Nothing is more distressing for a parent than seeing their children suffer and not quite knowing what to do about it. There are many emotional and social difficulties that a child might face, including some challenges that we might overlook with our "grown-up" eyes.
During their developmental stages, a child's life is brimming with opportunities for learning and growth. They are discovering not only themselves but also how the world works and tackling a variety of new social skills. Whilst children can be versatile and adaptable, it's also the case that these demands can be quite stressful.
Hypnosis for Children
Hypnotherapy is a fantastic way to help children overcome a wide variety of problems because it naturally engages with their creative and curious minds. When we use hypnosis with children it's often in quite a different style than when working with adults.
Young children, particularly, are not likely to enter into what we recognize as a formal trance state and a lot of the work is done through engaging with them whilst they are occupied and entertained. Children naturally have very vivid imaginations and are receptive to what is said to them. There is a very low critical function so it's much easier to engage a child's subconscious mind through this form of hypnosis.
If you think of the things that children believe because adults have told them so, we might imagine Easter Bunnies leaving eggs, or Santa Claus climbing down the chimney pot to distribute presents to all the children of the world in one night. These are charming tales which we outgrow as we get older, but the fascination, wonder, and joy of a child waiting for Santa Claus is proof of how vulnerable children are when it comes to believing just about anything. This, unfortunately, is also the case when they hear bad stuff.
Family, School and Social Challenges
Sometimes family complications such as divorce, bereavement or disharmony in the home can create problems that manifest in a variety of ways. A child might become withdrawn or angry or suffer from symptoms like bed-wetting, nail-biting or night terrors. Parents may not know where to turn for the assistance that they need and may not even be aware that hypnotherapy can work so exceptionally well for their young ones.
Once a child is of school age parents also lose some of their former control. We cannot be with our children all of the time or protect them from outside influences that we don't like. There is potential that our children may find it difficult to fit in with friendship groups or even be subjected to bullying. These problems can lead to confidence issues, anxiety or depression and other mood-altering behaviors, sometimes misbehaving at home as a result of this extra stress.
How the Sessions Work
During the hypnotherapy process, a parent is required to be present so that they are able to see what is happening and also to be a reassuring presence for their child during the therapy. Trust will need to be established so that the child feels comfortable and can be relaxed and at ease.
Whilst a child does not need to know exactly how the hypnosis process works, it is important that they want change for themselves. We, therefore, work with the child's best interest and in a way that helps them to get the very best from each session.
A journey into the imagination will develop, leading the child into certain thought processes that are relevant for the changes to take place. Visualisation is one way in which the hypnotherapist can work, using stories and even favorite television characters or heroes to enhance the state of engagement and interest. Stories can also be used to good effect as the child's subconscious mind is able to draw parallels from tales which support the new behaviors that we are hoping to achieve.
Helping Older Children and Teenagers
Older children, too, may find great value in receiving hypnotherapy. A wide variety of educational and social problems can be addressed in this way and the hypnotherapist can adapt the hypnosis sessions to suit all different age groups.
We know as adults that the things we learn as children and young adults stay with us and can blight our future progress in a myriad of different ways. Some examples of how hypnosis and hypnotherapy can help are listed below:
- Exam nerves and concentration issues — helping students feel more focused in the classroom and improving grades.
- Young teenagers juggling adolescence with social expectations — building confidence in quieter or self-doubting young people.
- Physical co-ordination — assisting students to feel more confident in sports and increasing their sense of inclusion.
- Anger and family conflict — addressing hormonal mood swings and difficult behavior at home.
- Body image and food fixation in girls — tackling feelings of inadequacy or being unlovable.
- Dyslexia-related anxiety — reducing panic attacks and phobias around reading or writing in front of others.
There are many, many more ways in which hypnotherapy can help children and young people enjoy their formative years, feeling happier and more well balanced. Hypnosis is also a very safe and natural therapy which uses a child's own creative processes to find solutions to all these types of problems.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your child's needs in further detail and we will be happy to assist.