Hypnosis and NLP – It’s Child’s Play

More and more people nowadays are recognising the benefits of using hypnotherapy and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) to overcome day-to-day problems such as smoking, weight issues, stress and anxiety.

What is not so well known, is that these same techniques can be used very safely and effectively with children to help them overcome a variety of problems such as phobias, exam stress, bedwetting, eating problems and habits.  

Whilst we still hear that child hypnotherapy is a relatively recent development, this is in fact not true.  It is only the level of interest in this area that is recent, with records showing that hypnosis has been used with children for more than 200 years.

If the idea of hypnotising and reprogramming children’s minds sounds a bit strange – fear not.  During this stage of life, children’s minds are just like sponges absorbing all sorts of information naturally.  In other words, they are being hypnotised all the time.  You only have to observe a child’s ability to gaze at the TV and recite the jingles back perfectly to see this in action.

However, young minds randomly absorb all sorts of habits and behaviours – some of which are not useful and as you’ll probably know only too well yourself, many adult fears, phobias and habits develop as a result of programming encountered during childhood.  Particularly in the case of phobias early intervention is best, as the longer a person has a phobia the more difficult it can become to treat.

Fortunately, this faulty programming is no longer something that has to be endured from childhood through to adulthood, as the quick and simple techniques of NLP and hypnosis can put things right in as little as one or two sessions.   

In fact, children can be more suited to these methods than many adults as the visualisation techniques and trance-like states utilised to make changes, are almost identical to their natural experiences of childhood play.  

Alicia Eaton’s hypnotherapy and NLP coaching sessions for children are generally light-hearted and fun lasting up to one and a half hours.  Playing ‘imagination games’ and asking children to draw pictures enable her to build up a clear idea of how each child is interpreting their own world.  As each child is guided into a relaxed state by the telling of hypnotic stories, it’s possible to mentally rehearse the future and imprint the mind with a better or more desired pattern of behaviour.

Prior to embarking on these sessions, it is important that the parent and child establish clear goals and that they are in agreement.  One of the reasons why these techniques are so safe to use with children, is that they are not a magic power that can force someone to do something against their will and the child’s willingness to participate is key to a successful outcome.

In situations where there is reluctance from the child (eg. a trip to the dentist or sitting exams), it’s possible to deal with the underlying anxiety first and then obtain the child’s agreement.  But parents can rest assured that their child will never lose consciousness or control of the situation.

Hypnosis and NLP coaching sessions can be of benefit to children suffering from any of the following:

• School worries:  exams, memory, reading, spelling, concentration
• Phobias:  dentists, dogs, spiders, water, school, travel, nightmares
• Food issues:  fussy eating, sugar cravings, overeating, body image
• Habits:  bedwetting, nail-biting, hair pulling, thumb sucking
• Confidence:  stage performance, public speaking, wearing glasses/braces

Alicia Eaton’s aim is to promote and raise awareness of the use of these safe and natural methods with children.  Their under-utilisation often means that children are given unnecessary drugs and medications, such as general anesthetics for dental phobias and medication to alleviate bedwetting.  Indeed, one of her clients – a 10 year old boy – recently managed to avoid having surgery for a persistent reflux problem, as he was cured in just one session.