Therapy for Birth Trauma
If you have been on edge ever since your birth experience - If you do anything and everything to avoid intrusive memories of your birth,
OR
when you are exposed to a memory, you feel so overwhelmed in your body that it feels like the bad thing is happening right now, and you have no shortage of negative thoughts about yourself and a shrinking trust that things will ever feel different, you may have experienced a birth trauma.
It’s estimated that birth trauma occurs for 33% of birthing people (and 25% for partners) and it is not necessarily tied to medical outcomes (i.e., just because everyone survived does not mean everything is OK.). You don’t need to have full blown PTSD to be having a rough time of it, and the good news is that trauma is highly treatable!
Common Symptoms of Birth Trauma May Include Emotional/Psychological Symptoms Such As:
Intrusive memories of the birth
Flashbacks or feeling like you’re reliving the experience
Nightmares about the birth or hospital
Intense distress when reminded of the birth (medical settings, certain words, smells, etc.)
Feelings of fear, helplessness, or horror
Persistent sadness, anger, or guilt
Feeling detached from the baby, partner, or others
Numbness or difficulty feeling positive emotions
Common Symptoms of Birth Trauma May Include Physical/Behavioral Symptoms Such As:
Panic attacks
Sleep disturbances (insomnia, nightmares, restless sleep)
Avoidance of reminders of the birth (hospitals, doctors, conversations about birth)
Avoiding future pregnancies due to fear
Startle response (feeling jumpy or overly reactive to noise or touch)
Irritability or anger outbursts
Loss of appetite or digestive issues
Common Symptoms of Birth Trauma May Include Cognitive Symptoms Such As:
Difficulty concentrating
Racing thoughts
Negative beliefs like “I’m not safe,” “My baby isn’t safe,” or “My body failed me”
How Does Therapy Help With Birth Trauma?
1. By restoring a sense of safety and control. Before anything else, we help you to find ways to soothe your nervous system. We facilitate this until you can do it yourself by way of pacing, offering specific tools and exercises, and providing education about trauma. We also consider the therapeutic relationship a part of this toolkit as we are aware that processing your trauma is intimidating and scary and we serve as a safe harbor of doing so. Soothing the nervous system helps reduce hypervigilance, fear, and body-based stress responses.
2. By processing the traumatic experience safely. Through evidence-based practices such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and EMDR* we help you to move through your story while attaching to it a different response. This helps reduce flashbacks, intrusive memories, and emotional distress tied to the birth.
3. By reducing distress and self-blame connected to disordered thoughts. Through the therapeutic process, clients often start to hear their repetitive negative and critical thoughts and can start to detach themselves from them. Clients often come to new conclusions and beliefs such as “I am amazing for getting through something so tough” and “I am a good mother.” (If you can’t imagine this, that’s okay. Neither did the people who came through it before you. We are happy to hold the hope for you until you find it yourself).
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Birth trauma refers to emotional or psychological distress following a birth experience that felt frightening, overwhelming, or unsafe—regardless of whether medical complications occurred.
-
Yes. Symptoms such as flashbacks, anxiety, or emotional numbness often appear weeks or months later and can be triggered by things you may not be aware of (for example, a specific smell, a song playing in the background, or even time of day). What’s most important is that you can ask for help as soon as you are aware that symptoms of birth trauma are present. You only have the now.
-
No. We go at your pace. While some people want to share immediately, for others this can ‘flood” the system keeping you in a loop of nervous system activation. We always start by establishing a trusted relationship and facilitating grounding exercises. We take care to help you track what’s happening in your body while thinking about and/or talking about any aspect of your experience. Our goal is to have you tell your story without getting overwhelmed, and to help you place the memory where it belongs in your personal history.
-
We do not accept insurance and are considered out-of-network providers. Go here for more information on this and fee-related information.