What Is Hypnobirthing?

Hypnosis is recognized by the American Medical Association and defined by the US Department of Labor as “the bypass of the critical faculty of the conscious mind, followed by the enhanced ability to accept suggestion.”

Clinical hypnosis for medical purposes is used to slow pulse and respiration rates, lower blood pressure, and lessen or eliminate pain entirely. Doctors and dentists use this type of hypnotic conditioning with their patients to create “hypno-anesthesia” for their patients who are allergic to medical anesthesia. These doctors and dentists perform surgeries with no medical anesthesia, with no pain and no side effects.

Hypnobabies childbirth hypnosis teaches the same hypnosis techniques to expectant mothers, allowing them to experience their contractions as “pressure sensations” or as ‘”tight squeezing sensations,” greatly minimizing or eliminating labor discomfort.

Hypnobabies’s hypnosis training is easy to learn, practice, and use in childbirth, and expectant mothers throughout the world are now using our program to safely prepare for a comfortable, natural birth.

Why hypnosis?
In hypnosis, you access your subconscious, the suggestible more powerful part of your mind where real, lasting change takes place. You may have heard it said that we only use 10% of our brain; hypnosis is a way to get access to that other 90% . Especially in habit and pain control, this eliminates any internal battle that may occur.

What does hypnosis feel like?
Since hypnosis is a means of moving into a perfectly natural state of mind that all people actually experience several times in a day, it feels very “normal.” Have you ever had the experience of driving along the highway and suddenly realizing that you passed your exit several miles back? You were in hypnosis! Or been so caught up in a book or movie or video game that you don’t even realize that someone has been speaking to you for the past several minutes? That's hypnosis. So when a hypnotist or a hypnosis audio track guides you into hypnosis, they are not asking you to experience anything strange or that you haven’t experienced before.

Daydreaming, falling asleep and waking up, “zoning out” – these are all states of hypnosis and everyone experiences these differently. In guided hypnosis sessions, we all experience hypnosis differently as well. Some people feel very light and “floaty,” some people feel very heavy, and some people are even hyper-aware of everything around them when they listen! Some people don’t “feel” or “experience” anything at all that is out of the ordinary for them while they are in hypnosis. You simply cannot gauge your state of hypnosis by a feeling, or an experience.

Can anyone be hypnotized?
Anyone of at least average intelligence, who can follow directions can be hypnotized. Occasionally, a person may need several attempts before actually entering into hypnosis. What causes this? Generally, it’s holding onto a little bit of fear – fear of loss of control. This is actually a misunderstanding as the proper use of hypnosis actually gives you greater control over all aspects of your life.

Will I do something against my will?
When you are hypnotized, you are aware of all suggestions given to you and you will not do anything against your moral or ethical principles (despite what you may have seen in stage hypnosis shows).

Will I remember everything that happens in hypnosis?
Yes, you will remember everything that happens in hypnosis if that is your desire. Occasionally, a person might choose to selectively forget certain facts for a time and then bring them up later when they are more ready.

Could I get stuck in hypnosis?
There is no danger of a person failing to come out of the hypnotic state. In fact it would be impossible to remain hypnotized. Some people choose to stay in trance a little longer because it feels so good, and it’s the most relaxed they’ve been in their lives.

But I don’t think I can be hypnotized!
Again, anyone can be hypnotized (see above). There is no such thing as a “good” subject or a “bad” subject, only those who choose not to follow directions.

According to Roberta De Silva, Cht: "Any person of normal intelligence can be hypnotized. All that is necessary is imagination and a willingness to cooperate. The best subject is a person who has a good reason for hypnosis and a strong motivation to accomplish a particular need or desire. The ability to be hypnotized is dependent upon the ability to relax and simply listen."

For example, if you were going to learn to play the piano, your teacher would point to a particular key and say, “This is middle C.” To you, that is a suggestion. You either accept or reject the fact that the note in question is middle C. If you accept, you will undoubtedly go on and learn to play the piano. If you reject the suggestion, you may eventually learn to play, but it will be a long, hard and confusing process. If you approach hypnosis with confidence, rather than fear, you will achieve your desired goals.

Dave Elman, who instructs dentists in the field of hypnosis for anesthesia, said: “Remove fear [skepticism], and one hundred people out of one hundred will enter hypnosis easily.”