Children and adolescents with chronic medical or emotional conditions often benefit from medical self-hypnosis, which is taught at University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital, Fairview. This therapeutic approach, based upon the intimate relationship between mind and body, has been recognized in the medical community since the 1950s.

Medical self-hypnosis teaches patients how to focus and concentrate, leading to a state of inner relaxation and increased self-control. It is a useful tool for managing mental and physical functions in a variety of situations, from tolerating pain to regulating behavior. Most children and adolescents can learn self-hypnosis – even the very young.  For example, if a toddler or preschool aged child can follow nursery rhymes, bedtime stories, or videos, they can learn self-hypnosis techniques with the help of their parent and a trained clinician.

Developmental/behavioral pediatricians who have additional specialized training in medical self-hypnosis teach our patients, and the director of our program is board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Medical Hypnosis. We work closely with each patient's primary care physician to develop a treatment plan based on the individual child’s needs.