Studies are indicative of an alarming rise in stress and its related issues in recent times. Young adults in Australia are experiencing very high stress in schools. 6.9% of Australian kids are affected by anxiety disorders, and 47% reported study stress, which is affecting their mental health and academic performance. The high dropout rate is costing the government millions along with issues of unemployment, poverty and reduced participation in the community. In a study by Cigna TTK Health Insurance in 2018,it shows 9 out of 10 Indians suffer from stress. 95% of Indian millennials between 18-34 are stressed with respect to global average of 86%. What was alarming was that 75% of the respondents reported feeling uncomfortable about reaching for professional health. Globally, the scene is not any better. Impact of poor stress management follows kids into adulthood.
As an educationist, with the awareness of the havoc stress causes in students, this area is close to my heart. Stress is the most common trigger in both migraine and Tension-type headaches (Fumal et al., 2008). In 2015, research by Mission Australia reported that almost 40% of 15- to 19-year-olds were worried about their ability to cope with stress. Exams, high expectations, social pressures and perception of unpreparedness for life challenges were the triggers.
The youth's high exposure to technology and screen time with greater isolation, mental health concerns and increasing socio-economic imparity in health, is causing stress-related problems such as chronic headaches, abdominal pain and other emotional problems that often respond poorly to standard medications. Regulating stress response has been found to ameliorate overall adjustment and socio-emotional growth.
Healthcare providers need to take note of this trend and move from responding with medications to teaching the young populace coping strategies and adaptability. Research has proven the efficacy of mind-body therapies like mindfulness and clinical hypnosis in dealing with stress and its related issues sans side effects of medications.
Studies show such therapies help foster effective connections among the relevant prefrontal structures in adolescents, thus, controlling risk-taking tendencies, reduction in stress, pain, and fostering well-being. Hypnosis has been an overlooked modality of intervention. The permissive nature of modern hypnosis can utilize the natural hypnotic abilities that teens bring to the clinical encounter. Adolescents enter the hypnotic state with ease making them highly responsive to therapeutic suggestions. Hypnosis can teach them to calm their minds and deal with the frustration or anger by channeling it positively.
Therapist Michael Yapko, in his book, Mindfulness and Hypnosis: The Power of Suggestion to Transform Experience, illuminates the embedded hypnosis within mindfulness and how they together can foster change in a clinical environment by providing a structured approach to delivering key insights and skills across different contexts allowing for a more tailored and impactful use of experiential methods.
Mindful Hypnotherapy is a relatively new integrated approach delivering mindfulness-based intervention within a hypnotic context.
Being a Mindfulness practitioner with the insight to its positive impact, I believe an integrative approach is the need of the hour and should be promoted. Self-hypnosis incorporating Mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques can be easily taught to adolescents as a low-cost medicine-free option. Learning how to dissociate from a stressful environment is an effective way to manage stress. By collaborating with schools and community, I hope to spread awareness of integrative hypnotherapy as a treatment modality for the mental and emotional wellbeing of the youth.
References:
· https://www.smh.com.au- nearly half of Australian school kids are stressed
· https://news.com.au -teen mental health, desperate problem schools are ignoring
· https://www.researchgate.net -clinical hypnosis with children and adolescents
Bougea, A., Spantideas, N., & Chrousos, G. P. (2018). Stress management for headaches in children and adolescents: A review and practical recommendations for health promotion programs and wellbeing. Journal of Child Health Care, 22(1), 19–33
· https://journals.lww.com Therapeutic hypnosis with children and adolescents (2nd edition)- Lawrence. I. Sugarman, MD, William. C. Wester II
· King, N.J., Murphy, G.C., Ollendick, T.H. et al. Int J Rehab Health (1997) 3: 71. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02806721
· https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17517250-Self-hypnosis training for headaches in children and adolescents. Source: Journal of Heart-Centered Therapies. 2011, Vol. 14, Issue 2, p77-85. Pauline Stanton
· Kaiser P, Kohen DP, Brown ML, Kajander RL, Barnes AJ. Integrating Pediatric Hypnosis with Complementary Modalities: Clinical Perspectives on Personalized Treatment. Children (Basel). 2018;5(8):108. Published 2018 Aug 7. doi:10.3390/children5080108
· https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org Clinical Hypnosis, an Effective Mind-Body Modality for Adolescents with Behavioral and Physical Complaints Anju Sawni and Cora Collette Breuner
https://m.businesstoday.in/lite/story/indians-suffer-from-stress-depression/1/280119.html