All About Tokophobia, the Fear of Childbirth, and How to Overcome it with Psychological Therapy & Counselling

What Is Tokophobia?  |  Tokophobia Symptoms  |  Therapy for Tokophobia

What is Tokophobia?

Tokophobia is the Fear of Childbirth and, like all other fears and phobias, can cause significant anxiety and stress if you suffer from it.

It is a relatively common phobia in mothers-to-be and much less so for mothers with experience of having children, although traumatic birth experiences could easily lead to aversion in the future.

There may be a number of reasons why you developed Tokophobia, for example:

• You may have been told numerous ‘horror’ stories about childbirth by relatives or friends.
• You might have picked-up the fear of childbirth from a parent who suffered from it as a form of ‘learned-behaviour’.
• You may have direct experience of a difficult birth and not wish to experience it again (although this might be quite rational!).

Although phobias are often described as ‘disorders’, there is no valid scientific evidence that Tokophobia is the result of any kind of biological fault or chemical imbalance as proposed in the biomedical models of mental illness.

On the contrary, Tokophobia is much more likely to be the result of your own, subjective evaluation (what you think your experiences mean) of what happened to you and is therefore better described as a psychosocial symptom.

Tokophobia Symptoms & Behaviours

All phobias, including Tokophobia, create feelings of anxiety because phobic objects or situations are always perceived as a threat.

Consequently, the symptoms of Tokophobia are both specific and generic and may include:

• Extreme anxiety or panic attacks when thinking about pregnancy or childbirth.
• Avoiding sex or intimacy due to the fear of becoming pregnant.
• Fear of hospitals, medical procedures, or doctors related to pregnancy and childbirth.
• Intrusive thoughts or nightmares related to pregnancy or childbirth.
• Avoiding discussions about pregnancy or childbirth.
• Physical symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, or trembling when faced with pregnancy-related stimuli.
• Depression, irritability, or other mood changes related to the fear of pregnancy and childbirth.
• Excessive concern with birth control methods or taking multiple precautions to avoid pregnancy.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after a previous traumatic childbirth experience.

Moreover, you may have all, some or even different symptoms to these listed here and this is due to the subjective nature of Tokophobia.

Furthermore, you should also be aware that many of these somatic symptoms (symptoms felt in the body) listed above WILL subside over time and rarely last for more than 20 to 30 minutes.

What Causes Tokophobia?

it is likely that your Tokophobia is the result of either traumatic experiences or adverse situations that you experienced at some point in your life.

You may, for example, have been told how difficult or painful childbirth is from well-meaning relatives leaving you fearful of becoming pregnant.

What’s more, because the Fear of Childbirth has never been linked to any biological factors, the most likely explanation for your Tokophobia is the way that you understood and made sense of your earlier experiences.

Counselling and Therapy for Tokophobia

We can offer you a number of different types of therapy and counselling for your Tokophobia the Fear of Childbirth.

Choosing the most suitable therapy depends on a number of different considerations including factors such as:

• How long you have had your phobia.
• Your personal preferences.
• How your phobia is affecting you today.

You can read more about the different types of therapy for Tokophobia on the following links:

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Tokophobia
• Counselling for Tokophobia
• Pluralistic Therapy for the Fear of Childbirth

Although all forms of psychotherapy use slightly different approaches, the one thing they all have in common is the relationship that is formed between the client and therapist.

Furthermore, research also suggests that the therapy relationship may be the most important factor in achieving a good therapy outcome.

Could Reality Therapy Be Right For You?

Reality Therapy is an approach which argues that your Tokophobia, the fear of childbirth, is a product of the way that you think internally and not the result of any kind of external influence.

It also argues that any past experiences which you may believe are the cause of your phobia, are no longer influential because those situations are no longer happening and therefore do not exist.

By teaching you how to take responsibility for the way that you feel, Reality Therapy can help you to stop creating the anxiety and stress associated with your phobic trigger as well as significantly improve the sense of control you have over the trajectory of your life going forward.

Arrange your FREE initial consultation here.

If you’d like to find out more about overcoming Tokophobia or recovering from related mental health problems then why not arrange a free initial consultation with us.

During this consultation we will discuss your particular phobia and the different types of mental health counselling we offer without you having to commit to any counselling going forward.

The consultation lasts around 50 minutes and is a great opportunity to meet with either Paul or Joan and decide if you would like to proceed with any support.