We are now offering a joint program of Hypnosis and Yoga for pregnancy and birth. Research indicates the benefits of both modalities on expectant mothers and, directly or indirectly, on their babies.
Hypnosis has been used successfully to reduce the length of labour; to reframe/dissociate the perceptions of body sensations during labour and birth; to increase control of uterine contractions; to strengthen the associative connections between body and mind; to minimize or prevent the use of chemo-analgesia/anesthesia; to experience higher alertness and less tiredness during these stages; to recover from birth faster; to bond with the child; to cope with more difficult, but rare, situations (i.e., turning the baby; resuming a stalled labour; coping with unforeseen surgical procedures); to prevent post-partum depression; to stimulate lactation, etc.
Yoga as been used succesfully to reduce the incidence of preterm births and low birth weight. The pregnant women who practice Yoga experience fewer complications during pregnancy (i.e., pregnancy-induced hypertension, growth retardation) and have better neonatal outcomes (Field, 2008). An Australian study of the obstetricians' and midwives' perceptions of complementary therapies in pregnancy found that 81% of the obstetricians believed Yoga to be safe while 96% of the midwives considered this modality useful and safe. Also, 78% of the obstetricians found both hypnosis and meditation to be safe modalities for pregnancy, while 88% of the midwives found meditation safe for pregnancy (Gaffney & Smith, 2004).
References: Gaffney, L. and Smith Caroline A. (2004). Use of complementary therapies in pregnancy: the perceptions of obstetricians and midwives in South Australia. In Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vol. 44, pp. 24-29. Field, T. (2008). Pregnancy and labor alternative therapy research. In Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. Vol. 14, No. 5, pp. 28 - 33.
The HypnoPregnancy and Birth (HPB) was created and maintained by Liana Voia, PhD and Sonia Anjos (Psychologist). The HPB course consists of enhanced and evidence-based hypnotherapy exercises for pregnancy and childbirth (associative and dissociative); the program contains multisensory approaches, progressive relaxation, hyperempiria, dual/double induction, Gestalt-based visualization, dream inducement, mindfulness, meditation, Meridian Tapping Techniques (MTT) and NLP exercises to reframe, desensitize and cope with challenging situations while maintaining a balanced and positive attitude during labour and birth. The expectant women are advised to begin the program earlier in the pregnancy (15-20 weeks). The program includes 5 meetings. The women/couples have the option of attending a sixth session, after giving birth (for a separate fee) to address post-birth issues (i.e., lactation, weight loss, fatigue, etc.).
Dr. Voia has done research on mothering practices and presented two mothering related papers at the Conference for Research on Mothering, at York University, Toronto (2005 and 2006, 2009). Her most recent presentation was Using Hypnosis in Assisting Women With Natural Childbirth: Feminine and Feminist Perspectives at York University. Please, note that HypnoPregnancy and Birthing is not a childbirth education program; still, it does present the stages of pregnancy, labour and birth from an informed and experiential perspective. Some sessions might by held in conjunction with other hypnosis practitioners, psychologists or counsellors, for an enhanced quality of the program. Also, note that this course is not related, nor similar to the HypnoBirthing (the Mongan Method) Course.
Cathy Louise Broda is our recommended Pregnancy Yoga practioner and trainer for expectant mothers. Cathy has been teaching yoga since 1991. Her first teacher was Beryl Bender Birch who she undertook a two-year apprenticeship with in New York. While living in London, Cathy Louise taught at Astanga Yoga London and during this period, in 2000, she received Sri K Pattabhi Jois's blessing to teach Ashtanga. She also taught Vinyasa Yoga at Triyoga and did a one-year training in Pregnancy Yoga with Lynne Pinette. Cathy Louise's ongoing studies are with Nancy Gilgoff. Since 2002, Cathy Louise has been teaching at her own studio, Purple Yoga Hawaii (http://www.purpleyoga.com), in Honolulu. She had her first child in 2003 and twins in 2006. While pregnant with her first baby, she started a Pregnancy Yoga program and later added Mom & Baby Yoga. She has trained three apprentices to teach Pregnancy and Mom & Baby yoga. In 2009, she produced a DVD, "Pregnancy Yoga: A Practice for Each Trimester" (http://www.purpleyoga.com/dvd.html). At the time of filming the DVD she was pregnant with her twins.
We are now offering a joint program of Hypnosis and Yoga for pregnancy and birth. Research indicates the benefits of both modalities on expectant mothers and, directly or indirectly, on their babies.
