My Journey with Cushing’s disease
At 30 years old, I was fit, healthy and naturally a size 8โ10. I knew my body well, which is why, when it started to
When you took that first step and finally decided to consult a fertility clinic, you probably got a full workup, and maybe you received a medical explanation for why youโre not getting pregnant. Alternatively, like so many women dealing with infertility, the diagnosis may have come back as โunexplained infertilityโ.
Either way, you have likely found yourself on the emotional roller coaster of โdoingโ all the things you need to do to try and get pregnant, (medical exams and interventions, following a strict medication protocol and taking supplements, exercising, eating right, going to acupuncture and massage appointments, etc.) while your emotional and mental health take a back seat.
Perhaps you want to get off that roller coaster so badly and enjoy your life again all while trying to cling to the hope that you will get and stay pregnant. Fertility hypnosis might just be the piece of the puzzle you are missing when it comes to feeling emotionally and physically balanced and changing the way you go through your fertility journey.
There are many definitions of hypnosis out there, but in a nutshell, hypnosis is an altered state of consciousness in which an individual experiences increased focus and suggestibility. A hypnotherapist can use this altered state to guide their client with positive suggestions that can change habits, behaviors, and beliefs at a subconscious level to align with the clientโs desired outcomes.
First and foremost, hypnosis is an effective modality for dramatically reducing stress levels. While getting pregnant is not as simple as just relaxing, high levels of stress can impact not only your mindset; they can also affect your body. When stress is high, as is often the case when youโre struggling to conceive, the sympathetic nervous system finds itself in an almost-constant state of fight or flight, ready to face the perceived threat.
Reducing stress levels allows the parasympathetic nervous system to kick in, and the more time spent in this rest and digest state, the more efficiently the body can resume the balanced functioning of all of its systemsโincluding the reproductive system. One recent study concludes: โThe hypnofertility method increased the levels of preparedness for fertility, reduced stress levels, and provided effective strategies to cope with stress.โ (Erdemoฤlu and Aksoy Derya, 2022).
Fertility hypnosis approaches change from a holistic stance, working within the subconscious mind for deep and lasting change, not just around your fertility, but all spheres of your life. A skilled hypnotherapist works with you to uncover and resolve any emotional blocks that might be standing between you and pregnancy.
These subconscious blocks might be fears, negative emotions, or outdated beliefs that donโt serve you in the present. In its protector role, the subconscious mind can hold onto many beliefs and messages youโre not consciously aware of, but that may be playing out in habits, behaviors, and even physical symptoms that could be affecting your overall well-being, and your fertility.
Once you are equipped with tools to effectively manage stress and any emotional blocks have been resolved, another benefit of hypnosis is creating and reinforcing positive beliefs around your ability to conceive. A new mental blueprint is created within this practice.
There is also scientific evidence correlating hypnosis with improved successful conception rates. In a study that followed a group of women undergoing IVF, some using hypnosis and others not, the results concluded that the successful conception rate in the hypnosis group was double that of the group that did not benefit from hypnosis (28% for the hypnosis group versus 14% for the control group). (Levitas et al., 2006).
Iโve heard lately about mindset not being that important and I have to disagree. While I don’t believe that not thinking positively enough is going to ruin your chances of getting pregnant, I believe having solid, and authentic, confidence in your ability to conceive is going to make all the difference to how you experience your journey to becoming a mother.
References:
Domar, A. D., Rooney, K. L., Wiegand, B., Orav, E. J., Alper, M. M., Berger, B. M., & Nikolovski, J. (2011). Impact of a group mind/body intervention on pregnancy rates in IVF patients. Fertility and Sterility, 95(7), 2269โ2273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2011.03.046
Erdemoฤlu, ร., & Aksoy Derya, Y. (2022). The effect of hypnofertility on fertility preparedness, stress, and coping with stress in women having in vitro fertilization: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 1โ12. https://doi.org/10.1080/02646838.2022.2156488
Levitas, E., Parmet, A., Lunenfeld, E., Bentov, Y., Burstein, E., Friger, M., & Potashnik, G. (2006). Impact of hypnosis during embryo transfer on the outcome of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer: A case-control study. Fertility and Sterility, 85(5), 1404โ1408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2005.10.035
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