About Us

Ok, there is no “us.” It’s just me. A party of one. But I’ve been a few places, met a few people, and seen a few things. And best of all, I know stuff. I have some skills you wouldn’t believe, but we won’t go into that here. My parents still shake their heads.

Why hypnosis? It works. It’s unbelievable. All sorts of issues get cleaned up and thrown in the back seat in a matter of one to six sessions, the same sorts of issues that may take years of traditional talk therapy. I really don’t understand why people spend thousands of dollars and years in therapy, when this will do the trick in record time. I’m not kidding.

My path to hypnosis is long and crooked, but totally interesting. To me, anyway. Pull up a chair and I’ll tell you about it. Just stay with me and you’ll see how it all ties together.

“If everybody else jumped off a bridge, would you jump, too?” Ever hear that before? That was my mother’s favorite saying. As much as I hated it, it actually did have an effect on me. Looking back, I can see how I did things just a little out of the ordinary way of doing things. I played trombone in high school band rather than the demure flute. (I still love a good Sousa march.) I earned a degree in mathematics from a male-dominated engineering school (go, Huskies!) where I met and married my future ex-husband.

While happily employed in Corporate America, it became my time to procreate. Even before I stepped on that path, I researched birthing options because I somehow knew that what was usually going on behind those closed doors was something I did not want to experience. There had to be a better way. I read Immaculate Deception: A New Look at Women and Childbirth (Suzanne Arms, 1975) and my life was changed forever. I became a birthing evangelist.

I birthed my two daughters into the hands of nurse-midwives. The experience was so positive for me, so powerful, I had to convert and spread the news by being a nurse-midwife myself. I went to nursing school (I know, right?) and then to graduate school. I passed the board exams and became certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Are you still with me? Good, because this is where it takes a turn towards hypnosis.

I became convinced that the only way women in our society could have a natural birth, meaning without unwanted, unnecessary, unwarranted medical intervention, was to not be in a hospital.

Sidebar: Hospital births, surgical births, hospital nurseries and NICUs all have their place, and thank goodness for that. But for every birth? C’mon. There are exceptions, I know, but not enough, in my opinion.

Let’s play 20 questions.

No matter where women birth, there may still be an element of fear. I needed to find a way to address this issue. I became interested in, and studied, hypnosis for birth. It opened the world of hypnosis to me and I wanted to learn more.

I studied hypnosis and hypnotherapy and became a certified hypnotist through the National Guild of Hypnotists. I go to the NGH convention every year and get to rub shoulders with the biggest names in the business. We are one big, happy family, trying to make a difference in the world.

That’s my story. Natural birth is my passion and hypnosis is the way, not only for birth, but for all those other issues that stand in the way of a successful, meaningful life.

A Hand Full of Hope

If we hope to create a non-violent world where respect and kindness replace fear and hatred

We must begin with how we treat each other at the beginning of life. For that is where our deepest patterns are set.

From these roots grow fear and alienation ~or love and trust.

Reprinted with permission by Suzanne Arms, Birthing the Future

Thanks for stopping by. Let us respect and be kind to each other.

Linda Tourville MSN, CNM, CHt
Certified Nurse-Midwife
Certified Hypnotist

P.S. My first grandchild, Breonna Marie, flew into the hands of a nurse-midwife on July 14, 2008. She is beyond adorable.

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