Hypnotherapy for Children
Hypnotherapy with a child should be gentle, age-appropriate and collaborative. The child is not a passive subject: they need to understand what is happening at their level, feel able to say no or stop, and be treated with respect.
It may be considered for some concerns as part of an appropriate care plan, but it is not suitable for every child or every problem. A medical or mental-health assessment may need to come first.
How is hypnotherapy adapted for a child?
Children often respond well to imagination, stories and play, but each child is different. A practitioner might use a favourite place, character, colour, breathing exercise or simple metaphor rather than an adult script.
The language should match the child’s age and communication needs. The practitioner should work with the child, not talk over them or present suggestions as commands.
What might happen in a session?
- The practitioner speaks with the parent or carer and child about the concern, health history and goals.
- They explain hypnosis in plain language and answer questions.
- The child chooses whether to take part and agrees a stop signal or way to pause.
- The exercise may use focused attention, relaxation, imagery or a story.
- The practitioner reviews how the child felt and agrees any safe practice between sessions.
A parent’s involvement depends on the child’s age, wishes, safeguarding needs and the clinical context. Confidentiality and its limits should be explained clearly.
Consent, assent and choice
In the UK, who can legally consent depends on age and capacity. Some children under 16 may be able to consent if they have enough understanding; otherwise a person with parental responsibility may consent. Even when an adult provides legal consent, the child’s willingness matters.
No child should be pressured into hypnosis because an adult wants them to change. If the child is distressed, refuses or wants to stop, the practitioner should pause and reconsider the plan.
What can hypnotherapy help with?
Hypnosis has been used within paediatric psychological and medical care for concerns such as anxiety around procedures, pain and some functional symptoms. Evidence and suitability vary, and treatment should be coordinated with the child’s healthcare team where a health condition is involved.
Do not use hypnotherapy to diagnose autism, ADHD, trauma, an eating disorder or another condition, or to replace evidence-based care. Avoid claims of guaranteed “life-changing results”.
How to choose a practitioner
- Ask about recognised professional qualifications and specific experience with children.
- Check safeguarding training, insurance, supervision and professional accountability.
- Ask how consent, confidentiality and parent involvement are handled.
- Expect clear limits and willingness to refer to a GP, paediatrician or child mental-health professional.
- Avoid anyone who promises results, blames the child or uses hypnosis to “recover” disputed memories.
When to seek clinical help first
Speak to a GP or relevant clinician for persistent pain, unexplained physical symptoms, significant anxiety, low mood, self-harm, eating problems, developmental concerns, trauma symptoms or a marked change in behaviour. Call 999 or go to A&E if a child is in immediate danger.
Further reading
- NHS: consent to treatment for children and young people
- East Kent Hospitals: hypnosis in psychological treatment
- Hypnosis myths and facts
- Contact Ailsa to discuss suitability
Original article text
The complete legacy article is preserved below for comparison.
Hypnotherapy is not only for adults but children can also gain life changing results for hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapy can be adapted to suit an individual of any age. This adaptation of hypnotherapy must in fact be done as each patient's capacity to receive and understand is different. The actual therapy itself does not change however the way it is administered does. Children are obviously small, young people and as such they view the world and their surroundings in a very different way to fully grown adults. Their understanding and experiences are far more limited than adults therefore they need to be dealt with in a different manner.
Children are obviously at different stages of their lives compared to adults. Throughout their early years they are constantly seeking to learn and understand their experiences. In the later life when they reach adulthood, the ever present motivation to learn and grow can dwindle off so when dealing with different mindsets, hypnotherapy must be administered differently. You have probably heard many people describe children as 'sponges'. This description comes from children's inherent desire to learn and discover at every possible opportunity. This desire begins immediately from birth and grows/develops as the child gains in age. Their state of awareness and understanding is why hypnotherapy differs depending on the patient's age and capacity to receive new ideas. Hypnotherapy can only work successfully for children by presenting a change/idea in a manner that is comprehensive to them. A hypnotherapist needs to communicate with the child on an equal level without talking down or over the head of the patient. They need to get into the mind of the patient through approaching them in a way that they can understand and respond to. Because of the lack of experience of a younger patient, the therapist must work simply with, and not on the child. Even though children have experienced much less in their short life than adults that does not mean children cannot dramatically benefit from hypnotherapy. Indeed, all ages of people can benefit from its profound effect on one's life.
