Christian Hypnobirthers

[djk42]

Since most Christians consider hypnosis sinful, I am wondering if any conservatives have tried hypnobirthing and what you thought of it. I just saw a Christian Yoga video the other day that made me wonder how they were combining two religions like that. I know a lot of you are not believers, so your take on hypnobirthing would be totally different. I'm not asking if it 'works' but how Christians feel about the method. I doubt I will ever use it, both because I have my own coping methods and because I will not be having more children, but I do want to either be a CBE, doula or LC in the future, and this may come up with a client.

Does the method take the religious aspect out of the hypnosis, or is it actual hypnosis at all? Have you used it, read about it, or actually tried it out and decided against it? Was there anything in the method that didn't feel right to you spiritually?

Again, I am looking for replies from conservatives. I have read all of the past posts on this subject for the last year, but the religion issue has not come up. I do not want to have a debate or to have non-Christians flaming me for my views- I just want to know if any conservatives have used or have experience with Hypnobirthing and what those experiences are.

(Of course, I am not trying to exclude any of you that I consider friends, go ahead and reply if you feel that you need to, I just think you might not understand my strict beliefs about this issue.)

In love, Dj

[miche]

I'm Catholic and I too have wondered about this. I know many Catholic ideas are different than those of other Christians, particularly fundamentalists. I don't know how I feel about hypnobirthing. I haven't really looked into it much. I do know many women that meditate while praying a rosary (I did that) during labor. Meditate not in the new agey sense of the word, but in the Catholic sense. One woman I know who has 9 children according to my doula friend (who was at the birth of #8) should be a poster child for relaxation and just going with labor. :) She just does a lot of prayer and offering up her pains for the holy souls in purgatory. The latter being a very Catholic thing.

I too would be very interested in hearing others opinions as well. Thanks for bringing this up.

[prettygirlsmom]

While I haven't actually used self hypnosis for childbirth (yet) I am practicing it for the birth of my next child. I also have very strong Christian beliefs, however I don't feel that anything in the scripts for hypnbirthing is contradicting my beliefs in any way. The purpose of hypnobirthing is to help obtain a very deep state of relaxation so that the body can just let go and let the uterus do it's job. I believe that God created this world and that he created man and woman and everything else on this earth. The way I see it, I am just helping my body to trust in God. That he will take care of me and my baby, and that everything is in his hands. By allowing myself to trust in him, I am able to more fully relax. And I believe that I will be able to more fully enjoy the process of birth and have more energy to express my gratitude to the Lord after the birth.

[ubertulip]

Why do some Christians find hypnosis sinful? I'm just asking out of curiosity, not judging anyone! :)

[islandmom]

My husband is a Clinical Psychologist, and teaches many people self hypnosis, and proactices hypnosis on some of his clients. He is also a Christian. I just asked him your question. We didn't know Christian's were uncomfortable with hypnosis. I am interested in the replies. :)

[KatieV]

I haven't ever used hypnosis, but I have experience with visualization techniques for dealing with pain. What I find interesting about the thought that hypnosis could interfere with Christianity comes from a study I heard about.

The study compared the cardiovascular health of people who do Yoga, people who pray the rosary and people who do neither. They found that praying a rosary (a form of meditation from my experience) has the same stress reducing and heart/respiratory rate slowing effects.

I just thought this was an interesting coincidence and link.

[LDM]

Hi - Talked to my dh last night about this. We're Catholic "Christians" like Miche said sometimes our believes run a bit different than orthodox Christians but here is what we came up with. He's a bit more "orthodox & educated about our faith" than I am so he helped a bit. Self hypnosis seems to be a bit more like meditation than anything. You can focus yourself on anything - example, the rosary, your unborn baby, a Christian image, etc. With both these things you are focused but still aware... self aware and aware of your surrounding. The danger orthodox Christians see with hypnosis is the loss of control of the mind especially when under the influence of someone else, ie, not self hypnosis, focusing on a "mantra", loosing awareness of yourself and opening yourself up to whatever may come ...it can in effect open you up to evil. I'm certainly no expert but this seems to be the difference - with hypnobirthing you are in control of your subconsious not someone else.

Some transedental meditation experts also claim that you can reach a level where you are intouch with a "universal consiousness" which in some people's mind is close to some "God"/or maybe even become some sort of God (unsure about these facts - sorry). [Not passing judgement/or opinion here just stating what I read last night.] I may be way off the base with this and would love to hear from someone who knows some more facts. If what I'm saying is true this obviously is quite non Christian.

I do yoga, used Bradley meditation during my first labor & am planning on learning hypnobirthing. I really don't believe any of it is contrary to my faith.

Lori

[hedra]

From what I know (as someone fairly on the fringes of Christianity, being somewhere between Unitarian Universalist and Quaker, and a preacher's kid), hypnosis is a method, and it is not the method but how the method is USED that is at issue for the people I know who are uncomfortable with it. And yes, there is a sense that if you are opening yourself without guidance or protection, you do not know to what you are opening yourself - but not everyone feels that you are opening ANYTHING with hypnosis. That is a SENSE that people have of the process, not actual truth, IMHO. Hypnosis leaves you in complete control of yourself, all it does is lower your conscious inhibitions and increase your certainty of a result. Deep prayer is the same method - just different text. You prepare your mind for the process, relax, focus on your self and then your God, releasing your awareness of self as you recite the prayer... then returning to awareness as you end the prayer. Same exact method. Different text, different intent, but same physiological experience.

IMHO, the HB method is as non-spiritual as they come. So much so that it bothered me rather a lot. There's not mention of guidance from your Higher Power at all, and for me that's a huge part of the process. Even if you take the whole colors=chakras=Hindu-practice thing as non-Christian, they actually exclude the colors that are associated with your connection to God. I actually rewrote the script (rainbow relaxation) to include the connection to both my higher self (soul), and to the Divine. I use my heritage for the images I use (Navajo), but I had to use SOMETHING, because the scripts were so completely blank when it came to spirit/soul/God.

There are scriptural methods out there, too - I can't remember what they are called, but my friend-and-doula (Bradley teacher) had a couple who used the method along with Bradley, and it worked very well for them. She didn't always like the scripture choices for different situations, but she felt that the overall process was one of faith and trust, of releasing your progress to God rather than trying to control it yourself (and leaving the workings to the vessel designed by God, your body). Overall, not bad things, and pretty much the same process as HB. The process of reading familiar passages of scripture that you practiced in anticipation of labor is the same METHOD as hypnosis, it is using verbal 'scripts' to release your mind into a deeper state, allowing your God-given vessel to perform the task for which it was made without your interference. HB is more direct about you controlling your endorphin release, but I don't see anything in that that would be counter to Christian teachings that I know of - My feeling is that the objection to hypnosis is really the concern about letting someone else control your actions or leaving yourself open to an UNDEFINED force.

All you'd have to do to make the method work within your religion (for most Christians) is claim the process and modify the scripts - define the higher power as God. Use scripture to guide the process - you can select your own, as they have meaning to you. I don't think ANY text from the Bible would be inappropriate to use, so selecting the parts that feel right to you seems like a good idea. If you feel uncomfortable making such decisions on your own, ask your pastor or ministor or priest if they can go over your scripts and see if they have additions, changes, recommendations, or guidance.

I'd also specify the process - hypnosis involves relaxing, going 'deep' within your own mind, using a visualization (which can be the same as a prayer, just visual), and coming back to awareness. For a Christian process, I'd define it as: relax, go deep into God (or your awareness of God), use prayerful wording to walk you through what you seek from God in this labor, ask that God release your endorphins (for example), and then come back to awareness feeling not just relaxed and refreshed (which are physical) but also feeling attuned with God, humble, and grateful.

And I'd avoid the New Way Childbirth tapes. WAY New Agey, to the point that I almost laughed at times (fairy queens and talking dolphins...). But definitely offensive or at least frustrating to those who take their Christianity seriously.

I'll check in with my SIL, who is a traditionalist Catholic (pre-vatican 2, latin mass), and who also spends a great deal of time with seminarians (she was a novitiate nun before she found that her path was not that direction). She may have more insight. I'll post back in a bit...

[hedra]

Talked to my SIL. She said that in her experience, hypnotherapy is not considered occult or otherwise against Christ or the Church in Catholocism. It is simply a tool, just as surgery is a tool. Properly handled, it is not dangerous. Improperly handled, perhaps very dangerous. But certainly, in her opinion, a natural, native method (that is, hypnosis is a natural process that we do ourselves all the time, and hypnotherapists are just applying intentionally), and as a native human state of mind, one that God would not deny to relieve pain.

However, she could imagine that some groups would definitely consider it bad/evil/occult/sinful.

I did find a few things in the Web discussing it as an occult practice, and lumping it in with accupuncture, psychotherapy, and biofeedback. And found a few sites that discussed the limitations of an absolute rejection of the principles of modern (including alternative) medicine and modern understanding of the human mind strictly on theological grounds. Where you fall on the spectrum is up to you, your faith, your beliefs, and your practice.

So, if you consider accupuncture, psychotherapy, and biofeedback occult or sinful, then I doubt there is a way around feeling that hypnotherapy/hypnobirthing is too dangerous to be used. In which case, I wouldn't recommend pursuing it - if you already feel that way, trying to use HypnoBirthing would be ineffective - you would not permit yourself to relax enough for it to be useful if you didn't trust it to be safe at the most fundamentally important (that is, spiritual) level. I'd suggest you look for a Scriptural method instead, and bypass the HB entirely.

If you feel that psychotherapy/biofeedback/accupuncture are tools that can be used properly or improperly, but feel that they need to be done expertly and with an awareness of God, then you can probably pursue hypnobirthing but make sure you apply your faith and scripture to the process, modifying the scripts as needed, and making sure you find a certified practitioner who is sensitive to your concerns.

Some links to help you explore the topic further:

Childbirth Philosophies for Christians (http://www.geocities.com/kidzarepeopletoo/gcm/gcmchildbirth.html) (article)

Childbirth scripture (http://members.aol.com/davdme/birthscript.htm#birth) (samples)

Christian Birth Website (http://www.christianbirth.org) (association website, for locating Christian Childbirth Professionals) (note the Webring, as well)

(None of these should be problematic for linking)

Hope that helps!

[djk42]

Wow, a lot to reply to! No, I'm not looking for myself, just curious about what others thought in case it comes up when attending births in the future.

-Conservative Christians are very removed from Catholics in practice as well as in belief. We worship the same God, just as Jews and Christians worship the same God, but with no belief in saints, no praying the rosary, different Bibles and stricter guidelines. The Catholics I have known (including the aunt who helped raise me) were much more relaxed about things in general, and wouldn't consider it a sin to do something 'questionable' unless you were out and out commanded not to do it. They scoff at Christians who refuse to work on Sundays or watch R rated movies, and every Catholic I have ever known smoked, which doesn't speak for the church I know (I've never seen the Pope smoke), but they didn't consider it wrong. They even serve alcohol at churches for wedding receptions! I'm not trying to pit us against them here, just letting you know that I think Catholics are very lenient about practices that many conservatives would shudder at. And I am very reserved as a person as well, more so than many in my church, to the point that I looked into becoming Catholic as a young teen because I wanted to be a nun, but I realized I was more conservative in many beliefs than the Catholic church. [Did that sound okay? I have a way of offending people when talking about religion, yet I am such a nice person, really! I am not too good at getting my points across sometimes and I don't want to hurt anyone here- sticky subject.]

-The Bible commands us to 'meditate on the scriptures' which is not the same as a meditation to clear your spirit (which is more Bhuddist).

-I'm not familiar with Mennonite rules only having been friends with one for a short time a few years back (and I know nothing at all about Quakers), but there are many Amish practices that I would group into the same catagory, including visualization, water witching and self-healing methods, that are not considered scriptural. I don't want to offend you by grouping you with the Amish if you are far removed from their ways, it is just the only frame of reference I have as we did not study you guys in school! *LOL* And, yes it was me who sent the basket after the baby was born, that is why I needed your address. :)

-Not all Christians have issues with hypnosis, but like hedra noted, many conservatives group it with accupuncture, aromatherapy, spiritual healing and martial arts, others even refuse use of herbs, chiropractic and psychotherapy. While most of these are eastern in nature, that doesn't mean that they are of eastern religious nature. If someone in Michigan invents something, that doesn't mean it is Presbyterian just because this area was mostly settled by them when the whites moved in years ago, you see? An herb is a plant that God planted, and I feel He taught men how to use plants to heal, just as He showed men how to make aspirin, so if you use one you should use the other. While some people chant with their herbs, to others they are just medicine. I agree that it is the meaning behind what you are doing in many cases, but even Bible verses used as mantras are still mantras. One of the fruits of the Spirit is self-control and many people believe that when you lose control, you are giving it to someone else (namely Satan).


Okay, did I answer everyone's questions well? One reason I was so explicit about asking for Christians to answer was that I didn't want to have this become a religious discussion, yet I guess it already is. Even within denominations, people have different interpretations of scripture.. no hard feelings here okay? :)

[islandmom]

I didn't have a hard feeling at all....found it very interesting! :)

[miche]

Arrrgh! I had too many images in my post and went back and it was gone...I'll rewrite it when I get the energy :(

[hedra]

And I'm not offended at all, either. I just have some more extensive religious coverage because of my mom being a minister and my SIL being conservative Catholic (not the mainstream American Catholic that djk42 knows).

Quakers, BTW, are very liberal on the Christian spectrum, but deeply traditional on some of the fundamentals of life/practice. No ministers or priests or pastors (in one branch - there are two branches, similar, but the original form does not have formal ministry), as all people have a direct relationship with God and it is felt that nobody can intervene in the process. Very high emphasis on silent prayer and quiet waiting on the Spirit for guidance. Deep belief in simplicity and living with the least materialism possible, and profound pacifism on the grounds that 'there is that of God in everyone'. Most do not drink or do so in careful moderation. The most traditional Quakers do not celebrate Christmas because the birth of the Lord should be celebrated in your heart every day, nor do they celebrate Mother's Day (for the same reason). They have a deep personal committment to 'walking their talk,' often in conflict with current social expectations or personal safety - Quakers have a tendency to do things like actively sneaking Jews out of Germany in WWII (the first group to do so, and the most successful). It is not an easy faith to practice, but really, few faiths are EASY to practice fully - it is just much harder to kind of slide along as a cultural Quaker without actually getting off your butt or applyint the principles to your daily life... ;) Also, Pennsylvania was founded by Quakers, and many of the founding fathers of our country were Quakers (you may have learned about them in school as "the Religious Society of Friends" - the official name - Quakers is the nickname given them by others). So, functionally very similar take on HOW to live (simply, advisedly, and with Faith as a constant presence and guide), but very different underpinnings and social/political perspective than Conservative Christians.

Anyway, I hope my thoughts weren't out of line. There is enough range out there (in where beliefs fall) that it seems wise to include my thoughts on variations on the theme of Hypnobirthing for those who feel it is either not acceptable or must be performed with caution or with a certain approach. On a strictly functional basis, if you (or a client) are NOT comfortable that it is spiritually/religiously safe, it will not work for you (or them) because you/they will not trust it. In which case, there are other methods to try that work quite well themselves.