Hypnotherapy For Children

I’ve been working with children and families for most of my career as a primary school teacher. When I chose to study hypnotherapy I quickly realised what a powerful tool this could be in supporting children and parents with many different issues.

Working with children in any capacity is always rewarding but seeing the way they respond to hypnotherapy and the changes they can achieve is quite astounding.

Research shows that children respond very well to hypnotherapy as they are naturally imaginative and use their subconscious mind far more than adults do. Children are familiar with story telling and respond well to this approach. As adults, we lose much of our ability to fantasise and daydream – something that children are experts at. Until the age of 10 most children have little distinction between fantasy and reality and will create imaginative stories and play games with ease. Their imaginative abilities are incredibly useful in helping solve a wide range of problems.

Our minds are made up of the conscious mind which is the logical rational mind and the subconscious mind responsible for emotion and behaviour which are separated by a barrier known as the CCF (Conscious Critical Faculty). The CCF is not developed in children until around the age of 10 meaning that children are very happy to accept things at face value and are susceptible to suggestion. It is by changing the part of the subconscious responsible for the behaviour or symptom that we achieve results.

A session of hypnosis is a relaxing and quiet time for your child. They will have the opportunity to resolve their problems using their imagination. Parents can be present during the sessions but your child will always be at the centre of what I do. I will of course have a good chat with you as parents before and afterwards. It’s important that your child wants to resolve the issues they have come for. Therapy involves having adventures tailored to your child’s interests for example perhaps meeting a superhero who can help them. I didn’t spend almost 20 years in the classroom not to have developed a bit of a flare for a good story! With the younger children I will spend some time chatting to them and may set up some play activities to encourage talk. Play dough, Lego and small world figures lend themselves particularly well to storytelling. Waking hypnosis is perfectly possible, mums and dads are experts at this and do it every day. How many of you find that a horribly grazed knee can be instantly cured with a magic rub? At school I found the famous dampened green paper towel on the injury could pretty much cure anything! Older children are often happy just to relax and listen to a story or metaphor and for teenagers their sessions often are more similar to an adult session. Everyone is different and each session will be tailored to meet the specific needs of your child.

Hypnotherapy gives children a sense of control. They can learn to recognise and deal with their emotions relieving frustration and anger. Overcoming a fear, letting go of a habit or improving their confidence or performance at school is hugely empowering for a child.

Hypnotherapy can help children with so many issues and this list is just the tip of the iceberg!

Fears and phobias, anxiety, confidence, performance at school or in sport, divorce and related family issues such as getting on with new partners and change, insomnia, nail biting, bed wetting, anger management, exam nerves, eating issues, compulsive behaviour, grief and loss, illness, memory, nervous habits, stammers, stress, weight issues and so much more.

I will work with your child to help them identify the problem, establish a new desired behaviour and then through imagination and story telling make that new behaviour the automatic response.

Children have to deal with change, loss, difficult relationships with friends, bullying, criticism, low self-esteem and their own bodies changing rapidly as they move through various stages of growth. During this time they also have to learn to make friends, handle differences of opinion, perform academically, play sport, handle changing family relationships and dynamics and they may even sadly encounter a sudden loss and experience grief.

When you consider what our children contend with you really do have to step back and remember quite how amazing they are.

Just like adults, children react to stress in many different ways. They may become sad, angry, irritable, forgetful or even have physical symptoms such as tummy aches and headaches. Children may start to struggle at school, bite their nails, harm themselves, wet the bed or develop a stammer. Other children develop a dislike of school, fall out with friends or teachers or become very withdrawn and shy. They may have a crisis of confidence. Sometimes fears may come to the surface, a fear of the dark, fear of going to sleep and many other phobias. As a parent this can be a worrying time and it’s difficult to find a way of helping your child.

The good news is that the benefits of hypnosis don’t end as your child starts to feel better. Self-hypnosis techniques can be taught to both parents and children. Children learn to express their thoughts and feelings either through talk or through other creative channels such as drawing or writing. Hypnosis works by empowering your child rather than taking control away from them. This allows them develop the necessary skills to deal with difficulties they will encounter in the future.

In conclusion, hypnotherapy for children is a safe, effective and enjoyable therapy with many applications and can be used in conjunction with other talking therapies and treatments.