Fertility

How Hypnotherapy could help you conceive…..

Current Australian Government Statistics suggest that 1 in 6 Australian couples are struggling to conceive after more than a year of trying.

When conception doesn’t occur easily, it is normal to feel stressed and anxious…..two emotions that can prove detrimental for fertility. This is a frustrating catch-22….., but finding ways to keep stress hormones from spiking can be a way to break this cycle. Hypnotherapy is one method, which is completely natural, that can quickly be used to get the stress hormone cycle back into balance.

So how does Hypnotherapy help?

There are many reasons why a couple may struggle to conceive, often physiological ones. But even when the physical cause of infertility is identified and treated it’s still possible that psychological factors like stress and anxiety are playing a role.

Stress and anxiety release the hormones adrenaline and cortisol from the brain into the body. Too much can make it more difficult to conceive because they affect the part of your brain that controls other hormones.

And it’s not just the female’s hormones. Studies suggest that high levels of stress can reduce testosterone levels and semen quality which can have negative implications for male fertility.

Hypnotherapy can help with fertility issues by helping both women and men feel calmer, relaxed and more in control, and giving them strategies for managing stress and anxiety.

When we are relaxed, the brain produces endorphins which helps restore hormone balance, regulate the nervous system and promote a healthy immune system.

In Strategic Hypnotherapy, we look to identify conscious and unconscious issues that may be preventing conception, tackling issues like negative self-talk, excessive worrying and helping our clients find ways in which to overcome limiting beliefs about themselves and about becoming pregnant.

What happens in a typical hypnotherapy session?

Our sessions begin with a Strategic Interview with the client. The interview is strategic by nature because it is designed to understand where the client is at, the problems that are presenting and the cognitive distortions that may be contributing to a belief system that is not serving the client and is allowing them to generate states of stress and anxiety.

We then use a combination of Neural Linguistic Programing and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to interrupt the cognitive distortion and create an “AHA” moment for the client about the thinking patterns that may have been contributing to the concern.

We then invite the client to have Hypnotherapy. This is generally everybody’s favorite part of this session. The hypnotherapy generally takes about 20 minutes. We start by making sure the client is in a comfortable position, and then begin the relaxation process with a deep breathing exercise. When the client is sufficiently relaxed, we then gently take the client on a metaphorical journey, linking the clients underlying resource to the resource that they have become disassociated from, and addressing the cognitive distortions that need to be interrupted in order to address stress and anxiety and any beliefs around why they cannot fall pregnant. At all times, the client is awake and in control, but they are in a deep state of relaxation where the conscious mind is no longer in the driver’s seat, and the sub-conscious mind has a heightened awareness and focus. In this state, the mind is much more receptive to suggestion, and this is where a real shift can occur.

How do you feel after a hypnotherapy session.

Clients come out of the hypnotic state generally feeling very relaxed, and most often like they have been on a really pleasant journey. Most people are able to recall specific moments during the hypnotherapy when they felt a particular shift occur. And almost all clients will report feeling enlightened, with a much greater understanding of their mind’s internal workings.

Following the hypnotherapy, we typically give our clients tasks to perform before the next appointment. These tasks seek to deepen the experience and lock in the shifts that have started to occur during the therapeutic session to address stress and anxiety around conception.

How many sessions will I need?

Assuming that the client performs the recommended tasks between each of the sessions, the typical number of sessions required to address all of the cognitive distortions that are occurring to create a problem space is about 6 sessions.

What are common myths associated with hypnotherapy?

Many peoples' only experience of hypnosis is what they have seen on a stage or tv. Many people are waiting for the swinging pocket watch, or to be asked to cluck like a chicken. In hypnosis, you cannot be coerced into doing, saying or behaving in any way that you don’t choose to. Importantly, it is not possible to be “stuck” in hypnosis, you are not unconscious and you cannot lose your mind or lose control. Many people are concerned that they will share their deepest and darkest secrets under coercion, and that perhaps their memories will be interfered with. This is not possible, you are in control of your mind and body at all stages, and you are in a more heightened state of awareness and focus.

Is Hypnosis just another form guided meditation?

Whilst the overall feeling of deep relaxation is very similar to a guided mediation, the work done up front with the Strategic Interview, NLP and CBT means that we are equipped with information and language that is specific and tailored to each and every client. Every word we utilize during hypnosis is deliberate and is with the intent of interrupting a cognitive distortion.

If relaxation is the key to fertility, can I just take a holiday?

While a holiday will provide temporary relief from stress and anxiety, the shift that occurs during a treatment plan of hypnotherapy achieves lasting change to how the client processes stress and anxiety, which will have follow on effects to all aspects of life, thereby achieving much more than temporary relaxation.

Can hypnotherapy help me to conceive?

Conception difficulties are often multi-faceted. Combining the benefits of Strategic Hypnotherapy to address the client’s ability to manage stress and anxiety with the appropriate medical support to address their physiological requirements, can assist people going through these difficulties towards a successful outcome.

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