Hypnotherapy and Teens

"He won't take his studies seriously." "If we can't get this anger problem under control, his/her coach says his place on the team will be the bench." "She won't eat!"

"Please, help-we just don't know what to do anymore."

Does any of this sound familiar? Is your teen driving themselves, you and all those around them to distraction? Have the more traditional forms of therapy not helped? Then maybe it's time to try hypnotherapy.

The American Psychological Association's Division of Psychological Hypnosis defines hypnosis as "a very helpful procedure during which a health professional or researcher suggests while treating someone that he or she experience changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, or behavior. Although some hypnosis is used to make people more alert, most hypnosis includes suggestions for relaxation, calmness, and well-being. Instructions to imagine or think about pleasant experiences are also commonly included during hypnosis."

If they want to truly make a change hypnotherapy can be a doorway to helping troubled teens change their negative behaviors.

Therapist Susan Nathan, who has offices in Laguna Hills and Laguna Woods, California has used hypnotherapy for more than 20 years. She says it can be a useful form of therapy with teens.

"I find it immensely helpful to help them control their emotions and fears," Nathan said. "For example, if they have trouble relaxing enough to take a test in school or be able to play sports without having so much anxiety that they simply can't perform, the deep relaxation techniques will help them through these tough events.

"It's also very beneficial if they have to face something as serious as surgery. It even helps in the healing process."

What is hypnotherapy? How do you find a reputable therapist? How does it work?

I discussed hypnotherapy with Cal Banyan of the Banyan Hypnosis Center, Vrisayda Boggess of O.C. Hypnosis, and Marc Drucker of Tranquil Solutions. All three are certified by the National Guild of Hypnotists and have backgrounds ranging from psychology to special education.

Q. What is hypnotherapy and when and how can a teen be helped by it?

A. Teens have a variety of "troubles" that creep up - social anxieties, eating disorders, phobias, drugs and other addictions, learning problems, even out of control daily stress. Hypnotherapy is a valuable tool in helping manage all of this, if the teen truly wants to make changes in his or her life.

Hypnosis is a state of both mind and body that lets the subject focus and concentrate on the present. Without the teen wanting to make these changes, it will not be successful.

The hypnotist starts by asking the obvious: "What would you like to work on, what would you like to change?" This isn't necessarily the same as what the parents may want. However by determining what's important to the teen and figuring out if there may be some secondary issues, a course of action is mapped out. By starting with what is important to the client, it becomes easier to incorporate what is also important to those that live with them.

(Banyon is one of the creators of what many hypnotists base their treatment plans on: the 5-PATH treatment - therapeutic, in office - and the 7th Path method, which is self-hypnosis based on the mind, body and spirit meditation.)

Q. Is the patient under the therapist's control?

A. No. When "under" hypnosis you do not lose your free will or your personality. It is not being asleep. The subject is relaxed, but fully awake the entire session. It is similar to daydreaming. The only long term impact is the positive changes that the teen themselves actually want to make.

Q. Since we're discussing "in office" sessions, which mean the use of either a personally written plan for the client or the use of the 5-PATH method, what exactly happens during the course of treatment?

A. The 5-PATH is a five-phase approach, that doesn't necessarily take separate sessions.

The first phase is to find the origin of the problem, the second phase is like pulling a weed out of a garden, and you must remove the root and make that your primary goal. These sessions are sometimes combined. The third and fourth phases help fill the "hole" with positive directions to help the self-esteem and confidence grow, which in turn helps patients realize their goals.

The formula for success has to be a willing subject who wants to make a conscious change (10 percent willpower) plus the use of hypnosis (90 percent subconscious), which adds up to a happier teen.