Using hypnosis for childbirth results in less C-sections and less use of anaesthesia

Hypno-Birthing : Arrival of the Fittest

Hypnosis is often described as a state of focused relaxation and there is nothing quite like the fear of pain to focus one’s attention. Whether you are expecting your first child or are a parent already you may be considering your options for pain relief during labour.  For many people the word “hypnosis” conjures up all sorts of images of stage shows, clucking chickens or “wacky hippy”.  But if you could just put aside these biases for just a few moments you may learn about a very real new option for pain relief for some or all of your labour that you may never have considered before.

You don’t have to be a “yoga mats and candles” sort of person to benefit from the use of hypnosis during labour.  In fact hypnosis is a much more common state than you might think. During hypnosis our brain waves change to those seen just before we fall asleep every night and is somewhat similar to daydreaming.  There is nothing magical or mystical about it.  Contrary to all the extreme stories you may have heard you are always in complete control and can open your eyes, talk and move – although you are likely to feel that you just “couldn’t be bothered”.  You can hear sounds around you and people talking to you although the less you are disturbed the better the experience will be for you.

While everyone can relax into a state of hypnosis most mothers will benefit from practice in order to feel familiar with it, to get rid of any preconceptions and to prepare some relaxing visualisations to use during labour.

You may be wondering if it is realistic to hope to relax during labour.  Many women approach labour in a very passive way, looking upon it as a necessary discomfort they must go through in order to deliver their baby.  But you can choose to be much more in control, taking the onset of pain to be your cue to put on your headphones and music, close your eyes (bring an eye mask to protect your eyes from the harsh hospital lights) and start your visualisations.  Think of it like going to bed and sleeping when you are ill – sleeping and dreaming takes you away from the “here and now” of pain, and the anxiety that increases it.

Try to avoid thinking in extremes.  You don’t have to choose now whether or not you will use hypnosis for all or just part of your labour.  Think of it instead as a very useful additional skill that you can have as an option alongside walking, using an exercise ball, medication etc.

“But what if I’m not “susceptible” to hypnosis?”  Again you need to rid your mind of the old images of stage hypnotists telling audience volunteers to impersonate Elvis etc.  There’s a lot of cajoling, trickery and taking advantage of how people behave in groups that goes on in stage hypnosis that is just not relevant to modern hypnosis.  Instead think of it this way.  Are you “susceptible” to your own self talk?  Do you feel bad when you tell yourself you should be slimmer / more senior / less stressed / doing more etc?  Does what’s going on in your head affect your eating / exercise / work / sleep?  If the answer is “yes” then you can also learn to reduce pain by choosing what you think about.

Don’t worry about whether you are a “hypnosis” sort of person.  You do not need to have had any experience of it prior to your pregnancy.  Although hypnosis is part of my work I have also learned by experience.  For my first child I practised listening to CD’s by male hypnotherapists who I knew and admired.  But these recordings were not personalised to me and I often listened to them while out walking. This meant that I was not experiencing complete relaxation during practice and on the day of delivery I have to admit that listening to a man tell me that giving birth was like a rose blossoming irritated me beyond words and was very quickly turned off!  It is for this reason that it is a good idea to spend a little bit of time preparing visualisations and recordings with suggestions for a relaxed delivery that suit you personally (with or without the help of a professional hypnotherapist) – it will pay dividends during labour.

For my second child I used some beautifully relaxing music that I use in my clinic regularly and absolutely love.  As soon as I arrived in hospital I put on my headphones and began to use relaxing visualisations to take me away from the surroundings of the hospital.  The staff were very interested and hugely supportive, being well aware of how anxiety increases pain and also the duration of labour.  It’s important to let your birthing partner know what you like and what is helpful.  For example, I did not want anyone to touch me or hold my hand as this would make it harder for me to dissociate from my surroundings.  As time is distorted in hypnosis and tends to seem shorter to the individual it’s also helpful for most people if staff and partners do not mention the time, such as the time of day or how long to delivery as this will activate the more logical part of your brain that should be deactivated during visualisations.  After about four hours, during which I was later told I did not even move in the bed, I felt my pain increasing.  However, the wonderfully supportive Sister realised that the noise in the ward had increased considerably and immediately moved me to a quieter room where she said I could “go back in to trance”.  Her choice of words let me know she understood what I needed and I went on to deliver my baby easily and calmly without any medication whatsoever.  Thank you Sister.

Studies have shown the use of hypnosis during childbirth to result in significantly less use of anaesthesia, in shorter stages of labour, reduced tearing and in significantly more spontaneous vaginal deliveries (rather than C-sections).  Now that’s something worth considering.

Susannah Healy is a Psychologist, Trainer and hypnotherapist.  She is an Int. Editor of the European Journal of Clinical Hypnosis and Director of AccessPsychology, a psychological services clinic in Dundrum Town Centre, D.16.  TEL: 01-235 1000

Is Bitching Bonding?

Written by Susannah Healy

Gossip and bitching can can cause enormous psychological damage

Is there an exact point in a conversation when you know that your “sharing of opinions”, “letting off steam” or “venting” – call it what you like – has suddenly changed to “bitching”?  Is there a clear distinction in your mind between just sharing your negative opinions about someone and bitching or are they one and the same thing?  Is it ever OK to “bitch”?

Apparently, we can blame evolution for our indulging.  If we go far back in the history of mankind, life was a lot more dangerous and survival depended on being able to discriminate between friend and foe quickly.  Gossip (albeit perhaps in loin cloths around a camp fire lit by flint) became a useful way to learn about potential foes without getting hurt.  Research has shown that we pay more visual attention to images which have been associated with negative comments. This strengthens the idea that gossip is a way to learn about potential threats.  Other studies have shown that female “bitching” is highest at the most fertile phase of the menstrual cycle suggesting that women use it unconsciously as a way of derogating a sexual competitor.  But why are we still doing it long after we have stopped picking fleas and tics off each other?   

As mankind has evolved, the information shared has became more about society than survival but the essence and purpose has remained the same; how to get along and how to get ahead.  Modern day gossip is used as a way of increasing intimacy between two or more people; a way of saying “I’m opening up to you and I trust you with this information”. Gossip serves as an indirect invitation to deepen the feeling of connection between people.  It creates an instant inner circle of people “in the know”.  Even in this we are still being played by our biology.  Being included in an “in” group is important in evolutionary terms as there was safety in numbers which increased the likelihood of survival and most of us have experienced that perhaps uncomfortable pleasure which comes when someone confides in us with a bit of juicy gossip.  But is “bitching” an act of aggression?

Gossip and bitching help us to bond socially

It’s normal to want to tell someone about something that has upset or annoyed you but certain factors will change the conversation from banter to bitching.  Without question the most important thing is to find someone you can trust not to repeat what you say and let off steam only to that / those people you trust.  This may not be your closest friend.  The content of what you say is also important.  Reporting a time when you were treated unfairly and your feelings of hurt or even rage to a trustworthy confidente is actually healthy and will decrease your stress levels.  However making sweeping statements about an individual’s personality is harmful and highly unlikely to be a fair assessment.  Bitching is always biased.  It’s reporting on our take on an event or individual but is usually phrased as if it’s fact. 

Become aware of those whose entertaining stories and anecdotes are always at someone’s expense.  Likewise the individual who gossips about his or her friends who are not present- you can be fairly sure you will be the subject of their gossip when you’re not around. 

Gossips don’t talk to themselves.  They will only continue if they get the right signals from their audience.  Even if our nature drives us to want to be included in the conversation we should have evolved enough to have developed some self-control over our desires and a sense of conscience.  It’s up to each of us to decide where we draw the line between banter and bitching.  But everyone needs to know that what is delicious can be highly destructive.         

Susannah Healy is a Psychologist, Trainer and hypnotherapist.  She is an Int. Editor of the European Journal of Clinical Hypnosis and Director of AccessPsychology, a psychological services clinic in Dundrum Town Centre, D.16. Ireland TEL: 00-353-1-235 1000

Choose the right time to take a cat nap and boost your brain power

Taking a short snooze, known as taking a cat-nap, during the day gives our brains an energy boost and increases mental alertness and performance.  But make sure you keep your snooze under 20 minutes as any longer and you risk falling in to a deep slow-wave sleep which will leave you feeling groggy – and possibly fired –  on waking!

Do Positive Affirmations Work?  Choosing Your Sound Track.

Motivational and Inspirational quotes can inspire and remind us of what we want for our lives

For many of us the phrase “positive affirmations” conjures up frightening images of standing in our underwear in front of the mirror telling ourselves we are beautiful / invincible / the best of the best, so it is perhaps unsurprising that considering using them makes most of us cringe a little.  But every time we hear stories of celebrities who credit their mental coaches and daily positive affirmations ritual for their success we secretly ask ourselves “Could they work for me?” Is it possible that such simple techniques as saying nice things to yourself could help you achieve your life’s ambitions and make you feel on top of the world?

Most people can remember a time when their negative mental chit-chat made them feel tired, lethargic, sad or inadequate so it should be no surprise to discover that changing the script of that inner self-talk can completely change how we feel and act in our daily lives.  Changing how we talk to ourselves forms the basis of nearly all self – improvement programmes and techniques no matter what they are called or how they are packaged.

Most people never become consciously aware of their own self-talk; that inner voice that chats away to us day after day throughout our entire lives.  The problem is that it is only by becoming aware of what we say to ourselves that we can label it as accurate /inaccurate / out of date / based on one bad experience in childhood / said unfairly by an angry parent etc.  Once we begin to consciously filter out what self-talk statements are and aren’t beneficial to us we can proceed to choose what we would like to tell ourselves.  You can then shorten these more positive self statements to make pithy one line or even one word affirmations such as “power”, or “Every day I am becoming a better version of myself”.

If the gap between what you want to say to yourself and what you feel in your heart of hearts to be true then you may need to do some pencil and paper work to challenge those niggling doubts.  If you feel you are no good at exams check this thought is up-to-date; are you holding on to a label about yourself that dates back to childhood when you were intimidated by teachers or examiners? Are you mind reading? Putting words in the mouths of others and presuming you know what they are thinking is one of the commonest causes of anxiety.  If you are telling yourself you could never be a runner did you run too fast the last time you tried? Perhaps you just need to start out more slowly next time.  One note of caution: positive affirmations should not be used by those suffering from depression as the gap between the affirmation and how they actually feel can seem too much often leave the individual feeling worse.

What you say to yourself has an effect on your breathing, heart rate, posture and blood chemistry and many other parts of your  body and mind so it is well worth choosing your words carefully.  Standing in front of a mirror will increase the speed at which you internalise your new self -talk.  The dress code is up to you.

Quotes from intellectual and spiritual leaders used as positive affirmations help us to clarify our goals in life

Susannah Healy is a Psychologist, Trainer and hypnotherapist.  She is an Int. Editor of the European Journal of Clinical Hypnosis and Director of Access Psychology Ireland, a psychological services clinic in Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin 16., Ireland  TEL: 00-353-1-235 1000

This article was published in the November 2011 issue of Easy Health&Living magazine

Work-Life Balance Doesn’t Need To Be Balanced!

written by Susannah Healy, Psychologist, Director of Access Psychology Ireland

Work / personal life don't need to be equal to be balanced

The underlying assumption in most work-life balance articles is that work is bad, life is everything else.  For years psychologists, coaches and gurus have used the pie chart diagram to explain how our lives can be divided into work, family, interests, spirituality etc.  It was helpful to a point but somewhere along the line we seemed to forget that it is only a simple diagram and life is a whole lot more complex. Life cannot be categorised into a few simple “slices” of the pie.   Throw the pie in the bin – it’s past its sell by date!  For as soon as we see work as part of life then we begin to value it and stop feeling as if life is on hold while we’re at the office.

Work is good for us and we’ve always done it. Early caveman went out in search of food which he then brought home and slapped upon a stone to be carved and eaten.  Although the stone is perhaps now polished marble not that much has changed; at its most basic we work to provide food and shelter for ourselves and our loved ones.  But whether it’s looking after children or working in an office, restaurant, farm or hospital, most of us will be also be benefiting from work in other, much more subtle ways.

The traditional pie-chart image of work - life balance is out-dated

If a diagram helps then maybe we should draw our lives like a family tree with ourselves and all of who we are and who we want to be at the top.  Each of us needs to feel needed, to have achieved something and to get enjoyment from life.  What we do in or daily lives features in the next line down in the diagram and should feed in to all of who we are.  This line might include work, friends, exercise, spirituality, family, hobbies etc.  If we look at our working lives in this way we can see how work provides us not only with food and shelter but hopefully also a sense of achievement, mastery, social connection, purpose, direction and belonging.  How much more important does this make work in our lives?  If it gives us all of these things then maybe it is just as important as all the other aspects of our lives; we do not just get money from work, achievement from exercise and companionship from family.  We get these life – enhancing ingredients from so many parts of our day.  In fact, the NewYork subway map would probably be a better diagram to explain the multiple interconnections of all the aspects of our lives but lets stick with the family tree for simplicity!

In today’s world we need to take a much more fluid and flexible approach to “balancing” our lives.  Balance doesn’t have to mean equal and the sooner we unburden ourselves from that expectation of dividing our work and home lives equally the sooner we begin to be happy.  Of course terms and conditions apply.

There are a few warning signs that work is sapping rather than contributing to your life.  If your sleep or eating patterns are disturbed, family are complaining or arguing with you about the time you spend at work or you actually just don’t want to go home then you need to take a close look at the mix.  Be aware of the addictive nature of stress which skews our judgement and often causes us to look upon everything as priority.  Ask yourself is it an organisational problem or a personal, perhaps time management problem.  Is it temporary or on-going?  Talk to everyone involved, family, employers, employees etc. and try to plan rather than fire-fight the problem.  Is everyone working late to cover people that have been let go and not replaced?  It would be lovely to say just go home but probably more realistic to say that you will look forward each week to at least one evening when you will go home on time.  Maybe each employee could plan a different night to go home guilt free.  If exercise has gone out the window, could you walk during lunch hour or get off the bus a few stops early on the way home.  The gym may be plush but not a realistic option for the time being.  Leave the Greco-roman muraled swimming pool until another time.  We’re living in difficult times, but they will pass.  So for the moment, laugh out loud with your friends, even if it is via Skype. There’s more life to work than you think.

Susannah Healy is a Psychologist, Trainer and hypnotherapist.  She is an Int. Editor of the European Journal of Clinical Hypnosis and Director of Access Psychology Ireland, a psychological services clinic in Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin 16, Ireland TEL: 00-353-1-235 1000

This article was published in Irish Tatler Men magazine, Vol 1, No.3

Man of Few Words: Oration Stagnation

Written by Susannah Healy, Psychologist, Director of Access Psychology Ireland

Whether you are about to present your new bride, new baby or new budget you might be feeling a little more than a few flutters in the stomach.  You’re not alone.  An estimated 75% of the population experience some degree of anxiety before and during any sort of presentation.  These symptoms vary from a few butterflies (albeit doing a good impression of circling vultures) to sleepless nights, panic attacks or complete avoidance.  But what is it that makes a competent, confident individual dissolve into a sleep deprived rabbit in the headlights?

Fear of public speaking is not confined to business but with help every best man can learn to enjoy their moment in the spotlight

We Need to Belong

We are social animals.  It is vital to our existence that we belong to “the pack” in order to survive and thrive.  This need to belong makes us work hard to be accepted by others and makes us highly aware of being judged by them.  Perhaps you are already aware that you automatically put on some sort of “social mask” or persona as soon as you encounter people in the morning.  You up your game a little, smile and are hopefully pleasant.  You present a better version of your real self to the world in order to get along with others.  It is this very ancient and instinctive need to belong and be accepted that causes so many problems when it comes to speaking in public because we fear being judged negatively and excluded from the “herd”.

People often describe panic as an external force that “comes over” them. But if there is only one thing you will remember from reading this piece, remember this: anxiety starts in your head.  It may feel like those horrible symptoms of insomnia, sweating, shaking voice, trembling hands and sick stomach come out of nowhere but they don’t.  They start with your thoughts.  These thoughts have often become so habitual that they are unconscious and instantaneous and all you are ever aware of is the unwelcome feelings which they cause.  But in order to overcome your fear of public speaking, and rid yourself of these unwelcome feelings, you need to begin by teasing apart the thoughts which you may be unaware of, from the feelings which you are probably all too aware of.  These thoughts tell your body that you are in danger and it responds by setting off the phenomenally clever and intricate Fight or Flight response (see box).  Although the effects of this response may seem unwelcome it’s important to remember that the Fight or Flight response which causes the symptoms of anxiety is helping your body to work as efficiently as possible because your thoughts are telling it that you are in danger and you need to escape.   To stop the symptoms of panic you need to take a look at your thoughts in order to prevent this stress response from “reving” up.

Negative self-talk is a major cause of public speaking phobia

So what do you say to yourself in the run up to a public speaking event?  Some of the most common self-talk statements include;

“If people see that I am nervous they will think I am not good at my job”

“I bet I’ll go blank and lose my train of thought”?

“I should be a good speaker – I’m a grown man”

“The best man is supposed to be funny but what if I don’t get a laugh”?

“That guy over there is bored. He’s writing something instead of listening. I must be boring him”

All of these examples contain elements of extreme thinking that are known to cause anxiety.  So try challenging them with more balanced but realistic alternatives.  Have you ever noticed someone who was nervous when presenting or making a speech?  How did you feel towards them?  Sympathy possibly, perhaps even empathy but did you think less of them?  Do you believe (be honest here) that it is possible for someone to be good at their job and not like speaking in public?  Of course it is.  And that guy who is writing – could he be taking notes – or has he just remembered he’s supposed to call someone before lunch and he needs to jot it down.  Distracted perhaps but hardly unforgiveable – or your fault.

Managing anxiety is about managing your thoughts. If your thoughts are not working for you change them and the physical symptoms will follow suit.  Whether it’s you or your stomach that’s tieing the knot, remember to be kind to yourself and stop thinking in extremes.  Consider the possibility that at least some of your audience are rooting for you!

Note:

Susannah Healy is a Psychologist, Trainer and Director of Access Psychology Ireland, a psychological services clinic which specialises in anxiety and pain disorders and also offers virtual reality therapy for phobias.  Susannah is Int. Editor of the European Journal of Clinical Hypnosis.  Access Psychology Ireland:DundrumTownCentre, D.16., Ireland Tel: 00-353-1-235 1000  www.accesspsychology.ie

AccessPsychology comments in “If in Doubt Get Raunchy” I.Independent Weekend magazine 6th August 2011

Jennifer Anniston is enjoying breaking out of the "good girl" role