Anxiety in children is almost too broad a category to address here. However, we will discuss some symptomatic behavior, such as bedwetting, in this section. Children and adolescents, however, face their own versions of practically every issue that we have already discussed elsewhere in this site. Obesity in children continues to grow. Eating disorders are also prevalent and growing among the young. Children also develop stutters or develop other speech problems in conjunction with anxiety. School itself presents a number of pressures that produce anxiety, from public speaking to test-taking. The interactions with parents, teachers, and peers trigger many emotional and psychological challenges. Studies now show that graduating high school students are entering the world with self-esteem levels at the lowest levels ever measured. Depression and high suicide rates are an ever-increasing source of concern. Technology has retarded social skill development. Vaping, Video games, and Pornography have created unique manifestations of anxiety among teenagers. What the future holds for our youth under such social pressures defies our imagination.
Some of the problems that children face are uniquely developmental problems, but chief among those developmental problems is anxiety, which so often lies at the heart of all other problems. Anxiety and its resolution both lie within a child’s Middle Mind. Blessedly, even when the children are teenagers, Middle Minds are more malleable; thus, hypnotherapy can reach more quickly the child’s mind which governs behaviors and provides the raw ingredients to reprogram instincts, habits, and drives.
The fascinating power and complexity of the mind is just now beginning to be understood in terms of its strength and flexibility. But, through hypnotism, we have now discovered and learned to utilize this power in order to facilitate change. For children, the steps in hypnotherapy follow a basic pattern:
- The therapist with the parents and the child determines the issue(s) to be addressed.
- The therapist will ensure a comfortable setting to help discover the child’s interests and level of communication. This information will guide the sessions, particularly the hypnotic suggestions.
- The hypnotherapist will design suggestions for the child to utilize in forming new behaviors.
- With a plan unique to the child based upon his or her age, communication skills, and interests, the child will be hypnotized and given the mental material needed to convert old behaviors into new ones.
- The therapist will evaluate progress, using the evaluations to develop and implement post-session steps and follow-up.
- The therapy is concluded when permanent behavior change occurs, something that often can be done rapidly with hypnotherapy.