Henry’s Health And Medical Advice

Posted on: 29 October 2018

Some people study easily and sail through exams; others find this process harder. Even smart people suffer from exam stress that stops them from fulfilling their potential.

If your child has this problem, then you'll have tried to help them feel more confident or to find ways to manage their anxiety. If nothing has worked, then you may be looking for alternative solutions. Can hypnotherapy work?

How Exam Stress Affects Students

Exam stress affects performance at various times. For example, your child may have the following problems:

1. They find it hard to study for a test. Even the thought of taking an exam makes them worry; their ability to learn the stuff they need to know is reduced.
2. They freeze in exams. Your child studies hard and effectively, but they freeze up in exam conditions and can't transfer their knowledge to a test.

Either of these issues saps confidence. Your child may think that they are stupid and they'll have no confidence. They might start to expect to fail, making their problems worse as each exam period approaches. Eventually, they may stop trying to pass exams, as they assume they'll do badly. Sometimes, exam stress gets so bad that it makes children ill.

How Hypnotherapy Helps

The hypnosis techniques used in hypnotherapy put patients in a relaxed state. This brings a patient's subconscious mind to the fore and suppresses areas of consciousness where anxieties may be held. If your child is put in deep relaxation, the hypnotherapist can reprogram the way your child thinks about exams. For example, they can talk about study or exams in a positive way, training your child's brain to focus on these positives over the negatives that have been troubling them so far.

On a more specific level, the hypnotherapist asks your child about their anxiety and when it happens. They then give your child specific coping mechanisms, like suggestion messages. For example, if your child goes into a cold sweat when an exam starts and can't think clearly to answer a question, then the hypnotherapist might give them a suggestion message that they are calm and that they have what it takes to answer the question.

After hypnotherapy, your child's subconscious holds the training or messages they were given. Next time they get anxious, the relevant suggestion message kicks in and makes them calmer. If you think hypnotherapy counselling might be useful for your child, then contact local hypnotherapy treatments centre or ask your GP for a recommendation.