The Power of Self-Hypnosis

3/7/2008

Several years ago I was lucky enough to take a course for pediatricians on self-hypnosis (also called pediatric self–regulation) from Larry Sugarman MD, a Rochester NY pediatrician who is a pioneer in this field. Ever since, I have used the techniques I learned there to treat a variety of childhood problems, including both migraine and tension headaches, asthma, and chronic pain. I’ve found them especially effective for curing bedwetting.

What is self-hypnosis? It’s not as dramatic as what you’ve seen on TV or on the stage. Your child won’t turn into a robot or bark like a seal. Self-hypnosis is just a well-regarded and effective way to access the conscious and unconscious connections between the mind, the emotions, and the body and harness them for healing or behavior change.

How does self-hypnosis work? It uses your child’s own imagination, values, and desires to program his or her own brain for success or healing. A child who learns the basic skills of self-regulation will proudly be able to state, “I did it myself.”

A physician, therapist, or other professional trained in clinical hypnosis can teach your child the basics of self-regulation. Once the presenting problem has been discussed, your child will be relaxed into a mild trance state through a breathing or relaxation technique and/or through an imagery exercise that helps your child picture a place where he or she feels relaxed and happy. When the child is in this relaxed state, some of the barriers between the conscious and unconscious are let down, and suggestions made by the professional or later by your child himself are more likely to be absorbed.

I often use pediatric self-regulation to help kids break the bedwetting habit:

• I start by teaching the child a simple relaxation exercise using the breath.
• I make a simple drawing showing how the bladder works so the child can picture this process in his mind.
• Throughout I use very positive language, always talking about “staying dry” rather than “not waking up wet.”
• When the child has relaxed using the new breathing technique, I ask him to visualize a safe place, and help him to make the mental picture feel real through questions about how it looks, smells, or feels.
• Then I say, “Just as you have used your mind to create this wonderful place, you can use your mind, to wake up dry.”
• I ask him to practice this breathing and imagery exercise every day at home.

Usually success is achieved in three or four sessions.

Suggested resources:

Be the Boss of Your Body books on sleep, pain, and stress by Timothy Culbert MD and Rebecca Kajander CPNP (Free Spirit)
American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, www.asch.net/genpubinfo.htm
Academy for Guided Imagery, www.academyforguidedimagery.com
Guided Imagery Resource Center: www.healthjourneys.com