3 Step Rewind – Birth Trauma Recovery

RESOLVE & GENTLY LIFT NEGATIVE EMOTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFICULT MEMORIES around;

Birth Trauma

Fertility journeys

Miscarriage/pregnancy loss

Pregnancy complications

Breastfeeding difficulties

Resolving previous birth trauma in preparation for another birth is essential

Starting a family

    For most making the decision to start a family or finding out that you pregnant will be one of the most memorable and joyous times in your lives, however unfortunately for some families this may not be the feelings that they experience.

    This may well be due to a previous experience that has caused a range of unwanted emotions and symptoms, you may feel anxious, scared, tearful , you may experience flashbacks and find relationships with people difficult.

    You may have noticed that there is a lot more awareness in the media regarding birth trauma, however you may feel that despite your experience being difficult that you would not label it as ‘traumatic’

    There is only about 5% of families that meet the criteria for PTSD due to their birth experience but there are many more who experience symptoms of a memory/trauma which are distressing and significantly affecting their lives and their transition into parenthood.

    The most important thing to ask yourself is ‘Does this memory still affect me/us now?’ 

    • Do I experience a strong emotional response whenever I recall that memory now?
    • Do my feelings around that memory negatively influence behaviours & decisions I am making in the now?
    • What would be different if I no longer experienced those difficult emotions associated with that memory?

    Considering your answers to these questions may well give you a good insight into whether resolving difficult feelings around a past memory might be useful for you. People report a significant diminishing or complete eradication of symptoms.

    Guided assistance processing difficult experiences for men and women and couples.

      The fight or flight response is one of our most primitive survival systems and is designed to allow us to act in the face of life-threatening danger. The highly aroused emotions of fear and helplessness present during the trauma become inextricably, biologically linked to the memory of the event.

      From a neurological point of view these symptoms can be compared to a faulty burglar alarm that is triggered and goes off for no reason. A person suffering from a traumatic experience triggers their fight or flight response unnecessarily when there is no present danger, constantly reliving what happened and igniting the feelings all over again each time.

      The rational, thinking part of our brain (prefrontal cortex). Tries to reassures that nothing is wrong, but the alarm is constant in the part of the brain called the amygdala. This is why sometimes advice to ‘move on’ or ‘get over’ what happened is pointless because the connection has been made and so it is extremely difficult to rationalise or to wilfully stop the thoughts or feelings.

      Joanna will support you throughout this guided technique with her expertise as a clinical hypnotherapist.

      There are three face to face sessions together, this can be via zoom or face to face depending on Covid restrictions.
      3 face to face sessions.

      If talking about the traumatic birth experience makes you feel uncomfortable there is no need for you to share your experience. You will need to remember it yourself, but you can do this without re-telling. This is completely up to you and I will support you in whatever you to choose to do.

      This technique is effective at any time after the event.

      The Three step rewind: What to expect;

      Session One

      Our first session will be for us get to know each other, and talk a little about your experience, how you feel, how it effects your life currently and how you would like to be and feel in the future. It is very important to emphasise that you don’t have to tell me details of what happened, retelling a story can sometimes mean re-accessing it and unnecessarily reliving the experience on some level, however, if it is useful for you to share this with me then I will support you in doing this.
      I will guide you through a relaxation session, to allow you to feel a sense of ease, safety and relaxation that will support you in your next session. I will record this for you to enjoy at home.

      Session Two

      The second session is the rewind. This is carried out around 1 week after your first session. We review the previous session. Then I will guide you into a relaxation.

      I then lead you through the guided technique  to “rewind” your memory of the event. This has the effect of disentangling your memory with the negative emotions attached to it whilst feeling safe and secure. In this state, you then have a window of opportunity to reprogram the way you think and feel about your memory. You then imagine coping in the future and responding differently.

      Session Three

      In the third session we review the changes that have taken please and assess whether the technique was successful. I will then guide you into another relaxation reinforcing the positive work the technique and you have accomplished for a positive future.

      Your sessions with me aim to enable you to still recall what is likely to be an important time, whilst still being able to experience these memories without the associated negative emotional response you have encountered up until now.

      What is the 3 Step Rewind Method?

        The simple but effective steps move someone through their past traumatic experience,

        The Rewind Method includes:

        • Effective debriefing and listening skills
        • Working safely to avoid re-traumatising
        • Using solution focused questions to promote healing
        • Relaxation and guided visualisation
        • The rewind technique

        Cost £200
        Those clients booking onto my Wise Hippo Sussex Hypnobirthing programme will receive a 10% discount on the price of the course.