Across the nation, parents expecting children are doing things – decorating the nursery, ordering furniture, bracing themselves for the sleepless nights ahead – that have been done for generations.

But some are also concentrating hard on imagining a light switch in the back of the mother’s neck, so she can hypnotically “switch off” any sensations of pain she might feel when the baby comes.

These are couples who are turning to hypnosis as an alternative to epidurals, pain medication or relaxation-and-breathing techniques to help them through labor. Classes that combine education with self-hypnosis are growing more popular, say the creators of programs such as HypnoBirthing and Hypnobabies.

“It’s OK to believe your birth is going to be enjoyable and comfortable,” said Susan McClutchey, of Durham, N.C., leading a class of three couples gathered in her cozy living room. Suggestions that childbirth hurts should be excised, she told the couples. Instead of labor, the women would look forward to their “birthing time.” Contractions, she said, would be referred to as “pressure waves.”

Brian Sweet, right, reads from a script to his pregnant wife, Katie Sweet, to enable her to put herself into a hypnotic state as part of the couple's Hypnobabies training. Hypnobabies teaches women to relax using hypnosis as a way to have a pain-free childbirth without drugs.

Therapists have been using hypnosis to help people cope with pain for years. But today, more people seem to be aware of its potential to help them stop smoking, lose weight, even control irritable bowel syndrome, said Sheryll Daniel, president of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.

“It’s wonderful to have a tool that can reduce pain,”she said.

Daniel suggested consumers research instructors’ credentials carefully. They should work with specialists well-trained in hypnosis rather than instructors who might have taken only a weekend workshop.

Lara Honos-Webb of the American Psychological Assn. said that according to her review of the scientific literature, hypnosis during childbirth is generally safe and effective, with no side effects.

Fear slows down the body’s natural processes when a baby is being born, said Marie Mongan. She created HypnoBirthing for her daughter after using self-hypnosis when her own four babies were born. Today, HypnoBirthing classes are offered in most states.

Kerry Tuschhoff, who spent 10 years teaching the Bradley Method of natural childbirth, looked for alternatives when the birth of her own two children turned out to be incredibly painful. She took a HypnoBirthing class, studied hypnosis, and then developed her own Hypnobabies program about five years ago.

About 700 people have taken Hypnobabies classes, in addition to thousands who have taken the home study course online.

The five-week class requires a lot of time – about 30 minutes of practice each day, sometimes with CDs, sometimes with a partner reading a script. Expectant moms are also instructed to exercise and eat healthful foods.