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Decrease Child Anxiety with Parental Hypnosis
Karen Hemmings • 5 February 2020
In Just 2 to 3 Minutes a Night
Hypnotherapy is different from most other therapies because it works directly with the subconscious mind. This is the part of the mind that thinks, feels and does things automatically without us even having to think about them, for example; breathing and swallowing.
The Hypnotherapist uses hypnosis to access the client's subconscious mind and avoid any conscious resistance. It is then much easier to find out why a client thinks, reacts and behaves in a certain way. By identifying the cause of a problem, without negatively affecting emotions means that it is easier for the client to accept the change at a subconscious level.
In hypnotherapy you remain in complete control of your actions. You can come out of hypnosis at any time you choose.
Please note if you believe your child may have deep-rooted issues or trauma, then it is always best to see a GP first and they may suggest a referral, potentially to a CBT therapist or a similar professional that specialises in supporting children.
Just 2-3 minutes a night for consecutive nights can help develop a new way of thinking for your child, and by doing this each night for 3 to 4 weeks you could change this thinking into a habit.
General hypnosis is suitable for children, usually from about the age of six, provided they can understand what is being said, they are intelligent and imaginative. Younger children can benefit from the relaxation. In 1981 self-hypnosis was introduced into the national curriculum in Sweden.
This technique of sleep hypnosis is ideal for children up to the age of approximately 10 years old as they are old enough to understand you. The parents, due to the trust factor are best to do this. Before beginning the sleep hypnosis session it is important that you already know what you are going to suggest to your child for and you have prepared a simple suggestion in advance.
Here’s how it’s done
It is important that you must speak to them while they are in a stage between being asleep and awake. It is also best to wait until evening until the child is asleep.
Quietly go into the child’s room and sit comfortably beside them. Use your index finger and begin to tap the child lightly on one of the child’s fingers while saying their name … such as “James/Jasmine, if you can hear me move this finger … if you can hear me move this finger.” (Continue saying this until you see their finger move). It is important to say this softly and calm enough so as to not startle them and wake them out of sleep. You just want to pull them out enough so that they hear you and move their finger.
Once they have done that you can begin reciting your suggestions. Remember to always be positive in your suggestions, to keep it simple, quick and to the point. Give plenty of positive reinforcement throughout the entire process. The entire process should take less than two to three minutes. You may want to repeat the process several nights.
Unless you are practiced in positive affirmations it is best to make a note of what you want to convey to your child and then follow the seven step criteria for creating suggestions or visualizations to get the most effectiveness.
Here are some suggestions for positive affirmations to say to themselves.
• There is no one better to be than me.
• I get better every single day.
• I am amazing (use relevant words that will help grow your child’s esteem funny, clever).
• I am loved, cared about and cherished
• I am safe
• I am well
• All of my problems have answers.
• I feel confident in school
• It is easy for me to learn at school and at home
• I am adaptable
• I find solutions
Many more positive affirmations can be found at
https://www.thepathway2success.com/101-positive-affirmations-for-kids/
The Steps
1. It is best to previously identify what it is that is causing the anxiety in your child, however the process can still help even if the trigger is not identified.
2. Keep your suggestions as simple and to the point as possible so as to be remembered while in hypnosis. If you include too much information or too many subjects, they may have a hard time imagining them all.
3. Believable - Here is where the “buying-in” principle comes into play. Before the subconscious will begin to act upon any suggestion you must have a belief or “faith” that it could happen. If it is so far-fetched that you don’t think there is any way they could attain it, you are wasting your time and could risk increasing their anxiety.
4. Measurable - Be as specific as possible. Break goals down to specific measurements. The more measurable and specific that you can make the tasks, the more attainable it will be. A simple example would be if you were to suggest they could star in the school play and presently the struggle reading out loud, then maybe you suggest they read out loud to you, then reading to a Teaching Assistant. Once you have attained that goal, then increase it to maybe reading in class, then and so on … If the goal is within sight, believable, then it is attainable.
5. Positive - NEVER, use negative statements. The subconscious mind doesn’t understand it. If I said don’t think of a pink monkey wearing a purple hat, both you and your child would probably be picturing it now. Likewise, if I said don't be anxious, the subconscious mind would hear 'be anxious.' So always use positive, upbeat, uplifting, promotional suggestions. The more positive the suggestion, the more readily the subconscious will act upon them.
6. Present Tense – They are doing it … See it in the now! If you use past tense, there will be no change, since it already happened. If you use future tense, the mind will wait.
7. Carry a Reward (Optional) - If you ask a child to change or to do anything out of their comfort zone, you may get much more of a positive response by offering a reward. You know your child best and understand what will make them happy. It could be their favourite meal, a trip to the park, a gift or a star on their chart.
We all want what is best for our children and when things aren't going right for them it can be a worry. Although it is easy to say, it is best not to display anxiety about your child's issue, concern or anxiety as your child could pick up on this and it could potentially make it worse. However, by practicing these positive-parental-affirmations through child hypnosis, you can help your child, without causing them more concern.
At The Healing Mind I do not directly support children, I do support their parents and care-givers and so, if you have your own anxiety or need to make positive changes yourself, I can tailor a programme specifically to support you through a combination of Hypnotherapy, Neuro Linguistic Programming and Emotional Freedom Technique. If you would like to find out more then please click through the website or get in touch.
https://www.thehealingmind.co.uk/contact
email: karen@thehealingmind.co.uk
Facebook: @thehealingmind.co.uk
The Healing Mind provides a range of Counselling and Hypnotherapy services in Gnosall, Stafford, as well as Reiki, Emotional Freedom Therapy (EFT) and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP).
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