Rhode Island Hypnosis Center

Child Hypnosis Tips, Tools, and Pointers

While we do not expect parents or guardians to explain every little detail of hypnosis to their child, it is important to at least ensure that your child understands that hypnosis is an attempt to help him or her with what is going on. It's also equally important to ensure that your child is at least somewhat open to the idea of trying hypnosis.

Below are a few pointers for helping you and your child get ready for their upcoming hypnosis session(s).

Overview Of The Hypnosis Sessions:
As a parent or guardian, you will present at all times, and you will be in the room during the entire process. However, we have found that children are much more relaxed and open to the hypnosis processes when there are fewer people in the room during the session. Remember that there is a good chance that they don’t fully understand the process, so it’s best not to treat this hypnosis session as if it is some dire medical emergency.

In addition, since we do not overbook sessions and we only work with one client at a time, we do not offer a waiting area to accommodate any additional family members who may also wish to attend. Therefore, while we understand that sometimes more than one family member may want to accompany the child to the hypnosis appointment, it is our policy to only allow two people (the child and one parent and/or guardian) in the room during the appointment. Through our many years of experience in pediatrics hypnosis, we have found this to be most beneficial.

Your Role As A Parent Or Guardian:
Your child is making a change in his or her life. As a hypnosis provider, we are here to help you to help your child accomplish their goal. But as a parent or guardian, it’s equally important that throughout this journey, you fully demonstrate to your child that you are actively willing to take a proactive role in helping them accomplish their intended goal. This means coaching and helping your child through the preparation stages, as well as helping out with any homework assignments including listening to follow up audios if required. Showing your child that you are interested in this will in turn, get them interested.

Explaining The Process:
When it comes to hypnosis, a child’s age is an important factor to take into account, as it will affect his or her level of understanding of the concept of hypnosis. Having said this, chronological age can be very misleading. For example, we have met some 10 year olds who seem like they are "going on 16." On the other hand, older children may have seen television programs that show hypnosis, and so they may have certain preconceptions about what is going to happen in the session.

Think in advance about how you are going to explain to your child what they are going to do and how the process will help them. The following examples can be changed according to the interests of your child, his or her age, and the presenting problem.

For Children Under 11:
With younger children, in order to get them ready for their upcoming hypnosis session, it is usually best to talk in terms of having a "special" part of their mind that is going to help them stop sucking their thumb or learn how to have dry beds while in a kind of daydream. You can even play an imagination game while explaining that they are actually using that special part of their mind during the game.

For Children 11 And Older:
If speaking to an older child, you can generally use an explanation similar to the one we use with an adult hypnosis client such as "unconscious mind." We find that almost everyone understands the concept of an unconscious mind when we interrupt what we are talking about to ask the name of their favorite TV program or if they know their phone number. Once they have answered, we point out that, although they were not consciously thinking about it beforehand, the number was stored in their unconscious (or inner) mind along with other memories, feelings and the knowledge of how to do all kinds of things, such as walking, using the computer or sleeping.

Ensure Your Child Is Ready To Work:
When attending the hypnosis session, you will want to make every effort to ensure there is little distraction for your child. For example, you may want to instruct your child to leave his or her cell phone or any other electronic devices at home, or you can take possession of them during the visit. Also, you might want to book the session on a day when there is little going on following the session. It’s not much fun for a child to sit through an hour-long hypnosis session when their mind is busy focusing on a fun or exciting event or activity that they will be attending later that day.

During The Session:
It's important to remember that a child’s ability or willingness to relax for long periods of time is, in part, determined by his or her age. Unlike older children, young children will wriggle about, often prefer to keep their eyes open, may physically act out your suggestions and appear far more "awake" than their adult counterparts. At the same time, you might find exactly the opposite response. In either case, you should keep in mind that children go into hypnosis much more easily, so both reactions during a hypnosis session are perfectly normal and natural.

Added Tool To Get Your Child Ready:
In order to get your child better acclimated with what to expect during hypnosis, we recommend having your child sit through an audio hypnosis session or two. A great practice tool for children is our free relaxation hypnosis MP3. To download this free audio CLICK HERE

Final Pointer:
While the tips and pointers outlined on this page are geared for child hypnosis, if your child is a little older and you feel they may benefit from it, we would certainty encourage you to and your child to check out our adult hypnosis tips and pointers. The key here is to use your discretion as you know your child best. CLICK HERE