Marie F. Mongan († 2019) was an educator, college director, clinical hypnotherapist and director of the HypnoBirthing Institute. After two births that she experienced as externally controlled and traumatic, she developed the exercises and self-hypnosis techniques on which HypnoBirthing is based and gave birth to two more children in natural and fulfilling births. In 1995, Marie F. Mongan received the National Guild of Hypnotists President's Award and in 2000 the coveted Charles Tebbetts Prize for her services in making hypnotherapy a recognized method. Thousands of certified course leaders all over the world already give birth preparation courses, including in German-speaking countries.