To be a 15 year old and be exhausted is not considered normal… We expect to see adolescents filled with energy, running, playing football, tennis, then still ask to go out at night. In fact, this state of fatigue is an alarm that the body sends and we, parents, must take it very seriously.
Hypnotherapy is a brief, simple and effective technique that very often responds to the concerns of our teenagers.
Max * is 15 when he arrived at the clinic for the first time, last May, he immediately explained his period of great fatigue, his desire to sleep, even in the day. However, he gets enough sleep at night and is convinced that this fatigue cannot come from a lack of sleep.
My first step as a practitioner is of course to check with a doctor that no medical reason explains this symptom; then begins the work of brief therapy by hypnotherapy.
In his case, understand what was causing this exhaustion. In 2 sessions, we serenely identified 3 sources of stress:
- His family with whom he was often in conflict,
- His friends, he wondered if they really appreciated him,
- His studies and the fear of failing,
Hypnosis has allowed him to regain self-confidence, and recover his energy.
Adolescence is a complex period during which the brain is in full development, the principles are questioned as well as all certainties, in addition to the physical and hormonal change. As a result, each emotion is multiplied and an event can take on significant proportions. The teenager must mourn his childhood, which is accompanied by a loss of bearings. Multiple, metaphysical or other questioning is often a source of stress.
In addition, our environment can be stressful while we, parents, think that everything is fine. Indeed, the relations with friends and studies, the approach of the ferry and the flight of the nest of the family, the endless negotiations for electronic devices, the outcome of Saturday evenings…are all difficult situations to manage….
In Hong Kong some factors can be added to this malaise such as uprooting and homesickness.
The symptoms of malaise can be insomnia, mood swings, demotivation, persistent fatigue, anxiety attacks. Most of the time, these symptoms are temporary.
Parents, through their caring presence, can accompany their teenagers in this transition. Although they often feel rejected, they need to decipher the message “I need you, do not let me down”.
In some cases, however, the adolescent may need occasional outside help to better live this stage of his life, if the malaise seems to be lasting.
This is where hypnotherapy can intervene. After a series of targeted questions to identify the source of the discomfort, the hypnotherapist accompanies the patient in a modified state of consciousness, conducive to the change that will take place. At this time hypnotherapy relieves stress and lifts blockages to allow them to regain confidence in them self. Through hypnosis, the person will change their way of seeing their situation and their environment and will thus be able to develop new beliefs that will help them on a daily basis: “I am a good person, I am able to succeed, I deserve to succeed, I have value, I deserve to be loved.”
Sybille de Klebnikoff is a Hypnotherapist and Certified Coach. She works in French and English with adults, teenagers and children. She has been living in Asia for 15 years with her husband and three children. She consults at Dr. Jamieson Integrative Medical Practice
Did you know?
The brain only matures around 25 years of age. Before this age, the teenager or the young adult does not have this ability to understand all the consequences of his actions, nor the emotions of others. This explains their propensity to take thoughtless risks.
* Max is a fictitious first name