The birth of a child is usually a wonderful thing for the new parents. For the first few days, they sit on the imaginary pink cloud and enjoy the new baby to the full. For many parents, this is what they remember when they think back to the birth of their child. But this is not always the case. According to the Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis in Amsterdam, more than 1 in 5 women struggle with unpleasant memories of childbirth. The time after giving birth looks different for them.

What is childbirth trauma?

Not every birth goes as smoothly as many mothers-to-be would like to hope. Trauma does not necessarily mean that you have to deal with extreme experiences that endanger your life. It can also mean that you experience something unpleasant and that this event is difficult to forget. For example, a woman may be in extreme pain or lose blood during childbirth. This can leave such a deep impression that it is difficult to enjoy the child and its surroundings during the first period after birth.

PTSD from childbirth trauma

The best known characteristic of a trauma is that the memory keeps returning. You cannot come to terms with it, because in this case the violent birth is played over and over again in your mind like a film. This can have all kinds of consequences, such as a feeling of dejection or depression. If the symptoms are still present after four weeks, this is called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If you have PTSD, it usually means that you are hindered in your daily life. This is very difficult for mothers, because they cannot enjoy their child to the full and it also hinders the bonding between mother and child. Because this is very important for the child, treatment is recommended as soon as possible after the birth.

Can EMDR therapy help with childbirth trauma?

EMDR therapy is known to be very successful in reprogramming traumatic experiences. The event is then given a place and no longer has an impeding effect on daily life. In practice it turns out that EMDR therapy can actually contribute to a recovery from PTSD.

How does EMDR therapy after childbirth trauma work?

During an EMDR session, you will have to visualise the traumatic birth in your mind. During the session you have to relive everything you felt and thought at that moment, which is played over and over again in your head. The intention is that during the reliving you are distracted by the therapist. Usually the distraction takes place by a hand gesture or a sound signal. At that moment your thoughts are no longer on the traumatic birth and the working memory is activated to place the memory back in the memory. In this way the birth is given a place and you will look at it with less emotion and the event will no longer have any influence on your daily life.

How many EMDR sessions do you have to undergo?

EMDR therapy is a very successful treatment. How exactly EMDR works in the brain is still being researched by science. However, there is a consensus among scientists that EMDR works. How many EMDR sessions you need depends on the person and the situation. Some women have more difficulty coping with a violent birth. Most women will experience considerable progress after three to four EMDR sessions. The most important thing is that the memory of the trauma is processed in such a way that it no longer affects daily life.

Deal with childbirth trauma with modern EMDR tools

Nowadays, you don't always have to go to the therapist for an EMDR session. Psylaris uses modern techniques for the tools they develop. For example, EMDR using virtual reality. Because you are very intensely distracted with VR glasses, the therapy has a better effect. You will forget the unpleasant memories of the birth much easier and faster. An EMDR treatment through VR can be given at the practitioner's office or at home.

It goes without saying that you cannot leave home immediately after a difficult birth. By means of EMDR-Remote it is possible to receive EMDR at home. This is an online platform developed by Psylaris, where you can receive EMDR by video call. The practitioner has various digital possibilities to distract you. With remote EMDR, you can attend a session more frequently and the traumatic birth will be processed more quickly.