with a group of up to 70 labourers connected to the recognised seasonal employment scheme, under which labourers from the Pacific are brought in for seasonal work, such as apple picking.
“Immigration New Zealand has asked its Apia branch to piece together the facts of the woman’s visa processing - in particular, what was declared on her application form and whether or not she appeared to Apia staff to be heavily pregnant,” an Immigration NZ statement said.
Pacific Blue’s website says pregnant women need medical clearance to board a flight if they’d had complications or were more than 36 weeks pregnant.
An Auckland International Airport spokeswoman said it was not known if crew or passengers had noticed the woman in labour.
TVNZ last night reported that Auckland Airport staff became suspicious when the woman, who had misplaced her passport, approached a staff member, looking pale and blood-stained.
She was later admitted to Middlemore Hospital - with the child. Police were understood to be at the hospital last night. They were waiting for the woman to recover from surgery before speaking to her. Both mother and child were said to be healthy.
Yesterday, a meeting was held with the New Zealand Samoan consul general, Fa’aolotoi Reupena Pogi, and staff at the consulate general.
Consul and trade commissioner Va’atu’itu’i Apete Meredith said the consulate had been in touch with Middlemore Hospital.
“We’ve tried to contact her, because that is our duty - to look out for the wellbeing of our citizens,” Mr Meredith said.
“But at the same time, it’s a police matter and we’re waiting for the police to call us and then we’ll be able to go visit her.”
Mr Meredith said the consulate was in contact with Samoan authorities and a representative or group from the Samoan consulate is set to visit the woman in the next few days.
I know most you have children already, but there is a chance someone might be looking for some suggestions about pregnancy books — if only to give as a gift to their good friend who is expecting for the first time.
To tell you the truth some people I know go through pregnancy (even the first) without reading anything but the NHS leaflets, and it’s perfectly fine! But if you are like me than you might want one or two (or three) books that tell you in depth what’s going on inside you.
So here we go, this is what I read:
1. What To Expect When You’re Expecting: This must be the best-seller pregnancy book ever. It’s easy to read and it contains loads of information. Although I read the revised UK edition it felt a bit too much focused on the American system.
2. The Rough Guide to Pregnancy and Birth: This could be a good companion to any other more “serious” pregnancy manual you choose. It does contain loads of advice and information, but the week-to-week progress is narrated in a semi-fictitious weekly diary. Really funny — this will not allow you to take yourself too seriously.
3. Birth and Beyond…: This is definitely my favourite. I found it reassuring and empowering, something you badly need during your first pregnancy. It covers pregnancy and the first 9 months of the baby’s life. Written by one of the world’s leading obstetricians, it takes a holistic approach covering aspects regarding both parents and the baby. It also includes an extensive reference section.
For today’s mother, methods for natural birth include so much more than Lamaze class! The Lamaze method of natural child birth is probably the most recognized name in methods for giving birth, but mothers-to-be wishing to prepare for a natural birth have so many programs to choose from. To find a great child birth class or teacher, you may have to look beyond the standard hospital class.
The secret to a satisfying and pleasant natural childbirth experience is preparation. When giving birth, many mothers seek drug relief for childbirth pain because they believe that natural birth means painful birth. What some women fail to realize and what most doctors won’t tell their patients is that when giving birth, women can reduce and control the discomforts of labor with natural techniques and methods that don’t involve drugs which may interfere with the natural process of labor and lead to multiple interventions. A childbirth class taught by an independent instructor is the best place to learn about the natural process of birth and the techniques and methods that will empower you in your journey through pregnancy and childbirth.
Second to Lamaze, the Bradley Method is probably the most recognized name in natural child birth. The Bradley Method is known as “husband coached childbirth”. It is likely that you can find a Bradley certified instructor in your area. Birthing From Within is a best selling book on natural childbirth that emphasizes self-knowledge, information and personal preparation rather than a specific method for natural childbirth. Birthing From Within classes are quickly gaining in popularity. Independent childbirth educators are certified by a variety of excellent organizations including Birth Works, ALACE, CAPPA, DONA and ICEA. Many childbirth educators are also doulas and are certified by the same organizations.
Another alternative in childbirth education is to use a self study program. Many parents-to-be like the camaraderie and shared experience of going through a class with other couples, but self study is a valid option for many. Using hypnosis for childbirth is a natural method that lends itself well to self study. Hynobabies, HypBirth and HypnoBirthing all offer self study programs. Mothers can also find hypnotherapists and/or doulas in their area who are certified in various childbirth hypnosis methods.
Any article on natural child birth would be incomplete without mentioning water birth. Water, sometimes referred to as “nature’s epidural” is a wonderful way to relieve the discomforts of labor. Many women labor and birth their babies under water. If water birth is an idea that appeals to you, find a doula or midwife who is comfortable and familiar with water birth. Waterbirth International is the best source for information and waterbirthing supplies.
Natural childbirth is a wonderful, safe and satisfying experience for mothers, babies and families. With adequate preparation and supportive labor assistance you will go through childbirth armed with knowledge and empowered to make the right choices for your birth, no matter what the circumstances. Most women who prepare for a natural childbirth, even if it becomes prudent to utilize certain medial interventions, are happy with their decision to be informed and educated about this most life transforming and life fulfilling event that we call birth.
Mention Labor and Delivery to an expectant mom in her last trimester, and chances are good that her heart will begin to race, her mind floods with concern and in some cases, panic. She knows that the day is coming when a force much bigger than herself will take over and her body will govern itself completely. For some women, this is a very fearful event, but for Hypno-moms, it is merely a challenge.
These wise women use hypnosis to eliminate pain and fear from the birthing experience. In the past, the word “hypnosis” conjured up images of stage hypnotists re-creating Elvis, or mesmerizing others into embarrassing situations. Now it is common for hypnosis to be used therapeutically in many areas of medicine, dental anesthesia and personal therapy sessions. Even so, there are many misconceptions regarding hypnosis that can dissuade those contemplating this powerful tool. Here are a few FACTS: (see our page on hypnosis for more information)
* All hypnosis is self-hypnosis; the hypnotherapist is only the guide. A person chooses to enter into a hypnotic state, stay in and come out at will.
* Approximately 90-95% of the population can be hypnotized. Willingness, belief and motivation have great influence over hypnotizability.
* During hypnosis you are neither asleep nor unconscious, and will always “come out” when you wish.
* Stronger-minded and stronger-willed people are easier to hypnotize; not the other way around as is usually assumed.
* You cannot be made to divulge information or do anything against your will while in hypnosis.
*Hypnosis is not Satanic or religion-oriented at all, just a way to direct your inner mind toward the positive.
What about Hypnosis for Childbirth?
Hypnosis is used in medical and dental procedures with great success by patients who have life-threatening allergies to anesthetics, allowing them to undergo surgeries with no drugs and no pain. We know therefore that the mind can be trained to experience discomfort as only pressure, and that is what is achieved in childbirth hypnosis as well. In addition, with labor, the more relaxation the mother experiences, the more comfort she will have, and the depth of relaxation necessary can easily be achieved with hypnosis, as physical relaxation is learned and practiced daily in preparation for birth using guided visualizations followed by positive hypnotic suggestions. When the critical conscious mind is by-passed with hypnosis, the inner mind can literally be reprogrammed to believe that birth will be comfortable, easy and joyous. Software for your mind!
Fear and Expectation
In other cultures, childbirth is regarded as a natural, normal event in a woman’s life. The birthing women are given support from other women, and children are often present to witness the event. In this way, birth is celebrated and honored. Young girls then grow up with the belief system that birth is a positive event and their expectations of childbirth reflect this attitude. As a result, their births are similar to their predecessors; without pain and fear. They have a positive expectation of childbirth. In our culture, it is very much the opposite. For many generations we have been told that delivering a baby is many hours of painfully agonizing work, to be faced with fear and trepidation. We have heard stories from well-meaning friends and family that send shivers up our spines, and so the legacy continues. We experience pain in childbirth, in part because we very much expect to!
When learning about how the mind controls the body, the expectant couple is taught to surround themselves with only positive people and messages, to create a positive view of childbirth and the expectation that their birth will be the beautiful, peaceful experience that they want. Fear Clearing Sessions are integral to this process, as they allow each person to address fears they have, work through possible solutions and then release them. Fear in labor can create tension, which creates pain, then more fear, and the cycle continues. Fear and anxiety can also create adrenaline production in the body, causing the labor to become dysfunctional, a common reason for Cesarean Section surgery. Freedom from fear can make a huge difference in the birthing experience.
Hypnosis for childbirth teaches a woman how to enter into self-hypnosis instantly, and create her own natural anesthesia whenever and wherever she needs it. This is important as any drugs taken by a laboring woman can be dangerous for her, and especially her baby. She has total control over her body, and is an active participant in her birth process. As labor progresses, she relaxes even more, goes deeper inside herself, trusting in her body’s natural ability to give birth with ease and comfort. Her mind is programmed to give her exactly what she needs.
Too good to be true?
Can women give birth without experiencing pain? They can, but there are many variables in labor and birth that can affect the outcome, and couples need to have a positive but realistic view of hypnosis for childbirth. Each pregnant woman and her partner must take responsibility for the choices they make while in labor and how they can affect the dynamics and outcome. Many a wonderful birth has been thwarted by not realizing how to make positive, informed choices, yet these issues are easily addressed and learned in a good consumer oriented childbirth class such as Hypnobabies, or by doing research.
Without a doubt, women using hypnosis are much calmer and more relaxed during labor, which automatically creates more comfort, as well as having *powerful* post-hypnotic suggestions to actually eliminate pain and fear. How effective is this? Statistics will vary by the program and method chosen, depending on the length and number of hypnosis sessions, the materials used in each, and the skill of the hypnotherapist or teacher, as well as the dedication and compliance to the program of each birthing couple. Ideally, hypnosis for childbirth instructors will have backgrounds in both hypnotherapy and childbirth education, and be able to address each woman’s personal needs. With adequate preparation and trust in the natural process of birth, most women can have much more relaxed and comfortable births, with many actually free of pain. It is important to know that the childbirth hypnosis program you choose to use will directly affect your success in having a comfortable birth, so educate yourself before choosing.
Benefits of using hypnosis for childbirth:
* Fewer drugs or no drugs at all means less risk of side effects on mother and baby.
* Shorter labors - resistance of the birthing muscles as a response to pain is minimized or eliminated.
* An awake, energized mother, due to total relaxation throughout the birthing process.
* A calm, peaceful birthing environment.
* Breech and posterior babies can be turned using hypnosis.
* Fewer interventions and complications during labor.
* Babies who are better sleepers and nursers due to fewer drugs in their systems.
How to study: Where do you start?
There are choices open to couples who are ready to begin their hypno-journey, and it will benefit each one to research all of their options to find one that allows them to achieve their goal. They include:
Choice # 1: You can seek out a Hypnobabies class in your area. Some are taught at local birth centers, holistic offices or the instructor’s homes. The backgrounds of Hypnobabies Instructors always include hypnosis training and childbirth education, both necessary for excellent results. You can find a Hypnobabies Instructor by visiting www.hypnobabies.com and look under Professional listings.
You may want to ask a prospective Hypnobabies Instructor the following when you contact them:
• If they have a background in hypnotherapy. (Many of our instructors are certified or clinical hypnotherapists. This is helpful as they will be able to help you with individual issues)
• What is their background in childbirth education: midwifery, doula training, childbirth teacher, nursing etc. (A childbirth training background is necessary for all of our Hypnobabies Instructors so that all of your pregnancy and childbirth questions and concerns can be addressed adequately in class.)
• How long they have been teaching Hypnobabies classes, and where they teach the class?
• How many classes do they teach and how long is each one?
• What materials do they provide with the class? (All Hypnobabies Instructors need to give out exactly the same Hypnobabies materials: The Hypnobabies Workbook, 6 CDs for the Hypno-mom and 1 for the Birth Partner, The Birth Partner’s Guide, The Quick Reference Guide, The Hypnobabies Scripts Booklet, a Perineal Massage booklet, and the book, Back Labor No More.)
• How much is the class fee, and is it a group class or private?
• Do they attend births as a Hypno-doula, and if so, how many have they attended? If not, have they trained any local doulas for this?
• Ask them about why they became a Hypnobabies Instructor. You will find that all our instructors have a passion for working with pregnant couples and a love of natural, unmedicated birthing!
Choice # 2: You can choose a home study course, of which there are many. To find one, you can do a search on the Internet for: “hypnosis, childbirth, home study.” An adequate home study program will have detailed information on hypnosis and how to use it in childbirth, and hypno-tools for you to achieve your goals; books, tapes, CD’s, handouts, hypnosis scripts. As you will be studying on your own, it is your responsibility to gain as much knowledge as possible, so choose well.
Choice # 3: Seek out a qualified Hypnotherapist in your area for office sessions. You will want to make sure to interview them beforehand and ask what type of program they have for childbirth using hypnosis, since not all of them already have an effective program in place in their practice. A good one will include at least 4 sessions in the office, (6-7 are optimal) with the last one done one week before the estimated due date. It should also include at least one tape or CD to listen to at home by yourself, and one or more cues for the birth companion to learn and practice that helps you to relax and go deeper into hypnosis. Many hypnotherapists have developed their own childbirth hypnosis programs that are very effective, and some will use and modify already existing ones, such as Gerald Kein’s Painless Childbirth Program.
The attraction to this kind of program is that it allows the hypnotherapist to adapt the program to fit the needs of their own practice, creating their own scripts and tapes from the original program sessions, and fully modify them to the needs of each expectant mother. This helps tremendously with women who have personal issues that need to be resolved, such as VBAC moms, those who have had a past negative birth experience, or those who have specific deep-seated fears about childbirth.
It is well worth the time to look into hypnosis for childbirth as an option, both for yourself and for your baby. It is important to remember that most drugs are given in an adult dose to women in labor and will reach her baby in less than 5 minutes with effects ranging from respiratory depression to breastfeeding problems, and using hypnosis techniques can greatly help to avoid them. The deep relaxation learned in Hypnobabies has even helped many a nervous dad to cope as they prepare for their child’s birth! In addition, the skills you will learn for relaxation and hypno-anesthesia will benefit you for the rest of your life!
Hypnosis has been used for quite some time to help in numerous health-related issues, from relieving IBS symptoms to preparing for surgery to alleviating fear of dental procedures. Many pregnant women are now enjoying the benefits of hypnosis, allowing them to experience natural births with little to no pain.
In order to better understand how hypnosis can help pregnant women, it helps to gain a better understanding of hypnosis itself. To put it in simple terms, hypnosis is intense focus and concentration. Many people have likened the concentration with getting lost in a good book or television program. Utilizing that intense focus, hypnosis can actually slow down your brain waves.
Right now you’re probably in your waking state, which is Beta consciousness. But, by altering your conscious state through hypnosis, you are able to enter Alpha consciousness, where your brain waves actually slow down. And, when you slow down your brain waves you lose the “critical chatter” of the conscious mind and are able to slip in positive suggestions to the subconscious mind. These positive suggestions can be about any behavior you’d like to change, or any outcome you’d like to see take effect, such as having a natural, easy birth.
In addition, when you’re in a relaxed stated and imagining a desired outcome, the brain can’t tell the difference between reality and fantasy, and reacts as if the desired outcome was a reality. This phenomenon can be seen in pain management, when hypnotherapists use hypnosis and imagery on pain sufferers to help them lessen the intensity of their pain.
Hypnosis can aid pregnant women in so many different ways and in so many different stages of their pregnancies.
Hypnosis Can Aid in Fertility
Where inability to become pregnant is not due to a medical condition, many women have found relief with hypnosis. There are many who believe that if you can imagine it you can create it, and hypnosis is often paired with imagery to “visualize” oneself becoming pregnant and imagining a baby coming into one’s life. Hypnosis is also used to alleviate stress, which may be inhibiting a woman from becoming pregnant. Of course, women aren’t the only ones whose stress and anxiety may be inhibiting pregnancy. Many men feel the pressure to help their partners conceive. This stress can affect men’s sperm quality.
Hypnosis Can Aid in Helping a Woman Become More Comfortable
Many women experience discomfort from being pregnant, such as morning sickness, the intensity of which can be lessened through hypnosis. In women with high blood pressure, hypnosis can be helpful in helping them to relax, which in turn can help control the symptoms.
Hypnosis Can Help in the Actual Birth Process
Many women are now using hypnosis to help them have their baby naturally with no drugs. Utilizing hypnosis, women can help themselves relax during the baby’s birth. Since pain responses are greatly enhanced with fear and anxiety, creating a sense of calm helps in reducing the sensation of pain. The women will be awake and aware of everything that’s happening, including the contractions, but will be able to dictate to a great extent the intensity of the sensations she feels.
There are numerous hypnosis tapes and CDs available which can help reduce the fears and anxieties associated with pregnancy and the birthing process. If at all possible, it’s preferable to meet face to face with a hypnotherapist who can tailor the hypnosis to your specific fears, anxieties or needs.
How to Find a Hypnotherapist
Whether you plan on a natural birth or not, hypnosis can still help you relax more about the entire birthing process. Becoming more relaxed can help you gain control over your pregnancy, rather than have your pregnancy gain control over you.
Women who stop smoking by week 15 of pregnancy are no more likely than nonsmokers to give birth to premature or low-weight babies, according to a study published online by the British Medical Journal.
Women who kept smoking after the 15-week deadline tripled their risk of delivering prematurely and were twice as likely to have small babies compared to nonsmokers and women who stopped smoking early in their pregnancy, the study found.
March 27 (Bloomberg) — Women who quit smoking early in their pregnancies have the same low risk of premature birth and small babies as non-smokers, according to new research.
Women who failed to stop smoking by 15 weeks were three times more likely to give birth before their full 37-week term, said lead author Lesley McCowan, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Smokers were twice as likely to have relatively small babies as women who stopped, the researchers found.
Previous studies have shown that women who smoke during pregnancy have an increased risk of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth and are more likely to have smaller babies. The research published today in the British Medical Journal is the first study to determine whether babies may develop and grow normally in the womb if their mothers quit smoking early.
“The adverse effects of smoking on these late pregnancy outcomes may be largely reversible if smoking is stopped early in pregnancy, offering an important incentive for pregnant women who smoke to stop,” McCowan wrote.
The costs of maternal and infant complications due to smoking during pregnancy were estimated to exceed $1.4 billion in 1995 in the U.S., McCowan wrote, citing data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. More than 90 percent of the costs for infants are attributable to care for those with low birth weight during the first year of life.
2,500 Mothers
McCowan compared birth weight and prematurity in infants born to 2,500 Australians and New Zealanders who smoked, quit smoking or didn’t smoke. In addition to the benefits for babies, mothers who quit weren’t more stressed, anxious or depressed than those who continued to smoke.
Providers of maternity care need to emphasize to women the major benefits of giving up smoking before 15 weeks in pregnancy, McCowan wrote. Still, the results don’t justify relaxing efforts to assist pregnant women to quit smoking later in pregnancy, she added.
“Improved pregnancy outcomes have been reported in women who stop by as late as 32 weeks’ gestation,” McCowan wrote. “Moreover, stopping smoking at any gestation in pregnancy, if sustained in the postpartum period, has enormous additional benefits on newborn and child health.”
Children’s health campaigners called on companies selling baby bottles in Britain to follow developments in the US and move towards avoiding a controversial plastic.
The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) said six major manufacturers in the US were reported to have agreed to stop selling hard plastic baby bottles made with the controversial plastics chemical bisphenol A (BPA).
A spokeswoman said the Trust was asking companies selling baby bottles in the UK to follow the USA lead and move to producing baby bottles using non bisphenol A (BPA) plastics.
She added: “The chemical BPA is controversial and currently used in many baby bottles sold in the UK.
“There is evidence to suggest that the chemical mimics the effect of the hormone oestrogen in the body and interferes with healthy growth and body functions.
“Babies are particularly vulnerable to hormone mimicking effects as they grow rapidly in the early months and years.”
NCT chief executive Belinda Phipps said: “The NCT welcomes the news that six USA companies have agreed to stop selling plastic baby bottles made with BPA within the United States.
“The NCT would like to see the same steps being taken within the UK. There are now viable alternatives to BPA that can be used to produce clear plastic baby bottles.
“There is no reason to continue using this chemical when there is concern about its potential risks to newborn babies.”
The Trust advised parents to seek out bottles clearly labelled ‘BPA free’ if they were not sure whether the bottles contained that chemical.
NEW YORK — Research shows that for about half of women who give birth, memories of the intensity of labor pain decline over time. However, for some women, their recollection of pain does not seem to diminish and for a minority, their memory of pain increases with time.
The study also shows that the memory of childbirth pain is influenced by a woman’s overall satisfaction with her labor experience.
Department of Woman and Child Health at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm and colleagues queried 1383 mothers about their memories of labor pain at 2 months, 1 year and 5 years after giving birth. Women who elected to have a cesarean section were excluded.
Five years after the women had given birth, 49 percent remembered childbirth as less painful than when they rated it 2 months after birth, 35 percent rated it the same, and 16 percent rated it as more painful.
“A commonly held view,” she noted in an email to Reuters Health, “is that women forget the intensity of labour pain. The present study…provides evidence that in modern obstetric care, this is true for about 50 percent of women.”
However, a woman’s labor experience was an influential factor. Women who reported labor as a positive experience 2 months after childbirth had the lowest pain scores, and their memory of the intensity of pain had declined by 1 year and 5 years after giving birth.
“Memory of labor pain declined during the observation period but not in women with a negative overall experience of childbirth,” the team notes in the journal BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Roughly 60 percent of women reported positive childbirth experiences and less than 10 percent reported negative experiences. For women who said that their childbirth experience was negative or very negative, on average, their assessment of labor pain did not change after 5 years.
“A woman’s long-term memory of pain is associated with her satisfaction with childbirth overall,” she said, summing up. “The more positive the experience, the more women forget how painful labour was. For a small group of women with a negative birth experience, long-term memory of labour pain was as vivid as 5 years earlier.”
The researchers also found that women who had epidural for pain remembered pain as more intense than women who did not have an epidural, suggesting, they say, that these women remember “peak pain.” However, their perception of how painful labour had been also declined with time.
Kathryn Mora said her first experience giving birth wasn’t at all what she had hoped.
The Los Angeles native, who now lives in Waltham, said she was left alone in a hospital room, except for a nurse who showed up once in a while, yelling at her to “relax” while reminding her she’d be there for several more hours.
The doctors in the delivery room, she said, barely acknowledged her.
“The doctors were talking about their golf game when I was experiencing the most important day of her life,” Mora remembered.
Mora said she received an injection in her spine. Numb from the waist down, her baby was yanked out with forceps and rushed away quickly. She wouldn’t see her newborn son, Scott, for 10 hours.
“I said then, ‘this is never going to happen to me again’,” she said.
That was more than 40 years ago. About two years later, in preparation of the birth of her next child, John, Mora and her husband, Luis, took classes to help her to relax. They also found a doctor who performed natural childbirth.
“It just went so beautifully,” Mora said of giving birth naturally. That experience led Mora to dedicate much of her life to educating women on the benefits of natural childbirth.
“I became a certified childbirth educator and started my own program in Los Angeles,” she said.
Mora, a journalist who has written a number of articles on the subject, and now has ventured into filmmaking.
Mora will screen her first documentary, “BIRTH” on Thursday, at the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University, 274 Moody St., Studio C.
During the 30-minute film women who, like Mora, gave birth with drugs and medical intervention, and then gave birth naturally, share their experiences.
“My approach is that women who have had the experience are sharing he experience,” Mora said. “They are the narrators of the film.”
After the screening, a panel discussion will take place involving some of the film’s participants.
Mora she hopes the documentary will replace women’s fears about natural childbirth with education. Many women are concerned about the pain, but Mora said during her natural childbirth she actually experience less discomfort than when she gave birth first son.
Mora said this won’t be her only foray into filmmaking on the subject.
“I’m planning to make a full-length film,” Mora said.
Imagine a pain free child birth without the help of medication. One woman is instructing expectant mothers on a technique she says can offer that and more.
“It was really painful. I felt really out of control. I couldn’t deal with the contractions towards the end especially,” she said.
After one painful childbirth, Press was terrified of what was to come when she heard she was expecting again.
“When I first got pregnant in the first couple of months even the thought of going to the hospital just really made me want to cry,” Press said.
Then she found a video of a woman using hypnosis during childbirth on the Internet.
“I was like wow that’s completely amazing. She didn’t appear to be in pain she wasn’t screaming she was actually smiling,” Press said.
The woman was using a technique called hypnobirth.
“Complete physical comfort and relaxation. The deepest relaxation you can possibly get to,” she said.
“With the first two I had instrumental delivery and I tore and it was not a fun experience,” she said.
Then she used hypnobirth for the delivery of her daughter.
“I went on to have a completely pain free birth,” she said.
Now she instructs other women, on how to relax by reprogramming.
“Things that have a negative association we replace those like instead of labor it’s your birth instead of contractions it’s pressure waves,”
The technique uses music, thoughts and phrases to reach extreme relaxation.
“It kind of feels like being in a tub of warm water.”
Believe it or not, Phillips says the techniques may actually have you asking for more.
“I really wished it would have lasted a little longer because I was enjoying it so much,” she said.
Some colleges may no longer require standardized test scores, but for most high-school students, test-taking is still a reality. Here’s some advice that might help you decide which test is best suited to you.
The SAT may be a better test for you if:
1. You did great on the PSAT. The devil you know may be better than the devil you don’t.
2. You have a killer vocabulary. You know “didactic,” “sedulous” and other esoteric words (including esoteric) and want to use that comparative advantage.
3. You can ace grammar. In addition to the essay section, the Writing section of the SAT tests the deviation between standard written English and the way we actually speak the language. You know that “everyone has their own idea” is wrong, and you are comfortable with “On the table, there ARE a pencil and some paper.”
4. You find it easier to write essays that use illustrative examples rather than argument. For example, if a topic such as “Should the rights of the individual be secondary to the good of the community?” seems like an easier topic to write on than “Should students be required to participate in extracurricular activities?” then the SAT essay may be more your speed. In the former example, you can use anything from the Civil Rights Movement to The Scarlet Letter as evidence, while the latter likely begs more for examples from personal experience or abstract arguments.
5. Whether or not you’re academic, you consider yourself quick-thinking. At some level, the math section of the SAT is based on reasoning. The reading section is about seeing things the same way as the test-makers. The official name is, after all, the “SAT Reasoning Test.” The hardest math questions on the SAT are not about advanced content or formulas that you may have forgotten.
6. You are high-energy or impulsive to the point of being impatient. Comprised of nine sections and an essay, the SAT is 20 minutes longer than the ACT, which is comprised of four long sections followed by an essay. But there are more starts and stops on the SAT — which makes it feel as though it’s moving along faster than the ACT.
7. All of your friends are doing it. For many folks, the SAT is a rite of passage and is the common yardstick people use, for better or worse, in comparing their scores to the scores of their friends, parents and siblings. The whole drama of high school wouldn’t be complete without it.
The ACT may be a better test for you if:
1. You did great on the PLAN (the “PSAT” for the ACT) or had a PSAT or SAT score inconsistent with your academic performance in school.
2. Your vocabulary is not as strong as your reading. You read well and relatively quickly. Arguably, the ACT is a test that is three parts verbal — English, Reading and Science (the latter section requires no knowledge outside of what the test presents).
3. You are great at writing papers but haven’t had formal grammar instruction. The English portion of the ACT is more a test of punctuation and sentence and paragraph structure. Many students find the English to be common sense, much like proof-reading a paper.
4. You prefer to write essays that are argumentative, persuading with ideas even if you lack perfect recall of facts and figures. Or you prefer to answer questions that ask about everyday issues in your life or school.
5. You fear you will choke under pressure. The ACT effectively has “score choice.” If, when you register, you do not indicate schools you want to receive your scores, you can wait until you have taken the ACT several times and then select the best scores to send. On the SAT, all scores (SAT and SAT Subject Tests) will be part of your score report. You cannot “hide” a low score on the SAT as you can on the ACT.
6. You are more academic than “test savvy.” The ACT seems to most people to be more curriculum-based and thus more straightforward. There is more advanced math content (logarithms, trigonometry, conic sections, etc.), but it seems more like a regular test you might encounter in school.
7. All of your friends aren’t doing it. You dread telling people what your scores are, imaging that they are immediately making judgments about how you “stack up.” Tell your friends you have a 580-620-590 on the SAT, and the ranking begins. Tell them you got a 27 on the ACT, and they’ll ask “is that good?”
It used to be the case that you’d grab a bottle of water from the fridge to sip on the way to work, pack your leftovers in a plastic container, and give your baby some milk in a plastic bottle – all without thinking twice about your health. Then we started to hear about plastic containing Bisphenol A (BPA). But what it is, and why are plastics containing BPA so harmful to your health?
According to information from the NSF International and the Centers for Disease Control, Bisphenol A is “an industrial chemical used to make polycarbonate plastics.” These plastics can be found anywhere and in products we use on a daily basis such as refillable beverage receptacles, protective linings in food cans, CDs, plastic serving ware, impact resistant safety equipment and epoxy resins.
For the most part, we wouldn’t go a normal day without encountering at least a few of those on the list. However, people are generally exposed to BPA when it seeps from materials that are in contact with food or drinking water.
About plastics and pregnancy
Now, ladies, listen up. According to the National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals by the CDC: “When laboratory test animals are dosed during pregnancy, BPA has been shown to have hormone-like effects on the developing reproductive system and neurobehavioral changes in the offspring.
“Scientists continue to debate whether effects could possibly occur in people who are exposed to low environmental levels of these chemicals. More research is needed to assess the human health effects of exposure to these chemicals.”
However, it is known, though an analysis from the CDC published in 2007, that scientists detected BPA in nearly 93 percent of people tested (age six and older), which “indicates widespread exposure to BPA in the U.S. population.”
Protect yourself - and your baby
It doesn’t hurt to be extra vigilant when it comes to your health and that of your unborn baby! Here are a few tips to help you avoid BPA-contaminated products:
Look for the BPA-free symbol when purchasing new plastics. Ditch the water bottles (they are bad for the environment anyway) and purchase a high-quality BPA-free refillable stainless steel vessel.
Switch baby from regular plastic baby bottles to the BPA-free variety or old-fashioned glass bottles. If he’s taking formula, choose the powered variety, which may not have BPA in the packaging versus the liquid kind, according to the Environmental Working Group.
Rinse canned fruit or vegetables with water before heating and serving to hopefully lessen BPA ingestion.
Avoid microwaving food in plastic containers — use microwave-safe glass or ceramic instead.
Angelina Jolie is reported to be pregnant again. The actress, currently filming new movie ‘Salt‘ in the US, sparked the pregnancy rumours when she asked to be excused from performing certain stunts for the role. A movie source said: “There is still some exciting action stuff – most notably when Angelina’s character is chased by snipers over the rooftops. But there’s no back-flips on speeding trains and it’s all more face close-ups than action sequences.” Usually, Angelina, who is married to Brad Pitt and has six children with him, performs her own stunts and in ‘Wanted’, ‘Tomb Raider’ and ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ she refused to use a stunt double for the more extreme action sequences.
“Is hypnosis safe?” - a common enough question amongst the uninitiated. Of course the answer is always yes but many people remain unconvinced, worried that they will somehow become under the control of the hypnotist. However an unfortunate case in Oklahoma has proved once and for all that hypnosis is completely, 100% safe.
This case also illustrates the need for a more stringent training procedure before one can be classed as a professional/clinical hypnotherapist.
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The headline read, “Social Worker Accused of Hypnotizing, Sexually Abusing Clients”. A licensed clinical social worker in Oklahoma City was accused of groping and fondling female clients while they were in hypnosis. If you have followed the story, you are aware that previous accusations of sexual misconduct had also been made against this worker, and he ultimately committed suicide after the accusations became public.
It is inexcusable that the victims be subjected to such humiliation, and it is tragic that this story had such an ending. However, as a professional hypnotist, I was very intrigued by this story. There are many myths and misconceptions about hypnosis, one of the most significant of which is that hypnosis is some sort of mind control.
This event is evidence that this misconception is just that. Clearly these victims were not “under the spell” of an ‘evil hypnotist’. The alleged perpetrator was a licensed professional. More importantly, the victims have never claimed or indicated that they were not in hypnosis. Although they were hypnotized, they were fully aware of what was happening. According to the news reports, the social worker had suggested to the ladies that their bodies were anaesthetized. Had they accepted this suggestion, theoretically they would have been unable to feel the worker touching them and therefore been unaware of it.
However, even in hypnosis a person will not violate their morals or their conscience; nor will they allow themselves to be put into an unsafe situation. It seems that although this was a licensed mental health professional, his training in hypnotism was sub par and inadequate. Perhaps he was unaware of this fact of hypnosis. Regardless, in spite of the perpetrator’s effort, the victims were aware and able to report the inappropriate behavior.
With a properly trained and ethical hypnotist, hypnosis is a safe and useful tool for achieving personal change.
Hypnotherapy for birth seems to becoming the phenomenon of pregnancy and childbirth over the last decade, with new mothers in increasing numbers looking to use the “mind over matter” techniques to avoid the dependency of drugs and medical interventions at birth, offered by the various systems of hypnotherapy and hypnosis for childbirth.
So what is it that has caused the increasing interest in this field, and what is the problem that mothers are looking to solve by turning to hypnobirth?
Childbirth is certainly a very different experience to what it was for our grandmothers and he women who came before them. For a start it is safer on the whole, with greater information, medical practice, and the possibility of life-saving interventions if required on the occasions that something goes wrong.
However our approach to it has also changed a great deal. Now that so many of us have careers, it often appears to be seen as a short break in our progress towards financial equality, recognition, and career success, that is the main goal of all who want to truly contribute towards society. Could it actually be that you will never in your life do anything as important or fulfilling as creating and nurturing another human being?
We are also pre-conditioned to see birth as a painful experience. Just think of every televised birth you ever saw, and the use of the word “Labour“ for the child birth process sums up attitudes quite well. At the same time because births are mainly attended by medics rather than family members (mothers sisters and aunts in days gone by), each of us is likely to have little or no direct experience of birth when we come to experiencing our own.
Many mothers approach the process of “labour” in a state of near terror, not made any easier by the scare stories of friends, precautionary warnings of some doctors (“If you don’t do exactly what I tell you then your baby….” etc.), and what they have seen in films and on TV. And how is this great fear likely to affect their experience of birth?
They will be tense.
Tension causes muscle cramps.
Muscle cramps in the birth canal mean hard work for baby, and for mum.
Fear of the process increases the likelihood of accepting medial pain coping measures.
Medical interventions increase the likelihood of further medical interventions.
Some medical interventions may adversely affect the baby itself. A great shame if they could have been avoided in the first place. Note that we must draw a distinction here between necessary interventions and unnecessary ones, which is often a difficult line to draw in the heat of the moment.
So back to hypnotherapy for childbirth – the case is reasonably clear. If you are able to be very relaxed, rally relax those all important muscles to let baby go the way it wants to go, and experience the birth in shall we say a more positive frame of mind and body, then it is quite clear that the whole process could be much easier, and potentially more comfortable.
It is interesting to note that every mammal goes to give birth in a quiet place of its choosing. Human mothers of old coped in the main very well with giving birth on their own, and it appears they learned the art (the womanly arts!) from older family members, and the success of our race is clear enough evidence of the success of the process.
The point is that your body knows what to do. It has finely evolved since the dawn of time to be perfectly adapted to giving birth to a baby, perhaps even a dozen in a life time, and childbirth is a core part of the experience of living. Not as it would appear a temporary inconvenience blotting the development of a career path.
Direct experiences from Hypnobirthing mothers and others experiencing natural child birth shows us that childbirth can actually be one of the best days of your life! (read that again?). Hypnotherapy for birth is just one technique that may help this to come about – and I for one hope that if you are a woman, and if you are pregnant, or if you know one, you will at least consider this as an option which may enhance your own experience of childbirth, and give a better start in life to your baby.
Pregnancy is an important phase in a woman’s life. To make it a soothing experience and preparing for a healthy child by your side, sleeping in time of pregnancy is essential in all three trimesters. Earlier there was a belief that less sleep was beneficial for the expecting mother. Later, it has been proved medically that good amount of sleep improves the expecting mother’s as well as the baby’s health inside.
Rest well and enjoy dreaming of your baby that you will cuddle with after a few months. Proper rest will allow your body to secret necessary hormones that take care of your body. As a result, your baby inside the cavern of your womb gets nourished. It is obvious that many negative thoughts and anxiety will come to play in your mind.
However, you should not allow these thoughts to steal your sleep. Boost yourself with positive thoughts, sharing your feelings with your family members and reading good books on children and topics that make your mind peaceful.
Your night-time sleep must be undisturbed. However, short naps in daytime also do wonder for your body’s comfort. In the first trimester, sleep is more required because the body undergoes a lot of changes everyday. Your desire to urinate increase and you lack energy the more you need to wake up to go to bathroom.
Keep your way to bathroom free from any blocks to avoid any chance to stumble and fall. Drinking water frequently throughout the daytime and taking less water before bedtime at night is good for your health.
Your sleeping position may need to be changed as your tender and sore breasts may put hindrance for regular pattern of sleeping. Doctors say that sleeping on your left side allow the blood circulation to be good. Also, there is no restriction; your body will wake you up to change position if it needs. You may buy differently shaped pregnancy pillows that make yours sleeping really comfortable.
Take bath before sleeping in the third trimester and wet your feet before sleeping. This phase is for getting ready for the childbirth gradually. A light exercise or swimming or a brisk walking in the afternoon makes your bedtime sleepy and comfortable.
A caution – never allow yourself to lie on your back for long time, because it may put pressure on your spine, back muscles and intestine. Sleep well with your baby inside and have a sweet dream to see him or her sleeping by your side very soon.
A hormone that prepares pregnant women for the strain of childbirth could help explain why some women suffer postpartum depression. Researchers from the University of California, Irvine, found in a study that 12 out of 16 women who had postpartum depression also had high levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone circulating in the placenta midway through pregnancy.
The hormone, known as CRH, normally is produced in very small amounts by the hypothalamus near the brain in response to stress. The placenta in pregnant women, meanwhile, produces 100 times more CRH than the hypothalamus.
Postpartum depression strikes those who experience the biggest changes in hormone levels, said researchers, who noted 20% of women are affected by postpartum depression four to six weeks after childbirth, and 7% of new mothers suffer from major depression.
New CDC Report Says Teen Births on the Rise; Alaska Showed Biggest Surge Among States
Although 18-year-old Bristol Palin has made headlines in recent months for her pregnancy and the birth of her son, Tripp, she has a lot of company — in her state and in the rest of the nation.
According to the newest numbers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teen births increased by 3 percent nationally in 2006, reversing a 15-year decline of more than a third. And Palin’s home state of Alaska — one of 26 states to see a rise — led the way, with a 19 percent increase in the teenage birthrate from the previous year.
“It’s concerning because there was so much effort made to encourage teenagers to avoid pregnancy starting in the early 1990s,” said Stephanie Ventura, an author of the study and director for natality statistics and the The numbers showed a 3 percent increase in births among women of all ages — an increase in every age group — as well as the first decline in the average age of mothers giving birth (from 25.2 to 25) for the first time since the CDC began tracking it.
The reversal of the trend in teen births is what most concerns experts.
“It may be that one of the nation’s most extraordinary success stories of the past two decades is coming to a close,” said Bill Albert, chief program officer for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. “What you have is a serious, profound change in an issue where we had nothing but good news to report for almost two decades.”
While Albert did not equate every teenage pregnancy with failure, Albert said the issue is a major concern.
“There are, of course, many great success stories,” he said. “But the fact of the matter is that many of them don’t fare well. And importantly, their children don’t tend to fare well.”
Only three states — North Dakota, Rhode Island and New York — and the District of Columbia saw significant declines in their teen birth rates. Alaska, Mississippi, Montana, Hawaii, Kentucky, Nevada, Louisiana and Oklahoma each saw double-digit increases.
Katie Holmes is allegedly on a “detox diet” to prepare to get pregnant with her second child with husband Tom Cruise. Sources say Holmes’ diet was the reason behind her and Cruise’s absence from the Academy Awards as the herbal drinks and purification procedures left her too tired to attend.
“Katie has almost rid her body of toxins but sometimes it makes her lethargic. Tom’s encouraging her to stick to the diet because they are hoping to conceive baby number two,” says a source.
The couple are already parents to 2-year-old Suri. Cruise also has two adopted children with ex-wife Nicole Kidman, who is rumored to be pregnant with her second child with husband Keith Urban.
All women worry about how they will cope with the pain of labor and delivery. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, childbirth is different for everyone. So no one can predict how your spouse will feel. The amount of pain a woman feels during labor depends partly on the size and position of her baby, the size of her pelvis, her emotions, and the strength of the contractions.
Natural Pain Relief
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, many women choose to deliver their babies without using medicine for pain relief. Other techniques that some of these women use to help them include:
* use breathing and relaxation techniques
* take warm showers or baths
* receive massages
* have the supportive care or a loved one, nurse, or doula
* find comfortable positions while in labor (stand, crouch, sit, walk, etc)
* use a labor ball
* listen to music
Building a positive outlook on childbirth and managing fear may also help some women cope with the pain. It is important to realize that labor pain is not like pain due to illness or injury. Rather, it is caused by contractions of the uterus that are pushing the baby down and out of the birth canal. In other words, labor pain has a purpose: this is to help your spouse feel positive about childbirth:
* Encourage her to take a childbirth class. Call the doctor, midwife, hospital or birthing center for class information.
* Get information from her doctor or midwife. Write down her questions and encourage her to talk about them at her regular visits.
* Share her fears and emotions.
Waterbirthing
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more and more women in the United States are using water to find comfort during labor and delivery. In waterbirthing, laboring women get into a tub of water that is between 90 and 100 degrees. Some women get out of the tub to give birth. Others remain in the water for delivery. The water helps women feel physically supported. It also keeps them warm and relaxed. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this eases the pain of labor and delivery for many women. Plus, it is easier for laboring women to move and find comfortable positions in the water.
Waterbirthing is relatively new in this country. So there is very little research on its benefits. Even so, some women say giving birth in the water is faster and easier. Plus, women may tear less severely and need fewer episiotomies in the water. Waterbirthing may be gentler for your baby too. It may ease the baby’s transition from the womb to the new world. The baby is born into an environment that is similar to the womb. Plus, the water dulls the lights, sound and feel of the new world.
Once the baby is born, it is brought to the surface of the water and wrapped in blankets. Ask your doctor or midwife if your spouse is a good candidate for waterbirthing. Water birth is not safe for women or babies who have health issues. Medical Pain Relief While your spouse is in labor, her doctor, midwife or nurse should ask if she needs pain relief. It is her job to help your spouse decide what option is the best for her. There are many different kinds of pain relief. Not all options are available at every hospital and birthing center. Plus your spouse’s health history, allergies, and any problems with her pregnancy will make some options better than others.
Types of pain relief used for labor and delivery include: Intravenous or intramuscular analgesic A doctor gives your partner pain medicine through a tube inserted in a vein (intravenous) or by injecting the medicine into a muscle (intramuscular). These medicines go into her blood and help ease the pain. Opiods including morphine, fentanyl and nalbuphine are usually used for this type of pain relief. This option does not get rid of all the pain. Instead it usually just makes the pain bearable. After getting this kind of pain relief, she can still get an epidural or spinal pain relief later. Some disadvantages of getting intravenous or intramuscular analgesics include:
* They make your partner feel sleepy and drowsy.
* They can cause nausea and vomiting.
* They can make her feel very itchy.
* These medicines cross into the baby’s bloodstream. So they can affect the baby’s breathing, heart rate and cause him/her to be very sleepy after birth.
Epidural anesthesia
A doctor injects medicine into the lower part of your partner’s backbone or spine. The medicine blocks pain in the parts of the body below the shot. During a contraction, the feeling of pain travels from the uterus to the brain along nerves in the backbone. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, epidurals block the pain of contractions by numbing these nerves. Epidurals allow most women to be awake and alert with very little pain. Many women who get epidurals do not feel any pain during contractions and childbirth. Medicines used in epidurals include novocaine-like drugs that block the pain in that region combined with opiods like fentanyl. Some disadvantages of getting an epidural include:
* It can make your spouse shiver.
* It can lower her blood pressure.
* It can make her feel very itchy.
* It can cause headaches.
* It many not numb the entire painful area. So women continue to feel pain in an area of the abdomen and back.
Pudendal Block
A doctor injects numbing medicine into the vagina and a nearby nerve called the pudendal nerve. This nerve carries sensation to the lower part of your partner’s vagina and vulva. This is only used late in labor, usually right before the baby’s head comes out. With a pudendal block, you have some pain relief but remain awake, alert and able to push the baby out. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the baby is not affected by this medicine and it has very few disadvantages.
Spinal anesthesia
A doctor injects a medicine into the lower part of your backbone. This medicine numbs the body below where the medicine was injected. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, spinal anesthesia gives immediate pain relief. So it is often used for women who need an emergency Cesarean section. Spinal anesthesia uses numbing medicines similar to novocaine combined with opiods like fentanyl. Some disadvantages of spinal anesthesia include:
* It numbs the body from the chest down to the feet.
* It makes one feel short of breath.
* It can lower one’s blood pressure.
* It can cause headaches.
This may be a good time during the pregnancy for your spouse to give a thought to the manner of delivery she wishes to opt for. The options-natural, induced, or cesarean-all have their pros and cons.
Natural delivery
• This is the most common method of childbirth.
• It does not involve an extended stay in a hospital.
• The risks associated with major surgery are avoided.
• This method of delivery makes breastfeeding easier.
• The mother can actively participate in the childbirth.
Induced delivery
• In this method, labor is artificially induced rather than spontaneous.
• It avoids complications in post-term babies.
• The pregnant mom, or her doctor, can decide when to go in for labor.
• Studies report that women who have induced labor are less likely to develop chorioamnionitis, an infection of the placental membranes.
If your spouse’s pregnancy extends beyond her due date, her doctor may decide to induce labor. In fact, there some everyday activities, natural labor inducers, that are popularly believed to induce labor. Find information on common natural labor induction when your spouse’s pregnancy extends beyond her due date.
Cesarean section
• In this method, delivery is surgically carried out through an incision made by the doctor in the abdomen and uterus.
• It is required if labor does not progress normally.
• It is also required in case of a complication in the pregnancy.
• It is useful in cases where the fetus has been diagnosed with a developmental problem.
• It is helpful in cases of women carrying twins, triplets, or multiples.
• Cesarean is also used in the cases where the mom has herpes or similar infections, to prevent the baby from contracting these infections.
One of the most common problems is experiencing extreme tiredness in your first trimester. I is due to the rise in the hormone progesterone which causes feeling tired.
How to cope - Make sure you get adequate sleep every day. If possible take a couple cat naps during the day. Although you appear normal on the outside, inside your body is working harder then it has ever worked before.
Take it easy and allow the housework to slide for awhile, give in to inner signals and RELAX!
Exercise - If you exercised before you were pregnant, cotinue to do so. You may need to cut back some or change your routine to fit your needs, check with your doctor to make sure. Exercise can also help with your energy levels! If you did not regularly exercise before hand, talk to your doctor about incorporating an easy routine into your pregnancy. Simply walking for 30 minutes daily can make a big difference.
The tiredness will usually subside between week 8 to week 10, so hang in there!
MORNING SICKNESS
- Not all women will experience this unfortunate event, but many will.here are some ways to cope.
* EAT SMALL MEALS EVERY 2-3 HOURS *
Whither you are hungry or not you should eat every couple of hours to help keep your blood sugar levels up. If you wait until you are already hungry, it can cause you to become more nausea’s due to your stomach acid production and your blood sugar levels lowering. Keep snacks that are high in protein, carbohydrates and fiber close to you at all times. Healthy snacks like fruit, vegetables, nuts, crackers and cheese, are good choices. Try your best not to let three hours go by without eating a little something to help keep your blood sugar levels were they need to be.
Have a snack before bedtime as well. This will help your stomach and help keep your blood sugar levels were they need to be through the night. Have something this is high in protein like nuts or a protein bar. This will help you through the night, even having a simple glass of milk before bed or in the middle of the night has been said to help alleviate the nausea feeling in the morning.
* DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS *
It is important to keep your body well hydrated now more then ever. Your body is working over time creating a new life inside, so make sure you drink lots of water and even some fruit juices. Try to limit your amount of juices however due to the sugar. it is always best to stick with plain water. Avoid caffeinated beverages as much as you possibly can like coffee, caffeinated teas, and sodas.
Although a 7-UP or Sprite type of soda can help you with nausea. Try drinking one that is a little flat with saltine crackers and even leave it next to your bed at night. My doctor recommended this and it helped alleviate my morning sickness a bit. Ginger ale is also a great drink during the nausea times during pregnancy.
* TAKE YOUR PRENATAL VITAMINS *
Make sure you are taking your prenatal vitamins with a meal every morning. If you feel the pill itself is to blame for your nausea then talk to your doctor about switching them. Find the right one for you that does not create any nausea. It is important to take your prenatal vitamins every day for you and your baby. You can also change the time that you taking the vitamin. If you have a time in the day where you are not feeling very nauseous then you can try taking at that time. Even taking it right before bed is a god choice if you are feeling nauseas throughout the day.
PEEING A LOT
This is a common issue which comes in the first trimester, then subsides during the second trimester and comes back in the third. As the uterus grows in the first trimester, it puts pressure onto your bladder causing the frequent feeling of needing to pee. Blood production also increases and makes your kidneys process more fluids which of course end up in your bladder.
How to cope - There really is nothing you can do to help this side effect. You definitely do not want to cut back on fluids since your body really needs them right now, mainly water. So take it easy and drink up, just stay close to a restroom.
TENDER BREASTS
This is typically one of the first signs you may notice when you first become pregnant. It can be uncomfortable but it is all part of the miracle of pregnancy. The tenderness is the result of your breasts getting ready to produce milk whither you choose to breastfeed or not. The soreness will subside usually around week 12, although your breasts may continue to grow.
How to cope - The only thing you can really do is wear a comfortable bra. Try one made with soft stretchy fabric and no restrictive under wires to dig into your skin. If you have larger breasts, size D or larger, wear a bra with wide padded straps for the best comfort and support. At night you can also wear a snug fitting tank or a special cotton sleeping bra to help support and comfort them.
SIGNS TO WATCH FOR
There are dangerous signs to watch for, and if any of them are happening contact your doctor right away!
Severe nausea and/or vomiting - The normal morning sickness is normal, but if you are unable to keep anything down for 24 hours, you should contact your doctor.
Heavy bleeding - It is normal to have a light spotting during the first trimester but if you are experiencing a heavy flow then you need to seek medical attention right away!
Persistent belly pains - Some abdominal pains are normal, but if you are experiencing a strong, steady pain in your lower abdominal to pubic area it can be serious. This could be signs of an ectopic (tubal) pregnancy. Seek medical attention right away.
As many as 13 percent of new mothers are depressed after giving birth.
The National Women’s Health Information Center offers these suggestions to help ease postpartum depression:
* Don’t worry about making sure you’re doing everything perfectly. Do what you can, the best you can.
* Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your spouse or partner, friends or family.
* Sleep as much as you can. Take advantage of your baby’s nap time to catch up.
* Plan dates with your partner or outings with your friends to have some time to yourself.
* Talk about what you’re feeling with friends and family, as well as other new moms
going through the same thing.
* Join a support group for new mothers.
* Keep life as simple as possible after the baby is born. Now is not the time to make major decisions or life changes, unless you must.
Too much stress during pregnancy can result in pre-term birth or low birth weight, both of which moms-to-be want to avoid. Judith Nolte, Editor-in-Chief of American Baby Magazine, has some tips for keeping stress at bay.
With the economy in a slump, many mothers-to-be are feeling the stress of planning for a baby on a tight budget. Normal, everyday stress is okay, but if you’re having trouble sleeping or are constantly worrying, you’ll need to take steps to relax a little more. Nolte mentions that crisis situations, such as a death in the family, severe financial instability or divorce, can potentially harm your baby. High stress situations can lead to premature birth or low birth weight. It’s important to keep stress in check, both for you and for your baby.
If you or someone you know are in a severe financial crisis, have lost your job or are struggling to pay your bills, there are organizations that help pregnant women in need. Women, Infants and Children is a group that provides federal grants to states so they can provide food, healthcare and other important prenatal skills to moms-to-be who are struggling financially. To find out if you qualify for help, click here to visit the Women, Infants and Children website - http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic/.
In addition to financial help, there are ways to reduce stress. Be sure to talk to your doctor about what’s right for you, but Nolte offers some ideas to start with.
First, she suggests creating a support system for yourself. “You need friends, family, people online… to talk to other people who’ll be there for you, primarily who have been through it before and can help you and give you tips,” says Nolte. AmericanBaby.com offers several chat rooms on a wide range of topics for new moms to discuss what they’re feeling and how they’re coping with the demands of motherhood. “You’ll always find somebody who’s going through the same thing at the same time,” says Nolte.
Also, try exercising throughout your pregnancy. Just as a good workout could relieve stress before you got pregnant, hitting the gym or yoga studio during pregnancy can help keep things in perspective during pregnancy, too. “[Yoga] is good for your breathing, it’s good for your muscles,” says Nolte. “The more you exercise, the better it’s going to be to get through delivery.” Be sure to consult your doctor to find a fitness routine that will work for you. Certain exercises shouldn’t be performed during pregnancy, so check with your doctor before hitting the gym.
Massage is another great stress reliever. “If you find a masseuse who does pregnancy massage in particular, it’s a good idea,” Nolte adds. “Ask your doctor if it’s okay.”
Even on your busiest days, though, be sure to take a short break to clear your head. Slow down! “Do something simple,” says Nolte. “Take a walk, read a book, listen to your iPod.” Find an activity that helps your mind focus on something other than the stress in your life. Even a ten minute break can do wonders. This is great practice for once your baby is born, too.
For more stress relieving tips, as well as additional parenting advice, click here to visit www.AmericanBaby.com.
Women who move miles away from their families and hometowns for work reasons feel ‘ignorant and ill-equipped’ to cope with pregnancy and childbirth, the results of a new study indicate.
According to the findings, many women do not have the support and advice they need when they have a baby because they live too far from close family members.
Dr Angela Davis of the University of Warwick in the UK interviewed over 90 women about their experiences of pregnancy, childbirth and childcare. She found that today, women are more likely to live further away from their families, ‘which means they are less likely to have relatives on hand’.
“Also most births take place in hospital so very few women have been present at childbirth before they have their own child,” she noted.
Part of the study focused on motherhood from 1930 to 1970 and according to Dr Davis, the results were surprising, as she discovered that there has always been ignorance surrounding sex education and childbirth, but for different reasons.
She noted that issues surrounding sex and childbirth in the 1930s, 40s and 50s were considered taboo and were not often discussed in the home. She also noted that while women now seemed better informed about sex, there was still far too little information given to them about the development of pregnancy, childbirth and infant care.
Dr Davis said that many of the women she interviewed had tried to be more open with their own children about sex education. However she found that ‘they did show some level of ambivalence on the subject, and many were not sure that this increased knowledge was entirely a good thing’.
The study found that women today often feel unprepared to look after their child. A number of the women interviewed said that while they do feel a natural instinct to care, they have no idea how to actually go about providing this care.
If you know you are planning to use an epidural to help you manage pain during childbirth, you may not be thinking about natural childbirth techniques. In contrast with an epidural which almost always provides good pain relief with no effort from the mother, natural childbirth techniques take time to learn, time to practice and you don’t know which ones will help you most until your labor begins. But as is so often true in life, there is great value in the things you have to work harder for.
1. Your labor may move faster than you expect - the typical labor may start slow, and slowly build to active labor, but not all do. About 2% of women experience a precipitate labor, one in which the early stages pass so easily they are unnoticed and the mother suddenly finds herself dealing with a fast active labor. If your labor starts fast, the natural childbirth techniques you learn will not only keep you comfortable, but also help you stay calm and as relaxed as possible until you get to your birth place.
2. It can take 20 minutes to an hour or more from the time you request an epidural to the time you get pain relief. Instead of being a specific medication, epidural and spinal are advanced anesthetic techniques. This means you need an anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist to administer one. Unlike simpler, less effective pain relief methods which your midwife, doctor or nurse could administer, when you choose an epidural you need to wait for the anesthesiologist to be available.You could have pain relief in as fast as 20 minutes if everything was already set up and the staff ready, or you could be waiting for another woman to have an epidural administered first, or waiting for an anesthesiologist to finish assisting a cesarean surgery or come to the hospital. In some smaller hospitals, epidurals are not available ‘after hours,’ the staff relying instead on simpler methods of pain relief which are not as effective. Natural childbirth techniques will be your only choice for pain management until things are ready for an epidural to be administered, and can be helpful if you receive a less effective pain medication.
More at: http://www.doulasanantonio.com/5-reasons-to-learn-natural-childbirth-techniques
Whether it is called morning sickness, nausea gravidarum, vomiting or pregnancy, emesis gravidarum, NVP, pregnancy sickness or simply nausea; it is an unpleasant condition which affects more than fifty percent of all pregnant women as well as some of those who are taking hormonal contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy. The more extreme cases of morning sickness are known as hyperemesis gravidarum and may require hospitalization to treat the dehydration which may have resulted from the severe and frequent vomiting. Often, symptoms of morning sickness are the first symptoms of pregnancy as they usually begin on the 6th week and end around the 12th week of pregnancy. Although they are called morning sickness and occur most commonly in the mornings, its symptoms can appear at any time of the day or night.
In spite of the fact that morning sickness is so common, there is still no conclusive evidence which points to a specific single or multiple cause. However, there are a number of theories such as the ones listed below:
· Lowered blood sugar (hypoglycemia) caused by the placenta drawing glucose energy from the mother.
· Elevated levels of progesterone relax the muscles of the uterus to avoid early childbirth. However, the abundance of progesterone can also relax the muscles of the stomach and the intestines and result in an overload of stomach acids and the gastroesophageal reflux disease.
· Levels of the hormone estrogen are one hundred times more prolific during pregnancy which may, in some women, result in the upset stomach, the nausea and the vomiting of morning sickness.
· The production of the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a glycoprotein hormone, begins soon after conception and its function is to ensure the continued release of the hormone progesterone.
· As the sensitivity to scents increases with pregnancy it stimulates and sets off nausea triggers.
· Increased bowel movements during pregnancy are evidence of the heightened activity of the intestines which may also explain the nausea and vomiting aspects of morning sickness.
· In an effort to create a healthful environment for the fetus, the body goes through the process of detoxifying itself as the kidneys and liver become more active during pregnancy. The nausea which then results in vomiting may be part of the same detoxification process as well as serving as a means by which to discourage certain foods or groups of food from being ingested. Statistics show that processed and unhealthy foods such as refined sugars, animal fats and alcoholic beverages result in more nauseous pregnant women than diets consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, whole grains, beans and legumes, lean meat and fish and non-alcoholic drinks.
· Some researchers allude to the fact that morning sickness and its symptoms are intended to discourage sexual activity and, therefore, to prevent sexual urine cramping which can bring about a spontaneous abortion.
· The final theory which is harshly rejected by modern science comes from Sigmund Freud who hypothesizes that morning sickness is the result of the mother’s loathing of her husband and her subconscious desire to abort the fetus through vomiting.
Treating and Relieving Morning Sickness
Treatments of morning sickness are directed at the symptoms rather than at its cause or causes:
· Avoiding an empty or an overstuffed stomach by eating five or six small meals rather than three large ones.
· Inhaling the aroma of a freshly cut lemon.
· Eating raw cabbage.
· Following the BRATT diet which is often prescribed to patients with gastrointestinal problems and consists of low fiber foods such as bananas, rice, applesauce, toast and tea.
· Ingesting ginger; fresh from the garden, in capsules, in tea, ginger ale or in ginger snaps.
· Beginning the day with dry crackers.
· Refraining from drinking during meals but drinking plenty of fresh water between them.
· Socking on ice cubes made of fresh water or fruit juices.
· Listening to the body’s cravings and aversions and giving in to them.
· Ingesting vitamin B6 (pyridoxine or pyridoxamine).
These pregnancy tips are for those women who consider every second of their pregnancy. You have to be healthy to get pleasure from this phase. Pregnancy health is likely if you take care of certain things.
7 Pregnancy Tips
• Observe your pregnancy diet – Eat a diversity of food. Stay away from overeating, but don’t miss meals. Make sure you’re getting all the requisite nutrients in ample amount.
• Follow an exercise regime – This keeps your muscles and joints flexible and clam. You need to keep yourself actually active at this occasion. This will help you at the moment of labor.
• Get your beauty nap – Catch 7-8 hours of nap every night. Do not strain yourself. Take a break during the day. In the third trimester, you must lie on your side and not on your back.
• Maintain private cleanliness – During pregnancy, you’re prone to too much sweating. As a result, take regular baths to stay clean. Warm (not hot) water is best for bathing. You’re also helpless to mouth problems like congestive gums, pain, bleeding, and puffiness. Keep good oral cleanliness. Utilize soft haired toothbrush. Increased genital secretions are also common in this stage. Maintain your vagina area hygienic and dry to reduce the risk of vaginitis. Also to this, your skin may feel changes. In some women, it may turn into more oily or dry, while in some, it may attain a pink glow!
• Dress in comfortable attire – Stack away your tight jeans and other body hugging outfit for now. Also, keep away from high heels. Invest in some comfortable maternity outfit. Nowadays, there’s a huge variety of fashionable outfit available for pregnant women. You don’t need to wear loose and baggy clothes, or your partner’s shirt. Keep your fashion quotient high, but with a different wardrobe.
• Go for regular prenatal health checks – This will help you keep a tab on what’s happening inside your body. You can know the status of fetus development. Besides, your doctor can rule out the option of any complications. In general, you must go for a checkup once a month from the starting of pregnancy. After 28 weeks, you must visit your doctor once in fifteen days. In the last weeks, it’s good to go weekly. Your doctor may even give you some more pregnancy tips.
• You must remain joyful – Pregnancy is the occasion when you get the most mood swings. On the other hand, a disheartened mother gives birth to an unhealthy baby. Your mental health plays an important role in providing a positive growth surroundings to your fetus. If you’re down hearted, speak to your spouse or friends. Go out. Go out for a walk. Study books or include in your hobbies. Do things that make you contented. (Well, this doesn’t mean you gorge on pizzas and chocolate cakes!) Regarding sex, it’s good to discuss with your doctor. Generally, it’s ok to have sex in the second trimester. You should keep away from it in the first trimester and weeks earlier than due date.
Pregnancy is one of the most magnificent phases in a woman’s life. Follow the above pregnancy tips and make it even more cheerful.
www.pregnancyinfo911.com provides your various helpful tips related to pregnancy, labor and childbirth Check out the website for more information.
