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"Body Centered Hypnosis for Childbirth"by Gayle Peterson, LCSW, PhD Body-Centered hypnosis for decreasing anxiety has proven an effective tool for many applications, including fear of childbirth and post traumatic stress syndrome resulting from physical and/or emotional trauma. While dissociative hypnosis has been used successfully to reduce chronic pain in patients suffering from disease, a body-centered or associative hypnosis (associating to the body’s sensations and working with pain and the individual woman’s psychological profile) has proven to be a superior method of hypnosis for childbearing women. **Body-Centered hypnosis is more successful than traditional hypnosis due to the nature of changing sensation of labor pain versus chronic pain, and due to the individual nature of anxiety related issues in the pregnant woman. Additionally, the author has successfully applied this approach to other clinical issues, including:
Reviews of "...Gayle Peterson uses vocal intonations, symbols and visual imagery to encode messages in the body and address deep emotional concerns which affect the pregnant woman during labor and birth. Therapists will learn the power of body-centered hypnosis and the techniques for reaching the unconscious, such as tonality, phrasing and embedded commands." Deborah Davis, The Doula Magazine* “Dr. Gayle Peterson is a nationally recognized leader and author in the field of perinatal psychology and family development. Those already familiar with her ideas from her books, Birthing Normally and An Easier Childbirth will welcome this opportunity to see her in action. Body centered hypnosis, as developed by Dr. Peterson is a powerful technique for resolving past childbirth and birth trauma, facilitating normal delivery, decreasing risk of prematurity and increasing maternal-infant bonding. This video makes the principles of holistic prenatal care, which she has pioneered, accessible to mental health practitioners who are in a unique position to work with families during this pivotal family transition. The video is well-made and held my interest. This is a great medium for gaining an understanding of these techniques, which can be applied by mental health professionals who work with pregnant women.” Rahima Baldwin, Educator, Author, “Pregnant Feelings”*//* Dr. Gayle Peterson--a family therapist specializing in perinatal and family development--gives clear expression to the body's wisdom. Messages such as "Family waits for you" offer comfort while the guided visualizations remind of us more dreamlike ways of what we already know. Many women build shrines for the coming child: this tape represents another way to honor and connect to the baby within" Joan Logghe, Mothering Magazine*/ Gayle Peterson, LCSW, PhD is a family therapist specializing in prenatal and family development. She trains professionals in her prenatal counseling model and is the author of /An Easier Childbirth/, /Birthing Normally/ and her latest book,/ Making Healthy Families./ Her articles on family relationships appear in professional journals and she is an oft-quoted expert in popular magazines such as /Woman's Day/, /Mothering/ and Parenting. She is a clinical member of The Association for Marriage and FamilyTherapy and a Diplomate with the National Association of Social Work. She also serves on the advisory board for Fit Pregnancy Magazine. She is former clinical director of the Holistic Health Program at John F. Kennedy University in Orinda, California and adjunct faculty at the California Institute for Integral Studies in San Francisco. A national public speaker on women's issues and family development, Gayle Peterson practices psychotherapy in Berkeley, California and is a wife, mother of two adult children and a proud grandmother. Centered hypnosis for decreasing anxiety has proven an effective tool for many applications, including** **fear of childbirth and post traumatic stress syndrome resulting from physical and/or emotional trauma. While dissociative hypnosis has been used successfully to reduce chronic pain in patients suffering from disease, a body-centered or associative hypnosis (associating to the body’s sensations and working with pain and the individual woman’s psychological profile) has proven to be a superior method of hypnosis for childbearing women. Body-Centered hypnosis is more successful than traditional hypnosis due to the nature of changing sensation of labor pain versus chronic pain, and due to the individual nature of anxiety related issues in the pregnant woman. Additionally, the author has successfully applied this approach to other clinical issues, including:
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