Sensitivity Training during Pregnancy: Key to Bonding and Possible Prevention of Neurosis of the Child?: Sensitivity Training during Pregnancy: Key to Bonding and Possible Prevention of Neurosis of the Child?

The prime importance of the quality of mother-child bonding has been known for many years among psychotherapists; however, this is not common knowledge for most mothers-to-be. Thus a pregnant client is a chance and a challenge for a body psychotherapist: 1.We can assist the mother-to-be to form a deep bonding with the baby before birth already by educating her about the neurobiological changes occurring during pregnancy and the expected degree of development of the infant at birth. 2. We can offer special awareness exercises (described here in detail) which improve perception of all senses (seeing, hearing, touching and smelling) and thus sharpen the mother-to-be’s sensitivity for her environment, especially for the signals the baby will send out. The work described here aims to help the pregnant client to tune into the body language of the baby as a prerequisite for a deep and loving bonding. It could also be a preventive measure for a later neurosis of the child. Two short case vignettes will illustrate the approach. notReviewed publishedVersion