Taking Back Birth: De/Medicalization and the Rhetoric of the Santa Cruz Birth Center

Zwier, Robin Kanak

doi:10.1080/10570314.2019.1647348

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Certainly, in many cases, obstetric interventions reduce suffering and mortality of the mother and her offspring. While promoting physiologic birth and reducing the unscheduled cesarean rate is now a public health priority (see updated clinical guidelines of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists), childbirth is still broadly documented as one of the most medicalized practices in industrialized countries (Zwier, 2019), and medical interventions during birth continue to rise (Kissler et al, 2020).…”

Section: Barriers To Birthing Consciousnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Birthing as an experience of awe: Birthing consciousness and its long-term positive effects.

Dahan¹

2023

Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology

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Awe is a complex experience usually followed by various physiological, psychological, and social benefits, thus improving well-being. This theoretical article highlights a, yet unexploited naturally occurring potential for facilitating and promoting well-being: experiencing awe during physiological birth. The key is to enter into "birthing consciousness," a unique psychophysical altered state of women that often occurs during physiological birth, similar to other altered states of consciousness triggered by reduced prefrontal cortex function. This state supports a healthy birth and positive postpartum mental health. Birthing is a novel example of a natural and intense awe experience combining all three types of generators of awe: physical, social, and cognitive. Thus, in addition to the particular benefits for women and their offspring, this novel example of experiencing awe in birthing, may serve in future studies to address more complex dimensions of the phenomenon of awe in promoting well-being. Public Significance StatementThis study endorses the idea that birthing consciousness, a unique psychophysical altered state that birthing women often enter into during physiological birth, advances a self-transcendent sensation of awe. Experiencing awe during birthing empowers women, thus promoting well-being in the challenging postpartum period. Unfortunately, modern birth settings are often barriers to birthing with awe-and many women experience childbirth as traumatic.

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Section: Barriers To Birthing Consciousnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Birthing as an experience of awe: Birthing consciousness and its long-term positive effects.

Dahan¹

2023

Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology

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“…Thus, I maintain that the existence of polar extremes of the birth experience, with opposite sensations and consequences, calls for investigation using consciousness studies tools. 2 3. Set and setting as an explanation for the extreme ends of altered states of consciousness experiences Since Leary et al (44) coined the concept "set and setting, " it has become a fundamental concept in psychedelic research.…”

Section: The Polar Extremes Of Childbirth Experiencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In spite of the many advances in the field of modern obstetrics, childbirth has become more dangerous to women in the Western world—because of the increase in highly medicalized birth ( 1 , 2 ). Practices that were originally lifesaving became standard practices.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigating intensive altered states of consciousness: How can the set and setting key parameters promote the science of human birth?

Dahan

2023

Front. Psychiatry

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The subjective childbirth experience is crucial from a public health standpoint. There is a correlation between a negative childbirth experience and a poor mental state after birth, with effects that go far beyond the postpartum (PP) period. This paper offers a new approach as to how birthing experiences, and birth in general, can be navigated. The theory of set and setting proves that psychedelic experiences are shaped, first and foremost, by the mindset of an individual entering a psychedelic experience (set) and by the surroundings in which the experience happens (setting). In research on altered states of consciousness during psychedelic experiences, this theory explains how the same substance can lead to a positive and life-changing experience or to a traumatic and frightening experience. Because recent studies suggest that birthing women enter an altered state of consciousness during physiological birth (“birthing consciousness”), I suggest analyzing the typical modern birthing experience in terms of set and setting theory. I argue that the set and setting key parameters can help design, navigate, and explain many psychological and physiological elements of the human birth process. Thus, an operative conclusion that emerges from the theoretical analysis presented in this paper is that framing and characterizing the birth environment and birth preparations in terms of set and setting is a central tool that could be used to promote physiological births as well as subjective positive birthing experiences, which is currently a primary, yet unreached goal, in modern obstetrics and public health.

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The case of poor postpartum mental health: a consequence of an evolutionary mismatch – not of an evolutionary trade-off

Dahan¹

2023

Biol Philos

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Taking Back Birth: De/Medicalization and the Rhetoric of the Santa Cruz Birth Center

Cited by 9 publications

References 23 publications

Birthing as an experience of awe: Birthing consciousness and its long-term positive effects.

Birthing as an experience of awe: Birthing consciousness and its long-term positive effects.

Navigating intensive altered states of consciousness: How can the set and setting key parameters promote the science of human birth?

The case of poor postpartum mental health: a consequence of an evolutionary mismatch – not of an evolutionary trade-off

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