Hypnotherapy for children & adolescents : the perspective of South African psychologists.
Date
2014-02-21
Authors
Leask, Janine Kerri
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Abstract
Hypnotherapy has been utilised with children and adolescents for more than 200 years.
Despite this fact, there has been no documented research on the use of hypnotherapy for
children and adolescents in South Africa. This research focused on the perspectives of
qualified South African psychologists on the use of hypnosis as a therapeutic technique for
children and adolescents. The aim of the research was to expand on current knowledge and
understandings of hypnosis and hypnotherapy, to explore how the technique has been adapted
to a South African context and to identify drawbacks found in the use of this technique. The
research sample comprised eight qualified psychologists who utilise hypnotherapy with
children and adolescents. The research design for this study adopted a qualitative approach in
which semi-structured interviews were utilised. Although the technique largely relies on
foreign practises that have not been adapted to the South African context, it still proved
highly valuable. While the psychologists opinions differed on the ages and conditions for
which hypnotherapy could be applied, this seemed to be based on their personal experiences
and success rates rather than on inherent limitations of the technique. The educational
psychologists who specialised in treating children and adolescents found that there were no
limitations on the use of the technique and they were confident in its application for all ages.
There was also a prevailing belief, on the part of the psychologists, that black individuals
appear to be more responsive to hypnotherapy than other races. The overall findings of this
research study suggest that hypnotherapy is a beneficial therapeutic technique for children
and adolescents in a South African context. The research aimed to further educational
psychologists’ knowledge on the applicability of this technique to children and adolescents.
With an awareness of its benefits, training by these professionals may be undertaken or the
opinions of specialists trained in this area may be sought.
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Keywords
Hypnotherapy, Hypnosis, Therapy, Children and adolescents and hypnotherapy, Children and adolescents and hypnosis, Educational psychologists in South Africa