Funnily enough, one of the most rewarding sessions I've

CHRISTA MACKINNON,

ever had with children was with my 7 year-old-son, Huckle.

LCCH course director for the

He'd spent so long reacting to his bossy 11 year old brother

South West writes:

by tutting and looking heavenward, that the looking-

heavenward bit became a habit. He'd be talking to me and

suddenly, whoosh, up his eyes would go. At first, I took the

In the last few LCCH News I

laissez-faire tack. But one day he came to me in tears

mentioned that the Exeter

saying that he now couldn't even read a book, because the

LCCH team is proud and fond

moment he focused on the words, his eyes would shoot off

of the many students who

the page and then it would take him another minute to find

attended the courses over the

his place again. He asked me to "fix it" with hypnosis, so I

last eight years in Exeter, and

picked up the gauntlet and agreed to try.

who have put their acquired

skills to good use, changed

I decided to start very informally at bedtime by suggesting

their lives in the way they

that we had some fun with the eye movement. After

wanted to, gained much confidence during their studies and

establishing that it was essentially a "stretching" feeling, we

are currently practising all over Devon, Cornwall, Somerset

moved the stretching movement to his left hand (his choice)

and also in Hampshire and Gloucester.

and I gave suggestions that the moment his eyes even

thought about moving, his hand would immediately stretch

We have introduced some former Exeter students in the

and his eyes would relax.

LCCH News over the last two years and we continue this

tradition in the current edition. This time we introduce Brigid

The next day he said his eyes felt a little better, but they

Reilly, who utilised her skills in a very creative way to help

were still doing the stretching movement. He asked if we

her nine-year-old son Huckle. The short piece about another

could try again, but this time in my clinic, "like your hypnosis

former Exeter LCCH student, John Hempsteadt, provides

clients," he added. Clearly he felt that I'd been treating him

insight into what can be achieved when somebody really

like a second class citizen. So later he happily climbed into

focuses on `making the most' out of the opportunities now

my therapy chair and told me that some music would be nice

available to Hypnotherapists. The other former student, who

too. Then he said that he'd like to look at my funny whirly

needs to be given some space on the Exeter pages, is

machine. So I placed my hypnospiral, which I originally only

Aleksandra Kendall. Alex decided to go to Sri Lanka after

got for decoration, on the table next to him and he happily

the Tsunami devastated vast regions on this beautiful Island

sat gazing at it. "It's really cool," he told me approvingly,

to help in whichever way she could.

unable to take his eyes off it.

I am taking some time out this year from running courses at

"Ok, well while you're having fun looking at that," I began,

Kamdaris, partly to write, but also to set up a trauma-

"why don't we just see if we can sort these eyes out, shall

response team. The only course I will be offering this year at

we?" He agreed. "Ok, I wonder if you can just go up inside

Kamdaris is the `Healing the Divided Self: Shamanic Soul

your head for me right now, can you do that?" He nodded.

Retrieval and Integrative Therapeutic Healing' training in

"That's great. Now see if you can find the control room ­ you

October 2005. This 4-day residential course carries

know, the place inside your head where all the buttons and

Masterclass credits. If you are interested please email:

switches are to control everything in your body?

kamdaris@btopenworld.com or phone us on 01822 853086.

"I'm in there now," he replied.

Booking on Kamdaris courses should be done early as

places are restricted.

"Good. Just have a look around and see if you can find the

controls for your eyes. They'll be there somewhere."

"Uh huh, I've found them." His eyes were still open, watching

the spiral.

"Now, what we're going to do is have a look at all these

controls and see if any need to be changed. But first of all,

why don't you just ask your eyes if they feel ok about you

doing that today?"

There was a long pause while he concentrated."Yup, they

One of the joys of hypnotherapy is in its versatility. I've had a

say it's ok."

client who declared she couldn't be hypnotised and another

who was too frightened to close her eyes at all, and being

"That's great. Now look at those controls for your eyes

able to adapt my whole technique around them, rather than

again, and just notice if there are any which don't look quite

trying to get them to adapt to mine, meant that both clients

right. You'll be able to tell really easily." I waited for a few

entered a deep trance within minutes. But where I personally

moments. "When you've found any that don't look quite right,

find hypnotherapy so rewarding is when working with

just change them. Maybe you'll have to turn or pull them

children. You don't get a 9-year-old climbing into your giant-

somehow to make them how they should be. Just do

sized therapy chair saying, "You can't hypnotise me, you

whatever feels right and then let me know when you've

know!" Children are so open-minded, fun to work with and

finished." At this point, his hands moved about in the air and

totally spontaneous. But you do have to be incredibly flexible

his face grimaced as he physically struggled with some of

­ and they can spot a flaw in your therapeutic navigational

the controls until he'd got them how he wanted them. This

skills a mile off, even if they don't tell you. With children, the

went on for several minutes and then his face relaxed.

versatility of hypnotherapy shines like a glorious 100W

"I've done it," he said.

Noddy light in the dark. You can adapt just about any script

or technique for children. Just so long as it's that way

"That's excellent. And just check to see if there's anything

else that needs doing for that stretching in your eyes to stop