Birth as an Ecstatic / Orgasmic & Spiritual Experience

Yes, you read that correctly 🙂 

To begin with, let’s pause and ponder, has there ever been a more taboo subject? 

Probably not. 

This is why I’ve been looking forward to writing this blog, as it’s something the majority of women haven’t even heard of yet, or if they have, they are keeping it to themselves. 

Learning about the relationship between pleasure and giving birth during pregnancy can be immensely transformative to how you approach your birth, and is one of nature’s best-kept secrets! I love the concept of birth as empowering and enjoyable, and for these aspects to be the benchmark for women during pregnancy. Knowing that an enjoyable birth is possible, can shift our mental narrative away from birth as something to be feared, into something we can be in awe of, and even look forward to. 

Where it’s likely that most people will either roll their eyes in disbelief at the mention of ecstatic births or recoil in embarrassment at the thought of it, there’s another group of people who will go ‘oooh, ok, I like the sound of this, I’ll have what she’s having, please!’. That was definitely the category I arrived in when I first became aware of ecstatic birth as a potential outcome

So what exactly is an ecstatic birth? 

Well, an ecstatic or orgasmic birth are terms used interchangeably to describe a childbirth experience perceived as intensely pleasurable, where instead of birth feeling painful, the focus shifts to birth being an empowering experience where the pain/pleasure paradox is at play. Some women describe reaching orgasm in the latent (second) phase of active labour, but not all ecstatic birth means climaxing. Ecstatic birth is also described as having waves of intensity and heightened pleasure that are sensuous and spiritual all at once. It is an experience of birth that transcends a normal state; offering both a physical and spiritual transformation, producing lasting sensations of joy, excitement and happiness. It can be both an emotional and physical experience, and an orgasm can potentially be available to you, if you would so choose it. But feeling euphoric may be enough for most people!

I know that when I shared with a few close parent-friends that my first birth had been pleasurable in parts, I was very much alone, and for that reason I didn’t feel I could openly talk about it, because it’s not the norm. In fact, my experience was far from anything anyone I knew had gone through with their births. So, my revelation definitely caused a fair bit of amusement, intrigue and ‘whaaat???’ amongst my closest girlfriends.

Birth as a euphoric and ecstatic experience as a movement came to prominence in 2008 with the release of the documentary, Orgasmic Birth: The Best-ept Secret by Debra Pascali-Bonaro. The documentary is fascinating, following the story of 11 couples, and their ecstatic birth journeys, and as Christiane Northrup, MD & bestselling author comments: "Watch this film and get in on the world's best-kept secret: labour and birth can be pleasurable- even ecstatic. Pleasurable birth creates a positive foundation for a lifetime." 

The importance of openness

If you’re someone who can be open to this idea of birth and explore it without any shame or stigma attached, you should be able to relax and surrender to the birth process more easily, and have a much better chance of experiencing it for yourself. But most importantly, rather than viewing birth sensations as pain, your mind can learn to reframe pain or discomfort, and begin to view the body and baby working harmoniously, creating these sensations together, both simply doing their jobs. This mindset helps to eliminate fear of the unknown, which is most women’s biggest challenge, allowing the body to surrender into a beautiful, relaxed state, which is the prime condition needed for birth to unfold in this manner.

Consider the hormones that are released when making love. These are characterised by a release of endorphins that are natural chemicals produced by the body that act as painkillers and mood enhancers. They are part of the body’s endogenous opioid system, meaning they’re made internally and work similarly to opioids like morphine—but without the side effects or risks. Another major hormone is Oxytocin, the love and bonding hormone we release when making love or enjoying a piece of our favourite chocolate. Both these hormones are also released during a natural birth process, to varying degrees based on the mothers’ physical and mental state, and the release of Endorphins and Oxytocin lead to feelings of euphoria and a deep connection with the baby. 

The more I learnt about the physiology of birth and the hormones released by our bodies during birth, and realised that they are the same ones that we release when making love, the more of a no- brainer it became that an ecstatic birth was well within my reach. The truth is that this experience can be cultivated through being open to it, and through practices that promote relaxation, surrender, and connection with the body's natural birthing instincts.  

Ecstatic Birth as a Movement

I first learnt about this movement in 2019 before the birth of my first son, and for me, it helped enormously to reshape my perspective of birth, and definitely contributed to my euphoric first birth. It can be challenging to override ingrained, fearful belief systems that the conscious mind holds to be true, but one powerful method is learning the art of self-hypnosis and other techniques via a Hypnobirthing course, to reshape your views. Hypnotherapy relaxation techniques that I teach in our Signature Hypnobirthing Course, switch off the ‘conscious’ awake and rational brain and switch on the alpha-wave state, the one responsible for intuition, feeling, and knowing. Intuitive thoughts or a-ha moments are more likely to come when your brain is in alpha-wave mode, i.e. you are not concentrating on something, nor are you so relaxed that you could fall asleep. You’re in a meditative state of mind. 

When in this deeply relaxed trance-like state, you open your mind up to suggestion. In fact, being in a trance, or hypnosis is also the best time to fill your mind with positive birth stories and read about women who have experienced a euphoric birth, as when you’re in this altered state of consciousness, or higher vibration, your mind ‘downloads’ all this information into your subconscious mind, and stores it neatly into a box called ‘BIRTH IS SAFE’ and will literally re-wire how you view birth. And then, the more you practice this, it becomes second nature. 

The reason being, that when we think about anything, our conscious mind automatically ‘checks-in' with our subconscious ‘hard-drive’ and reacts accordingly. An incredible fact for you - the subconscious mind and its held beliefs actually control up to 89% of how we respond and react to things in our day to day via our ‘conscious’/logical/analytical mind. Therefore the more you practice new thinking patterns, and believe these views as truth, your body will respond accordingly. For example, if your mind believes that birth is safe and the most natural thing in the world, your body will remain free of tension or fear, and birth will be easier. But if your mind is screaming ‘I can’t do this’, ‘I feel pain’, your body will respond and tense up, release adrenalin and stop labour in its tracks.

Exploring this altered state of consciousness

The idea that childbirth can be a profoundly spiritual experience, allowing a mother to access altered states of consciousness, is something that is gaining popularity. Some researchers suggest that women may release DMT (Dimethyltryptamine) - a powerful, naturally occurring psychoactive compound - during labour. This idea tends to resonate deeply for those who describe birth as a transcendental experience.

The theory originates with Dr. Rick Strassman, a psychiatrist and researcher known for his work on the pineal gland and its role in producing DMT. In his book DMT: The Spirit Molecule (2000), he speculated that DMT might be released during extraordinary events such as birth, death, or near-death experiences. However, to date, there is no direct scientific evidence that DMT is produced during childbirth, as it has not yet been adequately researched. The reason being, that it is extremely difficult to measure naturally-occurring DMT within the body, but particularly during labour for ethical and logistical reasons. 

That said, for many women who have experienced it, the idea of DMT in birth makes sense, as it speaks to the altered state of consciousness that often arises in undisturbed, physiological birth—a state where time seems to blur, the thinking mind quiets, and instinct takes over. In hypnobirthing, we intentionally tap into this altered state through deep relaxation, self-hypnosis, and trust in the body’s innate wisdom. But whether or not DMT is released, some women often describe feeling “outside of themselves,” “in a dreamlike space,” or even experiencing a kind of "euphoric clarity"- especially in the final stages of labour and immediately after birth. (Buckley, 2015) 

In fact, Dr Sarah Buckley, MD describes Ecstatic Birth as “Nature's hormonal blueprint for birth”  and that it is the process of birth that is exactly as nature intended. 

Birth as Ceremony

As birth educators and supporters of physiological birth, it’s less about proving a chemical release and more about recognising the power of birth as ceremony. Certain midwives and practitioners—such as Robina Khalid—have spoken about birth as a sacred rite of passage, where spiritual chemistry comes into play. And if you consider that our ancestors approached birth in a ceremonial way - across all ancient cultures, even if their forms of ceremony may have differed from culture to culture - then perhaps ecstatic birth (and increased spiritual connection) may be a reason why. In this context, what matters is protecting the birth environment, mindset, and hormonal flow that allow women to birth in peace—and potentially access one of the most profound states of consciousness a human being can experience.

Start reading and believing in this idea of birth as a euphoric and spiritual rite of passage and see where it takes you. If you want a natural birth this is just the cherry on top, but ecstatic or not, with a conscious approach, you’re going to feel euphoric about your achievement, and the arrival of your little one!