Obstetrics and Gynecology Specialist Op. Dr. İnci Uslu Çavuşoğlu was the guest of the “Clinical Hypnosis Talks” program jointly organized by Üsküdar Üniversitesi Traditional and Complementary Medicine Application and Research Center (GETİPMER) and Üsküdar Üniversitesi Continuous Education, Research and Application Center (ÜSEM).
In the program held via Zoom, Çavuşoğlu provided information on the topic of “Prenatal Psychology, Birth, and Hypnosis.”
“We are differentiating cognitively”
Defining developmental psychology, Çavuşoğlu said: “Developmental psychology refers to age-related, sequential changes observed throughout the lifespan, from fertilization to death. I want to draw attention to a few things here. Our reference point starts from fertilization. It addresses development and changes from fertilization onwards. We differentiate cognitively. Accumulation of knowledge, we also differentiate emotionally. The point I want to make is personality. We see personality as a changeable factor. In other words, a person is no longer the same at seventy as they were at seven. With personality developments, especially with serious traumas in life or psychotherapeutic or hypnotherapeutic interventions from outside, we know that personality can now change.”
“Even economists emphasize these first 1000 days”
Stating that there is a concept called the first 1000 days of life, Çavuşoğlu said, “This is an area covering the first two years from fertilization. This is a concept currently brought to pediatricians specifically. In the Dublin 2014 global report, it is stated that these first 1000 days are very important, and this report also highlights both physiological deficiencies in terms of biological micronutrients and, in the subtexts, especially psychological deficiencies. A report was published stating that if the deficiencies in this period are not addressed, they will lead to lifelong mental and physical problems, and that the first 1000 days should be given special importance. Interestingly, there is a Copenhagen Consensus published by a Nobel laureate economist in 2008. In it, it says: if you want to minimize lifelong healthcare expenditures, you need to focus on these first 1000 days and eliminate the deficiencies within them. Even economists emphasize these first 1000 days. Therefore, the womb is truly very important.”
“The process in the womb is very blurry”
Defining perinatal psychology, Çavuşoğlu stated: “It is a branch of developmental psychology that examines the baby's experiences and their effects in the womb, at the moment of birth, and immediately after birth. The current general consensus among scientists is that perinatal experiences will have more or less an impact on future psychological development. The process in the womb, however, is very blurry. However, recent neurobiological studies show that the baby also has a certain degree of perceptual capacity during this period. The idea that the fetus is completely isolated from the external environment has now been entirely abandoned, and it has been revealed that functions such as behavior, perception, and learning begin before birth, in the womb.”
“As pregnancy progresses, the baby is perceived and loved as an independent object for the expectant mother”
Addressing the topic of prenatal bonding, Çavuşoğlu said: “Deutch, Bibring, and Benedeck, three female psychoanalysts, developed the Prenatal Attachment Theory by working with pregnant women. As pregnancy progresses, the baby is perceived and loved by the expectant mother both as an extension of herself and as an independent object. The finding that mothers who lose their babies during birth experience the same deep sorrow, whether they had physical contact with their babies or not, indicates that bonding occurs even without physical contact.”
“Like the brain, the genome is also dynamic”
Speaking about epigenetics, Çavuşoğlu said: “Like the brain, the genome is also dynamic, and every event we encounter throughout life, starting from before birth in interaction with the environment, has an effect on our behavior, personality, and the psychological disorders we develop. It is understood that changes in gene expression patterns play an important role in this effect of experiences. Another exciting aspect of studies in this field is that changes in gene expression patterns can be reversible. Epigenetics is a term used to describe different processes that lead to long-term changes in gene expression, meaning altering the genetic code or DNA base sequence.”
“Pain perception can be alleviated at different levels with hypnosis techniques”
Addressing the topic of hypnosis, Çavuşoğlu stated: “It is an action or procedure designed to achieve or resulting in changes in another person's feelings, emotions, thoughts, memory, or behaviors at the level of consciousness and awareness through suggestion. With hypnosis techniques, pain perception can be alleviated at different levels, pain coping skills can be increased, anxiety can be prevented and treated, subconscious motives and problems can be revealed, psychosomatic problems can be resolved, and with its use in pregnancy, the future mother-baby relationship can be improved, and the foundations for the baby's healthy psychological infrastructure can be laid.”