HYPNOSIS FOR CHILDREN
The techniques and routines covered thus far in this book are for adults. Specifically for about ages fourteen and up. Children, however, don't need such lengthy procedures because their brain activity is already predominantly in alpha. It is much easier and faster to induce hypnosis in children; the younger they are, the faster they respond, and the shorter the procedure needed. Also, their attention span is such that they won't listen to a lot of boring words. Hypnosis for children often makes use of physical contact.
Children's minds are very powerful because they don't clutter up their beliefs with all of the artificial and false nonsense that most adults do. They have not yet acquired the inhibitions and artificial barriers in their thinking and behavior that most adults have. As a result, children respond to hypnotic suggestions easily, quickly, and very effectively. It takes longer to condition adults-to bypass their inhibitions-and reach the child within. Children think, "I can." Most adults tend to think, "I can't." As the Roman poet Virgil wrote over 2,000 years ago, "They can because they think they can."
Case History
Eleven-year-old Mary (not her real name) had been experiencing a constant earache in her left ear for many days due to a severe infection. Her physician had given her medication for the infection, but it was working very slowly. The pain relievers were not working at all.
My wife and I were visiting Mary's parents at the time, and I asked the parents if they would allow me to hypnotize Mary to alleviate her pain. They agreed.
I had Mary stand in front of me with her left ear facing me.
"What is your problem?" I asked
She replied tearfully, "My ear hurts."
"Do you want it to hurt?"
"No"
"Would you like me to take away the pain?"
She nodded yes.
"Close your eyes, Mary. I am putting my hand by your ear about a quarter inch away. Do you feel the warmth of my hand?" (I had the palm of my right hand covering her left ear, not touching it, about one quarter inch away).
"Yes."
"Good. Now I want you to imagine that you have an eye inside you that can go anywhere inside your body and look at things. Can you do that?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now look inside your left ear with that eye where you feel the warmth of my hand. Can you see the inside of your ear?"
"Yes'
"Very good. Now imagine strong energy coming from my hand into your ear. This energy will help you. Now I want you to light up the inside of your ear with your own energy. It will be like turning on a light in a dark cave. Light up your ear with the energy. This is your healing energy which takes away all pain and causes the ear to get well. Have you done this?"
"Yes." She began smiling.
"Mary, I am going to count from 1 to 3 and snap my fingers. When I do, you will open your eyes and your ear will feel fine, and it will continue to feel fine. 1...2...3. Open eyes and feeling fine."
She opened her eyes and smiled. "Thank you," she said. The pain was gone and she ran off to play.
This entire procedure lasted about two minutes. I merely directed the child's tremendous creative ability to bring about results. By the way, the infection rapidly cleared up and was gone in another twentyfour hours.
Make a strong mental note of several important points concerning the techniques in this case. First, I asked Mary what was wrong. Although I knew what was wrong, I wanted her to define the problem and thus focus her attention on it. Second, I asked if she wanted the problem. Again, I knew the answer, but by her saying no, she made a commitment to herself to get rid of the problem. Third, I asked if she wanted my help. Her yes answer solidified her commitment and put her faith in me and in what I was going to do. At this point, the problem was already half solved. From that point on, I utilized and directed her own creative energies to solve the rest of the problem.
Children's Routine 1
This routine is especially effective for ages five to eight years old. The brain activity in children this age is almost exclusively in alpha so hypnosis and suggestion are very quickly effective. The induction procedure is almost entirely a physical, rather than verbal, procedure. The suggestions are brief and to the point. Typically this entire procedure won't last more than two minutes. You can use this procedure for almost any purpose from stopping bed-wetting to coping with a fear of the dark.
I also use this quick routine on adults whom I have previously hypnotized and on those who have a short attention span due to some sort of infirmity. Quick routines are also excellent for relieving pain or anxiety in an emergency situation.
Have the child stand straight against a wall with feet together and heels against the wall. Place a chair for yourself about 2 feet in front of the child and sit in it, facing the child. Instruct the child as follows:
Tommy, when I tell you, I want you to start bending over. You will soon lose your balance and start to fall forward, and I will catch you.
At this point, extend your arms and keep them extended to show the child you can and will catch him.
When you feel yourself fall into my arms, just close your eyes and rest in my arms while I talk to you for just a short time. Do you understand?
If he doesn't understand, explain until he does, then proceed.
All right, Tommy, start to bend over now. Keep bending until you fall into my arms.
When he falls into your arms say:
Close your eyes and just rest here in my arms for a short time while I talk to you.
At this point you give the suggestions. For example:
Tiny babies wet the bed because they are so small they are not able to go to the bathroom. Big people do not wet the bed because they know how to go to the bathroom anytime they want to. You are a big person, Tommy, and you get bigger every day. You know how to go to the bathroom all by yourself because you are big. From now on you will always go to the bathroom whenever you need to go. Even if you are sleeping in bed, you will wake up if you need to go to the bathroom, and you will get up and go to the bathroom as soon as you wake up. You will not wet the bed anymore because you now know how to wake up and go to the bathroom by yourself. You will feel good every time you get up and go to the bathroom instead of wetting the bed.
I am now going to stand you up and you can open your eyes and be wide awake.
Gently stand the child upright and say:
Open eyes! Wide awake and feeling fine!
It is not unusual for the child to ask to go to the bathroom immediately upon awakening from this brief hypnosis session. When he does, it immediately reinforces the suggestion.
Following is a brief analysis of the salient points of this procedure.
The induction gains the child's trust. Every child knows he can easily bend over without losing his balance. Yet when you tell him to bend, he does lose his balance and falls into your arms just as you said he would. This immediately establishes his confidence and trust in you because it happened just as you said it would even though he doesn't know why. The reason why (which you do not explain) is that it is impossible for anyone to stand flush against a wall with feet together and then bend over without falling. This is because when a person bends, the buttocks push against the wall, thrusting the body forward and off balance. This is why the procedure is good for younger children but not for older ones who could easily figure it out.
You hold the child in your arms. This establishes contact and rapport. Also the child is in a physical position that keeps him from fidgeting or engaging in any sort of physical distraction.
The suggestion is brief, logical, and to the point. It should always be a positive suggestion that makes the child feel good about himself. The example given capitalizes on every child's desire to be big and achieve goals that big people achieve.
The wake up is simple and quick. The subject knows that when you have assisted him to his feet and let him go, it is all over and he is in charge again.
Childre
n's Routine 2
This routine is excellent for all ages from five to a hundred. I especially like it for children from about nine to fourteen. This procedure also utilizes some physical positioning and physical contact with a minimum of verbal speaking. The entire procedure will last about five to seven minutes, depending on the extent of your suggestions.
Seat the child in a straight-back, armless chair positioned so no harsh light falls on her eyes. Have her rest her arms in her lap. Feet flat on the floor and slightly apart. Stand immediately in front of her, slightly to her right. A good way to position yourself is to have your right foot between her two feet, but not touching. This puts your right eye in approximately the same vertical plane as her right eye.
Have her gaze straight ahead. This brings her line of vision about at your waist or chest, depending on your height and hers.
Put the tip of your right index finger on your own right cheekbone just under your right eye and say: Karen (substitute child's name), I want you to keep
your head facing straight ahead. Just roll your eyes upward to focus your gaze on my right finger which I am holding beneath my right eye.
In a moment I am going to slowly move my finger from my cheek, through the air, and touch your forehead. I want you to follow the movement of my finger with your eyes until I touch your forehead. When you feel my finger touch your forehead, I want you to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and relax. Now watch my finger.
Start moving your finger slowly from your cheek, through the air toward her forehead. Take 5 to 10 seconds to do this to allow her plenty of eye concentration and strain.
When you touch her forehead say:
Eyes closed! Take a deep breath, and relax.
Remove your finger from her forehead.
Allow your head to droop slightly as all your neck muscles relax. Feel this relaxation flow up into your face and eyes, a warm tingling feeling. Allow this relaxation to flow downward throughout your entire body now. Feel the warm, tingling relaxation go into your shoulders, your chest, waist, hips, thighs, calves, ankles, feet, and toes. Completely relaxed from head to toes.
In a moment, I am going to gently pick up each of your hands, one at a time, and let them drop back onto your lap. Each time I do, you will relax even more completely.
Using your right thumb and forefinger, gently grasp her right wrist and raise her hand about 2 inches from her lap, then release your grip allowing the hand to flop back onto her lap. Say: Relax at the moment you drop the hand. Do this three times with her right hand and three times with her left hand.
At this point you give the suggestions. For example:
I want you to imagine now that you are in school at your desk taking your spelling exam. You are relaxed and confident. You are intelligent and you have a perfect memory. You can easily remember anything you have studied. See your teacher standing in front of the class. She pronounces the first spelling word. You quickly write the word on your paper. You have spelled it correctly. The teacher pronounces word after word after word, and you easily write them all down correctly. It feels so good to you. You notice that some other children seem to be having problems, but you do not have a problem because you have learned to relax and let your excellent mind easily do the work for you. And tomorrow when you take your spelling exam you will be just as relaxed as you are now and your mind will work easily and correctly to furnish you all the information you need to spell all the words correctly. You are a bright, capable person in everything you put your mind to do.
Now I am going to count from 1 to 3 and snap my fingers. When I snap my fingers you will open your eyes, be wide awake, feeling fine and full of mental energy and confidence. 1...2...3.
(Snap.)
Open eyes! Wide awake and full of energy and confidence.
Following is a brief analysis of the salient points of this procedure:
The physical positioning is very important. Stand in front of the subject so she must look up to you. This puts you in an authoritative position in her eyes so she will automatically follow your direction without question. However, you stand slightly to one side so as not to completely block her. This keeps her from becoming intimidated or apprehensive.
The finger to forehead movement causes the subject's eyes to roll upward and become slightly tired or strained. This action automatically triggers the alpha level of brain activity.
You use a quick physical relaxation procedure. This procedure is reinforced and deepened by the hand dropping routine.
This procedure is somewhere between the young children's procedure and the full adult procedure. It is a very effective procedure for all ages. I use it frequently.
Summary
Hypnosis procedures for children are short and fast. Usually the procedures involve a liberal use of physical activity or contact to implement the induction. The suggestions need to be carefully structured to get the message across completely and quickly in an upbeat manner. The two procedures detailed here are two I use often, but by no means are these the only ones. These examples provide you with a good start.
Very little, if any, pre-hypnosis counseling is needed with children because they don't need it. Their minds are not cluttered with erroneous pre-conceived ideas like most adults' minds are. Children accept things as they are and respond accordingly. In many ways, they are more adult than adults, so treat them that way. Here's an ironclad rule to remember when dealing with children: Never talk down to them or treat them in a condescending manner. They are every bit your equal and deserve to be treated respectfully and equally.
One Caution: Never, never hypnotize a child without parental permission, and always have at least one parent present during the entire hypnosis session. If you can have both parents, or two adults the child knows and trusts, so much the better. This is to protect the child and make him more comfortable. And it is to protect you from false accusations or possible lawsuits.
Burn it into your mind: NEVER without permission and ALWAYS with responsible adult witnesses.
GROUP HYPNOSIS
There may be times when you are asked to speak to a high school or college class, a club or other organization, or even an informal house party. In these group situations, make the highlight of your presentation a brief deep-relaxation session for the entire group. With group hypnosis, use the same routines as for an individual. Because you are not interested in solving specific problems, use a few routines that will provide a light hypnosis, put in a few generic suggestions, and then bring out the subjects.
Pre-Hypnosis Instructions
Before you begin the demonstration, talk to the group about hypnosis. In addition, I suggest laying two ground rules. First, there is to be no smoking in the room prior to the start of the lecture or during the lecture and demonstration. (I also do not allow smoking in the room where I do individual hypnosis sessions.) In other words, there must be no presence of smoke not even residual smoke. The reason is that in the altered state of consciousness, people become hypersensitive and smoke, even from one cigarette, can trigger severe coughing in some people.
Second, instruct the group that if anyone chooses not to participate, that is fine. They can sit with their eyes open and watch or leave the room. Ask that they not disturb those who are participating. Tell those who are participating that if they want to, they can open their eyes and take a peek at what is going on. Stress that this is just a mini-demonstration of deep relaxation techniques. When group members know they can choose and peek, they become more comfortable and allay any apprehensions. (I have never yet had anyone who wouldn't participate or who opened their eyes to peek.)
The Demonstration Routine
Begin the session with routines A, B, C, F, G, I or whatever other arrangement you prefer. (Routines A and B are found in chapter 2, Routines C, F, G, and I are found in chapter 3.) Then give some generic suggestions such as:
You are now in a very healthy, relaxed state and you can use this state to achieve any worthwhile goal
.
You are a good, worthy person and every day you will learn more about using your mind and skills in a beneficial way.
You are a successful person and you enjoy your success.
I will stop talking now for thirty seconds to give you time to program your own individual goal.
(Stop talking and time the thirty seconds on your watch). When the time is up, bring them out using a routine similar to routine Q (found in chapter 3).
Close with a question and answer dialog about the experience. You can usually get this going by asking, "Tell me about your experience." If there is reluctance to speak first, pick out someone and say, "How about you, Diane. Did you relax? Did you have a goal that you programmed?"
STAGE HYPNOSIS
The stage hypnotist is a performer who is also a very good hypnotist. His purpose is to entertain, and he does so by selecting subjects from the audience who are good hypnosis subjects and then has those subjects perform funny or incredible acts while under light hypnosis.
In the beginning he doesn't know who in the audience is a good subject, but he knows that statistically there are three or four in any group of a dozen he could pick. So he invites a dozen volunteers onto the stage. People who volunteer tend to be uninhibited and freewheeling-something the hypnotist is looking for.
He uses a few quick routines on his dozen volunteers and observes them carefully. Because he knows people and his trade, it is easy for him to spot those who will give him problems; he either asks those subjects to return to the audience or he leaves them on stage but doesn't use them.
Moving quickly, he concentrates on the subjects he knows are likely to respond well. He uses quick routines to induce light hypnosis and directs the subjects to perform entertaining acts. For example, he might get a man to give a stirring speech on behalf of women's liberation or ask a subject to bark like a dog. The repertoire can be nearly limitless.
In many stage demonstrations, the hypnotist tells his subjects, "When you awaken you will not remember anything that happened while you were hypnotized." Since a hypnotized person always remembers unless he is told he won't, the stage hypnotist probably says this so the subject won't feel embarrassed afterward.
Hypnosis for Beginners Page 13