Hypnobirthing – Peter Pan Technique

Don’t worry, this is not an in depth, scientific, phsycological self help post! Visit my Husband’s site for that! I just thought I would share a Hypnobirthing exercise that I still use to this day. Ideally you need a helper for this, although I guess you could make substitutions with weights or something similar.

Stand with one arm straight out, horizontally to your side
Have your helper place their hand on top of your forearm
Their aim is to push your arm back down to your side
Your aim is not to let them – keep your arm in the same position
Analyze how easy/hard that was

Now do the exercise again but this time you have to find an empowering thought or visualization. Hold that in your mind, see it (this may take a few minutes) and then put your arm out and repeat the exercise. I imagined my perfect labor and birth, with everything going the way I wanted, the way I planned. You can try this, or find a different, positive image.

This time you should feel stronger and be able to hold your arm in position for a longer period of time. The difference should be significant, try a different visualization if not.

That’s it, that’s the technique. Simple eh?

My instructor put me through this exercise very early on in our classes and I found it interesting, although I was not totally convinced at the time. I thought maybe she (unintentionally) exerted less force the second time, or I exerted more – it’s hardly measurable you know! However I have come to realize (through the opposite effect) that it actually works!

I use it on the treadmill during my exercise routine. Whilst running, I would come to a point where I would want to give up, try to convince myself that I had done enough for the day and could work harder tomorrow to make up for it, you know how it goes! But I would try to think of ways to enable me to push on just a little longer. I would flit through many ideas, none of them seeming to do the trick, then I had an “A-Ha!” moment. I would imagine Scarlet somewhere in the distance, needing her Momma – a motivating yet somewhat depressing thought! That would surely enable me to go a little faster, run a little longer, forget the pain and run to my daughter. Surely?

Hmm. Well, no actually. Not only did I not feel stronger, I felt weaker. My breath wouldn’t settle into rhythm, my legs were tired and my concentration began to disappear. And I didn’t understand why until the next day, whilst on the treadmill, thinking about blog topics and a hypnobirthing article, I remembered that particular technique. I realized that the depressing part of my original thought counter acted the motivating part. No room for negativity here.

Scarlet saying her first words, learning how to walk, what our first house will be like, winning the lottery, the view from the bluffs, the memory of Bondi beach and being able to wear that slinky brown dress my Mother bought me – without controlled underwear. These are all ideas I now use to get me through that last mile…and not only on the treadmill.