Teaching Self-hypnosis to Children

Question
I'm a new hypnotherapist and have learned self-hypnosis, but not how to teach self-hypnosis to children. Do you have any recommendations? Thanks in advance!

Answer
Helping a child use their breath to relax while closing their eyes may be all that's necessary, since most children are so receptive. You simply let them practice doing that several times in your office, and then assign it to them to do each day or evening for the next week, before your next visit. Also, a post-hypnotic signal, such as having them pinch an earlobe lightly while they inhale, then saying to themselves a word, like "peace" when they exhale, can make it even more effective. Again, you would have them practice that several times while they are relaxed. For younger children, pretending to blow up balloons can be helpful in learning to breath more deeply. Then have the child transfer it to other situations where they experience stress. Working with children is a great specialty, but there's not a whole lot of practical, child-friendly resources out there for those of us who work with children. You'll find that my student workbook on Children and Hypnosis, which makes use of GREAT ESCAPES Volume I, helps people learn more about this field. It and my other books are now being used in doctoral programs by schools in Canada and the USA, and in other training centers in England, Ireland and South Africa. They can be purchased on my web site, or directly from me. You'll find a bibliography of books on children and hypnosis in the back of any of my volumes, the most up-to-date being in Volume IV.