Hypnosis Update!

Published Oct 15, 2002

603 Posts

Well, the classes are going well, even though the instructors walk on the wild side of scientific evidence...

I got to do my first unassisted hypnotherapy session on my 6-year-old nephew (also my first child hypnosis) on Sunday.

Children are hypnotized using "eye fascination" which is the technique you see where the person stares at an object (I used a penlight) while the hypnotist talks about heavy eyelids.

I thought I would never get him hypnotized...and finally gave up and told him "when I touch your head with this light you will go into deep hypnosis" and then just did it. He fell back in the recliner and I thought he was faking...until I told him he couldn't open his eyes, even if he tried (this is a test to see if someone is really hypnotized)...and he couldn't! Went through all these contortions with his eyebrows, so funny.

He told his mom later, "My eyes felt SO heavy, it was SO hard to keep them open!" So he was ready a lot sooner than I thought he was.

Anyway, he is having surgery for a scar revision to a cleft lip repair tomorrow. So I did the therapy to get rid of negative emotions (worry and anxiety) and gave him some suggestions to improve his self-esteem, to be brave, and to feel safe. He's been sleeping better since the suggestions on Sunday, and is MUCH less anxious. So something went well!

My sister wants me to put him under again tomorrow morning prior to the surgery. So more updates tomorrow.