Written by Bernadett Kasza, Birth Professional
Bernadett is a birth professional and the founder of Womanly Art of Birth. Her vision is to nurture the future of humanity, one birth at a time. Through her work, she helped numerous women and families to have healthy pregnancies and own their desired births and anxiety-free parenthood.

When it comes to hypnobirthing, some people have the mistaken image of a woman labouring in the meadow, blowing away dandelion floaties and skipping with fawns in between contractions.

As comforting and lovely as it sounds, that is merely a fantasy.
Many more mistaken ideas are pinned to this niche technique, such as people under hypnosis losing control and beginning to act like chickens or dogs upon the commands of the therapist, only hippies and the new age crowd using this technique, and so on.
On the other hand, just by attending hypnobirthing classes, women are not guaranteed a natural birth.
Elevating one’s chance of having a positive birth experience can be done by following the homework and practices set out by the hypnobirthing therapist throughout pregnancy and actively using the relevant techniques during labour and birth.
It is simple: the more you practice the better you get at it because “Practice makes perfect”!
How does hypnosis and hypnobirthing work?
The work happens in the subconscious mind, with the guidance of the practitioner. The practitioner guides the client into a deep state of mind. In this deep relaxation, the heart rate decreases, breathing becomes slower and deeper and the metabolic rate falls as the body releases from the control of the conscious mind.
The aim of Hypnotherapy is to re-programme patterns of behaviour by treating the subconscious mind to overcome deeply suppressed emotions, fears, phobias and negative thoughts. It aims to eliminate the sensation of pain by working on the neural pathways and hormonal channels to enable the sensation of pain to become less acute and reduce the awareness of unpleasant symptoms, like nausea or indigestion.
Hypnobirthing is a collection of techniques derived from hypnotherapy, developed especially for expecting women and birthing individuals.
Hypnobirthing techniques need to be taught well by your chosen practitioner.
Some practitioners teach hypnobirthing in a group setting. While it is financially better for the practitioner, it is not the best experience for expecting women and birthing people.
Hypnobirthing classes from the Womanly Art of Birth are only available on a one-to-one basis, for privacy and confidentiality reasons. This means that when sensitive thoughts and feelings come up during the sessions they can be freely expressed them and allow their emotions to flow.
Hypnobirthing is a technique that was developed specifically from hypnotherapy to be used during pregnancy, labour and birth.
A few areas the techniques work on:
Reprogramming negative images, thoughts, and societal misconceptions women are exposed to from childhood and as a result, the negative feelings they have developed.
Learning tools to control certain ailments such as morning sickness and other aches and pains during pregnancy.
Relaxing the overwhelmed mind with specific guided visualisations created specifically for expecting women and people, enriched with a wide array of symbols that speak to the subconscious mind.
Training the mind for the demands of labour through a wide range of techniques. Techniques that can be used during labour and birth.
Gain control over your mind and you will have control over what is happening in your life.

Benefits of hypnobirthing
For women and birthing individuals
Shorter labour and birth: Hypnobirthing is associated with reduced length of labour; this can also contribute to the lower rate of interventions.
More comfortable, natural birth: This technique induces a more relaxed, comfortable birthing process and a calmer birth environment.
Fewer medical interventions: Hypnobirthing often reduces the need for interventions such as epidurals or C-sections, supporting a more natural birth.
Increased energy post-birth: Those who practice hypnobirthing tend to have higher energy levels after birth, promoting a more efficient recovery and better postnatal mental health.
Reduces the chance of traumatic birth: Individuals report experiencing less emotional and physical trauma associated with childbirth. This can also play a role in supporting a healthy bonding with the baby.
Greater birth satisfaction: Hypnobirthing has a side effect: it can increase your level of birth satisfaction compared to those who do not use this method.
For babies
Higher apgar scores: Babies birthed with hypnobirthing techniques often have higher Apgar scores due to more efficient birthing.
Increased breastfeeding success: These babies tend to initiate breastfeeding more successfully, aiding in early bonding.
Calmer disposition: Hypnobirthing babies are generally calmer and less agitated, promoting a smoother transition to life outside the womb.
Improved sleep patterns: Hypnobirthing has been linked to better sleep quality in newborns, supporting their early development.
Reduced birth trauma: Babies born to hypnobirthing mothers experience lower rates of birth-related trauma compared to those who do not.
The science behind hypnobirthing
Brainwaves
What is a neuron? It is a cell that can be found everywhere in our bodies.

Chemical and electrical signals are being sent and received between neurons, through their connections called synapses. These messages or signals tell your body what to do, for example: to blink, to eat, to run, to sleep, etc. Nothing happens in our bodies without them!
The most common brain cells are neurons and an average adult human brain has approximately 100 billion of them.
Brainwaves are the products of neural communication within our brains.
Neurons communicate in masses, and the waves being created, in simple terms are synchronised electrical ‘rhythms’ – brainwaves.
Brainwaves are the root of our thoughts, emotions and behaviours, they are divided into bandwidths to describe their functions.
Infra-low waves (<.5 hz)
Our basic cortical rhythm creates infra-low (<.5hz) brainwaves. Very little is known about infra-low brainwaves. They are too slow therefore difficult to detect and accurately measure. Their major role seems to be in brain timing, pretty much the base rhythm of our brain function.
Delta waves (.5 to 3 hz)
What happens when you are in a deep, dreamless sleep or deep meditation? Your neurons communicate on delta waves (.5 to 3 hz). These waves are low frequency but loud and deeply penetrating, like a drum beat.
Delta waves stop external awareness and are the source of empathy.
When someone tells you they had a very good sleep and woke up well rested you can be assured that their brain was communicating on delta waves and that healing took place in the body.
Theta waves (3 to 8 hz)
Your brain is communicating on THETA WAVES (3 TO 8 HZ) while you drift off to sleep and during waking up. Theta waves are present when we are asleep, as well as during meditation and hypnosis.
Theta is THE ‘wave length of Hypnosis’. In theta, we are in a dream like state. This is the wavelength where we hold our fears, traumas, troubles and nightmares. Also, our gateway to learning, memory, and intuition. Our senses are introverted from the external world and focused on signals coming from within.
Alpha waves (8 to 12 hz)
In the “flow,” your brain is at rest, while your neurons communicate with each other with gently flowing thoughts on alpha waves (8 to 12 hz). Your brain is not quite in a meditative state.
If you hear someone referring to ‘the power of now’ or ‘being present’ you can be sure that Alpha waves were dominating that person’s brain. It is a wonderful state where learning happens, the mind and body are mentally well-coordinated and integrated, also calm and alert.
Beta waves (12 to 38 hz)
When our attention is on everyday cognitive tasks, and our focus is on the 'outside world, our neurons are communicating on beta waves (12 to 38 hz).
These waves are fast thus we are alert, and in a problem solving or decision-making mode.
On these waves, we can be in a highly excited or highly anxious state therefore having our neural communication running on beta waves is not an efficient way for the brain because it takes a great amount of energy and may induce high anxiety states.
Gamma waves (38 to 42 hz)
Let me introduce you to your fastest brain waves, the gamma waves (38 to 42 hz). Your neurons are simultaneously processing information from different brain areas when they communicate in gamma.
Gamma waves are the latest discovery in brain science. Researchers used a variety of imaging technologies and discovered when the mind is in a state of altruism or universal love, neurons are communicating on Gamma waves. Scientists don’t know how it is generated yet as Gamma frequency is exceeding the rate of neuronal firing.
It is speculated that gamma waves modulate perception and consciousness and that a greater presence of gamma relates to expanded consciousness and spiritual emergence.
The mind has to be quiet to access gamma.
As you can see, science is progressively discovering areas of our lives that are thought to be superstitious and spiritual. Hence, it is crucial to maintain an open mind and acknowledge the fact that science is progressive. What people may consider now as 'wacky' may soon be explained in scientific terms with further research or discovery.
Preparation for the arrival of your child(ren) is multifactorial. I invite you to read the roadmap to complete pregnancy and childbirth preparation in my previous article, How to Bulletproof Your Birth.
Hypnobirthing is not, and I must stress this, a substitute for appropriate support during the perinatal time but it is an essential technique to mentally and emotionally prepare you for pregnancy, labour and birth.
Hypnobirthing is a valuable coping strategy for your perinatal journey. Coping strategies are everything when it comes to the mental and physical demands of labour and birth. I like to call these coping strategies: tools. The more tools you have in your ‘toolbox’ the better you will be equipped, especially for the most challenging part: labour and birth.
I work privately with expecting families in the UK and worldwide, both online and offline, teaching the Fertility2Birth Programme. I have taught many women who went on to give birth naturally, using hypnobirthing to their and their family's advantage and used the same techniques for their second and subsequent births.
Follow Bernadett on her Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or visit her website for more info!
Bernadett Kasza, Birth Professional
Bernadett is a Doula, Hypnobirthing Therapist, Antenatal Educator, Biomechanics for Birth Practitioner and Belly Dance Teacher.
Since 2011, she has been providing information and support to her perinatal clientele, actively championing their rights and wishes in the birthing room.
After her Midwifery studies, she left the profession to create a better educational and support system for women and their families. She has an impeccable record of getting her clients the birth they wish for.
By merging her social and scientific studies, Bernadett provides unparalleled services to families.
An hour-long Hungarian documentary (New Paths in The World of Birth) delves into her life and ground-breaking work in the field of birthing.
Bibliography:
Aamir Saeed Malik and Hafeez Ullah Amin (2017). Designing EEG experiments for studying the brain: design code and example datasets. London Elsevier Ap.
Buzsáki, G. (2002). Theta Oscillations in the Hippocampus. Neuron, 33(3), pp.325–340. doi.
Herrmann, N. (1997). What Is the Function of the Various Brainwaves? [online] Scientific American. Available here.
Hollingsworth, J. (2014). Hypnobirth Yourself. Juliet Hollingsworth.
https://brainworksneurotherapy.com/. (2024). What Are Brainwaves? | Brainworks Neurotherapy London. [online] Available here.