When you are upset and hurting, a heart-to-heart talk with a close friend can do a world of good. Unfortunately, if you are dealing with fertility issues you might feel that there is no one who can understand what you are experiencing.
For this reason, many turn to support groups. RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association reveals four key benefits of joining a support group.
- Decreased sense of isolation
- Freedom to express negative feelings
- Learning to develop effective coping skills
- Enhanced self-esteem
Most people don’t realize the amount of stress a couple faces when they receive an infertility diagnosis. It’s so much stress that the American Association for Marriage and Therapy calls the inability to conceive a child or carry a pregnancy to full term, “one of the most severe crises that a person or couple may ever face and presents a tremendous physical, emotional and financial challenge.”
Support groups can be extremely helpful for those living with fertility issues, yet more women are looking for a holistic approach.
By treating the whole person — the mind, body and spirit — clinical studies have shown women cultivate peace of mind, a greater sense of control and a reduction in stress. And, according to the National Institutes of Health, (NIH) chronic stress can have a number of negative influences on your body. With chronic stress, “your immunity is lowered and your digestive, excretory and reproductive systems stop working normally.”
Just like a support group, a mind-body fertility program lets couples experience the power of community. The social support is fundamental to the healing process since women can offer each other compassion, friendship and understanding.
But a mind-body program for fertility goes beyond just providing support. This type of program uses scientifically research-based methods that teach:
- Cognitive restructuring to replace negative thoughts with positive ones
- Assertiveness training and effective communication skills to enhance self-esteem
- The art of self-nurturing
- Yoga for fertility
- Good lifestyle habits, which can have an impact on fertility
- Stress management and coping skills
Mind-body programs for fertility are for any woman who is struggling to get pregnant at any phase of the treatment cycle. This comprehensive program was designed to be in collaboration with doctors to integrate modern medicine with mind-body methods and according to a federally funded Johnson & Johnson study, this program increases the chances of conception by 55%.
Alice Domar, PhD who has done extensive research on women, stress and infertility says, “If this program was a pill, every infertility patient in the country would be taking it.”
The ten-week mind-body fertility program invites partners to participate in three of the sessions. These sessions include; the first session, which gives an overview and reviews the relationship between stress and fertility and mind/body techniques, the seventh session, which is a six-hour day of rejuvenation and reconnection for the couple and the ninth session, which provides a support group for men.
Click here to learn more about the significant benefits of the Calm Waters Mind/Body Program for Fertility.
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