Hypnotherapy can benefit children/Adolescents more than adults!

Because they are already under Hypnosis!

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist I see on average two children every single week for issues such as Phobias regarding animals or strangers or even flying, Food issues e.g. lack of appetite, fear of sickness, fear of poisoning, lack of interest in healthy foods, School problems e.g. Bullying, Shyness, Exams Fears, Aggressive behaviours with other children or teachers, Lack of Concentration, Anxiety at school.. Or else problems caused from Trauma of Divorce, Physical/Domestic violence, Death in the family etc… that adults recuperate from but some children still cannot sleep or eat or perform well at school after that traumatic event.

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When I say to parents “you do not need to have your child hypnotized because they are already under Hypnosis” I get a very worrying expression! But if your child is suffering from an emotional or mental stress that is being expressed in several Physical and Psychological symptoms, then your child is already under hypnosis. You will agree with me that a lot of our children’ and adolescents’ fears and anxieties are in their minds and have no basis in reality. Their minds are more creative and imaginative than adults and they believe that inner world more than adults would do and thereby if that inner world is being seen as scary and defeating then no doubt they will start behaving with fears and phobias on the outside.

Hypnosis is simply a state of focus on the internal world where that internal world is controlling our behaviour and thoughts; when you try to rationalise with your child or adolescent, do you not find that they do understand the logic of what you are saying and they do try to get out of that state of fear or anxiety but they just can’t? That is simply because when the right brain which we call the unconscious mind takes over control it only understands and categorises feelings into “pleasurable” or “painful” triggers and if a child has learnt to feel and respond with “painful trigger” of anxiety or anger or pain to any kind of object (dog, airplanes, teachers) or any action (exams, sleeping, food, authority figures) they will carry on having their right brain controlling them.

A Hypnotherapist can help children/adolescents take control of that inner world and help us see and act in that inner world in a more efficient and proactive way than we are probably doing by the time we’ve become helpless in front of the symptoms. Because the unconscious brain responds very well to suggestions into a very relaxed state which children are very quick to respond to than adults which are why I say you don’t need to have you child Hypnotized because they are naturally prone to an inner Hypnotic state every day when they are hooked by their imagination anyway!

So long as children are painting constructive imagery, imagery of self-mastery where they are the Pilot of the aircraft or the Nurse, imagery of a world that is making them feel secure about their development, that is all very well. The problem occurs when children are undergoing some mental/emotional stress which gets expressed in different ways some of which are:

1. Bedwetting/enuresis
2. Nail biting
3. Stammering/stuttering
4. Nightmares
5. Insomnia
6. Screaming at shadows
7. Cannot be on own at all
8. Toilet problems
9. Prolonged constipation
10. Lack of focus/concentration
11. Phobias: animals, dark, heights, strangers.
12. Aggression/anger problems
13. Lack of confidence/shyness
14. Bullying/hitting others

The list of symptoms with children and adolescents can be very long but the basis is often the same (please note that we can only say this after the child has been medically examined and no physical cause of the above behaviours has been found): children have difficulty expressing emotions/fears in words, they prefer acting it out; While they are undergoing these issues they are painting a very scary inner world of images of self-defeatism, weaknesses, failures, incompetence which makes the symptoms grow worse.

Adolescents often show their mental and emotional distress in acting-out behaviours such as:

1. Anger with siblings and peers

2. Aggression with objects

3. Carelessness in hygiene and food intake

4. Insomnia and night anxieties

5. Hopelessness in their language patterns

6. Suicidal thoughts or behaviours

7. Nail biting

8. Shyness and social fears

9. Exams failures/fears

10. Expression of worthlessness in their body language which often does not get them    the job or course they were looking for!!

Hypnotherapists have found it much easier to put children and adolescents under trance with their eyes wide open as that is the way they daydream most of the day when they are playing or just thinking. Children’s imagination makes it easier to access their unconscious mind which is more repressed in adults as children are more relaxed and receptive to their inner creative mind than adults.

Hypnotherapy can help in these cases by helping the child to replace those defeating inner stories and representations of the world that they are constantly replaying with more constructive and long lasting beliefs in their own competence and abilities. Hypnosis help their unconscious mind regain the safety and trust that the world is worth exploring; we all know it logically but the logic only works for the left brain and when the unconscious brain goes into alarm and creates phobias (spiders, heights, closed spaces, presentations) the logic fails and the client finds that he/she is saying “come on relax!” but the body is responding hypnotically to the right brain’s fear and not the logic of the left brain!

Have a look at the testimonials or call your local Hypnotherapist  for  further details and information on how Hypnotherapy can help your child or adolescents with the issues they are facing.