Can Children Have Hypnotherapy?

Hypnotherapy is a very popular treatment to help adults overcome all sorts of psychological issues. Plenty stream to these treatments because they are safe and have no negative side effects. Since it is a holistic treatment, you might be tempted to seek treatment for a child. But is hypnotherapy safe for children? In this guide, we take a closer look.

Is Hypnotherapy Safe For Children?

Hypnotherapy is a safe treatment for kids but not all children are suitable candidates. Various factors like a child’s mental health, attention span, age, and willingness to attend can make them more or less suitable for hypnosis. Most hypnotherapists recommend children to be 15 years or older simply because children of this age have the required attention span, they can successfully follow instructions, and they understand enough about these treatments not to fear them. There are however some younger children who are suitable candidates and who do benefit a great deal from these sessions.

When to Avoid Hypnotherapy

It is difficult to say whether a child will respond well to treatment before they try it. In most cases, it is best to avoid hypnotherapy for children younger than eight years old simply because these little ones have a short attention span. You can also avoid hypnotherapy for children under the following scenarios;

• For children who are seriously dissociated or emotionally disturbed
• For children who cannot follow instructions 
• For children who might be too scared to truly relax
• Children who might be struggling with epilepsy

Conditions or Habits That Hypnotherapy For Kids Can Help With

Hypnotherapy can be helpful for a great many conditions or habits in children. As with any adult, children also experience unpleasant or negative thoughts and emotions. The only difference is that these emotions tend to be much bigger and more powerful in young children. Hypnotherapy is recommended for many conditions but they are especially successful for treating the following.

Nail Biting

Nail-biting is usually associated with stress and anxiety. Kids tend to bite their nails as a way to soothe themselves when they feel stressed. Nail-biting in children can vary from mild to a level where they inflict self-harm. Hypnotherapy is effective for treating nail-biting because the treatment identifies and treats the underlying issue and changes the way the child responds to these negative emotions.

Phobias Or Fears

It is pretty common for kids to be afraid of all sorts of things like the dark, lightning, or large dogs. But in some cases, phobias manifest from a traumatic memory. This traumatic memory can result in anxiety, panic attacks, or unrealistic fear of things that normally wouldn’t trigger such a huge response. Hypnotherapy is a great treatment for releasing phobias because these treatments change the mind’s response to fearful circumstances.

Sleep Problems

Insomnia and poor sleeping habits can be damaging to a developing young brain. Hypnotherapy eases the mind into a relaxed state and can help establish healthier sleep patterns or treat and overcome insomnia.

Dentistry Issues

Dental issues like teeth grinding is a reasonably common symptom of anxiety and stress. Children also tend to be afraid of dentists and dental sessions like needles or other dental procedures. HypnoDontics is a form of hypnotherapy that focuses on helping children and adults overcome dental issues like thumb sucking, teeth grinding and an unnatural fear of dentistry.

Bed Wetting

Bedwetting can result from bladder control issues, and traumatic experiences and is also common in children who sleep deeply and can be very traumatic and embarrassing for young children. Hypnotherapy can help train a child’s mind to wake up when it is time to go to the bathroom or can guide the child through traumatic experiences so he or she can overcome this common issue. 

Hypnotherapy can be a very useful treatment for children but it is always best to contact Evolution Hypnotherapy in advance to see if your child is a suitable candidate. These treatments can be a wonderful and safe treatment for teenagers and many young children.