Children and teenagers, like adults, face numerous challenges, but it takes time for us to notice them.
Any anxiety that a child is experiencing may go unnoticed until, predictably, the child exhibits behaviour that contradicts our expectations of how things should be. This is usually when we realise there is a problem.
Thumb-sucking, bed-wetting, night terrors, stuttering, eating disorders, and nail-biting are examples of these behaviours.
Stress, exam nerves, low self-confidence, bullying, anger issues, and phobias are some of the other issues that can affect young people. We emphasise the importance of addressing problems early on.
“Early resolution of anxiety is recommended to prevent these problems from becoming habitual and thus affecting them for the rest of their lives.”
A child suffering from tension and anxiety is likely to have subconscious beliefs that trigger a variety of inappropriate behaviours. Hypnotherapy techniques can be very effective in addressing these subconscious issues. The child can be helped to come to terms with these feelings and address the underlying beliefs by using hypnotherapy.
Because children are more receptive to hypnotherapy, it is especially beneficial to them. They are more likely than adults to enjoy daydreaming and have active imaginations.
Because children are accustomed to being in a similar state, they can usually enter hypnosis quickly, whereas adults may take much longer.
Children are free to use their imagination during hypnotherapy sessions. They use the hypnotic state to visualise and create imagery about their problems.
While hypnotherapy for children can be beneficial, the child must be willing to take control of their problem behaviour. If a child is only attending the session to please their parent or caregiver, they are unlikely to get the best outcome.
A parent’s anxiety about their child’s behaviour can often add to the situation’s anxiety.
If you have any questions about the hypnotherapy process as a parent, your hypnotherapist will be able to answer them prior to the session. Rather than explaining how hypnotherapy works in detail to the child, we focus on the outcome rather than the process.