Hypnotherapy for Children

Karen E. Wells
 Copyright
Copyright © 2018 by: Karen E. Wells
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All rights reserved. No part of this course may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
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brief quotations in articles or reviews – without the permission in writing from its publisher,
Karen E. Wells

All brand names and product names used in this course are trademarks, registered trademarks, or
trade names of their respective holders. We are not associated with any product or vendor in this
course.

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 Table of Contents
Contents
Karen E. Wells ........................................................................................................................... 1

Copyright ................................................................................................................................... 2

Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... 3

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 4

Module 1 .................................................................................................................................... 7

Lack of Confidence................................................................................................................. 7
Module 2 .................................................................................................................................. 12

Stress and Anxiety ................................................................................................................ 12

Module 3 .................................................................................................................................. 16

Bed Wetting.......................................................................................................................... 16
Module 4 .................................................................................................................................. 19

Bullying ................................................................................................................................ 19
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 24

Karen E. Wells ......................................................................................................................... 26

 Introduction

Welcome to this short but powerful course on hypnotherapy for children. This course assumes some
knowledge of hypnotherapy techniques and should be considered an add-on to your skill-set.

Without a doubt, children experience a great many emotional issues and difficult experiences as adults
but of course, lack the emotional intelligence to know how to deal with them and these, experiences, can
become compounded and manifest into serious symptoms. As children grow up, some difficult behaviors
or belief systems can have a detrimental impact on their lives and, some difficulties can become triggers
which affect them later in life. Low self-esteem and lack of confidence often start in childhood.

Consider this:

The childhood era is akin to a fertile seed bed and it makes sense that if we do not tend to it and care for
it properly, then we are allowing the weeds (in the shape of thoughts and unwanted actions) to emerge.

Typical problems for children

• Anger issues
• Bed wetting
• Lack of confidence
• Various phobias
• General root anxiety
• Low self-esteem
• Separation anxiety
 • Compulsive behavioral problems

The above is by no means a complete list but by glancing through this, you can see the general idea that
so many issues faced by adults are started in those sensitive childhood years. Experiences, damaging
thoughts or beliefs, then leak into other areas and can manifest into a variety of different problems and
issues.

There are also other darker issues that are being seen more today than in the past and are sadly a
product of our society. These include problems such as body image and self-harming.

How does hypnotherapy work with children of all ages?

There is a clear distinction in the way hypnotherapy is used in children of different ages. Teenagers for
example, are treated in a very similar way to adults. If a child is very young, then, interaction with the mind
becomes very important. They have a mind which is open to hypnotherapy in the main and recognize that
sometimes, help is needed. In comparison with young children, it is difficult to keep them still, so, we do
not try. Eyes can be open, but it is more important than ever to keep them focused in a dream-like state.

As with all hypnotherapy sessions, it should be highly targeted to the individual and with children, this is
even more important. We need to engage them directly and maintain their attention and focus.

It is fine for children to keep their eyes open in the

session but, try to retain a dream-like state.

In general terms, children are good hypnotic subjects as they mostly all have active fantasy lives that lend
themselves well to a hypnotic-induced state. One of the most important things to remember is to keep
each session strictly age-related. We must use metaphors and sentences that the child can relate to and
be aware of shortened attention spans.

In this course, we are going to look at four key areas involved with hypnotherapy for children and there
will be a script in each module too and this can of course, be modified for individual subjects.

• Lack of Confidence
• Stress and anxiety
 • Bed wetting
• Bullying

All these areas can cause problems if left unresolved and so, it is important to address these issues early.

Children are wonderfully adept at using their imaginations and this is one of the main reasons that they
make good subjects for hypnotherapy. As a therapist, you will have little difficulty in tapping into this fertile
imagination and working it into therapeutic form of treatment. It works particularly well to use characters
from popular television programs and books that the child can relate to. Young children will be happy to
incorporate these ideas into their imaginations and even older children can sometimes identify with
various characters in this way. Those older children’s thinking will have matured and so, your therapy
session must be in tune with this.

It is vital as therapists that we understand that children, just like adults are individuals and must be treated
in the same way if they are to gain the most from any hypnotherapy session.
 Module 1
Lack of Confidence

The foundations of confidence must be formed and cemented from an early age. Sadly, as we progress
through life, confidence levels can be dented or undermined at any point and, this is no different for
children. In fact, in the undeveloped mind of a child, there are far more areas that can allow a confidence
issue to creep in. Criticism to a child can have a long-lasting effect, even if the criticism is not meant in a
derogatory or hurtful way, but, even so, these are the areas where triggers are set, and which carry on
into adult life.

A parent who uses criticism as a tool to control is in danger of damaging self-confidence. This happens
more times than you might think. It may be that you can identify with this as a victim yourself. Many
therapists have experienced first-hand these types of issues which have led to their wanting to help
others. This is one positive to come from an unfair start in life. Many parents are not necessarily being
cruel but simply using techniques that they themselves were subjected to. Consider that we all assume
that our own parents are correct when they make life choices and yet, as adults, we may question their
ways. But, unless this occurs, learned behaviors tend to continue through the generations unless,
someone like you recognizes the issues and helps to change it.

As therapists, we need to understand how a problem arises and know how to help with the problem. With
children, we need to recognize the platform that the children play out their everyday lives on. The family
environment, the school situation and the type of personality the child has, as this is inter-connected with
how the child responds and acts to any given situation.
A key area in the life of any child will be competition. Again, parents often have a very big role to play in
this. A parent may well have the best intentions when encouraging a child in certain activities, but, it is a
small step for the pressure to become overwhelming and then, behavior problems can quickly creep in.

Love and support are essential for growth but being made to feel that winning is the only goal worth
having will for many children simply heap on too much pressure and make the child fear taking part in
certain activities.

A child must face a lot of hurdles in life and are often without any experience apart from parental
guidance. It is a daunting world for them. Most of us can remember fears and anxieties that we went
through ourselves. Perhaps bullying, criticism, loss, changes and their own natural body growth as they
develop. It is both a wonderful and confusing time. All these and many more factors can at times be the
source of triggers that are likely to eat away at self-confidence.

The difference in using hypnotherapy on children

When seeking a relaxed place mentally and physically in preparation for suggestion therapy in adults, we
tend to encourage them to think of a safe and happy place that they can relate to. But, with children, we
are dealing with a different mindset. They do not have life experiences to draw on. They are more likely to
connect to popular television characters or super heroes. This makes it important to know what they like
and don’t like, and the parents of course, should be a good source of information.

Another big difference in treating children rather than adults is that the young do not need as much
explanation about the procedure as adults do. It may be that all is needed is to explain that they will feel
relaxed and peaceful and that they will be using their own imagination to solve any problems.

It is vitally important that the child wants to resolve any issues themselves.

During the consultation process, an adult should be present always, especially if the child is young.
Teenagers may be treated somewhat like adults in many respects and would respond differently than a
young child. But this must be gleaned on a person by person basis. Permission to see an under-age
person must be given prior to treatment.

Some therapists feel awkward when first deciding to help children overcome their problems, they feel that
their skills as a therapist may not transfer over to a younger audience, but this is far from true. Children
need our help in the same way that adults do, and in many ways, it is easier to help them.
The gateway to the subconscious mind is imagination and children have this in abundance. They can
easily switch to imaginary worlds and will readily accept suggestions that are associated with characters
they identify with. Children respond incredibly well to visualizations and stories, the edges that separate
the real world from fantasy are very blurred in children. This makes it easier for hypnotic suggestion.

Learning to adopt change and remain confident.

Change can be a daunting thing to a child. Simply changing schools or even, changing class can evoke
all kinds of fears. You must remember that they have little learned experiences to fall back on. One
problem can also lead to many more as anxiety starts to gain traction which in turn, opens the door to a
more isolated behavior pattern.

Part of how we deal with confidence issues should be targeted at these changes. You will perhaps spot
some form of change in the child’s life as the root cause behind their lack of confidence. Like adults, there
are many issues that can interact with each other and grow in strength as a result. Fear of change and
fear of the unknown will be there. For a lot of children, the comfort zone is a small bubble that included
family and a few friends. Dent this bubble and all kinds of behavior patterns are evoked.

Typical self-confidence issues that a therapist can help with are:

• Fear of talking in front of others

• Nervousness about up and coming exams
• Fear of sports day
• Being uncertain or scared about homework
• Where young children do not want to school at all

A typical script to help with self-confidence with children.

This script is aimed at an older child but can easily be adapted for any age.

After the induction.

Now you are very relaxed and peaceful.

This is a very pleasant feeling.
As your mind drifts and your body has its sleepy head on, you will start to relax even more.
I want you to imagine, like in a dream, a lovely path that leads through some very green woods.
The trees are all healthy and the sunlight is warm as it lights up the winding path.
This could be a place you have been to before, or it might be a special place that you made up in your
mind.
Because you can do that with dreams, you can make anything good happen that you want.

I want you to imagine you are walking along the path, you can be with your friends or parents.
It is up to you as it is your dream.
It feels peaceful and happy.
Every time you come to a bend in the path, you get to see a new scene.
Sometimes, you may see blue flowers….these are bluebells
At other times, you may see beautiful animals called deer all bathed in sunlight.
Each bend in the path makes you feel even more happy and you look forward to the next one.
What a great dream to have.

Your subconscious mind knows that you can feel like this about everything.
Anytime you do not know what is happening then your inner mind can remember this.
Every bend in the path is unknown but each time in your dream, it turns out great.
Everything gets better all the time.
The future is like this path
Lots of times you can’t see what is around the corner

Your inner mind will remind you of this dream

It is a beautiful world
Peaceful and happy
You know this, and it makes you feel good inside
You are so confident now
Just knowing that this special dream is yours makes you feel warm and positive.
It even makes you feel stronger
Each time, you dream this dream you will feel yourself getting stronger and more confident.
You know everything turns out right
Each bend in the path revealing more wonderful things.

What happens tomorrow is a bit like this dream because you don’t know what is around the bend.
There is every reason to think it will turn out like your dream and be wonderful.
When you next get sleepy and want to have some happy thoughts
You can dream this dream again and make it even better.

This is your special dream.

A place that belongs to only you.
It allows you to feel so good about yourself.
It is like you have your own super-power.
From now on, your super power allows you to the most confident person in the world.
This must feel great.

You must feel very happy to know this.

You can feel like this every single time you dream.

Now, when you are creating scripts, all should be adapted to target the individual child. This will be after
the consultation stage and as you get to know them, you will see them as a character and what they
identify may make a huge difference to how they respond. Some children will benefit and associate more
with a walk through a Disney park for instance. Others will enjoy a roller-coaster ride or a walk through a
fairground. Connecting with the child is vital and should be ongoing if therapy continues.

It is important that you as the therapist discuss the session with the parents afterwards. You may be able
to help guide them in keeping the issues at bay by helping them understand key words that are positive
and to avoid those that are negative. In some cases, a recording of the session can be used as a tool,
this can be played just before sleep and can be very beneficial. Getting the child involved in his or her
own therapy by allowing them to take an active role is a positive thing to do. It is proven to be successful
and can if done correctly be fun for the child.

Point of Reflection:

Imagination is the key to a child’s subconscious mind and this tends to be a door that is never locked.
However, like a dream, what is scary to one child may be seen as fun to another. This makes it so
important to understand the external and internal influences that affect the child. Consider this with your
own children or, those that you know. Think about how you would write a script to suit their needs.
 Module 2
Stress and Anxiety

Children, like adults suffer from stress and anxiety. They also, like us, develop various coping
mechanisms that become harmful or at least, have a negative impact on their daily lives. Avoidance
behavioral patterns are often the area that is easiest to spot first.

The child may start to withdraw into themselves and not want to talk. They may stop socializing with
friends and show a reluctance to go to school. They may become disruptive and their schoolwork may
deteriorate. There can also be health issues like stomach pain or headaches. Older children can even
turn to drugs or alcohol as a means of coping. You may think these issues are easy to detect but they
build up over time and often, when you as the therapist first see these children, their problems have
become ingrained. Parents tend to seek help once they realize that the problems are out of control and
so, this may be some time after the issues started and of course, the problems are compounded.

In some ways, dealing with stress and anxiety in children is the same as dealing with these problems in
adults, but, with one big difference. The realm of fantasy that is linked to imagination is much stronger in
children and this makes it easier for us as therapists to connect using stories that they can individually
relate to.

Therefore, it is important to gather as much information in a preliminary session and from the adults who
are present too. All hypnotherapy should be tailored to the individual but the focus on this with children
means it should be even more targeted.

Younger children may not fully connect with the word ‘relaxed’ but they are almost certainly going to
understand the word, ‘sleep and how heavy their limbs can feel’. Some therapists have achieved success
by using an object like a rag doll to demonstrate how heavy limbs feel.
Very young children rarely need deepeners to relax them further, it is possible of course, if the child is of
an age where they recognize numbers, and so, you could take them through a counting process, but you
will find that it is quite often unnecessary.

Fear of failure

A fear of failing can be a very powerful thing in children of all ages. This can lead to all sorts of avoidance
behavior when exams or tests are up and coming. Even small children must face several tests and as
they grow older, the tests become more serious. They are told that exams are important to their future
and they are constantly reminded of success and failure by their peers. This can be a frightening time for
children of any age and interfere with their ability to learn and grow in a natural way.

A typical script dealing with stress or anxiety caused by a fear of tests or exams might go like
this…

Now you are in such a lovely relaxed mood.

I want you to begin by taking several deep breaths and this will help you relax even more.
You might want to close your eyes, but it does not matter if you do as there are no rules.
You do what feels right for you.
This should be fun and relaxing all at the same time.
This incredible relaxation feels so good.
You are happy.

I want you to imagine you are on a lovely beach.

There are only your family and friends there.
Everyone is just relaxing like you are now.
You can feel the warm sunshine on your skin.
The water is gently lapping at your feet.
Everything is peaceful.
Everyone is chilled.

Your inner mind is good at creating these images.

It becomes a place you can always visit.
You just think about this moment.
Any time you want.

Every time you feel anxious or nervous it would be good to visit this place.
Here you can create your own world.
Full of peace and harmony.
You are what you think.
Your thoughts become what you want them to be.
You might like to think of a time in the future where you might feel anxious.
Perhaps waiting for an exam or test to start.
Imagine sitting there and being so confident
Imagine sitting there and knowing that you will pass everything easily.
You already know all you need to know.
You can see the answer to each question in your inner mind.

Just like when you imagined this beach

How real does the beach feel?

That is how easily you can see the answers that are already in your subconscious mind.
You are confident
You have all you need.
You can visualize a quiet, confident you sat at your desk.
You are looking forward to the exam.
Exams have no fear for you as you know your inner mind will have all the answers.
It makes perfect sense to feel relaxed.
You know that all will turn out good.
You will always be pleased with the results.

Imagine yourself looking at the paper in front of you and feeling a wave of relief as you know all the
answers to the questions in front of you.
It will feel so easy.

Every time you relax, all the answers you need instantly come to you.
You may even start to look forward to exams.
Life feels good.
Life is good.
Take a moment to imagine how wonderful that will feel.

Obviously, age makes a difference on how you communicate with a young person but generally fears and
anxieties are treated in a similar way to adults. Exams for instance, tend to come around when a child is a
teenager. A teenager tends to respond to suggestions in the same way as an adult. The only difference is
that they may not have had the same wealth of life experiences.

Point of Reflection:

All scripts should be tailored to the child’s individual experiences and influences. The more you can tune
into the way the child thinks and responds, the better equipped you are to help them. Once again, the
parents will play an important role here as they are a wonderful source of information on what influences
their children. Write your own script relative to fears and then, adapt it for different ages. Notice the
terminology changes as you do so.
 Module 3
Bed Wetting

One of the most important things to remember when dealing with the problem of bed wetting is not to
focus on the negativity of the words. It is important that you avoid this as it will only become an
association and so, more difficult to remove later.

Although all scripts should focus on the positive, the subject of bed-wetting perhaps needs it more than
most. An alternative should be used i.e. ‘dry bed’ and therefore, always focus on the perfect outcome
instead of compounding the existing problem. Parents often inadvertently cause more problems by
reinforcing the problem by saying things such as: “Be good tonight and don’t wet the bed”

This association can further deepen the trigger although it is not meant in a detrimental way. As the
therapist, you may need to guide the parents in this manner.

Provide an alternate term such as dry bed rather

than use the term bed-wetting.

It must be remembered that bed wetting is almost certainly a product of an underlying problem such as
stress or anxiety. If you have been treating the child for a while, you may have already begun to eradicate
the issue. Parents must always be aware of this. Specify that it is important to deal with the root problems
prior to surface issues being resolved. As a therapist, you will already be aware of just how important
communication is.
Bed wetting is often a problem that the child wants to correct as it only causes anguish for them. This
enhances the chance of success as they are willing and compliant. It is very important to put them at
ease of course and allow them to understand that lots of people including some adults have had this
problem in the past.

After a suitable induction, a typical script would be:

Now you are so warm and relaxed.

This will feel like fun and you are enjoying this because you love to imagine stuff.
Imagine yourself now, you are back in your bed, underneath the warm blankets.
Or perhaps you have a quilt, this can be your favorite one.

As you snuggle down, you will be able to imagine all the things you have in your room.
This makes you feel happy and secure.

These are things that belong to you and they are part of your home
You are safe and warm.

Dreams are fun, and it is good that we can make them happen when we want.
You are drifting into a pleasant sleepy feeling.
And now as you are floating into this very peaceful relaxed feeling, I want you to dream some more.

I want you to think about a beach scene.

Perhaps you know it already from a family vacation.
Or maybe, you are going to make this one up just for yourself.

You can feel the warm sunshine and perhaps you can hear the happy sounds of other children playing
somewhere nearby.
As you listen to the sounds around you
You feel so warm and relaxed
The warmth from the sun is making you thirsty
In your dream, you are handed an ice-cold drink and you can probably see the ice cubes reflecting the
sunlight.
You want to taste the ice-cold drink
This is your dream, so you can have as much as you like.
You like that feeling of gulping the drink and feeling the fizziness and the coldness
It is refreshing on this hot day.
You are so very thirsty that you drink lots.
You can feel your bladder getting more full from each sip.
You feel so full now.

From now on, every time your subconscious mind recognizes this feeling of being full.
It will wake you up and you will go to the toilet and wash your hands and get back into your very warm
and dry bed.

This will happen every single time you feel full.

You will simply wake up from your dream and go to the toilet.

When you wake up in the morning you feel happy and relaxed in your warm and dry bed.

This is a very standard script and clearly, it needs to be matched to the age and interests of the child.
Therefore, it is essential to do your homework beforehand. Make detailed notes when you discuss the
situation with the parents so that you can contemplate the best way to approach treatment. Parent’s may
be very intuitive as to the cause and if so, you can build this into the session too.

Children respond to these simple scripts with solid suggestions very well. Certainly, if they wish to stop
bed-wetting, you will see results quickly.

Any therapy will be more successful if you understand any background issues and all avenues should be
explored. Bullying which we will talk about in the next module can often be the culprit of bed wetting.
Sudden changes such as moving schools or losing old friends can produce the anxiety behind bed
wetting too.

Point of Reflection:

Never give the child the impression that he or she has done something bad. Allow them to feel normal,
because they are. The parents play a role in this too and may need guidance themselves. Do not be
afraid to act as a mentor to them as well. How they respond to the child and their use of words can make
a big difference to the success of your therapy session. Consider writing your own script on this subject
and adapt it to specific age groups.
 Module 4
Bullying

Bullying is a major problem throughout life and so, you may see young children right through to teenagers
and beyond. If we look at news reports, we can see that bullying appears to be on the increase. The sad
reality is that it has always been an issue in schools and colleges. In fact, bullying even happens in the
workplace. When it comes to children, the act of being bullied can cause many add-on problems –
bedwetting being one. But, it can lead to feelings of anxiety, of social withdrawal and depression. Coping
mechanisms will always be withdrawal or avoidance

Children who are being bullied often feel they have no way to deal with it. They are scared to talk to their
parents or to even tell a teacher. Anyone who has suffered in this way will understand the dread that it
can cause. Therapy does not put right the bullying itself of course but does help the victim to understand
that there are better coping mechanisms and that there is nothing wrong with them, which can be a very
big fear. The problem person is the actual bully.

Therapy is all about dealing with the effects of bullying and the process of eliminating the root problem
needs to be followed through. Every school will have a policy on bullying and most will take this problem
very seriously. Protection must come first. You, as a therapist will be dealing with the anxiety issues and
lower self-esteem levels caused by bullying.

It’s important to note that a child can feel bullied in variety of ways, it does not have to be direct violence.
Some bullying takes the form of social media or it may be direct verbal abuse. The verbal abuse could
threaten real physical harm. Over time it can have a devastating effect on the victim.
When we deal with issues related to bullying, this has to be done on a person by person basis. There is
no one cure fits all type therapy. However, the problems that a therapist deals with, will mostly fit into
damaged self-esteem and confidence problems. Over time, anxiety will build, and self-esteem and
confidence can be whittled away. The problems we see are normally rooted in the coping mechanisms
and the outward signs of the problem, but the internal damage is hidden from those viewing from the
outside.

Treat the cause of the issue and not the

symptoms.

If you are treating a child because they have suffered some form of bullying, then, it should be obvious
that the root problem must be resolved. You cannot effectively treat an issue if the cause of the problem
is still ongoing. Remember you are treating the issues that the bullying has caused at an internal level
and not the bullying itself.

No matter what the child’s age, they must be made aware that none of this is their fault. They may
already feel as if they are not normal and like other children. It is important that they have trust in you and
see you as a genuine friend and someone who can help them.

That connection and trust is probably more important in the bullying arena than in any other. It is vital that
the child understands that they are not alone. The therapist has a very important role in guiding the child
into this way of thinking. It is quite possible that by the time they see you, they have become very isolated
and insecure and may not respond to authoritarian figures very well.

A typical induction in dealing with children who have suffered issues from bullying would be guide them to
a place where they felt safe. This again would depend on the age of the child and could be a place of
fantasy or for some children, a safe zone they already have in their mind. It should be easy to help them
relax if they are already looking for safety and comfort.

A general script to deal with the issues that bullying has caused:

Now that you feel warm and relaxed and safe we can begin.
This is a nice feeling.
So safe and so relaxed.
I want you to play a game in your mind.
It is a bit like day dreaming.
Let your brilliant imagination take you to a special place.
You might already have something in mind.
Most of us have our secret place inside our minds.
A perfectly safe place.
Yours might be a secret garden.
It can be what you like as it belongs to you.
Can you see that place in your mind?
Perhaps there are some steps leading down to a beautiful walled garden where the flowers are in full
bloom.
Maybe you can see the butterflies flitting from flower to flower.
Nature is safe here in your special place.
You feel so warm and comfortable.

As you start to walk down the steps you are looking forward to sitting down on a blanket in the sunshine.
Each step you take seems to relax you further.
Each step relaxes all your muscles
Each step making you feel almost sleepy
It is a nice feeling isn’t it?

Once you are at the bottom of the steps, you can feel the lush-grass like a carpet underneath your feet.
Perhaps your garden has high stone walls around it.
It can be anything you like, as this is your special place.
This is a place where everything is safe.

You can imagine yourself laying down on your blanket with the sun gentle and warm on your skin.
Maybe you can hear the insects going about their daily business.
Bees collecting nectar from the beautiful plants that you have placed in your garden.
You are creating all of this in your mind and you can do this as often as you like and anytime you want.

As you sit/lie there, looking up at the leaves in the trees above

You notice that every now and then, you see one fall gently to the ground.
You can easily imagine that each leaf has all the things in it you don’t like.
As each one falls away from the tree, it is like it is leaving you as well.

This feels like a game, but it makes you smile as it feels good.

There goes another one and you can make this leaf be about any problem you have.
The tree does not need it and nor do you.
Each problem floating away on the breeze.
This feels so good.

Letting go of anything you don’t want.

You can do this anytime you need to.
Anytime you want to.
Your inner mind knows this and guides you.

Every time you let a leaf take away a problem, it leaves a space for something good to fill it.
So, every time you visit your secret place in your mind, you feel happier and more content.
Everything good is filling your mind up.

This makes you feel more confident and more content.

You know that you can make yourself happy at any time.
You simply think of your secret place and watch the breeze take the leaves away.
How does this make you feel?

You feel so relaxed now and so happy that this place only belongs to you.
It is safe and warm.
Only good things happen here.
Anytime you feel anxious or upset you can simply visit this secret place.

Let the leaves take away your problems.

They are not even in the garden anymore.

The new leaves that grow are just filled with all the things you want.
Each time you visit you will see new leaves that make your life better.
You can see how your life, like the tree is going to grow into something great.

Clearly this type of script would have to have suggestions that were targeted to the individual child, but it
is effective at making them feel safe and from this, you include suggestions which could further enhance
how they view the world around them.

Point of Reflection

It is very important to remember that any ongoing issues must be resolved before therapy. It is true that
some coping mechanisms can be installed but root problems such as bullying should be eradicated
before therapy. It sometimes helps to put yourself in the mind of a child. How you once felt could be how
they feel right now. Consider some aspects of your own childhood which you found difficult and would
have liked help for. Create a script that would have helped you, so you can understand the required
suggestions.
 Conclusion

Congratulations on reaching the end of this Hypnotherapy for Children course. From studying the
modules within, you should now understand that children of all ages make good subjects for
hypnotherapy. We, as therapists, need to be supportive and to build a connection with them and their
parents as they play an important role in the therapy process too.

The spectrum of problems that can be effectively treated by a therapist is vast and we have only touched
on a few here. Children respond very well to suggestion as their imagination is already highly-tuned and
this plays a big part in their lives. We often find with younger children that the induction section of therapy
is quick because of this. Rarely do they need a further deepener, but only you will know this for sure
because you would be monitoring how they are within the session.

Children are usually open to treatment. They don’t want to be different from others and they want to feel
normal. Some problems may be deeply rooted, and this depends on the length of time for which it has
been continuing. You may find resistance initially, especially in cases, where the child has withdrawn into
themselves. This would take more than one session to gain trust and to build-up confidence in the child.

A child’s life is influenced by many things that vary from super heroes to movies and TV personalities. All
these things can be used to reset triggers and suggestions. Often, nature scenes work very well, and
children have already invented a safe place in their minds that can used to help with therapy.

Interaction and building a connection is vital and it is worth recording sessions as these can also be used
at home by the parents and this has been shown to have incredible benefits. You would naturally work
with the parents to help guide them as well. It is possible that even though they have approached you
they may not clearly understand hypnotherapy themselves. So, this becomes an area that you need to
address. Your first session would often be just a fact-finding mission and to ascertain the expectations.

There is a wonderful feeling of satisfaction when a child has responded in a positive way and that a part
of their life has been improved dramatically simply because of the therapy you have administered.

Before we end, let’s just consider some important points:

• Children are individuals.

• They are heavily influenced by their imaginations.
• They withdraw easily when under pressure.
• A strong connection needs to be built through trust.
• Parents must be involved always.
• External influences must be observed.
• Young children rarely require a deepener.
• Root causes of problems need to be addressed before therapy.

Just remember that everyone is different and the scenarios that have led to this point of therapy will be
different too, and so, you must find the cause so that you can heal the present.

The gateway to the subconscious mind is the imagination.


Hypnotherapy for Children

Karen E. Wells