Oxford

Emma Rhodes

Please note: Emma is now currently on maternity leave and will not be running workshops. If you wish to book a course with a different Natal Hypnotherapy practitioner please see:

Georgie Ruthven, Burford, Oxfordshire or Vicky Middleton in Reading

Why I became a practitioner

When I was pregnant with my first baby in 2007, my husband and I attended a Natal Hypnotherapy course. It was brilliant and left us feeling so much more confident and positive about the birth and gave us practical tools and techniques to help both of us manage during the labour.

I didn't have a 'perfect' birth, but I felt calm throughout and not at all frightened. My husband also felt relaxed, and we both have a really postive view of the birth. From my experience, the course helps you overcome your fears and gives you the best possible chance of having the birth you want. But, crucially, it also gives you the tools to be able to adapt even when things don't go to plan.

The experience is what led me to want to train to become a practitioner myself and share what we had learned with other couples.

My core beliefs surrounding pregnancy and birth

Childbirth is a natural process and women should be encouraged and supported in using their instincts and resources to manage it.

‘If you think it, you can feel it’: There is no physiological difference between real and imagined emotions. If a woman is able to use techniques during childbirth which enable her to feel more calm, more relaxed and more confident, she is more likely to be in this kind of state. This in turn will allow helpful hormones to be released which better equip the body for giving birth naturally.

Ultimately, a labour which ends in a healthy mother and baby is an unmitigated success. No matter whether intervention was required or not in the end, every women needs to know she did a great job!

What I feel women gain from attending my course

Many women feel anxious about their forthcoming birth. The course leaves women feeling genuinely excited about it, much less fearful and looking forward to their baby's birth with new confidence.

Related Qualifications & Associations

Qualified Coach: CertCoach (Certificate in Coaching; Centre foir Coaching)

Certificate in Problem Focussed Counselling, Coaching & Training (Centre for Stress Management)

Association for Coaching