Category Archives for "Pregnancy and Fertility"

Hypnosis for pregnancy anxiety, Aspire Hypnotherapy Brisbane

Anxiety in pregnancy affects baby

Anxiety and stress reduction for a calmer pregnancy is an important focus for women.

For many women, pregnancy should be a joyful time but our busy modern lives are increasing pressure and stress on mums-to-be.

Maintaining a positive, calm state of mind and body is proven to give your baby the optimal environment for development and better chances of a successful full-term pregnancy.

New research is showing us that stress experienced by a woman during pregnancy may affect her unborn baby as early as 17 weeks after conception with potentially harmful effects on brain development and long term behavioural outcomes.

A study[1] conducted over several years in the mid 90’s showed that women who were anxious in the last trimester of pregnancy had children with more behavioural problems. Those who had boys were twice as likely to have a child who showed problems with hyperactivity and inattention problems at age four.

It seems that causing prolonged stress to the mother mother can affect the unborn foetus to that extent that its IQ is lowered. [2]

The solution?

A good diet, regular rest and a good positive attitude all help the unborn baby thrive.  Relaxation therapies such as hypnosis have excellent results in reducing stress levels, and by teaching a pregnant women how to relax during her pregnancy, she will also cope better during labour and as a new parent.

Need to reduce stress and anxiety in your pregnancy?

Contact us now to discover the benefits of using hypnosis in pregnancy, or checkout our sister site which also offers hypnotherapy for women while pregnant. Aspire Hypnotherapy offers appointments  in Moorooka, on Brisbane’s South Side.

Get more information on our Brisbane hypnosis services, make an appointment phone 07 34117796 or contact us .

 

[1] Anxiety during pregnancy can double a mother’s risk of having a hyperactive child, according to research released to on 3rd Sept 2007 for National Pregnancy Week.

Professor Vivette Glover of Imperial College, London, presented new findings from a study of more than 7,000 mums-to-be alongside an overview of how stress and anxiety during pregnancy can affect the unborn baby’s development and birth.

Professor Glover and Dr Tom O’Connor studied women living in Avon and expecting their babies between April 1991 and December 1992 (the ALSPAC Study, also known as Children of the 90s). Each woman completed questionnaires designed to measure their level of anxiety at 18 and 32 weeks of pregnancy. Women were identified as anxious if they scored in the top 15 per cent of respondents. Children were assessed for behavioural and emotional problems just before their fourth birthday.

Researchers looked particularly at women who were anxious during their pregnancy, but whose levels of anxiety fell after delivery. This was to see how the baby’s behaviour was affected by antenatal anxiety rather than their mother’s mood during their early years.

Results showed that women who were anxious in the last trimester of pregnancy had children with more behavioural problems. Those who had boys were twice as likely to have a child who showed problems with hyperactivity and inattention problems at age four.

[2] The findings, published in the journal Clinical Endocrinology, come after separate research on animals showed that high levels of stress in a mother during pregnancy could affect brain function and behaviour in her offspring, and other evidence suggesting that maternal stress in humans can affect the developing child, including lowering its IQ.

How to reduce stress for IVF success

IVF Treatment | Aspire HypnotherapyNatural stress reduction for couples undergoing IVF treatment

For many couples, undergoing IVF can be a stressful and emotional time. Maintaining a clear calm state of mind will help improve your health, outlook and your chances of a successful pregnancy.

The relationship between stress and infertility is complex, however the benefits of relaxation are now becoming more widely accepted. A 2011 study showed that women who participate in a mind-body program for stress reduction while undergoing IVF treatments had a significantly higher pregnancy rate than those who do not (52% versus 20%)[1].

Other studies have found the use of hypnosis can increase the success of implantation as the couple’s attitude to treatment was more favourable[2].

When it comes to men, stress can of course affect semen quality and quantity. A 2010 study [4]  found “stressful life events may be associated with decreased semen quality in fertile men”.

The connection between stress and decreased fertility is thought to be directly related to our biological evolution; as the mind-body knows that in situations of extreme tension and when times are tough, it is not the ideal time or circumstance to make a baby.

Stress reduction with Hypnotherapy

So how do you reduce your stress levels?

You have probably heard that meditation and relaxation can help you de-stress and unwind. What is less well known is that hypnotherapy and hypnosis also helps you achieve those same benefits. Regularly being in a relaxed state creates physiological changes that reduce stress, a major benefit while undertaking fertility treatments to ensure you keep your body open and receptive to a possible pregnancy.

When we enter a hypnotic state the parasympathetic nervous system is activated, giving rise to the relaxation response. The physiological changes that reduce stress include a lowering of blood pressure, a decrease in heart rate and reduced production of stress hormones.

Hypnotherapy and relaxation also stimulate the pineal gland, which in turn stimulates the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland predominantly regulates female reproductive hormones such as FSH, oestrogen, progesterone, and oxytocin in labour.

Undergoing hypnosis in conjunction with fertility treatments can help you feel more relaxed, which will assist you in feeling more calm and positive about your chances of a successful pregnancy.

Reduce your stress now

In reality most of use could use less stress in our lives, but when it comes to conception and IVF, if you are seeking some natural solutions to support the process, reduce your stress and enhance your fertility, we can help.

To make an appointment phone 07 3491 6533 or book online now.

 

[1] Impact of a group mind/body intervention on pregnancy rates in IVF patients. Published: Fertility and Sterility Journal. Volume 95, Issue 7 , Pages 2269-2273, June 2011

[2] Impact of hypnosis during embryo transfer on the outcome of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer: a case-control study.  Published: Fertility and Sterility Journal. Volume 85, Issue 5 , Pages 1404-1408, May 2006.

[3] Semen quality in fertile men in relation to psychosocial stress. Published in Fertility and Sterility Volume 93, Issue 4 , 1 March 2010.

 

Hypnosis for pain relief. Aspire Hypnotherapy North Lakes

Hypnotherapy increasingly recognised for safe and effective pain reduction during operations and childbirth.

Hypnosis could be the next step in surgical pain relief, reducing the need for anesthesia.

Fearing pain in operations is understandable. So, would you believe it possible to undergo surgery without a general anaesthetic, and not feel a thing? A report in the New Scientist last week revealed how a patient at the Lister Hospital in London was hypnotised by a specially trained anaesthetist minutes before having breast surgery, and experienced no pain as the surgeon made incisions.

So powerful was her hypnotic trance that 46-year-old Pippa Plaisted claims: “The plastic surgeon was cutting and sewing inside me, but I couldn’t feel any sensation at all.”

After the procedure, which was carried out seven years ago, Plaisted said she suffered “no nausea or wooziness” and had “a clear head”. Her case is unusual, but not unique. Hypnotherapy is gaining credence within the medical profession as a safe and helpful practice in a wide range of situations, from weight loss to pain relief and quitting smoking.

In Belgium, where much of the research has been done, doctors routinely use hypnotherapy combined with small amounts of analgaesics as an alternative to a general anaesthetic. About 5,000 procedures have been carried out on hypnotised patients at Liege Hospital, where researchers have found benefits included less bleeding and making operations easier to perform. When an incision is made into the body, blood vessels naturally constrict to prevent copious bleeding, a reaction that is inhibited by anaesthetic drugs.

In Britain, surgery under hypnosis is rare, but Tom Connelly, secretary of the British Society of Clinical Hypnosis, says that a growing number of women are turning to the practice to help cope with the pain of labour.

There is evidence that “hypnobirthing” works. At the University of Florida, Professor Paul Schaubel and his colleagues showed how women who learnt self-hypnosis before giving birth needed less medication, had fewer complications and were more likely to deliver healthier babies. They also suffered less stress and anxiety in the weeks before birth.

Typically, hypnotherapists use visual imagery to help someone enter a hypnotic state. Clients are often asked to close their eyes and think of somewhere they feel safe and secure, such as a beach on holiday. Gradually slowing down his voice, the hypnotist asks them to report what they see, smell and hear as they slip into a hypnotic state, usually within several minutes.

Although there are four stages of hypnotic trance (hypnoid, light, medium and deep), only a light state is required for most health procedures, although a deep trance (which takes longer to induce) may be needed to block out extreme pain.

In January, researchers at Stanford University Medical School showed how hypnosis helped children cope with painful health examinations.

In a study of 45 children facing voiding cystourethography (VCUG), which checks to see if urine is backing into the kidneys, Professor David Speigel, a psychiatrist at Stanford, saw “less crying and less distress” in children who were hypnotised.

“Technicians said the procedure was easier to perform on those with hypnosis,” Spiegel says. “And the duration of the operation was cut from 50 minutes to 35 minutes.”

Until recently, neuroscientists were puzzled about how hypnotherapy works. Now they are beginning to understand why. Last year, researchers at the University of Iowa used magnetic resonance imaging scans to find out if hypnosis alters brain activity in a way that might explain pain reduction.

Their results, reported in the journal Regional Anaesthesia and Pain Medicine, showed patients under hypnosis experienced significantly less pain when exposed to strong heat and had a distinctly different pattern of brain activity when not hypnotised. Researchers concluded that hypnosis somehow blocks signals from reaching parts of the brain that perceive pain.

 

Interested to experience hypnosis for yourself or as a means of pain relief?

Aspire Hypnotherapy is located in Mango Hill, Brisbane

To make an appointment phone 07 3491 6533 or book online now.

 

Article source http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/expathealth/4197328/Look-into-my-eyes…-You-wont-feel-a-thing.html

Hypnosis for fertility, pregnancy, birth at Aspire Hypnotherapy Brisbane

Hypnosis for fertility, pregnancy and birth

by Bree Taylor Molyneaux

Having sessions with a hypnotherapist for fertility or during pregnancy is no different to going to the gym with a personal trainer to keep your body in great shape; sometimes our mind needs exercise to keep things in balance and to maintain a healthy perspective.

Hypnosis and fertility

Most couples who don’t conceive quickly start to stress and worry “something is wrong with me” and it “shouldn’t be taking this long to get pregnant”. The reality is, most of us have more stress in our lives than we necessarily need and stress has a negative effect on fertility.

For a woman, stress triggers the release of cortisol that can delay ovulation or impair implantation of a successfully fertilised egg. An unsuccessful IVF cycle or failed attempt at conceiving naturally can then create more stress and disappointment, and the stress cycle repeats all over again, creating more stress and emotional unrest. For a man stress commonly contributes to a lower sperm count.

Hypnotherapy can assist you in reducing stress for fertility while working to restore your body and mind to optimal health – ideal for conception and a healthy pregnancy.

Hypnosis and pregnancy

There are many minor ailments commonly experienced in pregnancy such as morning sickness, excessive hormonal and blood sugar fluctuations, and excessive swelling and fluid retention. Hypnotherapy can be used to relieve these ailments, to reduce stress levels and to resolve any emotional or physical issues that arise during pregnancy.

Hypnosis for birth preparation

Hypnotherapy for birth has for many years now been utilised as a form of natural pain relief. HypnoBirthing classes (the use of hypnosis specifically for birth preparation) began in 1989 and today is still supporting and educating women wanting a natural birth on the best way to achieve this with minimal or no pain relief.

HypnoBirthing teaches couples techniques and strategies to birth calmly, in the way nature intended so that their birth can be an experience of joy instead of a traumatic, painful or worrisome event.

Using hypnosis for fertility, pregnancy or birth

Aspire Hypnotherapy offers appointments at various locations in Brisbane, including Eatons Hill, Redcliffe, Bowen Hills.

Get more information on our Brisbane hypnosis services, make an appointment phone 07 3325 2741 or book online now.

 

 

Kate Middleton may benefit from hypnosis

– The Examiner – 

DECEMBER 6, 2012

The recent announcement of the Duchess of Cambridge’s pregnancy was accompanied by the news that she is also suffering from a condition known as Hyperemesis Gravidarum, a form of extreme morning sickness that may cause dangerous results such as dehydration, weight loss, temperature spikes, irregular pulse rate and jaundice. Women suffering with unrelenting cases of this affliction may even opt for therapeutic abortions.

Interestingly, there is evidence that this problem is largely reserved for more civilized societies, leading researchers to believe that there is a strong emotional component influencing the condition. Additionally, a psychoanalytical viewpoint poses that there may be an antagonism to the pregnancy, which manifests in a gut reaction of disgust and rejection that promotes vomiting. This theory is supported by research which shows that women find relief when hospitalized, but regress quickly when returned home to their normal environment.

Hypnosis has a long history of being used for intervention in obstetric cases, whether it is utilized for improving chances of conception, enhancing and making gestation easier, or assisting in a reduction of suffering during delivery. There is much research that indicates the efficacy of hypnosis in relieving not only mild bouts of nausea related to pregnancy, but also in more serious cases, such as the one Kate is experiencing.

Conventional hospital treatments for Hyperemesis Gravidarum may include drug therapy, isolation by hospitalization, intravenous administration of fluids, and the use of placebo. Placebo therapy involves providing a patient with an inert pill, while telling them that it is a medication. Despite the deception, the patient’s mind takes hold of the belief of a cure and the body follows suit.

Hypnotic intervention for this serious complication may be provided in individual sessions or it may be included in natural childbirth group sessions. In both venues, treatment involves inducing a trance state through a variety of methods including relaxation, eye fixation, or suggestions of feelings of well being and comfort. A feeling of dissociation is often utilized to distance the client from her discomfort. This new perspective is also utilized to help her gain new perspective on her situation and to gain a sense of control over it.

In addition to changing perception, there are several different hypnotic techniques that may be applied to address the problem:

  1. Perceiving the nausea as an object and then, in trance, changing the object, therefore eliciting a different, preferred response to it
  2. “Dialing down” the level of the discomfort while “dialing up” levels of comfort and well being
  3. Releasing any negative emotional charge that may be related to the pregnancy
  4. “Future Pacing”, engaging in an experiential mental rehearsal of a healthy and comfortable pregnancy

Duration of these sessions can be as brief as thirty minutes or as long as an hour. Most clients find relief within a session or two; multiple sessions can be used to augment that relief and further empower the mother-to-be so that she can not only enjoy a happy and healthy pregnancy, but be able to use the power of her own mind to experience a more comfortable delivery.

A qualified hypnosis practitioner can help alleviate distress from obstetric conditions like Hyperemesis Gravidarum and set the tone for the natural wonder and joy that every woman having a child deserves.

Need help to reduce morning sickness?

Feeling unwell during pregnancy is frustrating, especially when the pregnancy has been eagerly awaited. You can manage morning sickness and enjoy your pregnancy with the help of a clinical hypnotherapist.

Aspire Hypnotherapy is located in Mango Hill, Brisbane.

To make an appointment phone 07 3491 6533 or book online now.

 

SOURCE http://www.examiner.com/article/kate-middleton-may-benefit-from-hypnosis