International Handbook of Clinical Hypnosis - E-Lib FK UWKS

CLINICAL HYPNOSIS WITH CHILDREN 319
preferred to not use any medicine. Typical for migraine, Barry's headaches
occurred in the forehead, often beginning unilaterally and `sometimes ocular'.
Sonophobic and photophobic during a headache, he noted triggers to include
bright lights like the computer or TV, stress like an upcoming test in school,
and of being `very small and getting shoved and jostled a bit.' Barry
described fatigue and loss of appetite in association with his headaches. Most
headaches lasted 1±2 hours, though some had lasted an entire day. He
reported daily headaches, particularly over the past month with half being
`regular' ones and half being `migraines'.
The idea of a headache ruler from 0 to 12 was introduced. Barry caught on
quickly and said `usually it's a 3 or 4 ...without Ibuprofen the highest will be 9,
highest ever was a 10 or 11 and usually it has to be 6 before I take the medicine.
It gets the headache to go `down to like 2 or 1 or 0'. He says he can be his
regular self when it's at 1±2. Barry's goal was to get the headache down `under
2, maybe to 1.75'.
Barry also had respiratory allergies since age 6, short stature smallest in his
junior high 7th grade), and a history of sleepwalking, having once been
discovered trying to leave the house in the middle of the night.
At the second visit Barry's calendar showed headaches most days in the
previous 2 weeks, with self-ratings as high as `7'. He and his family watched a
video of other children learning self-hypnosis. he was taught a self-hypnosis
exercise focusing on favourite place imagery, progressive relaxation, and
imagining the headache `ruler' in his mind, adjusting it whatever way he
decided. Stories were told of other children who adjusted their rulers, for
example, `I knew this 7-year-old girl who had tummy aches, and every time
she had one she'd picture an elevator in her mind and whatever the tummy ache
was on, she'd be on that ¯oor ...so if it was a 4 she'd picture herself on the
fourth ¯oor, and she'd reach over and push the elevator button to ride
...down ...to 3 ...the light would go off at 4 and on at 3 ...then off at 3
on at 2 ... that's right. Then 1 and then 0 and when she got off the elevator her
tummy ache was gone. There was this 11-year-old boy who had headaches, he
pictured himself travelling around his own body, made his way to the main
computer called the brain, found the switch for headaches, and turned
...it ...down ...I don't know what ways you'll discover, but you will ...'
He was taught self-hypnosis during this ®rst experience and agreed to practise
daily.
At the third visit 2 weeks later, Barry proudly reported daily self-hypnosis
practice at bedtime, and only three headaches in the preceding 2 weeks. At
the fourth visit 2 weeks later he reported two headaches which `I got rid of in
5 minutes with my self-hypnosis.' Barry's mother was thrilled to note the
startling difference in him, noting not only absence of headaches, but that he
was no longer coming home from school exhausted, and overall seemed much
happier.