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LOCATIONS

Vancouver, B.C. Canada

Unit 306, 5074 201a Street
Langley, B.C. Canada

BUSINESS HOURS

Vancouver Office
(Mondays Only or by Special Appt.)
9:00am - 5:00pm

Langley Office
(Tuesday - Saturday)
9:30am - 9:30pm

604.551.4986

I have had enormous success working with children and adolescents and know that they are vulnerable to the pressures of life just as much as adults.

Huge expectations coupled with toxic environment, including food and water not to mention the constant barrage of television, computers and video games has created a host of conditions that have left parents desperate for answers.

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My Hypnotherapy program offers a safe, gentle approach to assisting children and teenagers negotiate the complexities of life in today's ever-changing world. Children feel safe and secure knowing that they are not judged but understood... that there is no right or wrong, It's all about actions and reactions. I empower my young clients to make forward progress...

Each child is individually assessed, taking into careful consideration the needs of the child, family history including cultural background as well as medical history and important information such as medication, allergies, etc. I then formulate a unique plan to suit the requirements of the child. If necessary, with the parent's consent I will refer the family to other practitioners such as dieticians, nutritionists and personal trainers.

Research has shown that hypnotherapy is an extremely effective method for helping alleviate symptoms of such conditions as:

• Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder
• Asthma
• Allergies
• Panic Attacks
• Eating Disorders

Hypnotherapy has also had remarkable success treating children suffering from:

• Bedwetting
• Poor Self-Esteem
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Learning Disabilities

I can also help with:

• Sports/Performance Enhancement
• Improving Grades
• Phobias - Nail Biting, Hair Pulling
• Sleep Disturbances/Night Terrors

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What brings about or exacerbates children's problems?

Much that goes on in our world can cause problems for children, just as it does for adults. Rapid physical growth over short periods of time, and concerns about changes in their bodies can cause stress and loss of self-esteem. Problems in school related to studies, teachers or peers, could be troubling a child. There are many fears that can plague children: fear of the potential danger in our schools today, fear of the dark, fear of going to sleep, fear of doctors, dentists and needles, etc. Many children experience the embarrassment of habits they find hard to break, like bed-wetting or thumb sucking. A new baby or other addition to the family can cause undue stress. Loss of their own bedroom space due to a new addition to the family, or having to move to a smaller place can make children unhappy. An underlying fear of kidnapping and other abuses may affect our children far more than we realize. Nowadays it's difficult to keep such news away from a child.

With children, the world revolves around them until experience helps expand that world. As they are the "center," then everything is where they are. If there are problems in the family, they take on those as their own. If parents are having trouble in relating well, their children can become fearful and guilty, as if they were the cause or should have prevented it in some way. This is what creates "ADULT CHILDREN." A recent client of mine was the only son in his family. Father died at age 9 at which point he was expected to be 'the man of the house'. He was enraged that his father not only left him but 'left' him with that responsibility. He felt helpless that he couldn't help his mother. He carried this tremendous responsibility, grief and rage into each of his 4 marriages at the time he saw me.

School and Learning Influences

In school, common problems for many children are the loss of a friend who moves away, being shamed or frightened by a teacher or principal, the death or serious illness of a school peer or teacher, boredom with school and having to make new friends. Unfamiliarity with schoolwork, or falling behind in a subject can cause excessive stress. The insistence upon "correct" performance in front of others in a classroom can be extremely hard on a shy child. Threats or bullying by other children, and the general fear and pressure of drugs and guns, in many schools, are serious concerns and add tremendous stress for certain children.

Societal Influences

The Media - Our modern century provides an enormous spread of negative influences on our children. Television and movies regularly present violence, sex and innuendo as the norm. Shallowness and self-centeredness are projected by sit-coms on TV by unmarried 30 year olds who are totally wrapped up in themselves. Advertising and acquisition are other primary images, as parents go crazy trying to get the child whatever the child wants. Pre-teens understand that being very thin or buff are the models they must follow or they'll not be acceptable to their peers. Young girls, especially, begin worrying about their weight at any earlier and earlier age.

News events on TV - War and the resulting migration of homeless families, famine and other tragedies within countries, kidnappings, abuse and other mayhem against children, and the latest disease or other terrors are projected on the screen, nightly, inundating our children, just as it does adults. And children are just as impacted as their parents by this constant onslaught of negative messaging.

What adults consider important in life - Millionaires seem barely out of diapers. A car at age 16 is a must. Slimness for women and powerful "pecs" for men are major images projected by television, movies and magazines. Fear of retirement, ill health and the desire for youthfulness remind us, "For god's sake, don't get old or your life will be over." Millions are spent every year in keeping us beautiful forever, and in staving off eventual death. Children receive this information by words or inferences from the time they are born, unless they have parents who find ways to help them keep a balanced approach to life and living.

Family Influences

When children are brought to a counselor's office, they come with their parents. And those parents may reflect the other factors that contribute to a child's problem. Parents often lose sight of the impact of major events or stress in the family upon the children. Often, adults make the mistake of believing that children are resilient. They don't speak to them about difficult situations, yet will speak "around," or in front of them, as if they weren't there or wouldn't understand. Many times they don't bother to ask the question of "why," when a child is troubled. Often, parents perceive their children's problems as rather unimportant, in the light of their own difficulties.

Problems many children face, in family life, are dissatisfied parents who can never be pleased, being compared to a sibling, an older sibling leaving for school without them, a death in the family, divorce or other separation, loss of a parent or favourite grandparent, and moving away from friends or members of the family. A depressed, anxious or highly-strung parent, family members who are chronic worriers, and otherwise negative influences affect the outlook of children. High stress is created by an abusive sibling who teases or shames, arguments or violence between parents, threats of harm, an addictive parent or step-parent, physical, sexual or verbal abuse of the children, a parent or sibling who is physically ill much of the time. These must be considered when dealing with the child's presenting symptoms.

Influence of Peers:

Although possibly more strongly felt once children reach pre-teens, even smaller children are affected by their friend's choices and experiences. Moving to a new school, having to make new friends, handling bullies, unfamiliarity with schoolwork, as well as falling behind in a subject or being "behind" the other kids, and other comparisons, are common problems for many children. Being teased for being the "wrong" height or weight, or for not fitting the status quo embarrasses some children. The struggle to belong and rejection by groups become especially hard on pre-teens and teenagers.

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How Stress Can Affect Children

When children are experiencing unrelenting stress or are worried, whether or not they are conscious of it, there are warning signs for those who have the eyes to see. Schoolwork may begin to slide. A child may begin to lose things on a consistent basis, steal, become accident-prone, have headaches or stomach aches, bite their nails or pull hair or lashes. They may return to wetting the bed, after having been dry for some time. Health problems may start cropping up. Other people may notice a dramatic change in disposition. The child may begin to stop wanting to go to school, or begin to cause problems in the classroom. They may lie and have other avoidance patterns. They may turn to drugs or alcohol. They may begin to have trouble sleeping, experience frequent nightmares or sleep walk.

Why Children Might Come to a Hypnotherapist

Issues, for which hypnotic methods and tools are a helpful response, include doing homework, performing better in the classroom, getting to school and liking it, improving grades, friendlessness, thumb sucking, bedwetting, nightmares and fear of the dark, stealing, low self-esteem, dealing with divorce or death in a family, illness - their own or someone in the family, and a myriad of other problems.

One of the most frequent reasons children are brought to hypnotherapists is for learning improvement. When it comes to school life, there are many problems children can develop. This may be one of the largest areas of concerns for parents, and one for which good marketing can reap good results. Such arenas as reading, writing, memory, getting homework done, grades, peer pressure and friendships, classroom deportment, self-esteem, and even wanting to be in school are effectively and easily handled, for the most part, by one or two hypnosis sessions.

The Power of the Imagination

The imagination of children is very keen until parents, teachers and others interfere. In many schools, the style of teaching in the classroom can tend to rule out the playful and imaginative, once children pass the second or third grade. When adults consider daydreaming worthless or associate imagination with lying, or otherwise imply ridicule and non-belief, the child gradually lets it weaken.

The doorway between the conscious and the subconscious mind is the imagination. For children, it's relatively easy to reach at the deepest levels, in a much quicker time than required by many adults. Stories, adventures, visualization, imaginative games, role-playing, magic, puppets, and costumes work most effectively with children. Any tools that stimulates the imagination should be at the hypnotherapist's disposal.

What Hypnosis Can Do For Children

Hypnosis works well because there are less years of reinforcing imprints on one's mind. Children are more susceptible to hypnosis. They have the drive to discover and they hunger for new experiences. They're open to new learnings, willing to receive and respond to new ideas, as long as they are presented in an understandable way. Children are usually easily relaxed and focused. They have an ability to change and to be versatile, and, before the age of twelve, to accept most ideas uncritically. They aren't as dominated by rational questioning and concerns that adults have formed through their life experiences. Also, they don't have the fears and misconceptions about hypnosis that so many adults have. This makes it relatively easy to work with them.

Working with children is a wonderful specialty. The benefits of hypnosis with children are the same as for adults, as long as their problems are treated as seriously as adults. Hypnosis is a powerful tool in strengthening a child's confidence. It helps a child to feel empowered where, before, they have been "victim." It releases willingness to use their natural gifts. It elicits talent and creativity. It provides a wonderful foundation in their education. With a good hypnotherapist, children can experience true success in their lives in all areas. They feel happier, and have a sense of real freedom.

Assuring Successful Sessions

It seems ridiculously basic, yet, it's important to remember that a child's problems are as important as an adult's. Children need to be treated with as much respect as we treat adults. They don't need to be "talked down to." Children may not have as many years; yet, just as with adults, imprints are planted in their minds from the time they begin life by whatever they've seen and learned from parents, relatives, teachers and peers. Whatever a child has experienced, it has been as strongly received as any complicated thing that's happened in an adult's life. The difference is that children are still bound to whatever their parents wish for them and for themselves.

An effective session deals with the parent's concerns for the child, while honoring the child's desires and needs. The therapist gathers information in order to determine how best to approach the child's problem. A sensitive hypnotherapist, or other guide of children, will have discerned possible questions before they are asked, in order to clarify how sessions will be conducted, and to clear up any misconceptions about hypnotic processes. Good rapport is developed with both parent and child. Convincers, or hypnotic tests, are used prior to and/or during a hypnotic session. The guide uses methods of induction and prescription appropriate to the child's age and problem. To keep rapport, the therapists meets back with the parent(s) with any recommendations, including possible "homework" or other support.

Disclaimer:

I do not, under any circumstance, diagnose any illnesses or conditions nor do I purport to replace the treatment of a medical doctor. Should I suspect that a child undergoing hypnotherapy treatment is suffering from an undiagnosed illness or problem, I immediately refer the family to their primary care physician. Children age 15 and under require the written consent of a parent/legal guardian before commencing treatment.

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