With increasing awareness among pregnant women that natural birth without medical interference is better for mother and baby while intervention rates are high and caesarean remains an option in the spirit of informed choice, it’s not surprising that many women look back on their past experiences of birth and shudder.

Many women will recall their hospital photos with dismay, clearly recognising the shock and detachment in their own face, or realising they hardly feature in their baby albums because they felt so traumatised at the time, and the last thing they wanted to do was pose for the camera.

For some, the painful memories dissolve almost as soon as their baby is placed into their arms but many mothers are troubled by flashbacks of a traumatic birth, and the experience shapes their attitudes to breastfeeding, intimacy, the trust of others and even their relationship with their child. The women who fare worst are perhaps those who have been the most passionate about their role as a mother, determined to live up to the expectations they have set themselves to birth their child naturally and instinctively. 

Although the body heals with time, the shock delivered by the emotional trauma tends to remain deep rooted and the pain sits right at the core of the feminine centre, disempowering women and feeding negative concepts like low self esteem, a lack of self belief and fear of failure.

Experienced energy healers would usually agree that memories of a traumatic birth will be stored in the very cells of a woman’s body, constantly impairing the flow of their feminine life-force. If not released, the problem could eventually manifest as physical illness, most likely in the reproductive system, which is related to the Sacral Chakra. This will compound the ongoing energetic and emotional issues, leaving mothers with feelings of sadness, inadequacy and loss that are hard to ignore.

When difficult memories surface the use of self help techniques, such as formulating positive affirmations, can be handy. Admitting to a trusted friend or partner that there’s a problem is sometimes the first step in acknowledging that help is needed.

Hypnosis can be useful in releasing any past trauma, and an experienced Hypnotherapist can gently regress the woman to the circumstances of the difficult experience so that they can revise their attitudes towards the memories when they surface. There are other kinds of ‘journeying’ therapies that can also help, whereby the woman is guided into a trance-like state so that negative outcomes can literally be transformed into positive ones through accessing the unconscious mind.

Reiki and Seichem practitioners or those who use crystals to promote energetic balance find that a relaxed state is easily achieved during healing sessions. They might guide the woman through a gentle meditation while allowing the energy healing to catalyse a much needed vibrational shift. Crystals like Moonstone, Apache Tears or Jade might be selected to help heal the trauma of a difficult birth while Garnet, Carnelian or Red Coral might be chosen to help strengthen and re-energise the feminine centre.

If you’re the thoughtful type, it might seem interesting that through negative past experiences of birth, many women have the chance to understand the depths of despair that accompany the ‘feminine wound’ before they tread the path of re-empowerment. For those who choose to question why life has thrown this particular challenge in their face, maybe the answer is that they’ve been given the opportunity to re-birth themselves as part of the process.

Be honest, it’s hard to deny that our children offer us a huge opportunity for personal growth and change as they are catapulted into this world, whether it’s by fair means or foul. And in the end, the fact that we’ve chosen to grow through the tough life lesson of a traumatic birth becomes immaterial – to be granted a ticket to travel through the Divine Feminine Void and emerge reborn with self esteem, feminine courage and pride in the simple fact of one’s existence is a priceless gift indeed.

Rhian Gibbings