3-Step Rewind
A gentle process to move on from a difficult birth or perinatal experience
Coming soon!
If you are struggling emotionally after experiencing a difficult or traumatic birth - firstly, please know that it's not your fault, and you are not alone.
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Birth trauma can affect anyone, no matter what type of birth you had, or how long ago your experience was.
This gentle 3 step rewind process offered by Balancing Birth can help you to release the associated negative emotions, and move on from your experience.
What is Birth Trauma?
Birth can be a beautiful and empowering experience, but sadly for too many people it can end up being distressing or traumatic. This can result in feelings of emotional pain, grief, anger or shame following the birth. You may be constantly reliving the experience, or not be able to think about it at all.
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Difficult feelings can result from your birth not going as expected, interventions being needed, feelings of fear or loss of control, not feeling listened to or supported, or sometimes feeling violated.
When you have imagined how your birth will be and how it will feel, but you end up with a very different experience, this can be very hard to process and move on from without support.
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The Birth Trauma Association defines birth trauma as any physical or emotional distress experienced during or after childbirth. These birth events beyond your control may leave you feeling numb or guilty after the birth. As many as 30% of women and birthing people describe their birth as traumatic and up to 5% may experience PTSD ( Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Birth partners can also experience birth trauma.
How Does the 3 Step Rewind Process Work?
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When we experience fear, the amygdala in the brain (emotions centre) triggers our fight flight response, and all of the associated bodily responses. This is a protective survival mode allowing us to run away from danger. Whilst in this aroused state, our hippocampus (the processing centre) becomes frozen, so is unable to file the event away as a memory from the past. The feelings from the traumatic event become inseperable from the memory, so are constantly re-triggered. Every time you re-live the experience, you can become re-traumatised, programming the amygdala even further to respond in a heightened way.
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The rewind process allows the event to be appropriately filed in the brain as a memory, so that the amygdala can be told that the event is in the past so it no longer needs to set off the fight-flight response. You can then be released from the unwanted emotions previously tied to the experience. This then makes way for new feelings in their place.
It is a simple yet powerful process and can leave you with a sense of release and lightness relating to your traumatic experience. It may not remove all associated feelings, but can significantly reduce your feelings of trauma and associated symptoms, allowing you to move forward from your experience.
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Further information can be found here: https://www.ptsduk.org/how-rewind-therapy-can-help-people-with-ptsd/
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The Process Involves 3 Stages:
Session one
Hearing your story, should you find it helpful to tell it, but there is no requirement to in order for the process to be effective.
Talking through the process and what to expect
Understanding how your experience is still affecting you.
Begining to understand the changes you would like to experience if these difficult feelings were lifted, and what opportunities this may open up for you.
Guided relaxation practice.
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Session Two
Using the Rewind process, you will be gently and safely guided back through the memory of your experience in a specific way that breaks the connections in your brain (neural pathways) that are triggering your feelings and symptoms.
We do this through a state of deep relaxation so you are not re-triggered by the memory during the process.
This enables you to experience your goal state and rehearse your new feelings.
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Session Three​
Checking in with how you have been since the previous session.
Rescale your symptoms
Guided relaxation to embed the changes you would like to achieve
(or return to the the Rewind process if required).
We allow up to 120 minutes for the first session, and up to 90 minutes for sessions two and three.
The sessions are generally offered over zoom as this allows you to feel completely relaxed in your own environment. However, if you feel face-to-face appointments would suit you better, this can be arranged in the comfort of your own home.
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Your investment - £195 for 3 sessions