Childhood Anxiety, Worry, and Fear: Individualizing Hypnosis Goals and Suggestions for Self-Regulation

Abstract

Determining hypnosis goals and specific suggestions for childhood anxiety, worry, and fear can be enhanced by a developmental psychopathology perspective. This article examines underlying causal risk factors that guide a focused assessment and individualized interventions, targeting self-regulation of emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and psychophysiological arousal and reactivity. The author summarizes current knowledge about childhood anxiety disorders and outlines a hypnotic approach when encountering anxious children and youth, including strategies to use spontaneous trance states and enhance underdeveloped resources (e.g. locus of control, discrimination of realistic risk appraisal, coping capacities).

Keywords:

• anxiety
• childhood
• developmental psychopathology
• fear
• hypnosis
• parents
• psychophysiological arousal and reactivity
• self-regulation