Whether you are trying to conceive naturally, are preparing to or have been using fertility treatments, or have experienced miscarriages with no clear medical explanation hypnosis can help you to prepare body and mind for pregnancy.

It is well documented that maintaining a relaxed state of mind helps the health of the body’s systems; and this is very much true for the reproductive system which is very sensitive to stress.

When dealing with issues around fertility we tend to get very caught up in the science of it all, perhaps losing sight of nature’s very real wisdom and how we can work with her to bring the body and mind into an optimal state for conception and pregnancy. This is something other mammals do without a single conscious thought

Beliefs shape emotions which create physiological responses. In other words if you believe for some reason that you cannot have a child, then the fear and anxiety creeps in and causes stress, which then stimulates adrenaline production which produces a fight or flight response and suppresses the ability to reproduce. The body’s natural balance is disrupted by the biochemical changes in the body and the reproductive system is negatively affected, all because of the original unhelpful beliefs and emotions.

Animals in nature will not ovulate or complete a pregnancy if the environment is not a safe one for them to bring new life into. Human beings share this characteristic with our fellow mammals yet our stress is not just the immediate dangers but also perceived dangers which act on our minds as if the situation were occurring right now.

Hypnosis helps to deal with worries and concerns about parenthood, no matter if they are conscious or totally unconscious and outside of our awareness. Clearing any current psychological blocks to conception and pregnancy will allow the body to do what comes naturally. Using visualisation and analytical hypnotherapeutic techniques it is clearly possible to affect the mind-body system to your benefit. Much scientific material has been gathered around this subject for the last 20 years or so, finally proving what Hypnotherapists have known anecdotally for many years.

I have studied this area in some detail and as a practicing Hypnotherapist for the last 13 years I have worked with people on their concerns about natural conception and maximising the success of fertility treatments. As pregnancy progresses I can also help with helping mum-to-be to have a good birth experience with hypnosis for childbirth sessions. 

However, getting pregnant and staying pregnant is a major hurdle made more difficult if you have a history of miscarriage. Often this remains mystifying unexplained and can be a cause of much stress and heartache.

As a mum myself, I used similar techniques to help myself to move on from a poor prognosis for pregnancy at all, through series of miscarriages and was able to prepare for pregnancy and birth. I am happy to say that at the grand age of 43 I had my son, and enjoyed birthing him at the new Mayday Birth Centre in Croydon when it just opened! So, anything is possible if we can allow it to happen.

The Fertile Body Method combines hypnosis and other mind-body approaches to help identify and address the mental, emotional and physical factors which affect fertility and reduce the negative effects of infertility.

Approximately one in six couples in the United Kingdom is having problems conceiving and many of them are actively seeking help. There are many possible factors that affect fertility which is why an integrated approach combining physical, mental and emotional interventions seems more likely to produce positive results and help make fertility problems much easier for people to deal with. The role of the mind and the emotions in fertility is a vital one that is often overlooked. Hypnosis is one of the most effective tools for helping the mind to support the body to conceive and give birth, as well as to help people to cope better with the experience of infertility.

The Fertile Body Method was developed by clinical hypnotherapist and fertility specialist Sjanie Hugo. Sjanie is a lecturer, writer and therapist in London who has successfully helped many couples with fertility issues. Sjanie runs courses throughout the UK and abroad where she teaches the Fertile Body Method to other practitioners. Her book ‘The Fertile Body Method: a practitioner’s manual’ is a detailed step-by-step guide for therapist working with fertility.

What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a trance state induced through focusing attention on thoughts, feelings, images, sounds or sensations. This is normal natural state that everyone can access. Hypnotherapy uses this deep state of relaxation to create change on an unconscious level, using visualisations, suggestions and other analytical tools.

How can the Fertile Body help fertility

Problems with conception and pregnancy can occur when the mind and/or body have temporarily lost their natural state of balance and harmony. This imbalance may be caused by mental, emotional, spiritual or physical factors, all of which are inter-connected, and may be further affected by ongoing internal processes as well as external factors such as diet and environment.

The Fertile Body Method uses hypnosis and mind-body approaches to help you to enhance your fertility and to help you deal with the negative effects of infertility. Since everyone is unique and each person’s circumstances are different, the treatment will be tailored to suit you and help you achieve the outcome that you want.

Outcome

In the first stage of treatment I will gather all the necessary information from you and find out what your aims and goals are for the treatment. Setting clear goals will help you to know what outcome you are working towards and ensure that you will know when you get there. Based on your goal the therapist will tailor the following stages of treatment to help you reach the outcome that you want.

In the second stage I will help you to restore balance where it is needed in your life. If your lifestyle and environment needs to improved, we will work with you to make the necessary changes. This stage of the FBM is aimed at increasing your overall wellbeing in the best way possible for you. We know that fertility problems can be really challenging which is why we will help to ensure that you feel calmer, stronger and more easily able to cope.

Resolve

As soon as you are feeling an increased sense of wellbeing and balance we will work through any unresolved issues that may be preventing you from becoming parents. Hypnosis is a very powerful and effective tool for helping people to identify and easily resolve those things which may have been holding them back.

Enhance

Visualisation is a very simple but powerful way to enhance fertility. While is a state of hypnosis, we will guide you through visualisations that are specifically created to enhance your fertility. You will be taught how to do this on your own at home. Visualisation can help to enhance natural fertility as well as IUI, IVF and Donation. Visualisations can also be used to mentally prepare for upcoming events such as birth, parenthood, embryo transfer etc.

Prepare

Being prepared will help you to feel more calm and confident. Depending on your goal, you may need some help preparing for things like pregnancy, birth or parenthood. For those people going through medical treatment you may like to prepare yourself mentally, emotionally and physically.

Support

The final stage of the treatment aims to support you to maintain the changes that you have made. We know that emotional support is vital when you are having problems conceiving. We will support you throughout your journey, if you become pregnant, if your treatment fails, if you miscarry or if you need to come to terms with not having children.