Hypnosis has been around for a long time, dating as far back as thousands of years ago. Modern hypnosis, however, started in the late 1700s.
“Hypnosis can be used to help you gain control over undesired behaviours or to help you cope better with anxiety or pain,” says Mayo Clinic. “It’s important to know that although you’re more open to suggestion during hypnosis, you don’t lose control over your behaviour.”
Usually done with the help of a therapist, hypnosis, for the most part, uses verbal repetition and mental images to send someone into trance-like state in which they feel calm and relaxed and more open to persuasion.
Although it is commonly practiced to ease anxiety, hypnosis is recently becoming a new parenting tool.
“Hypnosis and parenting is a natural solution,” Lisa Machenberg tells ABC News. “You naturally influence your child anyway, let’s learn how to do it with intention.”
A Hypnotherapist and mother of three, Lisa initially began hypnotising her children to stop them from wetting their bed.
Now she uses it to help her children cope with anxiety and attention difficulties.
“My children are able to use logic and reason,” she says. “They have a form of diligence or perseverance that you don’t see in other children.”
Find out what experts say about this new practice on the next page
Having turned her skill into a business, Lisa has hypnotised as much as 1,000 children. She even works with parents to come up with strategies they can use in their own homes.
One of Lisa’s daughters, Rayna, says she’s always been aware of her mother’s methods. In fact, she says it’s even helped her in a positive way.
“Being able to push back on stress and think about it deeply and do self-reflecting was a skill that I’m really grateful that my mom taught me,” the 17-year-old says. “I think it still influences me a lot today and helped me develop into the person I am right now.”
Although there is no solid evidence to support its effectivity as a parenting tool, hypnosis, experts say, should only be practiced by trained clinician.
According to ABC News Chief Health and Medical Editor Dr. Richard Besser, hypnosis helps in shaping one’s behaviour, but there isn’t enough evidence to suggest that it’s a good tool for children.
“The evidence on the clinical use is really, really strong,” he said. “I haven’t seen that kind of evidence for parenting and that bothers me a little bit.”
Instead he suggests parents to use other strategies to help their children perform better, such as using praising good behaviour and remaining consistent with their discipline.
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