Raising Happy Healthy Children
Helping Our Children & Teens Thrive
THE GIFT OF IMAGINATION
Children often are marvelous subjects for hypnosis. Once their brains have developed to the level where they have an adequate attention span, they tend to be easily hypnotizable. This may be due to the fact that much of early childhood is spent in a hypnotic state. In fact, hypnosis is a learning state which allows children to absorb and implement so much new information as they grow and develop?acquiring language, social skills, cultural norms, and the basics for school success in reading, writing and mathematics. Children play games that include deep involvement and indulge in fantasies and pretend experiences, which are forms of hypnosis.
Young children are not usually aware of the complexities of the mind, or of its fantastic array of powers. They do not understand the dramatic capabilities of visualization. They do not comprehend that ?what the mind can conceive, the body can achieve.? Yet children possess an incredible natural talent for dreaming?for picturing achievements of childhood ambitions in their minds. And since children also have limited capacities for critical judgment, they are additionally benefited by the fact that many inhibitions which commonly affect adults have not yet developed.
By harnessing their vivid imagination, the hypnotist can use it in new ways that will surmount the afflicting problems and set the child free from that which has restricted them, so they can achieve their true potential.
MANY BENEFITS OF HYPNOSIS FOR CHILDREN
Why would a child need or be benefited by hypnosis? Like the famous answer to the question, ?How do I love thee???well, let me count the ways!
Certainly among important usages must be the early control or elimination of child-like behaviors such as bedwetting, thumb sucking, nose and skin picking, tics and mannerisms, sleep difficulties, shyness, apprehensions and fears?as well as to reduce anxiety about medical interventions.
As children grow older and mature, hypnosis can dramatically affect focus and attention problems, allay worries and anxieties (whether from home, school or other sources), foster healthy self-esteem, enhance learning and memory, aid in development of good study habits, creativity and problem-solving, improve motivation, athletic performance, social interactions ? the list is virtually endless.
FOSTER HEALTHY SELF-ESTEEM & GOOD HABITS
SELF-ESTEEM AND POTENTIAL
To a professional, it is incredible the amount of unintended damage that can be and is done to children by parents, relatives, siblings, teachers or authority figures. Much of it stems from well-meaning efforts intended to provide direction and motivation, coming from a trusted source who intends no harm.
However, children differ (just as adults do). Some are introverts, some are extroverts; some come from homes that offer praise and encouragement, others come from environments where criticism and lack of recognition are considered appropriate; some come from environments of love, some come from environments of discord and abuse. One of the greatest gifts a child can receive is prolonged contact with an individual (whether teacher, parent, older sibling, coach or counselor) who can and will offer sensitivity, understanding and appreciation of value. Trust and positive rapport are essential, and bringing out these qualities can be difficult, especially in cases where a child is afraid of consequences from a feared authority figure. Confidence must be earned. Apprehensions must be allayed. Communication must be established.
Children respond to comments by authority figures in differing ways. A parent or teacher, on viewing a poor report card, might comment: ?What is wrong with you? Are you really that dumb? You will never get to college. You have got to try harder, or else you will fail in life as an adult too!? The intent might well be to motivate the child to change their detrimental behavior by putting in more effort. A self-assured, confident child might respond in that manner. Yet an insecure child?perhaps with unrecognized learning challenges?might well accept the statement literally as a true prediction, and experience a psychological inner flip which locks in place acceptance of their perception of self as inadequate, incapable, unworthy, and doomed to fulfill the stated destiny.
The files of psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists and hypnotists are filled with cases of adult clients who have sought therapy to get out from under self-deprecating childhood imprints imposed by well-meaning (and often not so well-meaning) parents/guardians, care providers, and teachers?not to mention, childhood peers.
YOUNG CHILDREN
Children normally are very visual. They respond beautifully to fairy tales, bedtime stories, nursery rhymes, and related communications with which they can identify. They are quite narcissistic?they like to have a part in the story that is being related and tend to slip into hypnosis easily.
Being familiar with and participating in a young child?s play therapy may help develop rapport, while revealing the child?s interests and imaginative capabilities. Creative approaches to play can be a wonderful vehicle for implementing positive suggestions. Preschool age children tend to combine the worlds of fantasy and reality. Children in the four to six age range, with shorter attention spans, may respond to hypnotic induction techniques which are playful but less formalized or directive; whereas those in the seven to eight age range (and older) often do well with both the storytelling approach as well as some of the more formalized hypnotic approaches.
Pre-induction data should focus on gathering information about a child?s likes and dislikes, fears, imagery experience, and social environment ? all in a manner in keeping with the child?s developmental stage and communication level, and oriented toward building rapport.
OVERCOME FEARS & HEAL INSECURITIES
PRE-TEEN & ADOLESCENTS
Among older children and adolescents, hypnosis has been effective in dealing with learning challenges, behavioral problems and misdemeanors. Parents and professionals must be aware that teenagers with behavior problems may be struggling with learning challenges involving executive function, or are seeking peer acceptance or greater autonomy. Therapists need to evaluate and understand the nature and extent of the client?s struggles?the cognitive, social, emotional and psychosexual development factors contributing to their attitudes and behaviors.
Successful hypnotism requires patient motivation, assent and cooperation. The fact remains that hypnosis is essentially ineffective in cases where the client does not want to be hypnotized. For example, hypnotism for drug abuse virtually demands that the client be aware of and concerned with the potential for serious harm and has an expressed personal desire for change. Regrettably, clinicians and parents often turn to hypnosis as a last resort. Experience indicates that success is much greater when hypnotic intervention is applied sooner, at the time the patient acknowledges distress and has personal motivation to change.
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