As a hypnotherapist, the way language is used is very important to me. Essentially, I use words in a very specific and focused way to help people let go of negative ideas and beliefs they have acquired and replace them with more positive outlooks and behaviours.
Hypno-birthing works by ridding fear and negative thoughts from the subconscious mind, particularly that birth is traumatic and painful. Most people I work with realise that this positive use of language and the reframing techniques I share, continue to be helpful long after they have given birth.
I was triggered to write this post after reading yet another discussion which talked about 'sleep regression'. This negative use of language really bothers me! I'd love to offer an alternative way to look at sleep and child development which is modelled brilliantly by the team behind The Wonder Weeks. Whilst the app is good, the book is brilliant. In my opinion, it's an absolute must have.
The Wonder Weeks approach recognises that all babies go through difficult periods around the same age which have been cleverly categorised into 10 magical phases, or leaps, during the first 20 months of their lives. With each leap comes a dramatic change in their mental development, affecting their mood, health, intelligence and sleeping patterns...
I love the way the book helps parents to recognise these leaps and track their baby's developmental milestones in such a positive way. Rather than using negative labels such as sleep 'regressions', the book helps you to reframe this thinking by viewing these 'stormy periods' of change through a positive lens.
I also applaud the way the book acknowledges how these transitional phases can effect parents and offers self-care sanity-saving practices to employ during the toughest moments!
Check it out! Here's the link... www.thewonderweeks.com