“Eddie’s” mom called me when he was 4 or 5 years old. Eddie struggled with getting along with his peers in pre-school and did not like to sit still and listen to the teacher unless she was talking about something that was really interesting to him. His mom thought that kindergarten might be even more challenging for him.
Eddie could not sit still and “bounced off the walls” as his mom and I talked. Fortunately, mom and I had talked at length prior to the session and so it wasn’t long before I could sit with Eddie and give him my full attention. I knew that he was very bright and would get extremely absorbed in things he liked. His mother had brought in a book of insects, his current passion. Eddie and I sat and looked at the book for twenty minutes and he told me all about insects I had never even seen or heard of! Though he couldn’t read, he had retained a tremendous amount of information on the subject.
After a while, I asked Eddie if he would like to sit in my “cloud chair” (recliner) while I made him CD. He preferred to stand near me and learn about the recording equipment. Some young children will relax happily in the chair by themselves or with their parent. Others are too excited and will wiggle and talk throughout the hypnosis session. Though they don’t always relax well in my office, they generally benefit tremendously from using the recordings at home.
Eddie was happy to have me make him a recording about insects that would also help him have more fun at school. I told him that listening to the recording at night time would help him be more relaxed and patient at school. His teacher as well as the other kids would be nicer to him, in return. The CD included a story about finding different insects, and watching them. Embedded in the story was the observation that Eddie already had a tremendous ability to concentrate and focus and to move carefully in certain situations. I suggested that he was going to find that it was something he was now going to have fun doing in school situations; being quiet while his teacher talked was like being quiet to observe a butterfly or an ant colony and being more careful with his friends was something he already knew how to do as he was very careful when he was touching insects.
Over the course of several sessions, I taught Eddie techniques to help him slow himself down, to pause before talking, and to deal with things in school that were boring and frustrating to him. His mom said that Eddie loved to use the CD. He generally fell asleep while listening to it at bedtime. She told me that Eddie was doing much better at school, both with his teacher and his friends.
Since those early sessions, Eddie has continued to come in for sessions. He is always thrilled to get a new CD that talks about his current interests and reminds him of how to stay calm and focused at school.
