Arlene Thompson Clinical Hypnotherapist
HYPNOTHERAPY:
ITS USE IN PREPARING FOR A C-SECTION
WHAT IS HYPNOSIS? Hypnosis is simply a method of totally relaxing your body and your conscious mind, which in turn allows your subconscious to be more open and accessible. In this state, your subconscious will accept positive suggestions, such as for a healthy pregnancy, and a safe and successful planned C-section. These post-hypnotic suggestions are like seeds planted in the subconscious, where they take root and become beliefs which will affect your pregnancy and birth experience in the most positive of ways.
In addition, hypnotherapy teaches you how to relax at will, thereby giving you life-long tools that are beneficial far beyond childbirth.
WHAT DOES A SESSION CONSIST OF?
First of all, I get to know you and what your particular concerns are. I tailor the sessions for your individual needs and desires. For a planned C-section, I generally do 2 sessions:
Relaxation and Guided Imagery – You learn self-hypnosis: concrete relaxation tools to enable you to relax at will . Post-hypnotic suggestions are along the lines of being “in control of your mind and emotions,” and “choosing to approach the planned Caesarean section with peace of mind and inner calmness.” We emphasize that you trust the doctor and medical staff to know what to do to keep you and your baby safe and healthy.
- Additional relaxation tools and “Glove Anaesthesia” – “Glove Anaesthesia” is a technique where you are taught to numb your hand and transfer that numbness to any part of your body. The suggestion is given that you may do this after surgery in order to reduce post-operative discomfort.
The guided imagery helps you imagine the events leading up to and including your hospital stay, and the safe and successful birth of your baby. We also suggest that your body heals and recovers amazingly fast, and you have a positive post-partum period.
Guided imagery, which is like directed daydreaming, works because our bodies don’t discriminate between sensory images in the mind and what we call reality. Guided imagery is even more powerful when we are in the altered state of hypnosis, during which we are “capable of more rapid and intense healing, growth, learning, and change.”*
Another principle that operates with guided imagery and its effectiveness is that “We feel better about ourselves when we have a sense of mastery over what is happening to us.”* You will indeed have a greater sense of mastery over your pregnancy and C-section through the use of guided imagery.
We make an audio tape of our session, so every time you play the tape, all of these positive suggestions and imagery are reinforced.
BE GOOD TO YOURSELF!
Hypnotherapy in preparation for a C-section is a wonderful gift to give yourself and your baby. It uses the mind-body connection to allow positive thoughts and images to affect your birth experience in the most positive of ways. Hypnosis is completely non-evasive and poses no risk at all.
So allow me to help you make your pregnancy and childbirth a relaxed and positive experience!
*Belleruth Naparstek, “Staying Well With Guided Imagery.”