Reiki for Birth Fears and Trauma

Reiki for Birth Fears and Trauma by

Tiffany Hoffman, MS, LMT, RM

Concerns during pregnancy can be a normal part of the process. Women often begin to feel the desire to protect their new child from the moment they find out they are pregnant. When those concerns become fears that detract from, rather than add to, the health and safety of the pregnancy, it may be beneficial to address them. Cultural attitudes, family beliefs, and media portrayals of the nature of birth can play into fears. Excess fear by its very nature is counterproductive to the processes of pregnancy and birth. Our bodies cannot differentiate between a true threat to our survival and a birth related fear. Both produce a very similar chemical response that bathes the mother’s body (and therefore the baby) in hormones that support the “fight-or-flight” reaction. These hormones increase your heart rate and blood pressure, increase your rate of breathing, halt the digestion process and decrease immune system functioning so that all available energy can go to the brain and muscles to escape the threat. Because mother and baby are an interconnected unit, what the mother feels the baby feels. Reiki can be employed to address fears in a safe and gentle way that can help improve the overall health of the pregnancy as well as prepare the mind and body for a healthy labor.

During labor, the stress response can also play a role in the course of labor. One theory that sheds light on the concept of fear as it relates to the process of labor is the Pain-Fear-Tension cycle. When a woman experiences fear it creates tension in the body. That muscular tension uses energy and oxygen that is needed by the contracting uterus and other essential muscles. This is compounded when a woman feels she has no available coping mechanism for the increase in pain sensations, which begins the cycle again, turning it into a downward spiral. This cycle and the woman’s stress response can literally bring labor to a halt. Adrenaline, a stress hormone, works directly against oxytocin, the hormone responsible for uterine contractions. The term “failure to progress” during labor can refer to multiple reasons why labor stalls, including physical and emotional causes. If a woman is in an environment, mentally or physically, that makes her feel afraid, the release of adrenaline and other stress hormones will slow labor to ensure that the mother can get to a safe place and give the greatest chance of survival to her offspring. Ina May Gaskin explains this phenomenon called “Sphincter Law”. The cervix is a muscular sphincter that serves to keep the uterus closed and as such responds the same way as those sphincters involved in urination and defecation. In an environment that does not provide privacy and intimacy, these sphincters have a much more difficult time relaxing. Think about what happened the last time you were using the restroom and someone walked in unexpectedly. Everything stops until you again feel safe and comfortable. High levels of adrenaline actually can prevent these sphincters from opening and will prevent the cervix from fully dilating. This can start an unwanted cascade of interventions.

Birth is a primal behavior that is best governed by the brain stem. When women are plagued with constant fears, worries, and thoughts they engage the cognitive part of their brain that does not aid, and very often inhibits, the birthing process. By addressing the fear and working to physically reduce the tension, the spiral can be avoided or reversed and women may be better able to give themselves over to this primal process. When fears have been identified and strategies for coping have been employed, the birth process is more likely to proceed in a normal fashion.

Pain and Anxiety Reduction During Labor

Because Reiki induces relaxation, it reduces the perception of pain and helps the laboring woman rest when necessary and conserve her energy during the physically challenging process of labor. Reiki can also help reduce blood pressure, allowing for vital oxygen and nutrients to be delivered to the baby.

Previous Traumatic Birth Experience

Some woman have found difficulty in adjusting to life and parenthood following a traumatic birth experience. Other woman may be expecting an additional child and may want to work through the past experience before going into labor again. Reiki can help the mother resolve lingering feelings and negativity from a previous experience.

History of Sexual Assault or Abuse

Birth is a personal and intimate process involving the same anatomical parts as sexual activity. The process of labor and birth can often unexpectedly trigger emotions and memories of previous sexual abuse or assault. Some women may not remember the abuse, but repressed memories stored in the body can be triggered during labor and birth. Common triggers can be words used by caregivers (“relax, it won‘t hurt as much”, “give in”, “don’t fight it”), loss of control, invasive exams, pain in the same area as the abuse, exposure, and mistrust of strangers or authority figures. One often overlooked effect of sexual abuse/assault is its impact on breastfeeding. Reiki sessions geared towards finding possible triggers and corresponding coping mechanisms can help improve the birth experience.

Pregnancy Loss, Stillbirth, or the Loss of a Child

The loss of a pregnancy or death of a child can be one of the most devastating life experiences. Women who have been deeply affected by loss can use Reiki to continue through the grieving process, find closure or manage fears and concerns regarding a current or future pregnancy or birth. Reiki can also address the physical body and the effects of stress inherent to loss.