Where Did All the Answers Go?

Henry David Thoreau said, “What lies before us and what lies behind us are small matters – compared to what lies within us.” But, what if you were unable to express or share that information inside you? Many adults experience that feeling each day. They know how frustrating it can be.

Now imagine for a moment, what it must feel like to be a child with those same feelings. You don’t have the same life experience to help you express what gets bottled up inside you, day after day. The pressure you feel to fit in with your peers. Kids in your class are making fun of you, calling you stupid or worse. Your teacher doesn’t understand why you fidget in your seat or why you can’t get your work turned in on time, if you finish it at all. Your parents don’t understand why you are “the way you are.” Pretty soon, if you don’t already, you start to believe what everyone else is saying. Maybe there is something wrong with you. Maybe you are stupid. Maybe you have a disorder (such as ADD/ADHD). Maybe you are “learning disabled,” or any number of different derogatory labels we place on our children when they don’t perform the way we expect them to.

Or, maybe you’re not! Maybe you just don’t learn and relate to the world the same way “everyone else does.” Has anyone bothered to ask you? Stephen V. Faraone, PhD, Harvard Medical School, said, “By determining how people’s lives were impacted – starting from childhood – we can begin to help people take control and reduce the potential for life-long impairments.”

So the question is, how can we, as a society, help our young people – the future of our country – take control of their lives? In 1995, The National Institute of Health reported that meditation and other relaxation techniques are often a better treatment for a variety of illnesses tha
Allopathic medicine. One treatment method is through the use of hypnosis and guided imagery.

Hypnosis and guided imagery have long been recognized as safe and effective treatment options for weight management and smoking cessation. Hypnosis can effectively treat so much more. Hypnosis and guided imagery are safe and effective treatments methods for children and young adults. This treatment allows for the child or young adult to use their imagination and to actively become involved in the creation of a “different frame of mind.”

An old Chinese proverb states, “Tell me – I forget, Show me – I remember, Involve me – I understand.” Through the use of hypnosis and guided imagery an individual has the opportunity to remove or change age-old negative thought patterns. By “erasing the blackboard,” each individual is empowered with the desire and ability to “rewrite” or reprogram their brain with positive, confidence building thought patterns. Now the child or young person is able to recognize their own inner wonder and this begins the process of “bridging the gap in learning.”