Einstein was right: Time can speed up. Two top scientists, including the Nobel-Prize-winner now serving as U.S. Energy Secretary, just re-confirmed Albert Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity–and 10,000 times more accurately than ever before.  That means that under certain circumstances, time can speed up or slow down.

Speaking personally, I’d say we’re in the speed up phase. I know, I know, Einstein was referring to measurable clock-time and physical objects massive enough to bend light. I’m talking about subjective time and personal and work demands massive enough to overwhelm the ordinary person. Still, the parallels are fun to play with.

These days I joke that I feel like I’m giving birth to triplets. Three major creative projects I’m involved in are insisting on being born-right now! A part of me is panicking, saying “I can’t do this! Can we please slow the process down? Space these babies out?”

No such luck. At least one baby is already heading down the birth canal and the other two are waiting their turn–impatiently. There’s no turning back, or even decelerating, at this point.

Do you ever feel this way these days? Seems at least three quarters of my friends and colleagues are operating at No. 10 on the Intensity Scale. Yesterday morning I was about ready to cave into overwhelm, curl into fetal position and pretend I was one of the babies instead of the mama. Then I remembered 20 years back to the first profoundly panicked birth mother I encountered in my hypnotherapy work with pregnant women.

“Martha” was close to going into labor and had recently been told by her obstetrician that she would be birthing a 10-pound-plus baby boy. She arrived at my doorstep trembling with fear. “I can’t do this,” she blurted out. I felt nervous myself. She and I had time only for this one session together.

Ninety minutes later Martha strode out of my office feeling calm and confident. She called a few days after the session to tell me that her birthing team at the hospital couldn’t believe what a powerhouse she was. She pushed her big baby boy out without even recourse to pain medication.

What happened in the 90 minutes that made the difference? First, I helped Martha breathe deeply, ground herself in her body, and imagine being in a place of comfort and safety. Then I guided her to the part within her that felt afraid.

“What does this part need to relax?” I asked. The “four-year-old” in Martha told us exactly what she needed: her favorite baby doll and the reassurance that she, the little girl, wasn’t the one who had to do the birthing.

Next I invited Martha to connect with that part of her who knew how to give birth, even to a 10-pound-plus baby. A smile spread across Martha’s face. “Eartha/Bertha” had arrived. She appeared in Martha’s imagination as a sturdy, powerful, wide-hipped midwife who had birthed her own babies easily and naturally and had assisted at many other births.

“Would you be willing to imagine being Eartha/Bertha?” I asked. Pronounced nod of head. “How about rehearsing in your imagination giving birth, as Eartha/Bertha, to your baby boy?” Another big nod.

While I gently guided Martha (aka “Eartha-Bertha”) through the stages of labor and delivery, she imagined dilating fully and pushing her 10-pound-plus baby into the waiting hands of the doctor. Then she felt the intense joy of holding her baby boy to her breast while her husband embraced both of them and the three bonded as a family.

Recalling this triumphant story, my fears about my current “birthing triplets” situation began to evaporate. We all can do more than we think we can. The secret? Getting our thinking-judging mind out of the way and tapping into the expansive power of our imagination.

To “birth my triplets” I simply need to use for myself the powerful imagery tools I’ve been teaching clients for years. Since remembering the 10-pound baby story, I’ve been taking more time to comfort my internal scared, foot-dragging child and tap into the power of my version of “Eartha/Bertha.”

Each of us carries within us a precious, sensitive part that is essential to our creative expression and that can easily feel overwhelmed. We also have other parts of our personality-and the collective unconscious–that we can draw upon for strength, compassion, and wisdom plus virtually every sort of specialized knowledge we might need.

Inspired by Einstein’s theory, I’ve decided to practice slowing down time as I birth my “triplets.” I’ve already scored my first success. While I drafted this post and traveled back in time to recollect those birthing memories, it felt like time slowed down and work turned to play. I feel refreshed now and ready for whatever comes next as I continue to turn the impossible into the possible.

Any stories you care to share about shifting from overwhelm to empowerment?