Hypnotherapy Scripts to Promote Children's Wellbeing

Jacki Pritchard

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781000172102
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Psychotherapy
• Index: Psychology

Hypnotherapy Scripts to Promote Children's Wellbeing is a collection of tried-and-tested scripts that will aid hypnotherapists in developing and implementing treatment plans for promoting the wellbeing of children.

The book offers a variety of approaches solely focussed on children (aged 5 to 17 years), including: Ericksonian approaches utilising metaphors and story-telling; solution-focussed approaches; benefits approaches; parts therapy; Gestalt therapy and regression therapy. The scripts are intended to help deal with issues relevant to children such as lack of confidence; low self-esteem or self-worth; negative image; lack of motivation; anxiety (general, social and exam); learning and recalling information; fears; phobias; habits; sleep issues; bullying; abuse; bereavement and loss.

Serving as a unique resource of techniques and compiled fromthe author'syears of personal experience, this book is beneficial for students, newly qualified and experienced hypnotherapists alike.

Chapter 1

Introduction

Hypnotherapy, children and wellbeing

Main objective in writing this book

This book focuses on presenting scripts which can be used when working with children to promote their wellbeing. My main aim in putting this collection together in a book was to provide a resource of ready-made scripts, which have been regularly tried and tested. I also wanted the book to be different in its format in that it would not be an academic text going through the usual subject areas one finds in hypnotherapy books related to children.

The aim of this particular collection of scripts is to promote a child’s wellbeing and this is the recurring theme through all the scripts presented (fully acknowledging of course a hypnotherapist will need to work on a child’s specific problems or difficulties as well). The scripts are written in a way to focus on the key issues so prevalent in our society today (e.g. anxiety, lack of confidence, low self-esteem or self-image as a result of experiencing bullying, neglect or abuse) which must be addressed in order to promote a child’s wellbeing.

Who the book is for

I have always really enjoyed writing scripts for my clients (both children and adults) but I am aware that some hypnotherapists do not feel confident in writing scripts themselves. I am equally aware that students and newly qualified hypnotherapists can find scripts useful, as starting out on a new career can be very scary and it takes times to build confidence in one’s own practice. Having a prepared script to hand can help with this. Experienced hypnotherapists who like using scripts will also find this collection useful. A hypnotherapist does not have to stick rigidly to a script because they need to go with where the client takes them. A good hypnotherapist will always adapt a script to meet the needs of their individual client. Many of the scripts are Ericksonian¹ in style in that they tell a story and can be used as a metaphor.

How the book came into being

A few years ago, I moved into a new practice location, which was located by the side of a river, and I am still there now. The therapy room is actually located on an island in the middle of a city. I am very lucky in that the therapy room window looks out onto the river and I have the riverbank right outside my window and door. As soon as I moved in, I became aware of all the different animals that live, work and play in and around the river. Immediately I got lots of ideas for scripts from drifting off into trance myself whilst looking out of the window.

The children who first came to the new practice location loved the animals they saw before they came into the therapy room. Many of them imagined more things related to the river and the animals once they went into trance; this came very naturally as they just allowed things to happen. All this inspired me to start writing scripts specifically related to what the children imagined regarding the animals, the river and surrounding area. I thought it would be helpful to put some of these scripts together in a book for those students who are training to be a hypnotherapist, for newly qualified hypnotherapists and also established hypnotherapists. I have also included scripts I have written and used frequently for children I have worked with in other settings (e.g. schools and colleges).

My background

I have always worked with both children and adults; first as a social worker and then as both a social worker and clinical hypnotherapist, which I think is a good combination. My specialism has always been working with abuse issues. Survivors of abuse need help with the short and long-term effects of their abusive experiences. In my social work career I have always practised in a psychodynamic way. I believe that it is necessary to find the root cause of a problem and work on that before a person can move forward, rather than just focussing on the here and now. I work in the same way in my hypnotherapy practice and hence why I favour using regression techniques when appropriate; I believe this can be done with even a young child – depending on their development and maturity. Promoting the wellbeing of a survivor of any form of abuse is of paramount importance as very often their mental health has been affected. I enjoy undertaking this work both on a one-to-one basis but also in groups.

This book is primarily for working with children, although I have on occasion adapted some of the scripts for adults. I see children in two practice locations situated in two different cities, in schools and colleges and I also do home visits. I am a trained Hypnotherapy in Schools Programme (HISP) Practitioner² so I go into schools and colleges to facilitate groups to help with exam anxiety; I also work with a wide range of difficulties on an individual basis in those settings. In this book I have included some scripts which have been developed when working with specific exam anxiety groups.

So who is a child?

In my own practice I work with children from the age of 5 years upwards. A child in the UK is deemed to be anyone less than 18 years of age. A lot of 16 to 17 year olds present as mature young people and are very ‘adult’. I have never been into saying a script is for a particular age group. Some scripts will obviously suit a younger child better, but many abused children have ‘lost’ or ‘never had’ their childhoods so it can be appropriate to use those scripts in certain circumstances. Best practice is to find out what the child’s interests are and find or write an appropriate script.

In this book I have not stated any specific age group for the individual scripts. I believe that a hypnotherapist will be able to adapt the language to make it age appropriate for their client. I have used the term ‘special mind’ in the scripts. Again, the hypnotherapist may choose to use an alternative term that suits the child better.

In the text I have used the word ‘child’ throughout for simplicity rather than repeating child and young person. Therefore, my use of ‘child’ includes anyone from the age of five to seventeen years old.

Wellbeing and mental health

It has already been stated above that the main objective (and theme) of this collection of scripts is to promote a child’s wellbeing but what is ‘wellbeing’ exactly? It will mean something different to every individual child or adult. Many dictionary definitions focus on health and happiness:

• The state of being comfortable, healthy or happy (Oxford English Dictionary)
• The state of feeling healthy and happy (Cambridge English Dictionary)
• A good or satisfactory condition of existence; a state characterized by health, happiness and prosperity (Dictionary.com)

I find this interesting because I have always thought it is important to ask all my clients (as a hypnotherapist and a social worker) the question ‘What makes you happy?’ I believe striving to be happy, content and satisfied with your life is of paramount importance and a starting point for planning work/treatment and setting goals.

Promoting the wellbeing of both children and adults is being given more and more attention nowadays as awareness is increasing around mental health (particularly in regard to children and even very young children), which the World Health Organisation has defined as:

• a state of wellbeing in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.³

Certainly, anxiety is a key issue for many children nowadays and in my own hypnotherapy practice in recent years I have seen an increase in the number of referrals for anxiety – general, social and exam. Therefore, it is vital that a hypnotherapist finds out what work needs to be undertaken in order for a child to feel happy and for them to regard their life as going well, and that they are progressing and succeeding in what they want to do and achieve.

Although this book is concerned with children, I think it would be helpful to briefly mention the fact that the Care Act 2014 (which relates to adults) introduced a definition of wellbeing which included the following nine aspects⁴:

• Personal dignity (including treatment of the individual with respect)
• Physical and mental health and emotional wellbeing
• Protection from abuse and harm
• Control by the individual over day-to-day life (including over care and support provided and the way it is provided)
• Participation in work, education, training or recreation
• Social and economic wellbeing
• Domestic, family and persona...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• 1 Introduction: Hypnotherapy, children and wellbeing
• 2 How to use the scripts
• 3 Just imagine
• 4 Travelling glow: Colour relaxation
• 5 Exploring the island in the city
• 6 The flea market
• 7 Relaxing on the riverbank: Having some quiet time
• 8 Fire
• 9 The maze
• 10 The beards
• 11 Traffic lights
• 12 The workshop
• 13 A bit of stomping
• 14 The clock
• 15 Going back in time
• 16 Star in the sky
• 17 Harry the heron
• 18 Bertie the beagle
• 19 Chinga the cat
• 20 The salmon triplets
• 21 Maurice the mole
• 22 Harriet the hedgehog
• 23 Bees in the hives
• 24 Butterflies passing by
• 25 Lily Lavender’s Wellbeing Shop
• 26 The Fairy House
• 27 Getting rid of stuff at the business centre
• 28 The post office
• 29 The art gallery
• 30 The bakery
• 31 The climbing wall
• 32 Bennett’s Bicycle Shop
• 33 Storing and recalling
• 34 The spa
• 35 The igloo
• 36 Spencer the singer-songwriter
• Index