A great deal of negative learning can be taking place during the birthing process. The fears and misperceptions formed at this time can have lasting effect if left unresolved. The thing to keep in mind is that it’s just a STORY.
Like every story, it has a beginning, middle, and an end. It’s just that the Story hasn’t reached “the end”, yet. You can change that. Changing the birthing Story can create real and lasting change for your clients’ entire lives.
Birth holds a lot of firsts that can influence a person for life.
When a client lands in the birthing event, process it like a story. Break it down into segments so you can thoroughly address each aspect of what’s happening in the event.
1. The beginning
The beginning is when the contractions start to come on. Before this, the child is floating around inside Mom. Then, something changes.
The change is often subtle to begin with. But when the contractions get stronger they can be frightening to the child. It can seem sudden. There’s energy intensity. And there is pressure bearing down on the Child. This is a new experience. So. the Child doesn’t know how to make sense of what’s happening. These are the hallmarks of the Initial Sensitizing Event (ISE).
You can clear this issue by going before the contractions come on. Go to where the Child is still feeling good. Then, inform the Child about what’s going to happen. Help the Child make sense of things before it happens by letting the Child know that what’s about to happen is normal. It’s natural. It’s something to feel excited about because they’re about to come into the world.
Learn more about how to identify the signature of an ISE in childhood here.
2. The middle
The middle is when the Child begins moving down through the birth canal. The sensations of being pushed forward can be frightening for the Child. And there is a moment during that passage where the Child is unable to breathe (asphyxia). Usually this doesn’t last very long. But when it is prolonged it can result in claustrophobia later in life.
The birthing experience is a seeding event. It can plant the seeds of lifelong patterns such as procrastination or self-sabotage. That’s because the Story is establishing a metaphor for the person’s life. To release the pattern guide the client to forgive anyone or anything that might have contributed to the problem. The antidote is forgiveness.
There are a lot of things happening at this time. That means lots of aspects to take care of. There’s also a lot of intensity which overwhelms the Child. So, there can be multiple layers. It’s especially important to be thorough in this event. The more you clear in the birthing experience the less there is going to be for you to deal with further down the client’s timeline.
Don’t rush the process.
Even if you have to go back and address that event in a subsequent session it’s worth it. If there’s a lot of stuff buried in that event then you’re exactly where you need to be. The changes you make to the birthing experience will last a lifetime.
These are issues that get seeded and influence a person their entire life. So once you’ve cleared the event make sure it’s clear. Review the event several times to make sure there’s nothing left. Each time you go through reveals a subtler layer. Just think of them as dust-bunnies and clear them out. Then,there’s nothing there to grow later.
3. The ending
Birth is the ending of the womb experience. This is the moment of separation from Mom so there can be separation anxiety. But birth is also the beginning of life as we know it. It is the moment of emergence into the world. It’s just that the Child doesn’t know how to make sense of everything that’s happening.
Your objective should be to shift the child’s perception from that of separation and pain to one of excited anticipation and celebration. Reframe the anxiety and make it about feeling excited.
Excited about coming into the world.
Excited about becoming their own person.
Excited about their life.
So that's it. If your client does land in the birthing experience – stay there. View this important life event as a Story. And uncover the three parts of the Story.
- Beginning
- Middle
- Ending.
Process each piece thoroughly. Thoroughly clearing the many "firsts" that are inherent in birth can have far-reaching and lasting positive effect in your client’s life. And resolving the birth experience will make your work with the client much easier, allowing a deeper level of healing.
