According to a report in the Independent there is an upsurge in children suffering from anxiety, some even suffering from panic attacks at the age of four!
Friday 14 April 2017 One of the worrying things is that many teachers say that they have had little or no training in spotting or helping with anxiety or depression in children.
This correlates with what I am finding in my hypnotherapy practice. More and more parents are seeking help for their children from a very young age. And while it’s excellent that they are actually getting this help, it seems a sorry state of affairs that children are suffering in this way at such an early age.
Luckily hypnotherapy is a really good treatment for many types of childhood anxiety. Some of the most common reasons for either in- person visits or the purchasing of my hypnosis downloads for children centre around separation anxiety, school anxieties or specific fears and phobias.
Separation and school anxieties can be linked of course, particularly when children start school. And often with a little time a child will grow more confident and calm at school but not always so! Sometimes it can persist for years causing all kinds of problems, both practical and emotional for children and parents alike. If left unnoticed and not treated it can also lead to school refusal when the child grows older so clearly it’s ideal to catch and treat problems when the child is very young. But this is easier said than done in many parts of the UK as the waiting lists for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) can be very, very long. Contact details below.
Anxiety UK is a charity that offers help but although this is a charity, membership and resources are not free but are quite reasonably priced and can be adjusted according to your income. Contact details below
Personally I think hypnotherapy is brilliant with young children because they are imaginative, and responsive and generally are much calmed and comforted by the approach. I personally am a fervent believer in the effectiveness of gentle hypnotherapy CDs and downloads that children can listen to regularly when they go to bed. In my one-to-one treatment, I always make them a personalised audio to listen to at home but you can also by an off the shelf audio from our on-line shop.
For kids starting primary school or even nursery school just listening for a couple of weeks to ‘I love school’ has often turned a sad, upset and scared child into one who is calm and happy to go into school. This is what Mum said:
“ Hi Lynda
Just wanted to give you feedback on the I love School CD, my 3 and 5 year old sons absolutely love it. They have to listen to it every night and have it installed on their iTeddy mp3 player and ask for Lynda!!! Great CD!
Kind regards
Lisa Pedder”
Other audios for 5- 9 year olds that have helped with less specific worries are ‘Let your worries fly away’ and ‘Be confident, be brave be strong’.
CAMHS is free at the point of delivery http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/mental-health-services-explained/Pages/camhs-information-for-children-and-young-people.aspx
ANXIETY UK https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/
