Hypnosis and Children
Hypnosis of children was first described in 1779 by Anton Mesmer, who claimed to have used hypnotherapy to treat a child with visual problems, although it was not widely used until the 1970s.
Most children are good hypnotic subjects because their they use their imaginations so powerfully on a daily basis. If a child is playing with an imaginary friend, for example, they see that friend and respond to them as if they were real.
Hypnosis uses these same skills to find and put in place solutions to many different behavioural and emotional problems. Hypnosis can be used to solve a wide variety of problems for children. These include
- bedwetting
- anxiety
- unwanted habits
- stress
- lack of confidence
- low self esteem
- exam nerves
- school or other phobias
- and many more.
Hypnotherapy for Children and Teenagers
Hypnotic techniques used for younger children tend to revolve around play and story telling, using their own interests, or favourite TV characters and books. Older children and teenagers may work with their problems more directly as adults do. There may be some 'homework' - tasks to carry out at home, or a CD to listen to.
The number of sessions varies depending on the nature and history of the problem, the age of the child, and many other factors. But it's usually around four to six.
There are some special considerations when working with young people. Because of this, I would always book a free information session as a first step. Sometimes parents and children come together to this, but if there are things you want to talk about without your child in the room, we can arrange for you to come alone. This does not commit you to going ahead with hypnotherapy, but it does help your family find out more about hypnosis, and for us to meet and decide if we can usefully work together.
Or you could use a CD from Relax Kids first, to allow your child to experience relaxation techniques in the security of their own home.