Birth Trauma: A Method For Resolving It

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

The article presents a unique method for dealing with birth trauma, created at the Danish Institute of Bodynamics. Revealing their approach to rebirth, the authors share new ideas about the somatic and corresponding psychological development of the child in the pre-, peri- and postnatal periods; Introduce the reader to the method of systematic examination of muscle patterns, which allows you to establish whether a person has problems associated with the trauma of birth; share techniques aimed at creating a positive imprinting of birth, etc. The article discusses the issues of character structure, the relationship of shock patterns and the process of birth, transference and counter-transference in the process of working with a client. The authors describe their work with adults, although the method they created, subject to modification, can also be used when working with infants and children.

Introduction

We distinguish between three main schools of rebirth therapy that have had the greatest impact on existing methods in this field. One of them was created by Stanislav Grof. He emphasizes the metaphorical and transpersonal aspects of rebirth and uses hyperventilation techniques to access the birth data of a person. Another approach, developed by Orr, also includes hyperventilation and sometimes the use of hot lamps to recreate birth states. Finally, the third school is represented by the works of the English psychotherapist F. Lake, who also uses the hyperventilation technique and developed a theory that explains the nature of the child's reaction to the stress of birth. The bodynamic developmental imprinting method differs from the approaches listed above, although we include in our understanding of the development of a person's character a generalized view of Lake's consciousness and defense mechanisms in intrauterine and birth conditions.

Our birth reproduction method has been developed by L. Marcher and L. Ollars in clinical practice, largely independently, for over 15 years. It originates from several sources. These include, first of all, the Danish system of body trainings “school of relaxation”, known from the works of S. Silver, where the main attention is paid to the lower level of bodily awareness. This is followed by a somatic developmental approach by the Norwegian psychotherapist L. Jansen and the Danish B. Hall. And, finally, - the main part, which is made by L. Marcher's discoveries in the field of psychomotor development. Reich's influence was also significant, but at a later stage in the development of the theory of bodynamics. Due to the nature of our work, it becomes possible for the client a safer and at the same time more complete integration of the experience of rebirth. We are critical of the hyperventilation techniques that are widely used in the rebirth process. Since we regard the metaphorical theme of “death and rebirth” as a worthy subject of therapeutic research, we consider our main task to introduce a new psychomotor imprinting of rebirth, which takes place in a safe, supportive atmosphere.

There is a widespread point of view that makes one doubt whether it is necessary and possible to attach such great importance to rebirth. The main objection of our opponents is that the consciousness of an infant during, and even more so before birth, is too undeveloped for the process of birth to have any serious impact on the subsequent development of the child. For skeptics who are convinced that birth remains in a past that is not amenable to resurrection, without leaving any traces in the brain, most likely, the data indicating that the birth process is undoubtedly imprinted in our unconscious, and moreover, is available to mature consciousness, will most likely be completely overwhelming. But another objection, of a somewhat different order, hastens to replace the first one: isn't rebirth just another hobby in search of a universal solution to all our problems, another means in search of the perfect medicine? Finally, isn't this new hope of ours just another way to get away from real life problems, more pressing and important?

In response to this criticism, first of all, one has to admit that, indeed, there are cases when rebirthing is carried out irresponsibly, by people who do not have the appropriate training either in psychotherapy as such, or in the field of psychology and physiology of birth. In these cases, indeed, birth trauma often comes out as a central metaphor for life, and rebirthing is prescribed as the ideal remedy for any type of psychological problem. However, despite the annoying cases of this kind, it seems obvious that if we consider ourselves adherents of the developmental model of psychopathology, then we are forced to take into account the point of view of the birth trauma as one of the sources of psychological problems. At the same time, let's not argue, birth - although integral, but only one part of the development process as a whole.

The procedure for reproducing birth, according to our method, takes three hours and, provided that the experience gained is correctly integrated, does not require repetition. Three hours cannot be considered an excessive contribution to the process of human development. However, these three hours may be preceded by a long preparatory period, or, conversely, they may precede the subsequent work as part of a long therapeutic process. Either way, we have ample evidence of the profound impact that resolution of birth trauma has on a person's life. New sensations - of our own strength, the ability to withstand stress, to perceive the positive aspects of the world that our patients acquire, convince us that integrated rebirth is a necessary part of the full cycle of therapy for those to whom it is indicated.

Next, we present a list of the most essential elements of our theory and techniques of the developing "imprint method". Of course, this list is far from complete and very schematic. We are not suggesting that after reading the article, it will be possible to freely take up the practice of rebirth. We simply do not see any other way to explain what we mean when we talk about the development of a new "imprint" and the acquisition of new resources, how to give a clear list of our methods and the main provisions of the theory underlying them. In our practice of training specialists, methods of rebirth begin only in the third year of a four-year course. Therefore, for those interested in rebirth therapy, we strongly recommend that you complete thorough and thorough training.

Prospects for the developing somatic method

The bodynamic approach views birth in the context of overall somatic birth. At each stage of the childbirth process, highly specialized types of motor reflexes are activated in the infant. The most significant of these include reflexes initially associated with the child's stretching of his own body in response to contractions of the uterus, which ends with further vigorous pushing out of it. In the postpartum period, the most important reflexes are reaching, sucking, grasping and seeking. Under ideal circumstances, these motor patterns exhaust themselves as they are no longer necessary. However, under stress conditions, these types of reflex patterns are disturbed and lose the ability to spontaneously exhaust. They are retained by the body until they find their resolution in the course of therapy. Thanks to a keen understanding of these reflex somatic patterns and their psychodiagnostic content, bodynamic analysts work with the birth process in psychotherapy for adults.

Assessment of muscle pattern in birth trauma

The discovery of the "muscle" pattern - an idea about muscle tension that blocks emotion - belongs to Wilhelm Reich. L. Jansen discovered the opposite tendency of muscles to become relaxed or hyporeactive and developed a method using this phenomenon in therapy. Jansen created a theory of child development based on the evolution of types of hypo- and hyper-tensioned muscle patterns. L. Marcher developed these ideas by investigating the specific psychological content of muscle reactions and observing in which cases muscles are activated in the process of a child's development. On the basis of these studies, Marcher developed a theory of character structure and a unique diagnostic tool - “Body Map”, which marks the main muscles of the body tested for the stage of hypo- or hyperreactivity. This test is usually performed as a preliminary step in the long-term therapy process and is used to analyze a patient's developmental problems during infancy and childhood, including birth. If the muscles that are activated at birth are significantly hypo- or hyper-tense, this is an indicator that the birth trauma is still preserved by the body.

Creation of a new imprint

Rebirth involves two tasks. The first is to come to an understanding of which factor turned out to be really traumatic or psychologically significant at the birth of an individual. The second is to create a new “birth” imprint that allows the client to really feel what was lacking in his real birth experience. From our point of view, the creation of a new "fingerprint" of birth is one of the most essential moments on which the successful resolution of the birth trauma depends. We worked with clients who had already gone through the rebirth process, but with different methods, which did not solve the problems associated with the birth trauma, since the new imprint was not created. Instead, they relived the trauma and thus became bogged down in feelings of fear, rage, depression, etc.

In our opinion, the inability of clients to solve the problems of birth that arise during therapy is due to two reasons. First, clients were too deeply immersed in trauma. Our own experience allows us to assert that it is only necessary to bring the client into a sense of what once had a traumatic effect on him, to the extent sufficient for somatic awareness of what happened. Otherwise, reliving a traumatic experience can lead to psychological and physiological breakdown. We found, in particular, that rebirthing techniques using hyperventilation caused serious problems in this regard.

One of the characteristics of hyperventilation is that it creates an increased level of oxygen in the blood. In fact, when a baby is born, the oxygen level in his body is significantly lower. On this basis, it can be concluded that hyperventilation techniques may not cause true regression into the state of birth at the psychological level. More importantly, in our experience, they are capable of activating other shock problems as well. This can lead to a chaotic situation where a number of problems arise at the same time, and none of them can truly be solved. This is partly why birth is sometimes seen as a central component of human problems: during rebirthing, “everything” comes to the surface. Given this circumstance, it is very important to work at a given moment with only one problem, so that it can be completely resolved at all levels - emotional, cognitive and motor skills. Rebirth using hyperventilation provides clients with a powerful experience that for some relatively healthy people can be really healing, but for others it will only hurt, and for many it will be useless, since it will not completely resolve the trauma of the birth.

The second reason for incomplete resolution of the birth trauma is that the client's somatic “resources” remain undetected. By resources, we mean somatic patterns of movement or ability. These motor patterns always have a deep psychological meaning. New resources become available at the bodily level when blocked or underdeveloped motor patterns are restored or activated for the first time.

So, for example, if a client was born as a result of a caesarean section using anesthesia, it is not enough just to know and feel the appropriate feelings. To completely resolve the trauma, it is necessary to encourage the client to move towards the experience of active pushing with all their strength, to help him experience states of full awakening and vitality, and also to feel acceptance in a benevolent environment. Otherwise, reflex reactions remain dormant, and hypo- and hyper-reactive muscle patterns remain unchanged, and the client does not feel any new resources. The types of resources related to birth include a new sense of time freedom, the ability to push forward and get out with all its might, the ability to withstand unwanted stimuli, the ability to properly endure pressure from the outside, the ability to get through a stressful situation until it ends, the ability to accept caring, working together, a sense of acceptance, benevolence and support. The therapist's job is to create an opportunity for these resources to emerge.

Rebirth in a therapeutic context

Another reason why rebirth can be problematic is the timing of the rebirth in the context of the client's broader situation. Bodynamic analysis looks at rebirth in terms of the broader context of the psychotherapeutic process. In order for the reproduction of birth to have a therapeutic effect, it is ideally necessary that certain conditions be met.

1. The client must have a stable social environment (social environment) where he gets support. A properly conducted birth involves regression on psychological, neurological and emotional levels, and it is essential to have meaningful support from loved ones for at least two weeks after the birth is reproduced in order to integrate new experiences into the client's experience.
2. Ideally, the client should work through the psychological problems they have before undergoing rebirth. Otherwise, he will not have sufficient psychological and somatic resources to integrate the birth process, or, even worse, under the pressure of the rebirthing process, he may become even more disorganized.

1. Conditions for successful re-birth

1.1. Client Situation

The best time to perform rebirth is when it becomes apparent that birthing problems spontaneously arise in the client's life. Here are some signs that you might be having problems like this:

• despite intensive therapy, the client reports a “inability to get out” of a difficult situation, or an inability to “get through”; he may also feel that he is not able to use all his possibilities in a given situation, feel that he is "stuck in the circumstances."
• in the client's dreams, images of passing through the channels are repeated, emerging from darkness into light, etc.
• At the bodily level, the client may experience a sense of vital energy or tension in areas associated with birth: the neck at the base of the skull, the nape tendons attachment points, the shoulder fascia joints, the sacrum attachment points and the heel tendons. When testing these zones with the Body Map, we find that muscles are excessively hyporeactive (which is an indicator of patterns of refusal or avoidance of struggle) or their hyperreactivity (an indicator of a struggle response).
• the emergence of patterns of spontaneous movements related to the birth process, for example, the tendency to contract, like an embryo.

However, the mere occurrence of birth problems does not mean that the client is ready to integrate the rebirth experience. It follows that first it is necessary to find out whether the client is psychologically ready for this experience.

1.2. Timing of rebirth in the context of long-term psychotherapy

Ideally, if the client has not received prior therapy, we should observe him for two to three years before we are convinced that rebirth may be the most appropriate and successful therapy for him. Our technique of working in time presupposes a movement from developmental problems of a later origin to earlier ones. At some point, we hit the bottom and start the opposite movement, so that the integration of the new material obtained from the study of the early periods of life with later character structures takes place. Bottom may include rebirth, but it is important to note that it is not necessary in all cases.

Regarding the question of who needs and who does not need the rebirth process, we believe it depends on the client's seriousness in the therapy. If clients seek to fully work out their character structures, then we can confidently say that for 80-90% of observed clients, reproduction of birth is useful. If the client's goals in therapy are more focused on current problems, or if they are attuned to short-term therapy, then rebirth is only necessary if we are clearly dealing with an underlying problem related to birth trauma.

To a certain extent, the need to reproduce birth is also due to cultural specifics. The practice of birth established in Scandinavian culture, apparently, dictates its necessity. In cultures with more humane birth practices, the number of clients requiring rebirth therapy may be significantly smaller.

It is ironic that clients who are most in need of rebirth often require more careful preparation. In such patients, problems of early development most often predominate. Unmistakably sensing this feature, we begin to feel the urge to first solve exactly these problems, especially if there is a dead end in the therapy process, and we, with the aim of a breakthrough, want to do something radical. Based on our experience, we argue that in most cases such a situation is not a sufficient reason for re-birth.

In this case, it is better to carefully consider other characterological problems and follow the established principle - first to work with problems of late development, and only then - early.

The exception is when clients are so caught up in the problems of birth that they are no longer able to effectively participate in the therapeutic process, and all their attempts to solve other problems are obviously doomed to failure. The signs of such cases are:

1. a strong feeling of confusion and inability to act in life;
2. spontaneous physical sensations in areas of the body associated with the birth process (pressure in the head, sacrum, heels, navel);
3. in a stressful situation, a person's spontaneous adoption of an embryo posture;
4. the predominance in dreams and fantasies of images of canals, tunnels, etc.

If, taking into account the listed signs, a rebirth is carried out, then this often means that the therapist must take a particularly intense form of "parental transfer" (transfer), since very often such clients do not have an appropriate social environment that could provide the care they need. after birth therapy.

Character problems and rebirth

This section describes the character blocks that hinder successful rebirth.

Bodynamics has developed its own character structure system, based on an appropriate understanding of the process of psychomotor development. Each character structure is built around the historical emergence of individual needs and impulses. In general, we consider two obligatory positions for each of the characterological structures. In the first - "early" - position, meaning those developmental options when impulses are blocked early and somatic resources lose the possibility of normal development, a typical reaction is refusal (obedience). In the second - “late - position, the impulses already have some somatic resources, so they can resist the attempts of the environment to block them. Since we work with developmental problems in a specific sequence - from late structures to early ones, it is in this order that we describe the seven character types that we have established.

1) Structure Solidarity / Action

The ability to receive support from the group and from friends in the immediate aftermath of rebirth is an important part of successfully integrating the birthing experience. Without the ability to have friends and accept their help, it is difficult for the client to integrate the deeper need for care that arises after rebirth. From our point of view, the formation of the attitude of the child's personality to the group occurs in the period from 7 to 12 years. The main problem of this age, we believe, is the establishment of a balance between personal and group needs. We use the term “solidarity” as opposed to the term “action” to describe the main problem that a child of a given age is trying to solve. People with character problems of this kind tend to either put the needs of the group ahead of their own (solidarity) or feel that they have to do better than others (competition). At rebirth, competing individuals strive to be the best clients and show the “best birth”: they cease to feel the sense of alienation from the group and remove their purely personal needs to establish contacts. Individuals who level their own needs continue to show a tendency to recognize the needs of the group as higher than their own. Rebirth is much easier when we are dealing with unfinished leveling problems than competing, since the leveling person feels freer in matters of help, at least accepts it easier.

2) The structure of opinions

In children, the ability to form their own firm opinion is developed in the interval from 6 to 8 years. If the client undergoing rebirth has unresolved problems of developing his own opinion, then in the process of reproducing the birth he may desperately resist or, conversely, it is too easy to succumb to the therapist's instructions when they do not coincide with his opinion about what is for him. better.

3) Structure Love / Sexuality

The ability to integrate feelings of love with sexual feelings first develops in children between the ages of 3 and 6 years. People with a healthy sense of their romantic and sexual feelings are able to differentiate these feelings from an early need for addiction. And the client who turns his anxiety into sexual experiences tends to sexualize his anxiety in the process of rebirth. A person with an unresolved Oedipus complex may flirt with the therapist or imagine that the therapist has a sexual interest in him.

4) The structure of will

Between 1, 5 and 3 years old, the child learns to experience his ability to be strong in the world. If parents fail to accept the child's ability to say no and the manifestation of his strength, he begins to feel that it is dangerous or useless to show energy and emotion. Common statements for this character structure are: "If I use all my strength, I will explode" or "It is your fault that I have to hold back." On the other hand, if we are dealing with an “early” version of this structure, when refusal (obedience) prevails, the statements may bear signs of denial: “I am not doing anything right”.

Since pushing actions in the process of rebirth require a certain force, there is a resonance between the processes of birth and the problems of the structure of the will: in either case, the manifestation of personal power is required, but at different levels of development of this quality and for different purposes. A client with pronounced birth problems (early position) says, “I can't get out of somewhere” (womb), while a client with will structure problems (late position) is prone to statements like “I can't get out of something. something inside me”(my feelings).

5) The structure of autonomy

From the age of 8 months to 2, 5 years, the child learns to explore the world and become aware of his feelings and impulses as belonging to him and autonomous from his parents. If the parents are unable to accept the child's autonomous position, he may become passive (early position), unable to feel what he wants: “I have to suppress my impulses in order to be what they want me to be” or “I am loved only when I I obey”. If a child has sufficiently formed the basis of his autonomous impulses, he, instead of suppressing, will express resistance to attempts from the outside world. "I want to get rid of the pressure of the world forcing me to obey, I need to be independent: I do not need help, help is dangerous." Autonomy problems can also arise during rebirth, during the compression and expulsion phases, when the group, simulating uterine pressure, resists pushing the client. A client with inherent autonomy issues may generally feel the need to resist pressure (get away from parental stress). Rebirth in these cases becomes, rather, a psychological power struggle in an attempt to escape by flight, rather than a biological process of birth.

6) The structure of the need

From birth to 1, 5 years old, the main thing for a child is to satisfy the need for care, including feeding, physical contact, and the development of a basic sense of trust in the world. If basic needs are not met, the child becomes desperate and submissive (“early” position) or harsh and distrustful (“late” position). The birthing process often encompasses issues of basic trust and, during the adoption phase, satisfying the need for care. If the client, during the first year and a half of life, experienced a pronounced experience of rejection, despair and mistrust, it will be difficult for him to feel his needs during the rebirth and gain trust in the group, even if he sees that she is really there for him. However, as the group presents positive messages or physical care, the following feelings may arise: “They can't do this seriously” or “I don't deserve it.”

7) The mental / emotional structure of existence

We consider the experience of intrauterine existence, birth and time immediately after birth as the periods most closely associated with the problems of existence. Under favorable circumstances, we feel that the world is inviting and waiting for us, and at some basic level, we feel welcomed and received the right to exist. In the presence of early physical or emotional trauma (especially during the prenatal period), the child feels complete rejection and does not see any other way out except for deep immersion in himself and / or leaving his body. The child gets the feeling that he is disappearing. We call this “early” position the mental structure of existence. Otherwise, a situation arises when the already formed sensation of a new existence is suddenly threatened. In this case, an emotional outburst often becomes protection from the threat, rather than going into a state of numbness. The inner experience is expressed as follows: "I have to hold out in this world with the help of my emotions, the world threatens me with extinction." We call this later position the emotional structure of existence.

Two primary defenses, heavily associated with the birth process, are energetic withdrawal or emotional outburst. According to F. Lake's theory, each of these methods tends to change to the opposite in cases when the structure is under the influence of “transmarginal” stress (Lake called this schizoysteric splitting). During the rebirth process, the patient may relive transmarginal stress. In preparing a client with a mental structure of existence for rebirth, it is necessary to carefully form their body awareness in order to counteract the tendency to withdraw (avoidance). It is necessary that it be based more on real bodily sensations and feelings, rather than metaphors and images, since the latter are mental, i.e. defensive skills that are already highly developed in these clients.

Clients with an emotional structure of existence who tend to withdraw into emotions need training to feel their fear and contain it, as this is the main emotion that they try to block through escalation. These clients try to use anger as a defense against their fear, and helping them feel that they are actually afraid rather than angry can bring them a sense of relief. When reborn with such individuals, it is necessary to maintain a slow and unhurried pace so that they do not have a reason to use the explosion of emotions as a defense against anxiety.

It should be noted that many problems associated with the listed structures arise in the prenatal period. In accordance with our method, moving from late structures to early ones, we note that problems formed during intrauterine development should be dealt with last, trying not to touch them when reproducing birth. In practice, however, it is quite difficult to distinguish all these different problems from one another.

1.3. Transfer problems and rebirth

When considering the relationship between rebirth and transference, an important question is raised: how do we actually interpret this concept. It should be noted that we distinguish between two main positions that the therapist takes in relation to the transference. In the first of these, the therapist maintains a clear boundary between himself and the client, so that the latter's need for transference may be subject to some frustration (“analytic” position). The second was named “parental”. In this position, the therapist is actively involved in the client's needs and takes on the task of providing positive parenting messages.

As already understood, the parental transfer position is used when working with clients who do not have sufficient resources to activate themselves in order to meet their immediate needs. The main rule of the therapist: the client needs a parental relationship if in the early period of his development the impulses were blocked, and therefore despair (withdrawal) became the stereotypical response. The second rule: the earlier the problem is formed, the more the client is inclined to show the need for parental relationships.

In practice, we often move between these two positions, both of which, albeit in varying degrees, are simultaneously both confrontational and limiting, as well as supportive and caring. However, parental transfer relationships are almost always used in rebirth. We actively play the role of mother or father in relation to the client during the entire time of work, we consider the parental position in the transference as an important condition for the formation of a new imprint and the patient's mastery of new resources. The parental position also means that the therapist takes responsibility for the psychological and physical safety of the client during his regressive state.

Rebirth itself is a rather frustrating process, requiring both the client and the therapist physical and emotional effort. Both must be prepared for the state of intimacy and intimate connection that inevitably arises in the conditions of the intimate procedure of rebirth. It would hardly be justified to suddenly jump from the dominant position, characteristic of the analytical work of the transfer, to the position of the parent, satisfying the client's need for protection, care, touch, etc. birth. It may happen that some therapists find it more convenient to work with already prepared clients without taking part in the preparation and aftereffect phases themselves. It won't be a big mistake. A real, hard-to-correct mistake occurs when we try to give a person something that we are not ready to give: such a situation can cause retraumatization, since the client will certainly feel the artificiality of our efforts.

1.4. Counter-transference and rebirth

The character problems outlined above remain valid not only for the client, but also for the therapist. If the therapist himself bears the problems of early addiction needs, there is a very real chance that he will be ambivalent in meeting similar needs of his clients. Here are some specific problems that therapists themselves face in the process of rebirth.

The therapist may experience difficult moments, waiting for the client to start spontaneous labor movements or wanting him to “come out” as quickly as possible. It is often necessary to be with the client for half an hour or forty-five minutes before the spontaneous movements of the birth reflexes begin.

The therapist must invest too much emotion in the rebirth process instead of clearly recording the change in motor patterns. Of course, the reproduction of birth cannot but cause a lot of emotions in relation to the client and, of course, feelings are important, but, nevertheless, the therapist must first of all carefully monitor the dynamics of motor processes.

The therapist may even “merge” with the patient too intensely, especially in the acceptance phase. He seems to be deprived of his own boundaries and sends too much energy to the client, or seeks as a parent to take care of him, proceeding more from his own ideas about the needs of his ward, instead of feeling the current state of the client. The therapist should keep his energy boundaries within his own skin when he holds the client, instead of “enveloping” him with the energy of caring.

The main rule, the observance of which allows you to accurately dose the feelings accompanying the parental position: remember that specific that you know about this client, and that specific that he lacks from the moment of birth. Channel your parenting messages precisely to these specific needs. Here are some examples of such positive parenting messages:

“I see you are a strong boy / girl. It's nice to see you use all your strength.”

"You are exactly what we wanted."

"We love you for who you are, not for what you do."

"Look, what fingers and toes you have, what hair, everything is in place, you are all right."

1.5. Shock and rebirth

We define shock as any life experience that activates the shock reflex in the body. This includes physical and sexual violence, operations, accidents, illnesses, unexpected losses, etc. Shock experiences by their nature initially include the activity of the lower brain stem structures and very often remain unconscious.

It is at birth that the first massive release of adrenaline into the blood occurs. This is necessary to mobilize all the forces the baby needs to push himself through the birth canal. While quite normal and healthy, it never ceases to be a kind of shock. If we add to this additional injuries, which can be caused by all sorts of complications or medical intervention, the result is a powerful motor-chemical imprint (imprinting).

Shocks tend to “bond” with each other, so during therapy, when you work with one shock, other shock reactions may emerge as well. Sometimes this bond is based on a common test that resulted in a state of shock; for example, all operations or all sexual assaults are linked. We call this phenomenon “chain shocks”. Since birth is physiologically associated with shock, then in the event of any other life problems accompanied by shock, the memory of birth can be activated. For example, one of the patients suffered an asthmatic attack. This experience triggered a memory of a previous asthma attack and then a birth.

As we have noted in part, late shock problems should ideally be worked through before the rebirth process is undertaken. For example, it is not easy for a sexually abused client to separate the rebirth situation from the abused situation. This linkage often makes it difficult to resolve problems, both violence and birth. We see the way out in trying to uncover the story of the shock experienced by the client in the early stages of therapy. Note that this is not an easy task, since the shock is usually not realized and no one knows about the presence of shocks until they themselves declare themselves in very dramatic forms.

If the problem of shock comes up during the rebirth process, we recognize it and can afford to work with it for a while, but at the same time we try to tell the client: “I see that this topic is very important to you, and we, of course, we can still work with her. But now, at the moment, we are working on your birth and the problems associated with the birth”. Clients are usually able to postpone shock problems until a later date. We have developed special methods and techniques for such cases. More on this in the following publications.

2. The process of rebirth

In this section, we outline some of the technical aspects of the rebirth method (physical space, group formation issues, somatic methods for awakening states corresponding to the birthing process). A description of the five stages of the rebirth process will be given, including:

1. The period just before the contractions.
2. The beginning of the contractions.
3. Hard work (labor pains).
4. Birth.
5. Adopting a child.

We will try to reveal the psychological significance of each stage in the context of both the normal birth process and the individual problems associated with it. Finally, we describe the somatic activation at each stage, the techniques used, and the problems that arise at the stages of development that follow birth.

2.1. Physical environment: creating a safe and comfortable place

The space where rebirth takes place should be a comfortable, warm, safe space, provided with a guarantee that work will not be interrupted by outside interference. The work area should be free of furniture (only pillows and mats can be there). For the therapist and support group, it is necessary to provide free access to the space near the wall, as well as the corner of the room. In addition, you will need blankets, some stuffed animals, and some baby bottles of warm milk or juice (check with customers in advance which they prefer).

The impact of the rebirth process lasts at least two weeks, during which the client may feel disorganized or weak, so the client's environment should be taken care of in advance for this period of time.

2.2. Emotional environment: creating a field of contact

The first task is to provide the client with the choice of the group to accompany the rebirth. Often they already have a clear sense of who they would like to be with during this responsible act, and whom they would like to choose as their “mother” and their “father”, in addition to the therapist. The choice must be made in advance so that no confusion arises at the moment of birth. The choice can take some time and reawaken old problems that can be successfully investigated. It is a good idea to have two therapists, a man and a woman, designated as parents. If this is not possible, the client chooses another parent from the group. The only rule here is that the partners of clients cannot act as parents, since the process of rebirth creates a transfer.

Rebirth requires four to six people, in addition to the client and therapist. These should be people who are trusted by the client and who are confident that they can work well together. Ideally, some of the group members could take partial responsibility for the period immediately following the rebirth. It is advisable that the birth procedure is planned in advance so that the client may not work for several days.

Many of these conditions are naturally satisfied in the situation of an offsite practical seminar, although, from our point of view, a separate session is preferable, when the whole day of work is devoted only to the process of rebirth. Often we offer clients to stay overnight at the venue or to be with friends. In addition to emotional regression, group members also experience regression of neurological reflex patterns, and therefore, even a few days after rebirthing, driving remains potentially dangerous.

2.3. Awakening the experiences of birth

Although most people on a conscious level do not remember their own experiences during their birth, we do not attach much importance to this. Hyperventilation or LSD is known to evoke birth memories. Our primary tools for awakening the experience of birth are length of time, body awareness, and stimulation of the muscles that are activated during birth.

A. Length of time. If we have chosen the appropriate length of time for the rebirth process, given what kind of unconscious material the client is going to have, the problems associated with the rebirth will be relatively accessible.

C. Body awareness. Close tracking of body awareness is our main tool with which we obtain information about the client's state during the rebirth process. We distinguish between four levels of body awareness:

1. bodily sensation (temperature, tension level, etc.);
2. bodily experience (feelings, images and metaphors based on bodily sensations);
3. bodily expression (emotional release);
4. bodily regression.

The careful construction of the first two levels, body sensation and body experience, naturally leads to emotional expression and regression. Moreover, it is precisely through the precise construction of bodily sensation and experience that the client's full integration of the deeper layers of emotional liberation and regression becomes possible. Therefore, we take the time to train clients to feel their body. In the process of rebirth, it is especially important to ensure bodily awareness during the initial phases, when the client lies still, so that it remains in its expression even further, when the experience proceeds at a faster pace. Have clients report in detail all of their sensations in each area of the body, while you track body awareness throughout the entire rebirth process.

C. Stimulation of muscle motor patterns. This is achieved in two ways: in the first case, the client is asked to perform certain movements or to take a certain posture, in the second, the muscles that are actively working during the birth process are stimulated.

We distinguish between two classes of therapeutic touch: restrictive and stimulating. Constraint touch is aimed at supporting the client, meeting him within his own boundaries. Stimulating - aims to activate the appropriate psychological content associated with the muscles. The essence of touching depends on whether the muscle is hypo- or hyper-reactive the therapist is touching. If the muscle is flaccid, the therapist tries to give the muscle the necessary tone. Stimulation of a hyperreactive muscle, on the contrary, is reduced to stretching it, stroking it. The awakening of the psychological content occurs in this case by releasing the muscle from tension. Any aggressiveness is unacceptable here, only soft movements in the area of tension, retreat and touch again are appropriate.

2.4. Stages of the Rebirth Process

In this section, we set out some provisions based on our knowledge of the birth process, as well as on the statements of our clients when conducting, in total, more than a thousand cases of rebirth.

1. The period immediately before birth. The baby feels that something is about to happen, and then begins to feel that there is less and less space in the uterus. The mother can experience this period as a happy time filled with sensations, on the one hand, of completeness (the end of long months of pregnancy) and, on the other, readiness for the baby to be born, to meet him. Recent studies are convincing that the child himself at the hormonal level triggers the process of childbirth. This means that, ready to be born, he is active from the very beginning in the process of birth, “choosing” to some extent the time of its beginning. Another reason that allows you to treat a child as an active being is the act of feeding through his umbilical cord. We consider the navel to be active in the sense that it takes food from the mother's body. The navel becomes a very important area through which the child receives positive emotions of well-being, comfort, trust - everything that signals the permission of the outside world to enter it.

The main sensation in a normal childbirth at this stage is the feeling that there has already been enough time to prepare, and now is the right moment to be born.

The main complications are events that make the child feel that he is being born prematurely, not being ready. These include complications such as:

• artificial stimulation of labor;
• traumatic situation: war, medical intervention, severe psychological crisis experienced by the mother;
• the child feels that he is ready, the birth process has begun, but the mother does not feel ready, she is alarmed;
• the child feels "if I decide to be born, something terrible will happen."

Somatic activation: the energy layers of the baby's aura and skin are attuned to the sensation of the uterus and maternal energy. The umbilical cord and navel are also activated.

Rebirth approvals:

I have enough time.

I have as much time as it takes.

I will do it when I need it.

In case of birth problems:

Always at the wrong time.

There is never enough time.

I need time.

Don't rush me.

I am not ready.

The task of the therapist during this phase is to exercise patience and restraint while waiting for the client to be finally ready to spontaneously proceed to labor movements. The main statements from therapist to client are: “You have as much time as you need”, “Nobody will force you to be born before you are ready”, “Nothing will happen until you are ready”.

The therapist actively stimulates the areas most associated with birth: the heels, the base of the skull at the back of the head and a small part of the back. As a rule, these are light, soft touches.

The group at this stage forms a “womb”, surrounding the client with a ring and creating an energy field. The mood is restrained and relaxing, not requiring each of the participants to be “fully present”. This part of the process usually takes the longest. The members of the group do not touch the client, unless one of the participants places a hand on his back, between the shoulder blades (it is known that the child touches the walls of the uterus).

There comes a waiting time for the start of the child's spontaneous activity. Normally, this stage lasts about 15 minutes, although it is often shorter or, on the contrary, longer. It may also happen that it will take more than one session before the client is ready, having completed this period, to move on to the final of labor.

Receiving medication through the umbilical cord is often a serious complication of the prenatal period. If these are anesthetics, he may experience a feeling of dying, loss of strength, or complete loss of consciousness. If it is drugs (stimulants), the child will feel poisoned.

In cases where the client reports a feeling of dying or poisoning, one or two fingers should gently stimulate the navel area. Often, the client has a feeling that something unwanted is getting into the stomach. We teach them to push that “something” through their navel or abdominal muscles until they feel they can control their belly. We then invite them to imagine that they are absorbing “good energy” through the touch of the therapist's finger. The experience of absorbing good energy can be very important as it helps the client develop a kind of “belly trust”.

2. Contractions begin. As soon as the contractions of the uterus begin, the child feels a decrease in space. It curls up into a ball, trying to get smaller. Accordingly, a feeling of anxiety grows in him. And yet, although contractions are uncomfortable, the child perceives them as a help at birth.

Basic statements:

I can’t write even less.

I want to go out.

I have to do something.

I have to get out of here.

In case of birth problems:

It too.

No exit.

In children undergoing anesthesia:

This is too much, I disappear.

Complications at the stage of labor are mainly the child's feeling of too much pressure. The reasons may be an incorrect position of the fetus in the uterus or the effects of anesthesia, so the child cannot resist the compression pressure and feels helpless. The mother's cervix may not be open enough and the baby feels trapped. Another problem arises if contractions are interrupted for some reason. The child in this case feels deprived of support at birth.

The task of the group is to create the necessary resistance while the client tries to become smaller. Even if he feels this kind of pressure as unpleasant, the group must express the need to go through this resistance.

The group provides the level of pressure the client expects. Participants place their hands on different parts of the client's body, asking for feedback what pressure is felt to be correct. It should simulate the sensation of a baby inside the womb, in which the “contractions” are the same on all sides. This part of the rebirth process has some technical challenges.

Before the pushing phase, there is a transitional period when the child can no longer get smaller and when he has not yet started actively pushing out. At this moment, the child may feel confusion: the pressure is too strong, it is no longer possible to become less, - what next? Theoretically, at the end of this phase, the child no longer tries to get away from the pressure, squeezing, but begins to actively push, in spite of the contractions. At best, he feels that in this way he can stop the increase in pressure and withstand the contractions without losing the sense of his center. But even under ideal conditions, this period is experienced as a difficult one, plunging the client into a state of confusion, which finds expression in the questions: “What to do next?”, “Where is the top?”, “Where is the bottom?”, “Where am I?”.

Basic statements of this period:

No exit.

I want to get out, but that's not possible.

At this stage, the therapist encourages the client (“You have enough strength, you can do it, mom is here, we want you to be”) and supports him in finding the right direction and the right actions.

3. Stage of pushing out: labor pains. The mother's womb continues to open, and now the baby can begin to break out of there. A powerful "stretch reflex" of the trunk is activated, and for the first time a wave of adrenaline is released into the child's bloodstream. In an optimal delivery, the baby for the first time feels that he is capable of surviving severe pressure. For the first time, he feels his own strength.

Areas of somatic activation include the attachment points of the extensor tendons, especially on the heels, sacrum, and neck. Very often, there is significant tension in the fascia of the shoulder girdle in the muscles that push the shoulders upward.

Basic statements for a healthy birth:

We work together.

It hurts, but I can do it.

I am strong and I will succeed, we will succeed.

Statements in case of birth problems:

I'll have to do it alone.

I will perish if all my strength is used.

At birth with anesthesia:

If I use all my strength, I will have to die.

Caesarean section with anesthesia:

If my strength runs out, someone will solve this problem, someone else will take it upon himself, someone will pull me out of a stressful situation.

Group instruction:

The pushing stage is the most difficult and the most demanding for the group, so a number of important guidelines are needed. Often the client pushes himself incorrectly, possibly because during the actual birth he took the wrong position and could not rely on the work of the “right” muscles to feel his own strength. When performing rebirth, we first give the client a feel for what their actual birth was, then pause the rebirth and give instructions to teach them to push correctly.

Correct ejection position diagram:

With the correct pushing technique, force travels from the heels, up the legs, through the arched back, and up the back to the head. The hardest part is pushing off with your heels, not your toes, and keeping your back right.

For the heels: the client should push off the wall, and the therapist should show the client how to push off with the heels by pushing them against the wall. Sometimes the fascia and tendons, especially in the feet, are so tense that the heels cannot touch the wall surface. In this case, you should place a solid pillow, a piece of wood or something similar against the wall to create support with your heels and allow the client to push off with them.

Back Flexion: The patient often tends to round the back. The therapist or group member should place a hand on the lower back to maintain the curve. This is often repeated several times until the client learns to feel the arch.

Neither heel pressure nor flexion of the back is intuitively felt by most clients, so the therapist acts as a coach to help the up-and-coming “athlete” do things that don't come naturally. As soon as the client achieves the desired result just once, a feeling of light strength appears in the heels, legs and back.

Neck Support: As part of our requirements, the therapist and therapist alone should support the client's head during the push-out phase, as the head is the most fragile part of the body at this stage. It is very important that the back and neck are in one line, and the force is transmitted evenly through the back, and the neck is not squeezed or twisted. It is necessary to check the correct support before starting the pushing phase. This is the responsibility of the therapist.

Once the client has learned to push out, the group begins to create pressure. The pressure should be such that he was forced to move straight, using his strength and not escaping to the side. Group members should stand at the knees, lower and upper back, upper torso, and the therapist at the head. You can use furniture and a wall as a support for group members. The client usually feels the need for strong resistance in order to feel the necessary degree of pressure. If at this stage there are problems, then they consist in the fact that the newborn, rather, does not receive sufficient resistance than feels its strength. It is necessary to maintain feedback with the client about the required degree of pressure.

If the client says “stop” at any time and for any reason, the group should immediately cease its activities (this condition should be stipulated in advance). The atmosphere should remain supportive and the voices of the participants soft. The meaning of the statements boils down to the following: “We want you to be, we want to meet you; I know you are strong and you can use all your strength now; I love you for what you are, not for what you do."

4. Birth. The emergence of a child from the birth canal is most often accompanied by a grandiose sense of freedom and salvation: “I did it!”. The mother in the optimal case also perceives birth with a mixed sense of liberation, working together with the child and the attendants, and with a desire to support her child.

Basic statements for a healthy birth:

If I use all my strength, I will succeed.

I'm strong.

I did it. We did it.

We can do this together.

I can get through a stressful situation.

I can be with others in a stressful situation, I don't have to be alone.

I can use all my strength and be loved.

Statements in case of birth problems:

I will die if I try to get through a stressful situation.

I will be destroyed.

If the child feels that the mother is in danger:

If I use all my strength, I will destroy my world.

When used during this period of anesthesia:

I will be numb at the last moment.

Possible complications in the phase of childbirth are associated, first of all, with his incorrect position - he can move forward with his legs or get tangled in the umbilical cord. Sometimes, for some reason, the birth process is artificially suspended (say, if by the time of delivery the mother is still out of the hospital). In some circumstances, the child may feel that the mother is in danger, even if this is not the case.

Instructions: When you feel the client is fully energized, the group will create a narrow passage for the client's head and neck area to pass through. We can say that the patient creates this passage for himself with such a force that the group is not able to restrain. As soon as the newborn “leaves”, the group begins to firmly stroke it over the entire surface of the body with strong supportive touches, simulating the tactile sensation of passing through the birth canal. At this point, we can return the client to the pushing phase if the client feels that this phase is not complete, or if the therapist sees that the motor patterns are not fully activated. Usually the difficulty is that the patient does not feel enough resistance or may use incorrect motor patterns to avoid group pressure.

5. Acceptance. A newborn is most often tired and very sensitive, so he must be met immediately - using physical contact and verbal reference to him.

After some time, search and sucking reflexes begin to work, and soon the child gets the experience of eating through the mouth, throat and esophagus into the stomach, and not through the umbilical cord. This movement from the center of the abdomen to the mouth is a major change in the direction of energy flow. In addition, the concentration of energy around the "third eye" area is noted, a sign that the child is open to the perception of energies. As the baby begins to breathe, activation of the diameter of the chest and intercostal space (between the second and fourth ribs) is observed.

Basic statements at the stage of birth:

Someone is waiting for me.

I feel together with the people around me: I am a member of a group, I have a sense of achievement.

I experience the world in a new way (I can see, feel, smell, taste, I can breathe).

Statements in case of problems at the stage of birth:

Nobody here is for me.

I'm alone.

The world is a cold place.

When I open my eyes it will hurt.

When I open my mouth to eat, I will choke.

I killed my mother, my strength is terrible (the mother looks dead, as she is exhausted or under anesthesia).

My strength may be enough, but it leads to something terrible.

Typical complications at the stage of birth are associated primarily with conventional medical procedures, which are inherently violent, in particular with medical instrumental intervention. No less importance is attached to the quality of the environment that accepts the child, which may turn out to be in some way hostile towards him, or to the state of the mother who is under anesthesia and is deprived of the opportunity to meet her own baby and contact him.

The member of the group, chosen for the role of mother, holds the “newborn”, touching all his fingers and toes, in order to make sure that the child is all right, everything is in place. She initiates the grasping reflex by placing her fingers in the infant's hands. She should talk to the child, giving him positive messages, such as: “The work is over and you are all right, I will help you, I love you,” etc.

Next, it is important to evoke various reflexes:

a) the Babinsky reflex to make sure that the birth is complete (the patient's reaction will show that his nervous system has regressed to the level of the newborn);

b) search reflex - initiates the child's search for a breast and precedes the stimulation of the sucking reflex when a bottle of food is provided;

c) grasping reflex - activates the ability of the fingers to drag objects to the body and is initiated by putting the fingers into the client's palm and then gradually pulling out the fingers gently;

d) sucking reflex - to open the energy path from the mouth to the stomach.

The conditioned mother, still holding and stimulating the baby, begins to feed him from a bottle filled with warm milk with honey or juice. Encourage the client to feel the movement of fluid all the way to the stomach. We usually held and fed the client until we felt that the energy had gone all the way to pelvic level and the client was no longer thirsty. Next, allow the newborn to open its eyes and look around. There should be several bright objects nearby - let him trace them with his gaze. It is good to have sounding toys (rattles) nearby.

The father, whose presence the group members are aware of during the entire procedure, at this moment must enter and take the child in his arms. This is especially important if the father was not present at the actual birth. Both the father and the mother must confirm the gender of the child by saying "you are a beautiful boy / girl."

Eventually, you will feel that there is a sense of completion, the child begins to grow. When you feel that he has finally grown and feels comfortable, the process of rebirth is indeed complete.

The time is coming for the formal “weaning” of conditional parents from their functions in order to prevent the possibility of transfer. The patient should tell them: "You are no longer my parents, you are now just my friends … (give their names)."

6. Subsequent stage. After the rebirth process, the client's reflex system will remain in a state of change for another two weeks, and the energy system as a whole will also change. At times, the newborn needs to be encouraged to become aware of the activation of certain muscle groups, for example, to learn to walk again. At the same time, the client must adhere to several important rules:

• he should not drive a car for the first two days after his “birth”;
• no sexual contact during the same three days;
• no alcohol for the same three days;
• not work for two days after the rebirth and reduce the length of the working day for the next two weeks;
• daily for a week - half an hour of physical rest.

Integration goals: in cases where the patient had a significant experience of negative experiences during a real birth, it is especially important to focus on it at the end of the birth and in the subsequent period. We dealt with clients who received vivid positive experiences in the process of rebirth itself, which did not leave a trace or even became negative due to the lack of subsequent integration of the experience gained.

Within two months after rebirth, all regressive therapeutic work is completely ruled out. All forces focus only on the integration of the problems that surfaced in the process of rebirth. In our opinion, if individual problems of existence during the period of integration have not finally cleared up, this may mean that the process of rebirth was somewhat incomplete, or that the problem of intrauterine development or conception needs additional study. In bodynamics, in this case, the long-term goal is to "go back", go through character structures and integrate new resources gained from previous work.

Conclusion

In this article, we described the basic conditions necessary for the process of rebirth, as well as the methods and psychological content of its stages. We indicated that the main goal of the bodynamic method is to create a new experience (imprint) of birth, so that the patient re-experienced this most important life milestone as it should have been. We emphasize that this is something more than just psychological imprinting: a new imprint of the experienced experience is created when the patient's somatic motor reflex systems are activated. In our opinion, the activation of reflex systems is a necessary condition for a fully completed birth. We believe that if the reflex system is properly completed in a psychologically supportive environment, then the client no longer needs to be reborn.

However, I would like to emphasize that birth is an unusually complex physical, psychological and social event, and we believe that our method, through careful preparation and use of specific knowledge about bodily processes in a psychological context, has the necessary strength. We insist on taking precautions when applying rebirth techniques, and even more so on appropriate training, as extensive and lengthy as necessary. The unprofessional preparation or conduct of the rebirth process is potentially dangerous, while properly carried out can profoundly change the lives of everyone involved.

Translation by T. N. Tarasova

Scientific edition of E. S. Mazur