12/10/2009 by Tums2Mums.

I’ve been wondering what I could write that would be useful for the readers of this blog and as a lot of what I get when I mention that I am a Hypnotherapist is “oooh, that’s not for me.  I don’t want to be out of control.  I probably can’t be hypnotised anyway”.  I thought that it might be useful to write a series of posts that will take you through what Hypnosis for Fertility sessions might involve for you. All treatment plans are devised based on the individual so your sessions may not follow exactly the same path but these posts will hopefully give you an idea of what to expect and clear up any myths or concerns you may have or heard regarding hypnosis.

Actually, although this is about session one there is some stuff that goes on prior to me ever meeting you and so I will mention this first. Normally there will have been a first phone call or at least an email. Someone will have read about HypnoFertility and probably have had a look at my website www.tums2mums.com and found out a bit more about me and the way that I work. The phone call / email enables them to ask any initial questions to make sure that they are comfortable with booking their first session. Once this has then been booked I send out an ‘Intake’ form for them to complete and return to me prior to attending. I also send them a stress buster and progressive relaxation mp3 to start listening to.

Session one itself is all about information giving on both sides. I spend time explaining how hypnosis supports fertility (both natural and assisted conception), how the mind works and its impact on the body both positive and negative and what being in the state of hypnosis feels like (not what you would expect from a stage hypnotic show - just a nice relaxed feeling mainly). We will review the information provided in the intake sheet and most importantly discuss your goal of therapy.

Now you might well say “but you know my goal - I want a baby”. But goals need to be SMART (I’m drawing on my days as a trainer here). Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebound. Now whilst I do spend time with you helping you to imagine what it will be like to be pregnant, holding your baby in your arms, feeling positive about you ability to have your baby. Because we actually have no control over timescales or achievability for this it is not a goal we can measure. What we will be aiming for is creating the best possible circumstances which themselves will support fertility.

This in turn means that the feedback I get from clients is that they feel more in control of their lives than they have for years. Friends and family are saying that they look more relaxed and happy. They are feeling less obsessed and more able to enjoy life. Things that had been bothering them for a long time now don’t seem significant at all. And many other positive changes particular to them. These things in themselves help to return the body to a state of normalcy and give the best opportunity for having their desired baby.

There may or may not be time to actually carry out some hypnosis during session one but if there is it will be something gentle introducing them to how it feels and starting the process of restoring balance in their lives.

In part 2 of this series I will be taking you through the next steps as we move on to Session two.

If in the meantime you have any questions based on what you have read about Session one please post a comment and I will answer them.

Dany Griffiths

Hypnotherapist specialising in

Fertility, Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond…

www.tums2mums.com

Posted in Hypnofertility, Infertility & Stress, Hypnotherapy, Alternative medicine, Stress relief, Alternative Therapies & Fertility | Print | 1 Comment »

29/07/2009 by Tums2Mums.

During a first HypnoFertility session I take an individual’s personal, medical, fertility and pregnancy histories which also includes their thoughts, feelings and beliefs about these things.However, I am clear to explain that none of what they tell me is ‘weighted’ in any way.  There are after all plenty of drug addicts, alcoholics, smokers, obese, older women and those who have had huge suffering in their pasts who become pregnant every day (something that I’m sure is a great frustration to them).  

The thing that I am most keen to learn in amongst all of their preparations is when they are thinking about having a baby what are they imagining?  This might seem like an unusual question but it is an important one for a number of reasons and I’ll start my explanation off by looking at the subconscious mind a little more closely.

• It runs your body - all those things that happen without you thinking about it (heart rate, salivation, perspiration, and so on)
• It makes appropriate changes in your body based on what it perceives as your reality
• It doesn’t know the difference between real and imagined events. Think back to the last time you saw a thriller or a horror movie - do you remember you heart beginning to race, maybe had goose bumps, on the edge of your seat holding your breath as they climbed the stairs to their impending doom. It wasn’t happening to you - it wasn’t your reality so why was your subconscious making all those changes within your body?
• It doesn’t understand words and so responds to the world using imagery
• It is driven by emotion.

Therefore, whatever you are imagining your subconscious believes to be real and is making the necessary changes in your body for you to be able to function. This is OK as long as you don’t spend huge amounts of time involved in ‘negativing imagining’ (something that you may not even be aware that you are doing).

A response to my question above can often be “but I am a very positive thinker – in fact I’m obsessed with wanting a baby that is all I focus on”.  And I ask “yes, but what are you IMAGINING in relation to having your baby?”  

They may well be constantly thinking about wanting a baby but so often what they are imagining is the lack of one. This in turn creates very strong negative emotions which the subconscious can potentially perceive as some sort of physical danger and in turn shut down their reproductive system.  The subconscious then waits for them to relax and settle down indicating that all is now safe and well and so return body functions back to normal, but if the danger is perceived how do they ever reach the place of safety?

There may well be of course much deeper routed events and beliefs causing the subconscious to place them in what it sees as survival mode but becoming aware of and working positively with the imagination is certainly a huge step in the right direction.

The good news is you can stop those negative thoughts: When you become aware of a negative thought imagine a big red cross through it and say ’stop’ or ‘no’.Physically push it away and immediately replace it with a positive IMAGE that makes you FEEL good.

The mind cannot hold two opposing thoughts at the same time (try it for a moment think of something that makes you feel sad and another that makes you feel happy - at the same time - you cannot. You can switch quickly between the two but you cannot think about them both at the same time). So all the time you are focusing on the positive image you can no longer focus on the negative one.

It does take practise - your subconscious will be comfortable with what you are currently doing. Although the more you make the effort to cross out the negative images and replace with the positive ones that makes you FEEL good the easier it will become.

By doing this you will ensure that your subconscious isn’t needlessly getting you ready for an emergency state. Instead ensuring that all body functions are working normally. Make sure that when you are thinking about wanting a baby that you are actually imagining holding that baby in your arms.

This was posted by Dany Griffiths of Tums 2 Mums

To find out more about Dany and the work she does supporting couples through Fertility, Pregnancy, Birth & Beyond… click on the link below:

http://www.tums2mums.com/

http://tums2mums.blogspot.com

Posted in Hypnofertility, Hypnotherapy, Alternative medicine, Alternative Therapies & Fertility | Print | 4 Comments »

10/07/2009 by Tums2Mums.

Hi everyone

My name is Dany Griffiths, I am a Hypnotherapist specialising in Fertility, Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond (supporting parents in a variety of ways and also working with children).I was asked if I would be a guest blogger on this site and I welcomed the opportunity with open arms as I am incredibly keen to raise more awareness of the power of hypnosis when supporting couples with fertility issues.As I shall primarily be talking about the work I do with fertility on this blog I thought for my first entry I would give an initial explanation of what HypnoFertility is. 

Following blogs will break down the different elements of the power of hypnosis and give a general insight into particular cases and sharing some success stories too (keeping all identities private of course).If you have any questions you would like me to answer please comment at the end of my blog entries and I will use these questions to create further blog entries. 

Alternatively, you can email me and I will leave my details at the bottom of this post.A diagnosis of infertility – whether it is explained or unexplained can leave you feeling extremely disappointed and without hope. But this does not mean the end of your hopes of having a child. 

There are things you can do to increase your fertility and help you become a parent.  I have worked with many couples who have wondered if they will ever become pregnant and have a family of their own. Some of these couples have been trying for a baby for years and some have spent a lot of time and money on medical treatments and other complementary therapies without success.  A wide variety of factors affect fertility, and there are many potential causes of infertility. These range from physical and chemical factors to emotional and psychological factors.  Many treatments focus solely on what is going on with the body hypnotherapy brings the mind into the process.  The mind has a huge impact on the reproductive process in fact some actually say that even when there are physical problems causing fertility issues these too have been created by the mind.  Hypnotherapy can actually help to decrease the effects of infertil­ity, and it can also work to help increase fertility. 

Worry = Negative Self Hypnosis

Hypnotherapy = Positive Change

 The struggle with infertility leaves couples highly emotional and stressed – which is completely understandable, given everything that they have to go through.  It can affect every aspect of their life, from their relationships with each other, family and friends to their career.  Unfortunately, these heightened levels of stress and increased negative emotions can further affect their ability to become pregnant. Research has shown that stress affects the hormonal system in fact when we have acute stress in our lives for whatever reason it can actually send a message to the subconscious that we are in very real danger and sends the body into survival mode.  Our reproductive system plays no part in our individual survival and therefore it can be shut down.  Reducing stress, relieving anxiety, lifting depression and increasing their sense of control enables couples to cope better and take better care of themselves during this time.

As part of the treatment individuals will learn a variety of self-help tools, including self-hypnosis, which can be used for many things including deep relaxation. Relaxation techniques help women to cope with, and heal from, the stress of infertility while also substantially increasing the rates of conception.   One of the key differences with hypnotherapy is being able to work with the client to remove ‘blocks’ that may be affecting their ability to conceive.  The subconscious may have taken difficult events, known or unknown consciously, from the past (not necessarily related to a woman becoming pregnant or a man wanting to become a father) that has inadvertently sent a message that it is unsafe to become pregnant and this in itself can be changing the reproductive hormones within the body.   Once these blocks are removed positive suggestions can then be given to the subconscious to promote healing and the acceptance that becoming pregnant and carrying a baby to full term is absolutely the right thing for that individual.Hypnotherapy represents a safe and powerful way of increasing fertility either as a sole therapy or mixed with almost any medical procedure with impressive results.  Women also find that should they use hypnosis to support them through fertility treatment such as IVF that they were able to respond to treatment more positively than expected from both a physical and emotional perspective.

dany@tums2mums.com

www.tums2mums.com

http://tums2mums.blogspot.com

Posted in Birth Coaching, Hypnofertility, Birth Coach, Hypnotherapy | Print | 2 Comments »