Does hypnotherapy work for children?

Hypnotherapy is normally working very well with children, as their brains are already in  trance-like states, this makes children highly suggestible. This is also exactly why most of our issues, patterns, behaviours, and beliefs come from childhood, both positive and negative.

If your child has problems you could propose the therapy to them and if they agree, it could work very well for them. You can never, ever force or trick a child or teenager into a hypnotherapy session—none of the benefits will be received by them otherwise. They have to want to be able to change their negative thinking patterns and habits in order to see any positive growth and change after the session. Otherwise, treatments will not work. The minimum age for a child to receive effective hypnotherapy is 5 years of age. Hypnotherapy should be avoided when your child is very seriously emotionally disturbed or dissociated or cannot follow directions. Children normally have a very good imagination and do not need to “go into” hypnosis so much as they need to just close their eyes and use their imagination.

To children, the world seems scarier and much bigger than it does to all us adults. This stage of their lives they have little if any conscious analytic thinking to make sense of their experiences. Their experiences without the maturity to make sense of events can create emotions and habits that are established and worsen over their lifetime. Some of these experiences may lead to unpleasant or harmful triggers in their next stages of life. More and more children at a very early age experience low self-esteem, have trouble concentrating, experience generalized anxiety and so many more fear based or stress related issues.

This is why it’s important to establish a healthy, more positive way of living life. Through visualization, imagination and direct suggestion, hypnosis can give children the ability to transform their lives and grow into well balanced healthy minded individuals.

Hypnotherapy for children is getting more and more accepted in the whole world. Various hospitals in holland now treat children with unexplained abdominal pain.

Typical problems that can be solved with hypnotherapy for children are:

• Bet wetting (Enuresis)
• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• Concentration problems
• Fear
• unexplained abdominal pain
• Low confidence / self esteem
• Motivation problems
• Stuttering
• Separation Anxiety

Although these problems also occur in grownups, the approach for children is completely different. Also the questions asked during the session and the complete course of the session are different. Sessions are usually 30 minutes to 90 minutes depending on the age and distractibility of the child or teen. Younger children have shorter sessions than that of teens.. As the hypnotic state being a complete natural phenomenon, hypnotherapy is completely safe with children and very effective. Suggestions made while the child or teen is in their state of hypnosis are always positive and in the present tense. Your child may be given suggestions or activities to help them re-enter the trance or simply become peaceful on their own.FacebookTwitterGoogle+LinkedInPinterest