The way we are born has a profound influence on our later experiences.  Our first encounter in this world is imprinted upon our psyche, creating a template or "life script" that informs our beliefs, feelings and actions.  

For example, a person who experienced oxygen deprivation during birth may create the belief that "there isn't enough," which is later experienced with regard to love, attention, money, etc.  Or they may determine that "the world isn't safe," creating an underlying sense of anxiety that they can never quite identify.   By contrast, people who enter the world in a gentle, loving manner may go through life with confidence, secure in the knowledge that life provides all the support they need.

These, of course, are over-simplifications.  Human beings are wonderfully complex and resilient,  and there are a host of factors that determine our behaviors and experiences.  However,  clinicians in pre- & perinatal psychology have identified themes that are common among people with similar modes of birth.

Following are GENERAL EXAMPLES of “life scripts” that may result from our primal experiences, if traumatic experiences are not recognized and addressed.

CESAREAN BIRTHS — Cesarean-born people may experience the double bind of feeling  they “can’t do it by themselves,” but perceive support as manipulation or control.  They often crave touching, tend to think they do things wrong, and have a hard time completing things.

MEDICATED BIRTHS — These people may feel they need drugs to help them connect in relationships or experience support as suffocating.  Under stress, they may feel confused or paralyzed, and tend to feel more anger and resentment.

INDUCED BIRTHS — A person whose birth was induced tends to have a problem “getting started,” as in getting out of bed in the morning, and often feels interrupted, intruded upon or controlled.

CORD AROUND THE NECK — These individuals tend to have phobias associated with suffocation and often feel “strangled” or “choked” in relationships.  They may dislike ties, turtlenecks, scarves, or having the top button closed.

FORCEPS DELIVERIES — In adulthood, these people may want to be in contro,; feel unworthy or that something is wrong with them, and have anxieties about being stroked or held.  Under stress, they may suffer from headaches, neck or shoulder pain.

NATURAL, UNMEDICATED BIRTH — If welcomed into a loving family, this individual tends to be confident, secure, trust in her own strength and feel comfortable in intimate relationships.  These people tend to feel connected to mother, society and the planet.

Many individuals may notice certain recurring patterns in their lives (in intimate relationships, with authority figures, etc.) and feel frustrated over their inability to change them.  We no longer have to feel like a victim to our life circumstances because, by looking to the source of our life scripts, we gain the power to re-write them in any way we choose.  This is a priceless gift we can give to our children, as well as to ourselves.

These descriptions are summaries from material provided in Tomorrow's Baby, by Dr. Thomas Verny, and Birth & Relationships, by Sondra Ray & Bob Mandel.