Please enquire with The Emeline Medical Centre reception team for up to date information about Dr Englin’s availability.

What is Clinical Hypnotherapy for children?

Clinical hypnotherapy is an effective and safe technique for improving the mind and the body.

A qualified therapist uses a combination of conversation and the state of hypnosis (see below) to help identify and change unhelpful feelings and thoughts, habits, body functions or enhance performance.

Our minds are incredibly powerful. Clinical hypnotherapy empowers children to access inner strengths and resources they may not know they have.

What can Clinical Hypnotherapy be used for?

Clinical hypnotherapy is effective in treating a wide range of issues. It is most commonly used for:

• Fears and anxieties, overcoming phobias
• Stress management
• Sport, music and academic performance enhancement
• Behaviour problems
• Habit problems, such as thumb sucking
• Pain control
• Medically unexplained symptoms eg. gastrointestinal problems or headaches

Children often report using the techniques they learnt in clinical hypnotherapy for many other challenges they experience in life.

What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a natural state of focus which we all experience every day, similar to daydreaming. The mind has a remarkable ability to become absorbed in a task or thought. This is called ‘entering hypnosis’. It often happens while people are watching a movie they enjoy, or reading an interesting book.

Children and young people have wonderful imaginations and often enjoy daydreams and creative games. They can easily go into and out of hypnosis.

Medical hypnosis is very different from the way hypnosis is depicted in the movies or on television. Most importantly, everything that the person experiencing hypnotherapy does or thinks is voluntary.

Hypnosis is not sleep. People in a hypnotic state are awake, fully aware of what is happening and are in control of their thoughts and actions.

What happens during Clinical Hypnotherapy?

Clinical hypnotherapy is carried out in sessions of about one hour.

The first session involves getting to know the child by taking their history and discussing the issue. A therapy plan will be created and explained to the child and parent/s. Sometimes we will do some imaginative exercises.

In subsequent sessions a combination of talking, play and hypnosis exercises will be used, depending on the child’s age and development. Older children are often taught self-hypnosis.

One or both parents will sometimes stay in the room with the child. Many young people prefer their parents to remain in the waiting room.

Is Clinical Hypnotherapy safe

When conducted by a fully qualified medical hypnotherapist, clinical hypnotherapy is very safe.

Children and young people frequently say clinical hypnotherapy is a relaxing, fun or pleasant experience. It often involves play and drawing. It can also feel like a relaxation exercise or daydream.

Is Clinical Hypnotherapy a proven treatment?

Scientific evidence that clinical hypnotherapy is effective and safe is extensive and growing. Dr Englin will be happy to discuss and provide the available evidence at your consultation.

How do I arrange Clinical Hypnotherapy for my child

Contact "The Emeline Medical Centre on 03 9088 4133. They will arrange for an initial consultation. During this appointment, Dr Englin will perform an assessment, formulate and explain a treatment plan.

Dr Englin will remain in contact with the referring practitioner, who will continue the regular medical management of the child.

Practical considerations.

Clinical Hypnotherapy is most effective when both you and your child are well rested and as comfortable as possible.

Please encourage your child to dress in comfortable clothing and use the toilet before the appointment. Offer your child a snack beforehand if they are likely to be hungry. Mobile phones must be out of view during the appointment and set to ‘do not disturb’ or ‘airplane’ mode.

What is Clinical Hypnotherapy?

Clinical hypnotherapy is an effective and safe technique for improving the mind and the body.

A qualified therapist uses a combination of conversation and the state of hypnosis (see below) to help identify and change unhelpful feelings and thoughts, habits, body functions or enhance performance.

Our minds are incredibly powerful. Clinical hypnotherapy helps us find inner strengths and resources we may not know we have.

What can clinical hypnotherapy be used for?

Clinical hypnotherapy is used to treat a wide range of issues. It is commonly used for:

• Fears, anxieties and phobias
• Stress management
• Sport or work performance enhancement
• Habit problems, such as smoking
• Pain control
• Control of body functions, such as motion sickness or irritable bowel syndrome
• Increasing comfort during pregnancy or childbirth

People often report that clinical hypnotherapy has given them a unique insight into how their mind works. The techniques they’ve learned are often useful for unrelated issues they later face in life.

What is hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a natural state of inward focus which we all experience every day, similar to daydreaming. The mind has a remarkable ability to become absorbed in a task or thought. This is called ‘entering hypnosis’. It often happens while people are watching a movie they enjoy, or reading an interesting book.

Hypnosis is not sleep. People in a hypnotic state are awake, fully aware of what is happening and are in control of their thoughts and actions.

What happens during clinical hypnotherapy?

Clinical hypnotherapy is carried out in sessions of about one hour.

The first session involves getting to know you by taking your history and discussing the issue. Sometimes we will do some exercises using the imagination. In subsequent sessions a combination of talking, explaining and hypnosis exercises will be used.

Medical hypnosis is very different from the way hypnosis is depicted in the movies or on television. Most importantly, everything that the person experiencing hypnotherapy does or thinks is voluntary and they are in control.

A therapy plan will be created. This often involves using a state of hypnosis to give suggestions and learning self-hypnosis.

Is clinical hypnotherapy safe

When conducted by a fully qualified medical hypnotherapist, clinical hypnotherapy is very safe.

People often say it is a relaxing, fun or pleasant experience. It can sometimes feel like a relaxation exercise or daydream.

Is clinical hypnotherapy a proven treatment?

Scientific evidence that clinical hypnotherapy is effective and safe is extensive and growing. Dr Englin will be happy to discuss and provide the available evidence at your consultation.

How do I arrange clinical hypnotherapy?

Contact "The Emeline Medical Centre on 03 9088 4133. They will arrange for an initial consultation. During this appointment, Dr Englin will perform an assessment, formulate and explain a treatment plan.

Dr Englin will remain in contact with your referring practitioner, who will continue your regular medical management.

Practical considerations.

Hypnotherapy is most effective when you are as comfortable as possible.

Please dress in comfortable clothing and use the toilet before the appointment. Have a snack beforehand if you are likely to be hungry. Mobile phones must be set to ‘do not disturb’ or ‘airplane’ mode during the appointment.

Be ready for some weird stuff.

Clinical hypnotherapy involves learning strategies which empower us to change what we are doing, thinking or feeling subconsciously (see ‘Clinical Hypnotherapy FAQs’ for more detail).

The language of the subconscious mind is a bit dream-like. Dreams can seem weird when we reflect on them with our thinking or conscious mind. And yet they make complete sense while we are having the dream.

To harness some of our powerful, subconscious resources it is helpful to use the dream-like language of the subconscious mind. This is where the weird stuff comes in…

Allowing yourself to use your own creativity and imagination will help you get more out of each session.

Schedule your session at a time you are likely to be alert.

It is best to schedule appointments at times when you or your child is likely to be more alert. Children are commonly most alert in the morning. This is why appointments are not offered later in the day.

Fill out your intake form in as much detail as you can.

This information is very useful in planning your session and will save a lot of time.

Read the information sheet and FAQs on this website.

They will help you understand what to expect and how to achieve change faster.

Enjoy it!

Clinical hypnotherapy is a powerful opportunity to learn about and tap into inner strengths you may not know you have.

Come with an open mind and be prepared to change.

Will I cluck like a chicken like they do on YouTube?

Stage hypnotists (the ones who do performances) are not medically qualified and they use very different techniques to the ones used in clinical hypnotherapy.

Stage hypnotists often rely on strategies which help them identify audience members who are both comfortable performing on stage and are also particularly good at using their imaginations in a way that will entertain an audience.

Hypnotists and hypnotherapists are not able to control people. If you watch the videos closely you will often notice participants ‘waking up’ and not performing any more. Those participants had performed within their own comfort zone and as soon as they felt uncomfortable they simply went back to normal. At that point the hypnotist may have invited them to leave the stage.

The most important thing to understand is that, during hypnosis, you always remain aware and completely in control of what you do.

How does clinical hypnotherapy work?

A medical therapist combines conversation with the state of hypnosis to help people find useful techniques and strategies to achieve the change they desire. The techniques taught are tailored to the person and their individual issue, and are often practiced at home using self-hypnosis (see below).

Clinical hypnotherapy is most effective when the person really wants to change and practices the techniques regularly, as instructed by the doctor.

What is self-hypnosis?

A trained therapist can teach people to use hypnosis whenever they need to. This is called self-hypnosis and allows them to enter and exit this state of comfort and increased control for many purposes. Learning self-hypnosis is a valuable lifelong skill. Through mastery and empowerment self-hypnosis enhances self esteem and resilience.

Sometimes a part of the session is recorded, usually on the client’s phone as a voice memo, to help guide self-hypnosis at home.

What’s the difference between ‘trance’ and ‘hypnosis’?

Both words mean the same thing. A state of ‘trance’, or ‘hypnosis’ is a natural state of mind we all experience every day.

During hypnosis we tend to focus inwards rather than paying attention to the environment around us. The state of hypnosis is a very powerful one because it allows us to access our own inner strengths and resources and our subconscious mind becomes more open to change.

What is the difference between the conscious and the subconscious mind?

This is a useful concept to understand. The conscious mind is also called the ‘thinking mind’. It is logical and rational. It is the part of our brain which plans our week and does maths. It is also known as ‘the boss’ because it is normally in charge. The conscious mind knows right from wrong, what’s good for us and what isn’t. It is the part which says, ‘I really should go out and exercise’ or ‘I really should get off Snapchat and do my homework’.

The subconscious mind is also called the ‘unconscious’, ‘reptilian’ or ‘automatic’ mind. It is the part of our brain which is responsible for all the thoughts, feelings and behaviours which we don’t have to think about to make them happen. It is also responsible for our body functions, for instance our heartbeat and breathing.

The subconscious mind does not really use logic, it is guided by feelings and memories. It triggers our emotions and the fight/flight/freeze response to fear or anxiety. It is the part which causes us to sometimes watch videos on our phone when we know we should be doing work.

Hypnotherapy is all about helping ‘the boss’, or conscious mind, achieve its goals. This could mean feeling comfortable around something which used to frighten us. It might be to help us perform at the best of our abilities instead of getting ‘psyched out’. It might involve breaking an unwanted habit. All of these behaviours are led by the subconscious mind.

By learning to access our own inner strengths and resources we can achieve remarkable control over our subconscious mind. This can be used to achieve what ‘the boss’, or conscious mind wants.

What is the best time of day for Clinical Hypnotherapy?

It is best to schedule appointments at a time you or your child is likely to be more alert. For children, that is generally in the morning. This is why appointments are not offered later in the day.

How many sessions will be needed?

This varies greatly depending on the person and the issue. People often report being surprised at how quickly they can achieve change.

I did a hypnosis exercise with the hypnotherapist and I kept getting distracted and thinking about other things, does this matter?

No, not at all. The state of hypnosis is a natural one which our brains are designed to go into and out of quickly. In fact, some hypnosis exercises involve the hypnotherapist guiding you in and out of this state a number of times. This actually helps the brain to learn the techniques faster.

I did a hypnosis exercise with the hypnotherapist and I remember everything that happened, does that mean it didn’t work?

People mostly feel completely awake while they are in the state of hypnosis, even if they also feel quite relaxed. Occasionally, people forget some parts of what was said. None of this is related to how well the hypnotherapy exercise is working.

When I do my self-hypnosis at home, it doesn’t feel the same as it did with the hypnotherapist. Does that mean it’s not helping me?

All hypnosis is self-hypnosis. If hypnosis is ‘self-guided’ rather than guided by a therapist it is called self-hypnosis. Hypnosis may also be guided by a hypnotherapist or an audio recording. The state of hypnosis is the same state, whether it is self-guided, guided by a therapist or a recording.

Hypnosis usually feels different when it is self-guided compared to when it is guided by a hypnotherapist. Some people feel like they are in deeper hypnosis when they use self-hypnosis and others feel like it is lighter.

It’s not at all important to feel like you were in deep hypnosis to achieve the change that you desire.

I didn’t feel very relaxed when I was doing the hypnosis exercise. Does that mean it won’t help me

Sometimes people feel relaxed during hypnosis exercises and sometimes they don’t. Some people feel like they are in a ‘deep’ trance or ‘deep’ hypnosis and some feel like they are in a ‘light’ trance or ‘light’ hypnosis.

This is not in any way related to how well it is working or how quickly you can make the change you desire.

There were noises and distractions outside the room, does this matter?

No, not at all. The state of hypnosis is a natural one which our brains are designed to go into and out of quickly. In fact, some of the hypnosis exercises involve the hypnotherapist guiding you in and out of this state a number of times. Distractions do the same thing. They can actually help the brain learn the techniques faster.

If you become distracted during a hypnosis exercise you can just allow the distraction to help you relax more fully into the exercise.

I’m not good at visualising. I’m not very imaginative. Does this mean hypnotherapy won’t work for me

People often misunderstand what ‘visualising’ means. Many people don’t find it easy to dream up or imagine stories, events or situations.

If you’ve ever recognised a familiar house then you were visualising. When you recognise the face of a loved one you are also visualising. If you’ve ever been frightened or worried, this involves you imagining possible scenarios of what might happen, even though you may not realise that that’s what you’re doing.

People who say they can’t imagine or visualise are mostly just not consciously aware they’re doing it. It doesn’t mean they can’t enter a state of hypnosis.

I think I fell asleep during the hypnosis exercise, does this matter?

Sometimes people forget some of what was said during a hypnosis exercise and assume they were asleep. Sometimes people do actually fall asleep. It’s quite easy for an experienced therapist to distinguish sleep from hypnosis.

I don’t think I can be hypnotised, I’m not a gullible or suggestible person.

It’s a common myth that entering a state of hypnosis is somehow related to being gullible. This is quite wrong, the two factors aren’t related at all.

The hypnosis exercises will be more helpful for you if you can just ‘go with them’, though some parts may seem a little weird. Hypnosis exercises use the language of the subconscious (see below) which is a bit like the language of dreams. When we’re dreaming, the events don’t make sense when you think about them afterwards, using your conscious mind. But the dream made sense while you were dreaming it, with your subconscious mind. Hypnosis exercises are designed to aid communication between the conscious and subconscious mind and often use dream-like concepts.

Is it like meditating? I’m not good at meditating.

This is a very common myth. Many people believe they ‘aren’t good at meditating’. These people also may believe that they cannot achieve a state of hypnosis, or can’t be hypnotised. Hypnosis is not meditation, though sometimes it feels similar.

In actual fact there’s no such thing as being ‘bad at meditating’. Anyone who has ever daydreamed, zoned out or focussed on something is able to achieve a state of hypnosis.

People who think they are bad at meditating have often tried meditation exercises which weren’t well suited to them. They may believe that meditation must be done in a certain specific way or sometimes they were taught to feel like they’ve failed if their mind wanders, or if they didn’t feel any different.