Tokophobia – Fear of Childbirth

Tokophobia is the Fear of Childbirth and is a relatively common phobia which we are consulted for numerous times per year.

Tokophobia seems to be most commonly associated with ‘horror’ stories about how ‘traumatic’ giving birth is, usually by parents or friends who have had personally difficult birth experiences themselves.

As with most phobias the imagined experience is often much worse than the actual experience.

All phobias, regardless of what the feared object or circumstances are, produce feelings of anxiety and stress for the sufferer, and Tokophobia is no different in this sense.

Whilst the feared object or situation may seem, to other people, to be ‘ridiculous’ or ‘silly’, the person who suffers from Tokophobia knows only too well that the anxious feelings they experience are real enough.

We completely understand this and will treat you and your Tokophobia seriously.

Our minds are more than capable of producing real biological reactions to any given situation and so as long as the Tokophobia sufferer believes that the object or situation they fear represents a threat to them, then they will experience real fear, anxiety and stress.

Much of the work we do in helping people overcome Tokophobia focuses on the evaluation and modification of a person’s core limiting beliefs and values so that exposure to the phobic trigger can be evaluated or perceived differently and given new and more useful ‘meanings’ – known as ‘adaptive coping’.

Most people suffering from Tokophobia do recognise that their phobia is irrational but continue to experience it regardless of this knowledge.

This is why simply being told to “snap out of it” by well meaning friends rarely produces a good outcome!

Tokophobia Symptoms

The symptoms of Tokophobia are very similar to other specific phobias and will often include:

• Anger problems
• Generalised Anxiety
• Social anxiety
• Control issues
• Feelings of depression
• Insomnia & sleeping problems
• Low Self-Esteem
• Low Self-Confidence
• Panic attacks
• Overthinking things
• Paranoia
• Stress

Tokophobia symptoms tend to be automatic leaving the sufferer feeling like they have little or no control over the way they feel.

This often results in the use of avoidance or safety behaviours in an attempt to prevent exposure to what they consider to be the triggering events.

Unfortunately, safety behaviours tend to produce a paradoxical effect and end up reinforcing the phobia and associated distress rather than making things better.

Tokophobia may be the result of earlier traumatic experiences that can be directly (or indirectly) linked to the object or situational fear, but this is not always the case because phobic responses can also be inherited as learned behaviours from the social context in which they were brought up.

Over time, Tokophobia may have become normalised or accepted as part of a person’s life and where this has been the case, sufferers may not seek help for their problem for many years as they have learnt to live with it.

In just as many cases, however, Tokophobia may become much worse and start to get in the way of normal living. This is particularly true if the safety and avoidance behaviours have grown in frequency and sophistication.

The good news is that the majority of people who suffer from Tokophobia will find a course of psychotherapy highly beneficial.

You can read more about the different types of psychological therapy for the fear of Childbirth below.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Tokophobia

If you’re determined to overcome your Tokophobia then we highly recommend following our Tranceformental CBT programme with Paul which is available as an Online Therapy as well as a self-help course.

The Tranceformental programme is a highly successful & pragmatic psychotherapy course, run over 10 sessions, that will teach you everything you need to know to understand your problem, identify any unhelpful thinking styles or limiting beliefs and then show you how to make changes using methods derived from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

Tranceformental CBT programme is a clinically proven approach used by mental health practitioners around the World.

Teach Yourself CBT and Overcome Tokophobia Problems for only £149!

Our online CBT course has been designed to teach you the fundamental tools and techniques of clinically proven Cognitive Behavioural Therapy without having to see a therapist.

Structured over TEN, in-depth modules, this self-managed course will teach you everything you need to know to change the way you think about and experience your problems without having to visit a therapist.

Click Self-Help CBT to find out more.

Alternative Psychological Approaches for Tokophobia

Although our preferred form of psychological therapy for Tokophobia is Tranceformental CBT, we also offer alternative psychotherapies for those who might prefer a different approach.

These include:

Psychodynamic therapy which focuses on understanding why the problem has arisen and relies on the therapy relationship to bring about change. Available with Paul.

Counselling which is less formally structured than CBT but still provides a safe and non-judgmental environment in which to discuss issues. Talking problems through with a skilled counsellor is often therapeutic in its own right.

Hypnotherapy is an alternative form of psychotherapy that can be applied to a very wide range of problems and is available with Joan.

Free Initial Consultations for Tokophobia

We offer all prospective clients FREE initial consultations to discuss your Tokophobia problems prior to commencing any therapy programmes.

The consultation and lasts around 50 minutes.

During this consultation we will discuss the various psychological therapy options that are available to you and make a considered recommendation based on your individual personal circumstances.

Initial consultations are also available online.

At Tranceform Psychology we recognise the importance of the therapy relationship in helping people to bring about effective change, so it is important to meet (either face-to-face or online) before deciding to follow a course of psychotherapy.

Our policy is to help people make a fully balanced & considered decision about undertaking work with us, including both the financial and personal implications.