Hypnosis and Children - Part 2 - Interview with Hypnotherapist Kelley T. Woods

Kelley T. Woods is a brilliant hypnotherapist and has been a friend, mentor and inspiration to me over the last few years. She is a member of  the 'International Certification Board of Clinical Hypnosis'. As a parent for over nearly 30 years and a pediatric hypnotist with a special connection with kids, she can assist you and your child in a variety of ways. Earlier in the week she kindly accepted my offer to talk about her work with children. 

Hello, Kelley first of all thank very much for taking the time to answer a few of my questions and take part in this series I am doing on 'Hypnosis and Children'.

1. Kelley in all the time I have known you, working with children has become one of your real specialties. Can you tell us how this came about? 

Hi Trevor, it's great to talk about one of my favorite aspects of my practice: pediatric hypnosis. Besides having once been a child and raising three children of my own, I seem to attract children. Early in my hypnosis career, I found myself helping some of the kids in my karate dojo and realized that hypnotic approaches had great potential with children. It was a natural process to start inviting clients with children to consider hypnosis as an answer for some of their struggles.

2. What types of issues have you helped children with?

Kids can present with many of the problems that adults have, actually. I see children who have anxiety, eating issues, sleep difficulties, trouble with focus, etc. Common requests for help include bed wetting, stomach and headaches, and eliminating habits like hair pulling, nail chewing and even nervous tics.

3. What kind of strategies do you have for children?

I use a variety of techniques, depending on the age of the child and their personality and character. For younger children, a narrative approach is excellent and something that parents can emulate beyond our clinical work. Kids over 7 or so can usually engage in more formal hypnotic processes.

4. What would you say to parents out there that are 'thinking' of seeking a hypnotist for help, but are afraid to make the call, maybe having some misconceptions?
I really don't encounter many fears from the parents of my kid clients as they have usually educated themselves about hypnosis, realizing that it is perfectly safe and is a fun experience for children. If a parent is worried, they may want to use a hypnotist through a referral from a medical professional or another person they trust. I do provide families the option of attending the sessions and this seems to help reduce any worries.

5. I have a friend whose teenage daughter has been suffering from stress lately. When my friend suggested to the daughter that she try hypnosis to help, her daughter responded that she 'Didn't want anyone 'messing' with her brain, or taking control of her mind'. If you were her mother how would you respond to that? 

I'd probably provide some reading material to the teen that would show how hypnosis can help her take control of her own mind! Teens, once they engage in hypnosis, are usually fascinated with finding out more about themselves, especially if it means that they can learn some cool tricks to help deal with stress or anxiety.

6. For parents, whose child is exhibiting behavioral problems, is there any tips that you would provide (aside from actually going to see a hypnotist!)? 

Consistency is the most important ingredient, in my opinion. A family needs to have an agreed-upon set of rules posted that includes a list of rewards/consequences and then it needs to be enforced. Children really do need structure, along with affection. It's also important to recognize the different developmental stages of childhood and how they can involve periods of testing, seeking control or independence. Keeping a positive mindset and staying calm (hypnosis helps!) will help a parent navigate the rough patches.

7. Do you think that children are easier or harder to work with than adults? If so why? 

I believe that while kids are easy to work with because they access their imagination so naturally and don't have some of the limiting conceptions that adults do, it can also take a lot of energy! One needs to step into their world, keep it fun and engaging, while also working toward a mutual goal. Imagine juggling a monkey, a goat and a jellyfish and you get the picture of what it can feel like sometimes!

8. There has been a lot of debate out there after the pope came out recently and said that 'It's okay to smack your children'? Now I know some of this was taken out of context, but what is your stance on this?

One of the problems with spanking is that some people confuse punishment with discipline. If a parent is consistent with sound discipline, the need to punish is reduced. There are just so many other ways to motivate a child that it really doesn't make sense to resort to physical violence. And, everyone knows that you can gain control over a 2 yr old by taking away his cell phone! (Joking!) Seriously, being hit by anyone but especially by a person who is charged with your protection can be deeply confusing and hurtful. I notice that many adults who were beat with belts moved far over to the other end of the punishment spectrum when it comes to how they raise their kids - sometimes to the point of being too permissive!

9. What are the top 3 things we can do as parents to influence our children in a positive and beneficial way?
Three things you can do immediately to enhance your child's experience:
1. Be Kind "A child's cloak is quickly mended, but a torn heart lasts forever."
2. Provide experiences: That's how children build self esteem and worth; not through empty compliments. See Carol Dweck's work 'The Power (and Peril) of Praising Your Kids' http://mindsetonline.com/.
3. Step into their world: really listen to your child and let yourself remember what it feels like to be curious, silly and open to new things!

10. Well thanks very much Kelley, I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions. As a Hypnotherapist colleague of yours I have nothing but respect for what you do and you have been a real source of inspiration to me. Have you anything in the pipeline in terms of your hypnotic work with children?

Thank you, Trevor. I always love to share thoughts about how wonderful kids are and how we can make that brief time of life even better. I am in the midst of creating a series of mindful hypnosis recordings for a new "HypnoticKids" website providing an online resource for parents and caregivers. Exciting stuff and it's hard to even describe my job as "work"...I know that you know what I mean!

Well, have fun, Trev. Thanks for asking me to be part of your blog!

Kelley has written many books on hypnosis, including  her book for helping kids 'Secrets of the River' (available at http://tinyurl.com/q99jhw6), 'Hypnotic Women: Present a Collection of Therapeutic Stories, Scripts, Poems' and 'Inductions and Hope is Realistic: A Physician's Guide to Helping Patients Take Suffering Out of Pain', which she wrote with Michael Ellner. She is based in Mount Vernon, WA, U.S.A. Check her website out at: http://www.woodshypnosis.com

© Trevor Eivers 2015

 

My name if Trevor Eivers and I am based in Waterford, Ireland. I am a Certified Consulting Hypnotist (since 2010) with the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH), which is the largest hypnosis body in the world with over 14,000 members in 83 different countries worldwide. I am also a Certified NLP practitioner. I love my job in which I help everyday people with everyday issues. Contact me at 086-8211677 or check me out online at waterford-hypnosis.com or Facebook at : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trevor-Eivers-Hypnosis/177881245578285

 

Hypnosis and Children - Part 1 - Seven Hypnotic Tips!

Over the last couple of years I have helped many children with hypnosis, from helping increase their self esteem to removing a fear. Children are in fact the easiest to hypnotize because they have great imaginations and are very suggestible and open to new learning. In many ways they are also very  resilient. You may remember when you were a child learning how to cycle a bike, how that even after falling off the bike a few times, you always got back up, sure that you would soon master it. Isn't it true that as adults sometimes we can give up after the first attempt at something? Maybe we can learn something from our kids! I know I've learned a huge amount from mine!

In this blog I am going to give seven hypnotic tips so that parents out there can deliver positive suggestions to their children. Being a full time Dad I have been having a lot of practice when it comes to some of these tips, and with another one on the way in two months time I'm going to need to keep practicing!

1. One of the first things to be aware of is that for a child external motivation will always be temporary. For lasting change, the motivation must always be 'Internal'. What I mean by this is that the child must always want to improve for his/her own benefit, rather than the benefit of others (including the parents!).

2. It is important to understand what your child is thinking so that you can then communicate with them more efficiently and offer hypnotic suggestions to influence your childs behaviour.

3. You cannot remove a negative behaviour with a negative suggestion. A good tip is to get your child thinking what would bring them the most success in life. Be careful not to give them a negative suggestion, for example 'Don't be bold' is a negative suggestion. You can say exactly the same thing with a positive suggestion embedded, such as: 'Be a good girl now'...now that's much more productive!

4. Good and bad habits, behaviour patterns in general and most fears that the child develops, are mostly based on what is called an 'Imprint'. Any habit, behaviour or fear that began as a result of something we have seen felt or experienced, is called an 'Imprint'. These habits, behaviours and fears, reside in the subconscious mind and can be positive or negative. For example if you are afraid of spiders and scream in front of your child every-time you see one; most likely you will be creating an 'Imprint' and the child could easily develop the same fear. 

5. Get in the habit of talking to your child no matter what you are doing. For example if making the dinner talk to them about what you making, etc., tell them the names of each ingredient, or if gardening tell them the name of each plant or the colour of each flower. The more information you give them the quicker they learn. It helps strengthen their brain cells. Research shows that one of the best ways to assist a child in their critical brain building years is to talk, read and sing to them.

6. This one might seem a bit obvious but the more loving and patient you are with your child, the more secure they will feel. If children are ignored or not fully nurtured they will not fully develop all of their brains. Research has shown that holding, feeding and comforting your baby does impact the way the baby's brain develops. 

7. Create a 'Positive Anchor' - An anchor is a cue that is developed to create a response. An anchor can be positive or negative and is what triggers the 'Imprint' discussed in tip 2. For example every time your child is really happy, touch their shoulder and say something positive or play some nice music. Anchors can be then triggered if you child is feeling down or say preparing for an exam by either touching their shoulder, saying the positive word or playing the piece of music, so that the child will automatically relax. The idea of the 'anchor' is to make it automatic / subconscious. What worked really well for us is a CD titled 'Mozart - For Mother and Baby', that really had the 'chilled' effect!

I hope you have enjoyed the first part of my blog about 'Hypnosis and Children' and will have taken something from the few tips I have provided. Join me next time where I will be interviewing a very special lady who really is an expert when it comes to helping children using hypnotic techniques!

Citations - the following amazing book was referenced while compiling this blog:
1. 'Raising Your Children With Hypnosis' by Mottin,Donald J. ASC HYPNO_CLASSICS, 2005.

© Trevor Eivers 2015

 

My name if Trevor Eivers and I am based in Waterford, Ireland. I am a Certified Consulting Hypnotist (since 2010) with the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH), which is the largest hypnosis body in the world with over 14,000 members in 83 different countries worldwide. I am also a Certified NLP practitioner. I love my job in which I help everyday people with everyday issues. Contact me at 086-8211677 or check me out online at waterford-hypnosis.com or Facebook at : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trevor-Eivers-Hypnosis/177881245578285

Understanding your 'Subconscious Mind'

In this blog post I am going to give my perspective and understanding of an often discussed, but rarely understood subject - the 'Subconscious Mind'. In order to really understand how hypnosis works, I feel it is important to understand the Subconscious Mind, the Conscious Mind, and the differences. It is something that I always cover in my pre-talk with my clients to help them gain a full understanding on what we are going to achieve in the session.

I really like the 'Iceberg' metaphor when it comes to describing the difference between the Conscious and Subconscious Mind. That the Conscious Mind is the smaller part of the mind (just like the part of the iceberg that you can see), that we use to make decisions with. It is rational and logical and 'thinks' in sequence. For example you would have made a conscious decision this morning in what clothes to wear. The Subconscious Mind on the other hand is, as studies have shown, the much more powerful part of the mind (that bigger part of the iceberg you cannot see). It is the source of everything we do 'automatically' and without thinking about it. From the time we are born when we learn things at first consciously but with repetition and practice it becomes subconscious. Things, you now probably take for granted like walking, talking, reading and writing. There is an old saying 'you'll always remember how to cycle a bike' and that is so true, because it is a subconscious learning. 

In my opinion, the Subconscious Mind is like a vast library that stores every memory and feeling that we have ever had, good and bad, each of which can be accessed at any time. This is why the quote on the left is true. The Subconscious Mind can multitask and is the source of our Imagination and Visualization skills, in fact according to 'the left-brain, right-brain dominance theory', it would be very much 'the right side of the brain' as it is best at expressive and creative tasks. The Conscious Mind is the source of your 'willpower', but sometimes this can impede us...have you ever noticed that sometimes 'the harder you try to do something the harder it gets'? Whereas the Subconscious Mind is more about going with the flow and letting your inner talents flow to the surface.

A great example of the difference between the conscious and subconscious is when it comes to learning how to drive a car. If you can drive a car, you might remember at the start, how difficult it may have seemed, how you had a step of steps to follow and remember. When I look back at my own experience, I recall there was a time, after about 5 weeks, that I thought I'd never learn how to drive, in fact that I was probably putting both my own and my instructors life at risk every time I got behind the wheel! But, after a few bumps along the way, the time did come where I was able to get into the car and drive it. It had become a subconscious learning and something I'll always know how to do. About a year and a half ago I decided to learn how to play the guitar. Knowing what i know about this, I knew it takes a little time and lots of practice for me to be able to play fluently (subconsciously). At the start I needed to force my fingers onto the right strings, to play the chords. But now, slowly but surely, I notice how my fingers are going from one chord to the another 'automatically'. This is because the 'muscle memory' has kicked in and I am doing it subconsciously. For me the Subconscious Mind' is more than just our brains, but it's our body, every cell of our body has a memory. 

Hypnosis can help, because it, bypasses the Conscious Mind and directly communicates with the Subconscious Mind, where all of our behaviors and habits reside. Once i help my client 'quieten' their minds and guide then into that wonderful natural state of relaxation and focused concentration we call 'hypnosis'; they are open to make rearrangements subconsciously whether it be to accept my suggestions for change; or finding creative solutions to their problems. In many ways I am guiding them to find their REAL and TRUE selves within. We are all 'conditioned' in certain ways, basically wired at a very neurological level that result in our subconscious behaviors and habits. Hypnosis is a great way to 'reprogram' these behaviors and habits. If someone comes to see me to stop smoking for example, what I am really doing is helping to learn to subconsciously live as a non smoker. In fact it can fast track this process, but for some people this may take longer than others. However it is important to understand that you are re-programming your own mind, with the hypnotists help and guidance and that the hypnotist cannot 'make' someone do something they don't want to do in the first place. This is why I put a lot of focus on teaching all my clients the tools and techniques (mindfulness, self hypnosis, etc.) that they can use to keep programming their own minds, long after they leave my office.

One last thing to be aware of is that your Subconscious Mind never sleeps and in fact, as I tell my clients' will be processing the new information learned in my sessions, even as they sleep. You might have had the experience of not been able to remember something going to bed, but hey presto when you wake up in the morning, you have the answer? This is because as you were asleep your Subconscious Mind worked on it for you overnight. Your Subconscious Mind is always listening and takes everything literally, so keep this in mind the next time you put yourself down and are self critical. In many ways 'we are what we think and tell ourselves' and how we feel strong or weak is really dependent on how strong we are subconsciously and that's what hypnosis is all about = Empowering you from within and helping you help yourself.

So that is the basics of the subconscious, or at least my take on it and of course there is so much more I could go into, but haven't got time in this short blog. I hope you have found what I have had to say interesting and that is has given you some food for thought. Till next time...... take care all ....

Note: 'Unconscious Mind' is really just another word for 'Subconscious Mind', but I don't use it as, the last thing I want is my clients thinking they are going to be 'Unconscious' in my office, which of course is not the case....

© Trevor Eivers 2015

 

My name if Trevor Eivers and I am based in Waterford, Ireland. I am a Certified Consulting Hypnotist (since 2010) with the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH), which is the largest hypnosis body in the world with over 14,000 members in 83 different countries worldwide. I am also a Certified NLP practitioner. I love my job in which I help everyday people with everyday issues. Contact me at 086-8211677 or check me out online at waterford-hypnosis.com or Facebook at : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trevor-Eivers-Hypnosis/177881245578285

How Hypnosis Can Help with 'Anger' Issues

Hi Everyone and welcome to my latest blog.....................wow the weeks are flying by at a rapid rate!

I am happy to say that January has been a very busy month for me, with lots of people experiencing hypnotic success! I was thinking the last few weeks of another interesting area that I could blog about. I finally decided that 'Anger' is something I would like to talk about, both in terms of what it is and how hypnosis can help.

Anger is actually a normal human emotion and yes there are a lot of positive elements to anger. It sometimes can be an energizer and communication device. For example it has been and can be the trigger to push for social change that can result in a better world for us to live in. People can rightly get angry for 'wrongs' they see in the world, such as austerity against the poor and people being unfairly evicted from their homes and so on. 

However, in some cases Anger can overflow to violence and destruction, which is not productive or positive. So how do we reduce the anger and continue to speak our message, i.e. preserving the positive aspects of anger?

Hypnosis helps because it can give a person the 'resources' to manage anger, and be more in tune with themselves so that they can note the warning signs that precede anger. I teach my clients very powerful tools like mindfulness that will help them be more in control of their thoughts and emotions and to be able to observe the symptoms of anger in their bodies. With hypnosis I help my clients to a very calm and resourceful state and then 'anchor' that state. Anchoring is a way to instantly bring back happy and positive feelings. It is a great way of controlling internal responses to external stimulus by just touching your thumb and finger together and repeating a key word, which will be a trigger to bring a sense of calm and relaxed and instantly remind the client of their ability to be successful. I also teach my clients to see anger in layers or levels rather than all or nothing, so that they have the know how to 'dissolve' anger themselves.

In summary, through hypnosis I can help promote well being and personal satisfaction and provide the platform for a person to let go of 'anger' and 'resentment'; and step into 'calm' and 'relaxed' and in some cases 'forgiveness', so that it restores happiness and joy to a persons life. I can also really help energize the mind and body, through using the techniques in hypnosis, teaching strategies that can help people replace feelings of 'crises' with feelings of 'calm and 'serenity'.

© Trevor Eivers 2015

 

My name if Trevor Eivers and I am based in Waterford, Ireland. I am a Certified Consulting Hypnotist (since 2010) with the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH), which is the largest hypnosis body in the world with over 14,000 members in 83 different countries worldwide. I am also a Certified NLP practitioner. I love my job in which I help everyday people with everyday issues. Contact me at 086-8211677 or check me out online at waterford-hypnosis.com or Facebook at : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trevor-Eivers-Hypnosis/177881245578285

Research evidence on the effectiveness of Stop Smoking using hypnosis

Hi Everyone,  A Very Happy New Year and Welcome to my first blog of 2015!!

One of my main specialties is helping people to stop smoking and this time of year I get a large amount of phone calls in relation to this. One of the questions I usually get asked is 'Does it work?' My answer is ''Yes, if you WANT it to work and commit to the process". However I also inform people that there is a large amount of research evidence on the effectiveness of Stop Smoking using hypnosis. In this blog post I would like to list that evidence.

(1) 90.6% Success Rate for Smoking Cessation Using Hypnosis

Details:
Of 43 consecutive patients undergoing this treatment protocol, 39 reported remaining abstinent from tobacco use at follow-up (6 months to 3 years post-treatment). This represents a 90.6% success rate using hypnosis.
Reference: 
University of Washington School of Medicine, Depts. of Anesthesiology and Rehabilitation Medicine, Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2001 Jul;49(3):257-66. Barber J.



(2) 87% Reported Abstinence From Tobacco Use With Hypnosis

Details:
A field study of 93 male and 93 female CMHC outpatients examined the facilitation of smoking cessation by using hypnosis. At 3-month follow-up, 86% of the men and 87% of the women reported continued abstinence from the use of tobacco using hypnosis.
Reference:
Performance by gender in a stop-smoking program combining hypnosis and aversion. Johnson DL, Karkut RT. Adkar Associates, Inc., Bloomington, Indiana. Psychol Rep. 1994 Oct;75(2):851-7. PMID: 7862796 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

(3) 81% Reported They Had Stopped Smoking After Hypnosis

Details:
Thirty smokers enrolled in an HMO were referred by their primary physician for treatment. Twenty-one patients returned after an initial consultation and received hypnosis for smoking cessation. At the end of treatment, 81% of those patients reported that they had stopped smoking, and 48% reported abstinence at 12 months post-treatment.
Reference:
Texas A&M University, System Health Science Center, College of Medicine, College Station, TX USA. Int J Clin Exp Hypn. 2004 Jan;52(1):73-81. Clinical hypnosis for smoking cessation: preliminary results of a three-session intervention. Elkins GR, Rajab MH.

(4) Hypnosis Patients Twice As Likely To Remain Smoke-Free After Two Years

Details:

Study of 71 smokers showed that after a two-year follow up, patients that quit with hypnosis were twice as likely to remain smoke-free than those who quit on their own.
Reference:
Guided health imagery for smoking cessation and long-term abstinence. Wynd, CA. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2005; 37:3, pages 245-250.


(5) Hypnosis More Effective Than Drug Interventions For Smoking Cessation

Details:
Group hypnosis sessions, evaluated at a less effective success rate (22% success) than individualized hypnosis sessions. However, group hypnosis sessions were still demonstrated here as being more effective than drug interventions.
Reference:
Ohio State University, College of Nursing, Columbus, OH 43210, USA Descriptive outcomes of the American Lung Association of Ohio hypnotherapy smoking cessation program. Ahijevych K, Yerardi R, Nedilsky N.

(6) Hypnosis Most Effective Says Largest Study Ever: 3 Times as Effective as Patch and 15 Times as Effective as Willpower.

Details:
Hypnosis is the most effective way of giving up smoking, according to the largest ever scientific comparison of ways of breaking the habit. A meta-analysis, statistically combining results of more than 600 studies of 72,000 people from America and Europe to compare various methods of quitting. On average, hypnosis was over three times as effective as nicotine replacement methods and 15 times as effective as trying to quit alone.
Reference:
University of Iowa, Journal of Applied Psychology, How One in Five Give Up Smoking. October 1992. (Also New Scientist, October 10, 1992.)

I hope you found this blog post informational. It is my intention to write more regular blogs this year, covering all aspects of hypnosis and how it can help you lead a better and happier life.

Citations: 

1. Studies on the Effectiveness of Hypnosis for Smoking Cessation. (2009, April 8). Retrieved from http://johnmongiovi.com 

My name if Trevor Eivers and I am based in Waterford, Ireland. I am a Certified Consulting Hypnotist (since 2010) with the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH), which is the largest hypnosis body in the world with over 14,000 members in 83 different countries worldwide. I am also a Certified NLP practitioner. I love my job in which I help everyday people with everyday issues. Contact me at 086-8211677 or check me out online at waterford-hypnosis.com or Facebook at : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trevor-Eivers-Hypnosis/177881245578285