With the current buzz phrase in the Republic being ‘Every school should be a good school’, it’s clear to see children are being pushed harder than ever to achieve academic success. As well as sending their children to extra tuition classes, more and more parents are turning to hypnotherapy to help their offspring succeed.
Counsellor and certified hypnotherapist Sandy Hui says she sees the number of school children seeking hypnotherapy double in the months leading up to major exams, such as the PSLE.
Ms Hui, 36, said on average she sees 10 children a month. During the PSLE period, that number doubles to 20.
Parents send their children to her for a number of issues, including exam stress and inability to focus on revision. In a typical session, Ms Hui will guide the child into a state of relaxation before using subtle suggestions to alter their behaviour in a positive way.
She said: “Contrary to popular perception, the child is always in control and aware of what is going on and they don’t go into a trance like in the movies.”
One client, Ms Lim, decided to take her daughter to hypnotherapy sessions to address the young girl’s lack of confidence and negative outlook. After the girl’s father passed away a number of years ago she told her mother she had to do well at school to reduce the burden.
As the PSLE exams drew closer, Ms Lim wanted to help her daughter. While she wasn’t expecting the hypnotherapy sessions to boost her daughter’s grades significantly, she said she did want it to calm her down and reduce her stress levels – which helped her pass and move onto secondary school.
Another parent and client of Ms Hui said hypnotherapy helped his 11-year-old daughter become more responsible and motivated. He explained that although there was no particular cause for sending his daughter to hypnotherapy sessions, he still wanted her to improve her grades and develop a more positive approach to her studies. After hypnotherapy the girl’s grades improved by 10 points, he said.
Hypnotherapy is a useful tool when it comes to calming nerves and promoting the right attitude. While it is important not to push children too hard to achieve, it is beneficial to help them reach their potential – something which stress and anxiety can hinder. To find out more, please visit our Exam Nerves page.
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