​Land of Make-Believe

​​These techniques are primarily used with children, but teens & adults like to visit the land of Make-Believe as well. In this place, you can fly, have super-powers, slay dragons or perform magic! An example of this mode of therapy is a program I made for a seven year old boy who was afraid of needles, doctors, nurses & dentists, i.e. anxiety (fear) of pretty much everything to do with medical care. His parents brought him to me for help as a last resort (which is often the case when traditional therapy isn’t working.) Because of a medical condition, he had to receive shots every day. His aversion to treatment was so strong that his parents had to hold him down twice a day in order to give him the life saving medicine he needed. The frustration, tears & grief was overwhelming for all of them. His doctor finally prescribed a self-administering epi-pen, which made it easier on the parents to administer, but the goal was to have the child administer the medication himself. His condition was not curable, but treatable & like some diabetics, he needed to inject this drug daily as a part of his regular routine, like brushing his teeth or combing his hair.

 

During the interview & treatment planning stage, my client & I developed a scenario where he had a magic tool belt, along with other super-powers. He really liked the character Spider Man, so it was easy to connect (associate) the strengths & abilities of the child’s super hero to the special “tools” he carried in his “super belt.” With the parents attending, the child gradually developed trust in me & let me hypnotize him. All the good feelings of being able to fly around in the land of make-believe, where he was the boss of the universe & controlled all that happened in “his” world, were anchored (neurological cue or triggering mechanism) to his “magic pen” he carried in his special tool-belt. This pen had the power to keep him healthy & strong! And by administering this powerful “magic” from his “super-pen,” he was in control of his body’s defense mechanisms, which is true.​

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The child developed the courage to stick himself with the epi-pen on a daily basis after three sessions. He was empowered to take charge of his own treatment & rewarded with praise from his family & medical team because he was so brave. The anguish experienced by everybody involved with his treatment abated as the child developed a tolerance to the minor pain of the epi-pen stick. The real pain had been the loss of control he had been experiencing over the previous year, having been subjected to numerous tests, procedures, visits to the doctor’s office for injections & then the final straw of his own parents having to do the injections against his vehement protests. The stick of the needle hurt, but the breaking of this child’s will was even more painful, especially for the parents. Their dread & turmoil fueled the child’s rebellion, thus increasing the frustration experienced by each of them. After hypnotherapy treatment, the whole family felt relief & they could now move forward in their lives, focusing on school, sports & other family activities. Their lives were no longer ruled by the treatment of a problem. They felt like a normal, happy family once again.

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I love happy endings! This is what happens, with the aid from the Land of Make-Believe!