The uses of hypnotherapy with learning disabled children

Abstract

Explored the impact of group hypnotic and self‐hypnotic training on the academic performance and self‐esteem of learning disabled (LD) children. Three hypnotic training sessions and instructions for 6 weeks of daily self hypnotic practice that contained suggestions for imagery related to improvement in these areas were given to 15 children (12 males and 3 females, ages from 7 to 13), their reading teacher, and both their parents, and their responses were compared to a similar but untreated control group of 18. No overall differences were observed between groups. A multiple regression analysis revealed important predictors of self‐esteem improvement for the experimental group. The child's hypnotic susceptibility score and self‐hypnotic practice by children and parents were the most relevant. These LD children were at least as hypnotically susceptible as a normative sample. Hypnotherapy is seen as feasible in group administration by persons only moderately trained in hypnosis and of potential benefit to self‐esteem improvement in LD children, depending on individual difference factors.

Self-Hypnosis, Sensory Cuing, and Response Prevention: Decreasing Anxiety and Improving Written Output of a Preadolescent with Learning Disabilities

“…In a similar study, Jampolsky (1975) reported marked academic improvement in children with LD after just three 45-minute sessions of SH. Johnson, et al (1981) failed to replicate Jampolsky's findings, noting no improvement in academic achievements in a group of LD children who received YOUNG, MONTANO, GOLDBERG SH training. Guided fantasy and the use of imagination are useful to improve children's ability to concentrate.…”

“…Several treatment studies of anxiety, academic performance, selfconcept, and activity level (Illovsky & Freeman, 1976;Jampolsky, 1975;Johnson, Johnson, Olson, & Newman, 1981;Russell, 1984) used self-hypnosis. PMR lPresented at the 30th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, Chicago, Illinois, March 17, 1988.…”

Special education labeling relationships with learning disabled student self-concept

“…~he descriptor "specific learning disability" might easily be called a wastebasket term. Over the years this term has 93 managed to be consistent only in the fact that its definition means a variety of thinqs to a variety of people 1982;Cheong, 1974;Cruickshank, 1972;Johnson, Johnson, Olson & Newman, 1981;Myers & Hammill, 1976). Most definitions refer to deficit skills in the three Rls and spelling.…”

Hypnosis-induced mental training programmes as a strategy to improve the self-concept of students

“…The levelling off of anxiety disorders and the enhancement of the selfimage on the basis of a cognitive experiential approach in hypnosis, is supported by the research of Boutin (1990), Grant (1983), Kroener-Herwig and Denecke (2002), Sapp (1992Sapp ( , 1996 and Stanton (1988). Johnson, Johnson, Olson and Newman (1981) even found significant results in respect of the self-concept of 7-to 13-year-old children with learning disabilities.…”