Hypnosis for Children
Imagine if someone understood your needs and helped you already when you were a child.
I love working with children because they change so easily and because their whole life becomes more favorable, happier, and more successful.
In this post, I will share with you some of my knowledge and experience with hypnosis for children.
Why do children need therapy?
Every child grows up under the influence of their environment and, primarily, their parents. And every child forms certain beliefs and automatic behaviors to adapt to that environment.
Every parent knows that it is often not easy to understand a child’s personal needs and to behave or act adequately. Children themselves lack a proper understanding of their emotions and feelings, as well as adequate language to express them. Therefore, various misunderstandings and misinterpretations can occur.
Additionally, every parent, even with the best intentions and knowledge, can make mistakes in raising their own child. However, those misunderstandings and errors can lead to behavioral adaptations in children, which may cause problems sooner or later.
Furthermore, we cannot prevent certain happenings in our lives that will definitely negatively influence the child, like a divorce, illness, or death of a close one, accidents, or something else. Unfortunately, child abuse happens often, too.
If any issues arise, it is essential to address them with children as early as possible.
Does hypnosis work for kids?
Children are excellent subjects for hypnosis, and there are several reasons for that.
Their rational mind is less critical and less dominant than the mind of adults. And thus it is far more open to new, positive suggestions.
At the same time, children possess a rich and vivid imagination, which is one of the main healing aspects of hypnotherapy.
One more reason why hypnotherapy works especially effectively for children is the incredible ability of a child’s brain to change (neural plasticity). You are probably aware that children learn fast and develop skills effortlessly, like learning languages and other skills. This same ability makes it possible for a child to change and heal quickly when applying hypnotherapy.
How do you hypnotize a child?
Hypnosis is a resourceful and suggestible state of mind used by a hypnotist for therapeutic purposes. A hypnotist directs the process while the client creates a hypnotic state of mind.
When working with adults, a hypnotist needs to disarm their rational mind to engage the powers of their unconscious mind. It is also very helpful to utilize their power of imagination.
Since children are far less critical and have a limitless imagination, it is often sufficient to begin by saying: “Let’s pretend…” or “Once upon a time…” – that’s simple and easy!
“Mammy, daddy, I have a belly ouch.”
When my daughter started going to school, she often had stomachaches at night. It became a routine to prepare a hot water bottle for her.
When I learned hypnotherapy, I also acquired a significant amount of psychology to understand and effectively deal with clients. This included child psychology. So, I realized that regular stomachaches are an expression of tension in children.
The feedback from the teachers confirmed this. They had told me that my daughter was anxious about doing everything correctly but doubted her own abilities.
When I realized this, I changed our approach. One evening, my daughter said again that she had a belly-ouch.
When she was in bed, I asked her to imagine a beautiful walk so that she could calm down. And when she was calm, I asked her to imagine that her belly was warm and relaxed, and also that it was full of smileys. That was absolutely easy for her to imagine all the colorful, soft, happy, and friendly smileys inside.
And after this evening, she has never complained about the belly-ache again. Simple, fast, and easy!
What issues can be treated
Hypnotherapy can help children with such topics as
- anxiety, including test/ exam anxiety
- fears, phobias
- depression
- eating disorders
- neurological disorders, like tourette syndrome or Trichotillomania (hair pulling), and more
Testimonials from Parents
We contacted Olga as our son Tim (11) was facing problems as:
- Afraid about noise, especially loud motorbikes/traffic situation
- Afraid to master new situations
- Lack of self-confidence
After informing her about the above issues, Olga invited Tim to a 1-hour therapy appointment.
He was a bit excited about this appointment. When they were ready, Tim was very calm and in balance.Olga recommended, to listen frequently to her records. Tim listened to her records daily. Furthermore, Olga coached Tim every 2 weeks, this was helpful as well.
After 4 weeks we recognized Tim’s behavior changed. What changed after the therapy?
- Tim is not afraid of motorbikes anymore; he is now relaxed in the traffic situation
- He is mastering new situations; he changed schools recently and is open-minded
It was amazing, how Tim changed his behavior within a few weeks. This method works and helps to change behavior.
Renate, Netherlands
Before we turned to Olga, my daughter (15 years old) had orthorexia – a clinical picture that not even all doctors recognize. The food has been carefully sorted into healthy and unhealthy. Meat, fish, and eggs disappeared from the menu for ethical reasons. White flour and sugar are taboo. Out of respect for nature and the environment, she stopped eating food that was transported by air…
Of course, weight loss, abdominal pain, and depressive state followed. Due to the bad mood, the appetite for “healthy” food worsened and my daughter continued to decline – a vicious circle.
After Rapid Transformational Therapy, the mood slowly returned and the certainty that one could integrate the love of the environment and health into everyday life. With increased self-confidence, the appetite got better and better and soon she was back to her normal weight.
I am very impressed with how fast and effective the therapy is and I can only recommend it! Many thanks to Olga!
Dina, Germany
Hypnosis for Children FAQ
Is it safe to hypnotize a child?
Hypnotherapy is completely safe.
While hypnosis cannot make your child do anything against their will, hypnotherapy is an effective option to get to the root cause of a problem a child might have and resolve it.
The hypnotherapist acts solely in the interests of the child.
Is there an age limit for hypnosis?
Hypnotherapy relies on language to guide change, so a child’s language development is important. Typically, hypnotherapy is suitable for children from around age 5, when they can follow simple suggestions and engage with the process. A skilled hypnotherapist will always adapt their language to match the child’s age and level of understanding.
However, when a child is too young, too ill, or simply prefers not to participate directly, there’s another option: surrogate hypnosis. This is a form of indirect hypnosis where the hypnotherapist works with a close person — usually a parent — instead of the child.
In a surrogate session, for example, the child’s mother steps into the child’s energetic or emotional role, allowing the work to be done through her. This approach is beneficial when direct communication or cooperation with the child isn’t possible, and can still lead to meaningful change.
Is hypnosis good for childhood trauma?
Hypnotherapy is particularly useful in helping survivors to restructure their actual memories of trauma or abuse as well as to give them a greater sense of control, and in addressing painful feelings such as self-blame.
Can hypnotherapy change a child’s personality?
Hypnotherapy can change beliefs and automatic behaviors when you choose to, but it cannot alter who you are. Because hypnosis works with your mind – your thoughts, feelings, and emotions – it can help you change those aspects and bring out the best of your personality.
Conclusions
- Hypnotherapy works amazingly on children because they are less rational than adults, but have almost limitless imagination and easily changing and adapting brains.
- When having issues, children can profit greatly from hypnotherapy. Their whole life will be happier and more successful if their issues get solved early in their life.
About the Author
References
- Klemfuss JZ, Olaguez AP. Individual Differences in Children’s Suggestibility: An Updated Review. J Child Sex Abus. 2020 Feb-Mar;29(2):158-182. doi: 10.1080/10538712.2018.1508108. Epub 2018 Aug 24. PMID: 30142291.
- Rapoport, J., Gogtay, N. Brain Neuroplasticity in Healthy, Hyperactive and Psychotic Children: Insights from Neuroimaging. Neuropsychopharmacol 33, 181–197 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.npp.1301553
