Harry the Hypno-potamus: metaphorical tales for the treatment of children

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A good story teller knows how to hypnotize his or her audience. They can create whole new worlds and make their characters live and breathe. Stories have long been known to have healing power and have traditionally been used as quite precise tools to make people think and learn to see new dimensions in every day things.

Hypnotic stories for adults can have great therapeutic benefits, as a story can be woven to match the pattern of the problem while offering a solution - all working at an unconscious level.

For children the benefits can be even greater. Children are 'learning machines' -constantly seeking to bring meaning to the events and patterns they see in life. Telling a child a hypnotically therapeutic story at the right time can be a fast track way to bring about profound change in problem patterns the child may have been experiencing.

Harry the Hypno-potamus brings together 32 illustrated stories featuring animals in the Ashland zoo. The assorted animals are helped by the zoo's vet (Dr Dan) to overcome all kinds of difficulties such as panic attacks, phobias, insomnia, bad habits, pain management, allergies and even death and dying.

A clinician may want to read the stories directly to the child or learn the pattern of the story and adapt it. Some of the tales are general and can be used as general metaphors in positive thinking whilst others are specific to particular problems children may face.

This is a great resource not just for hypnotherapists working with children but for any adult caring for youngsters. The drawings are fun and it is an excellent introduction to using metaphor to help heal.