Fertile Body Method: A Practitioner's Manual

"The Fertile Body Method" combines hypnosis and other mind-body approaches to help identify and address the mental, emotional and physical factors which affect fertility and reduce the negative effects of infertility. This book is a manual for health practitioners and contains the six stages of the 'Fertile Body Method', which can be used to study, understand and work with all the different aspects of fertility problems. This manual includes a structured therapeutic framework as well as a step-by-step guide for treatment. It is packed with tips, suggestions, tools and techniques which will provide practitioners with practical ways of working with each stage of treatment. The lively case history examples illustrate some of the ways that this therapeutic framework can be put into practice. The six stages of the Fertile Body Method are: Outcome: determines the desired outcome for the hypnotherapy treatment. This includes setting the goal, gathering information, and determining the best possible course for treatment; Balance: addresses the client's current mental, emotional and physical state by restoring balance to internal and external factors which may be affecting overall well-being; Resolve: addresses any unresolved issues that may be preventing the couple from becoming parents such as fears, resolving past traumas, or dealing with sexual or relationship issues; and, Enhance: works specifically with the conscious and unconscious mind to enhancing fertility. This is predominantly achieved through visualisation, guided imagery and mental rehearsal; Prepare: could be for pregnancy, birth or parenthood. It also includes mental, emotional and physical preparation for any medical treatments like IVF. It also includes 'Support': aims to support the client and help maintain the changes that they have made. This could be working with the client if: conception does not occur, the pregnancy results in miscarriage, IVF fails or a healthy pregnancy ensues. The book is primarily aimed at hypnotherapists and mental health practitioners who work with, or are interested in working with hypnosis and mind-body approaches for fertility. It is also valuable for other health practitioners wanting to learn more about the mind-body relationship and how we can use the mind to enhance fertility. This book is suitable for those who are new to the field of fertility and mind-body medicine as well as the more experienced practitioner who is looking to add to their skills and knowledge. Includes a free CD of resources which contains scripts, questionnaires, self help tools, diagrams, charts and explanation leaflets for clients.