MAY 1998, VOLUME 26, NUMBER 1, Abstract 4
HYPNOSIS IN OBSTETRICS
Patrick McCarthy, Medical Practitioner
Clinicians trained in hypnosis often state that hypnosis is beneficial in childbirth, but few have actual personal experience of teaching hypnotic methods to pregnant women. This paper reviews some recent literature confirming the value of hypnosis in childbirth and also outlines a simple structured hypnotic approach for clinicians to utilise which can be taught in just two and a half hours during the third trimester. Labour length, analgesic requirement, and anxiety are decreased; satisfaction with labour and spontaneous deliveries are increased; and there may be a reduction in the incidence of post-natal depression.