Kids are some of my favorite clients! The have great imaginations and hypnosis is all about imagination and being able to imagine different ways of doing things, responding or reacting. Children generally respond well and the appointments are a lot of fun. Kids giggle and wiggle during the sessions and still have great results.
Children can learn to calm themselves down through deep breathing and can learn to do exercises such as changing the channel in their minds with a remote control. For example, whenever a certain thought comes into their head, they change the channel on their (imaginary) remote and think about something else. In the office, we help them to create the new channel that is full of things that are fun or that they love.
What I appreciate most is that the parents are looking for alternatives for their children. I offer reduced rates for all children's appointments because I know that parents have already given a lot of time and money to the situation before they discover hypnosis and I want parents to spread the news about the benefits of hypnosis.
When parents ask about follow up visits, I always ask them to make sure the child wants to come back. Some of these kids have seen so many different people for their concerns that I am careful not to make visits to me feel like a chore. I want the visits to be fun. I also hope that children who don't want to come right now, may remember hypnosis as an option when they are old enough to make their own decisions.
Medical and mental health concerns require a referral from a physician. In my opinion, we are living in the perfect world when the medical community and the alternative practitioners can work together.