Post-traumatic stress disorder managed successfully with hypnosis and the rewind technique: two cases in obstetric patients

• Anaesthetic management of two patients who developed post-traumatic stress disorder after previous deliveries is discussed.
• Hypnosis was successfully used in both patients.
• The rewind technique was used successfully in one patient.
• Both patients had positive birth experiences without the psychological sequelae of previous pregnancies.

Two obstetric patients presenting with post-traumatic stress disorder in the antenatal period are discussed. The first patient had previously had an unexpected stillborn delivered by emergency caesarean section under general anaesthesia. She developed post-traumatic stress disorder and presented for repeat caesarean section in her subsequent pregnancy, suffering flashbacks and severe anxiety. Following antenatal preparation with hypnosis and a psychological method called the rewind technique, she had a repeat caesarean section under spinal anaesthesia, successfully managing her anxiety. The second patient suffered post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms after developing puerperal psychosis during the birth of her first child. Before the birth of her second child, she was taught self-hypnosis, which she used during labour in which she had an uneventful water birth. These cases illustrate the potential value of hypnosis and alternative psychological approaches in managing women with severe antenatal anxiety.