Blog Post by Lucy Collins
Children's neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to form new neural connections) is especially active during the early years of life, particularly between the ages of 0-7. This increased neuroplasticity makes children's brains more adaptable, flexible, and responsive to learning and changes in their environment. Our brains lose some of their neuroplasticty over our lifespan due to the focus of brain function transitioning to stabilizing what we have already learned.
It is of course never too late to seek support and to input change in the way that you are thinking and behaving, because ultimately neuroplasticity is a superpower - our brain's ability to constantly update and reprogram can also power relearning. When it comes to hypnotherapy, this increased neuroplasticity can mean that children’s receptivity to the therapeutic process is increased for several reasons.
Heightened States
Children, particularly those under the age of 7, are often actually living in a state of trance, of heightened suggestibility (similar to the state induced in hypnotherapy). This is partly due to the brain operating primarily in theta brain waves, which are associated with deep relaxation and suggestibility.
Children have vivid imaginations and can easily engage with the visualizations and future pacing scenarios often used in hypnotherapy. This imaginative engagement can lead to more effective therapeutic interventions earlier on in the process, with permanent shifts happening during and after sessions.
Patterns and Reprogramming
Unlike adults, children have fewer ingrained thought patterns and less rigid cognitive frameworks, due to them having been on the planet for a much shorter amount of time. This flexibility allows for easier intervention of supporting young people in bringing awareness to and reprogramming their thoughts, behaviours, and emotional responses.
Children’s brains are like sponges, they absorb new information rapidly, making them more responsive to therapeutic suggestions that promote positive change.
When supported and guided in the right way, children can transition through emotional states quicker, as they have had less conditioning from society on things such as narratives surrounding emotions (for example, the archaic and frustrating narrative of expressing vulnerability through emotions such as sadness and shame being seen as ‘weak’. Or anger being seen as ‘wrong’.)
Due to this, it can be easier for children to adopt new behaviours and ways of processing their emotions with the support of a therapist.
Additionally, the psychological ‘defences’ that often develop in adults as a result of past experiences, are typically less present in children, allowing them to engage more fully in the therapeutic process, and be held back less by years of past experiences.
What type of reasons do children and young people seek hypnotherapy?
I am very passionate about working with children and young people, and the variety of presenting issues and things that they stuggle with can vary just as much as they do as in adults.
I have certainly noticed an increase in children struggling with:
-OCB’s & OCD (obsessive compulsive behaviours) such as excessive hand washing, checking/repeating things, ritualized thinking and behaving etxc), especially after rules, restrictions and narrative surrounding the pandemic.
OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and OCB’s, Intrusive thoughts are amplified and added as narrative often subconsciously to underlying anxiety and misunderstood by the part of the brain called the Interpreter Function.
This can manifests as an extreme negative thought, with a compulsion (an action to be carried out) afterwards; for example the need to immediately use hand sanitizer after touching a light switch, or the need to carry out an action a certain amount of times to ensure/avoid something from happening.
-Understanding Neurodivese conditions such as ADHD and Autism (often children and youung people struggle with the proper understanding and support due to lack of accessibility to the right learning support methods and understanding in schools, as well as the exponentially long waiting lists for diagnosis or late diagnosis, and then the waitlist or inaccessibility of ongoing support.
-Confidence and self-esteem issues due to friendship breakdowns/identity issues, some linked to social isolation and social distancing during the pandemic, others linked to the mainstream media and other issues linked to the fast paced way of life and the digital age.
-School based anxiety/exam stress/pressure from school/college.
-Other secondary mental health issues from the pandemic in 2020-2021.
According to Young Minds Charity in 2021 during the second lockdown:
‘The pandemic has had a devastating impact on many of the young people we heard from – some told us that they are deeply anxious, have started self-harming again, are having panic attacks, or are losing motivation and hope for the future’.
Since the pandemic 3 and 4 years on, a study done by the University of Oxford suggested that ‘Young people who went through the pandemic were more likely to experience increased depression, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and worsening general mental well-being.’
The analysis showed that the number of young people with anxiety had doubled from a moderate 13% prior to the pandemic, to an alarming 24% during the early stages of COVID-19 and the first UK lockdown. By January 2021 that figure had risen to 27%.
Taking these statistics and the experiences of children and young people whom I work with therapeutically into account, I would say that young people are some of the most vulnerable in society, partly due to the increased neuroplastctiy in their early lives and social conditioning.
The pace in which life is evolving and the increased disconnection due to the digital age, is culminating in many un-precendented struggles for children and young people.
All is not lost.
As I mentioned earlier on in the blog, seeking support through hypnotherapy can be an incredible way to give young people their power back by supporting them in understanding the way their minds and bodies work.
Learning new ways of supporting themselves emotionally and mentally can be absolutely transformative and can have dramatic affects on their ongoing life development.
“I contacted Lucy when my 11 year old daughter was experiencing high anxiety, causing her to focus on worrying cleanliness/ germophobic OCD traits. As a parent, I was all out of ideas, articles to read and conversations of how to help her move forward, which is when I contacted Lucy.
Immediately my daughter felt at ease with Lucy, and throughout their sessions they worked on practical thoughts and methods that my daughter could use to help her through her worries/ habits and what to do with them. The mix of talk and trance sessions worked really well, with the relaxations also provided for my daughter (and me!) to do at home.
We saw lots of improvements within weeks and would not be where we are now without Lucy's guidance and skills. I definitely recommend Lucy without hesitation. Her experience and knowledge with helping young people was highly evident by the bond she built with by daughter and the individual care she showed her.”
Parent of a young client.
If you would like to find out more about working with me and how hypnotherapy could support you or your child, feel free to contact me today to book in your no-obligation Initial Consultation: lucy.collins@groundedchoicehypnotherapy.com
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