Traumatic Birth
Chris called shortly after returning to work from paternity leave. He wanted help to clear the memories of a traumatic episode which had occurred shortly after his son’s birth and had been on constant playback in his mind ever since.
When we started the session, Chris was quite on edge. I reassured him that we would dissolve the emotional trauma in stages and that as we cleared each emotional layer, difficult emotions would dissipate quickly.
Chris was plagued with the memory of an event which happened very shortly after his son’s arrival. His wife had experienced heavy bleeding shortly after delivering their son and it was this experience which Chris couldn’t clear from his mind. One minute he was sharing the happiest moment with his wife and son and minutes later in a state of shock at the sight of so much blood and feeling sick to the stomach with panic.
We started the session by clearing shock as well as the trauma of feeling trapped and helpless to do anything useful. Next we cleared emotions of anger which he felt inwardly for being so visibly disturbed by the sight of so much blood and feelings of guilt for not doing something to help. Chris remembers being told quite firmly to sit down in a chair and whilst the intention was a practical one under the circumstances, he nevertheless felt intimidated and embarrassed for being rooted to the spot in fear unable to think straight, so these emotions were cleared too.
Gradually we covered every aspect of this incident, including many visual memories of Chris’s wife during the emergency. As the session progressed, these memories gradually lost their intensity and the associated upsetting thoughts and fears from the event dissipated.
Over the course of the two hour session, the emotional turmoil dissolved. Chris found it hard to believe how calm and relaxed he felt for the first time in nearly three weeks. As we completed our work, Chris was starting to focus on the happier memories of his son arriving safely and thinking about the family time he had enjoyed since becoming a father.
Birth trauma is now acknowledged in mothers but fathers can be deeply affected by birth too. Witnessing traumatic events, feeling helpless and overwhelmed, many men avoid seeking professional help to work through what are frequently very raw emotions. No father copes well with seeing his partner in a distressed and vulnerable state and brief therapy is as valuable for fathers as it is for mothers to help dissolve emotional trauma and lay uncomfortable memories to rest.
If you would like support to work through the emotional trauma of your partner's birth, the Pure Therapy Programme page will provide you with further information about therapy. You can also drop me a line using the form at the foot of this page or call and speak with me directly on 01276 21386.
Conception & Birth Services
Pure Therapy Programme Brief therapy to dissolve your fears, phobias, anxieties and any emotional trauma. This programme focuses on calming your mind, restoring your confidence and self-esteem, giving you back a sense of control in your life as well as the clarity to make important decisions.
Essential Support Programme Regular, short check-in sessions by phone to keep you calm, relaxed, optimistic and positively focused between significant milestones from conception to birth. The therapeutic toolkit enables sabotaging emotional wobbles to be dissolved in an instant.
HypnoBirthing® Classes The ultimate in birth preparation classes to teach both you and your partner how to use hypnotic relaxation skills, special breathing techniques and endorphin releasing massage to manage the physical demands of labour and feel calm, relaxed and confident during the birth.
Parent Coaching Programme No baby arrives with a manual and few parents have endless hours to devour a ‘how to’ book. Parent coaching is a supportive route to helping you create your own practical solutions to whatever parenting challenges you are facing, in time sensitive short sessions.