Hypnosis for Children in Montreal

Hello, I'm Charlotte de Joybert, a hypnotherapist and sophrologist. I have always been of service to others, putting people at the centre of my concerns. I support adults and children with issues such as managing anxiety or certain fears, changing behaviours such as eating habits or smoking, self-image and self-confidence. I also support women during pregnancy and the postpartum period, as well as through fertility treatment.

Sophrology and hypnosis are wonderful techniques that belong to the family of brief therapies, and they can help people feel better. These techniques can also support a child's development, from early childhood to adolescence. I see children of all ages, from five or six, depending on the child's maturity and the goal, up to seventeen or eighteen for teenagers.

Children often come for different issues depending on their age: it may be bedwetting, sleep problems, self-confidence issues, and also managing anxiety, which is a theme we find at every age. I remember an eight-year-old boy who was having difficulties with his new teacher, which caused him so much anxiety that he felt like throwing up, knowing that he was also emetophobic, that is, afraid of vomiting.

He had lost confidence in himself, and it was affecting him both at school and in his activities. He no longer wanted to go to school or to his training sessions. Over the sessions, things settled down: we found breathing exercises combined with movements to help him feel confident and protected. Then we changed his perception of school, and the urge to vomit gradually faded.

Indeed, the approach and techniques used are not the same whether the child is six, twelve or sixteen. For young children, the hypnotic state comes very easily; it can even be done with their eyes open while we keep talking: I enter their world, and parents are often amazed by the changes that take place. For a primary-school child, I do shorter sessions and use images and metaphors suited to their age.

Children of this age often have trouble managing their emotions, or an issue linked to a particular event that makes them seem to regress: for example, they no longer want to sleep in their own bed, they start bedwetting, or they behave differently at home or at school. The task is then to find out how they experience things, what reassures them and how to help them accept change.

I really favour guided imagery work that speaks to them. With a teenager, on the other hand, I focus more on building trust, and I help them put tools in place to improve their self-esteem, gain confidence and master their emotions, for example through visualisation, breathing and positive affirmations. And with teenagers or young adults, we can work at greater length on deep relaxation exercises, and on beliefs and behaviours.

So now you have a few tools for understanding hypnosis in light of your child's developmental needs. For more information about hypnosis and how it can help you, get in touch with me. And the whole Solutions Hypnose team is here to support you, in person or by video, which works very well too. Feel free to ask your questions and share your experience; we'll be happy to read them.

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Hypnotherapy is a complementary form of support and does not replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns about your health, please consult a physician first.