Childbirth as re-birth of the mother: A psychological model of training for childbirth by the Gestalt therapy approach.

250 pregnant women (aged 16–35 yrs) were divided into 3 groups: an experimental group trained in a Gestalt therapy approach to childbirth, a group trained in respiratory autogenic training (RA), and a no-training group. The average duration of labor of the experimental group was 4 hrs less than the no-training group and 2 hrs less than the RA group. Gestalt Ss' perception of self during labor was more positive than that of Ss in the other groups. Gestalt therapy provides a frame of theoretical-practical reference in which childbirth is understandable as a function of personal growth. Birth, like every contact experience, can be divided into 4 phases: fore-contact, contact, final contact, and postcontact (F. Perls, 1951). In birth, the mother has the opportunity to relive her own birth in a more adult, more active, and therefore less traumatic manner.