Strength and Flexibility of your mind
You have been practicing mindfulness to loosen your attachments to your thoughts, been re-framing any unhelpful negative beliefs, and making your own affirmations to feel more empowered and strong. The other powerful tool to use is Visualization.
Visualisation
We have already looked at the powerful effect that media images and the general cultural portrayal of birth have on us all and the “mirror neurons”. Visualization is another tool to develop and deepen your positive birth beliefs.
What is Visualization and does it work?
“Creative visualization is a method of translating positive thoughts into dynamic mental pictures of images to bring about the desired goal.”
Visualizations for an Easier Childbirth – Dr. Carl Jones
Visualization can also be described as ” a technique for creating a mental image of a future event.” When we visualize our desired outcome, we begin to “see” the possibility of achieving it. When this happens, we are motivated and prepared to pursue our goals.
It is well accepted that professional athletes use visualization to help them achieve their goals, along with the hard work of training so it makes sense that we can prepare the mind for at least the possibility of a smooth, positive, and safe birth experience.
Wayne Dwyer wrote a book called “You’ll see it when you believe it” and was a strong proponent of visualization as well as positive thinking, meditation, and many other empowering methods to achieve what might seem the impossible.
The Benefits of Visualisation:
It helps you to develop:
- A positive view of birth
- Connection with baby
- Your ability to relax and let go
- Your connection to intuition
- Trust in yourself
It may help to shorten labour and reduce pain because of the above.
How does visualization work?
“According to research using brain imagery, visualization works because neurons in our brains, those electrically excitable cells that transmit information, interpret imagery as equivalent to a real-life action. When we visualize an act, the brain generates an impulse that tells our neurons to “perform” the movement. This creates a new neural pathway — clusters of cells in our brain that work together to create memories or learned behaviors — that primes our body to act in a way consistent to what we imagined. All of this occurs without actually performing the physical activity, yet it achieves a similar result.” Frank Niles, Ph.D. 2017
In other words, it seems that the brain does not differentiate between actually doing something and imagining doing it.
Niles suggests using two methods to achieve optimal results. The first method is outcome visualization and involves envisioning yourself achieving your goal. To do this, create a detailed mental image of the desired outcome using all of your senses. For example, picture yourself holding your beautiful, healthy baby just after birth, or them suckling at your breast. Imagine the smell of your new baby, her tiny little fingers and toes, the touch of her body against your skin, the feeling in your heart as you gaze at her. You can imagine your partner or support people smiling or laughing. You might imagine speaking softly to her and having the lights low.
You might like to write this down, draw a picture, make a Birth Mandala, write words around it- to have a strong visual representation. You could take this into labour with you and put it on the wall.
The second type of visualization is process visualization. It involves envisioning each of the actions necessary to achieve the outcome you want. Focus on completing each of the steps you need to achieve your goal, but not on the overall goal itself. For example, imagine yourself feeling the early tightenings of your belly and knowing that you are beginning labour. You might imagine your waters breaking and feelings of excitement. You can imagine yourself breathing slowly and moving according to what feels good. You might be rocking your hips on a ball or in all fours and circling. As the contractions come closer together imagine yourself becoming more focused and internal, using the shower on your back. See yourself through challenging moments too – and how you somehow find the determination to keep going. Imagine the powerful waves bringing your baby closer and how you vary what you need to do to manage them, perhaps squeezing the spikey balls during contractions, humming during contractions, making louder sounds, immersing yourself in a bath. You might visualize your partner massaging you or holding you and encouraging you lovingly.
Visualization does not guarantee success. It also does not replace hard work and practice. But when combined with diligent effort (and, I would add, a strong support network), it is a powerful way to achieve positive, behavioral change and create the life you desire
Ideas for birth-related visualizations
In the recorded mp3’s of relaxations included in this course you have a variety of visualizations:
- Ocean waves – the image of a wave is powerful for both pregnancy and labour. Imagining the contractions like waves, rising, and falling is a way to ride strong labour sensations. Waves can also be used to imagine your breath like a wave flowing through your body bringing a sense of relaxation or peacefulness
- Trusting the Body – encourages you to visualize your baby and your body providing everything that your baby needs as well as everything that you need. No need to consciously control those functions just as there is no need to consciously try and control labour and birth. You can trust your body to know what to do.
- Waterfall – this visualization is a simple one to do any time, imagining water flowing over your body and washing away tension, use it during pregnancy or labour
- Special Place – this is one of my favorite visualizations and an effective one for once your baby has been born too. Imagining a place where you feel relaxed, happy, and at ease, either real or imagined evokes a positive physiological change in your body. You can use that place during the rest times between contractions, for connecting to your inner wisdom, or for some time out when you are feeding your baby or resting.
- Fear Release – this visualization helps you to let go of concerns, fears or worries so that you can begin labour with a clearer mind and a more trusting attitude. We all worry too much and it doesn’t usually help us to make good decisions! Trust that life looks after you and that there is always a solution to problems.
- Opening flower – this is a favourite one that women use in the last week or so of their pregnancies and during labour. Imagining a flower in bud that slowly opens petal by petal and that your cervix is opening, in the same way, can be very powerful and effective. Of course, you can also just imagine a circle getting bigger or the middle of a doughnut!
- Birth Rehearsal – this visualization is a very deep relaxation to help you imagine your birth in the way you would like it. If the words don’t match your preferences then make it your own. Write out exactly how you would like your birth to be, put it away, and don’t get attached to it. You may be surprised! (A suggestion – continue the visualization all the way to you birthing your placenta and recovering well. I wrote my ideal birth almost like a playful thing to do and it happened exactly as I wrote it! However, I didn’t include the placenta coming away easily and having minimal bleeding and that was the only hiccup I had! All worked out well and it was minor but it made me think!)
- Further suggestions – imagine being surrounded by kind, loving, and supportive people who completely believe in you and respect your wishes. Imagine after your baby is born that you also have wonderful help and support and your baby breastfeeds easily. The list is endless!
There are no guarantees that visualization will work but combined with good birth preparation, practice of the birth skills, and strong support, it is a powerful way to achieve positive, behavioural change and move towards creating the birth you desire.
Mental Flexibility
As you know birth doesn’t always go to plan and may take an unexpected turn. After having used B.R.A.I.N to make the best decisions you may find yourself going on an unexpected route. Here is a story told by Terri Shilling, a wonderful childbirth educator in the US
“Imagine that you have booked a holiday to Holland. You’re really excited as you haven’t been there before and you do lots of research. You plan to see the tulips in bloom and visit local towns, enjoy the food, and will stay in some lovely Air BNB’s. Finally, the time has come to board the plane, you have everything you need with you for your trip. You’re feeling pretty excited. During the flight, there is an announcement. Due to extremely bad weather in the Dutch airport, the plane is being diverted to Italy. You can’t believe it, you don’t want to go to Italy, you don’t know anything about Italy, where to stay, what to see, you can’t speak Italian. For a while, you’re feeling very upset and convinced your holiday is ruined. After a while you start to think about Italy, it could actually be OK. You could actually enjoy it! Maybe you will just make the most of going to Italy and, who knows, you might visit Holland another time!”
I’m sure you get the gist of the story! When labour doesn’t unfold as you expected and you end up with a very different birth experience than you had hoped for it is normal to be disappointed and even grieve what you had hoped for. However, it IS still possible to embrace this new journey with acceptance and focus on what really matters, staying out of stress and focusing on your baby, and seeing him or her soon. Your love and connection with your baby are what really matter, together with loving support around you