Today’s case study is an interesting but long one, so go grab a cuppa 🙂
Background
Clare was a 13-year-old girl who developed a severe school phobia after being bullied by older students at her school. She refused to go to school and experienced panic attacks, nausea, headaches, and non-specific stomach pains whenever she thought about school.
She also had low self-esteem and felt isolated from her peers. Her parents tried to persuade her to go to school, but she became angry and defiant. They consulted a psychologist who suggested hypnotherapy as a possible treatment.
At the beginning, she rated her anxiety about going to school as 9 out of 10 (with 10 being extremely anxious).
Hypnotherapy sessions
Clare agreed to try hypnotherapy after learning that it was a safe and natural way of changing her thoughts and feelings. She had six sessions with a hypnotherapist who used relaxation, imagery, suggestion, and metaphor techniques to help her overcome her fear of school. The hypnotherapist also taught her self-hypnosis skills that she could use at home.
Session 1
In the first session, the hypnotherapist established rapport with Clare and explained how hypnosis works. She then:
- Induced a trance state by asking Clare to focus on her breathing and imagine a peaceful place.
- Deepened the trance using a couple of techniques, including progressive muscle relaxation.
- Gave Clare some positive suggestions such as “You are calm and confident”, “You enjoy learning new things”, and “You can cope with any situation”.
- Taught Clare how to do self-hypnosis.
- Asked Clare to imagine herself going to school without any fear or anxiety, and feeling happy and proud of herself. She reinforced this image by asking Clare to repeat some affirmations such as “I like school”, “I am brave”, and “I have many friends”.
- Brought Clare out of hypnosis gently, telling her that she had done very well.
Session 2
In the second session, the hypnotherapist:
- Reviewed Clare’s progress and asked her about her feelings and thoughts about school. Clare reported that she felt less anxious and more motivated to go to school. She also said that she practiced self-hypnosis every day and found it helpful.
- Praised Clare for her efforts and encouraged her to continue.
- Repeated the hypnosis induction and deepening procedures from the first session.
- Built on Clare’s self-hypnosis skills.
- Used a metaphor technique to help Clare deal with her negative emotions.
- Did a visualisation exercise with her, as follows:
- Asked Clare to visualise a balloon in her hand, and that she could put all her fears, worries, and doubts into the balloon.
- Asked Clare to tie the balloon and let it go into the sky, watching it float away until it disappeared.
- Asked Clare to imagine that she had another balloon in her hand, and that she could fill it with positive emotions such as joy, courage, and confidence.
- Asked Clare to tie the balloon and bring it close to her chest, feeling its warmth and lightness.
- Asked Clare to imagine that she could breathe in the positive emotions from the balloon into her body and mind, filling herself with happiness and strength.
- Brought Clare out of hypnosis, as before.
Session 3
In the third session, the hypnotherapist:
- Checked Clare’s progress and asked her about her experiences at school. Clare said that she went to school every day without any problems, and that she felt more relaxed and comfortable in class.She also said that she made some new friends and joined a girls’ football team.
- Congratulated Clare for her achievements and reminded her of her resources and abilities.
- Repeated the trance induction and deepening procedures from the previous sessions.
- Further developed Clare’s self-hypnosis skills.
- Used an imagery technique to help Clare cope with any potential challenges or difficulties at school. To do this, she:
- Asked Clare to imagine that she had a magic backpack that contained everything she needed for school, such as books, pens, snacks, water, etc.
- Asked Clare to imagine that she had some special items in her backpack that could help her in different situations, such as a shield that could protect her from bullies, a microphone that could help her speak up in class, a camera that could help her remember what she learned, etc.
- Asked Clare to imagine herself using these items whenever she faced a challenge or difficulty at school, and feeling confident and successful.
- Brought Clare out of hypnosis as before.
Session 4
In the fourth session, the hypnotherapist:
- Asked Clare about her goals and aspirations for the future. Clare said that she wanted to do well in school, go to college, and become a small animal vet.
- Repeated the hypnosis induction and deepening procedures from the previous sessions.
- Used a visualisation technique to help Clare create a positive image of her future self. She:
- Asked Clare to imagine that she was in the future, after achieving her goals and living her dream.
- Asked Clare to describe how she looked, how she felt, what she did, and what she said to herself in this scenario.
- Asked Clare to imagine that she could talk to her future self and ask her any questions she had.
- Asked Clare to listen to her future self’s answers and advice.
- Asked Clare to imagine that she could hug her future self and thank her for her inspiration and support.
- Brought Clare out of hypnosis as before.
Session 5
In the fifth session, the hypnotherapist:
- Reinforced Clare’s progress and asked her about her achievements and challenges at school. Clare said that she improved her grades, participated more in class discussions, and made more friends. She also said that she faced some difficulties with some subjects and some teachers, but she used her self-hypnosis skills and her magic backpack items to cope with them.
- Praised Clare for her resilience and adaptability.
- Repeated the hypnosis induction and deepening procedures from the previous sessions.
- Used a suggestion technique to help Clare enhance her learning and memory skills. She:
- Asked Clare to imagine that she had a special computer in her mind that could store and retrieve any information she needed for school.
- Asked Clare to imagine that she could access this computer whenever she wanted to study, review, or recall something.
- Gave Clare some suggestions such as “You have a powerful and efficient memory”, “You can learn anything easily and quickly”, and “You can remember everything you need for your exams”.
- Asked Clare to imagine herself using her mind computer to study for an upcoming test, and feeling confident and prepared.
- Brought Clare out of the trance as before.
Session 6
In the sixth and final session, the hypnotherapist:
- Evaluated Clare’s progress and asked her about her satisfaction and feedback on the hypnotherapy treatment. Clare said that she was very happy with the results and that she felt more confident and positive about herself and her school life. She also said that she enjoyed the hypnosis sessions and that they helped her relax and cope with stress. She thanked the hypnotherapist for her help and guidance.
- Congratulated Clare for her success and reminded her of her strengths and potentials.
- Repeated the trance induction and deepening procedures from the previous sessions.
- Used a future projection technique to help Clare maintain her progress and achieve her goals.
- Asked Clare to imagine that she was in the future, after graduating from high school with excellent grades and getting accepted into her chosen university to study veterinary science.
- Asked Clare to imagine how she felt, what she saw, what she heard, and what she said to herself in this scenario.
- Asked Clare to imagine that she could send a message back to her present self, giving her some advice or encouragement for her future journey.
- Asked Clare to listen to this message and take it into her heart.
- Brought Clare out of the trance as before.
Conclusion
At the end of her sessions, Clare rated her anxiety about going to school as 1 out of 10 (with 10 being extremely anxious).
Hypnotherapy was therefore, an effective treatment for Clare’s school phobia, as it helped her overcome her fear of school, improve her academic performance, enhance her social skills, increase her self-esteem, and achieve her goals. Hypnotherapy also taught Clare self-hypnosis skills that she could use to cope with any challenges or difficulties in the future. Clare reported high satisfaction with the treatment and maintained her progress at a later follow-up.
Next steps
Is your child afraid of school? Hypnotherapy can help. It can change their thoughts and feelings about school, and teach them self-hypnosis skills, which will come in useful for other stressful life events, such as exams. Read our success stories here. Contact us for a free initial consultation.
