ABSTRACT
Functional somatic symptoms reflect disturbances of neurophysiological regulation that emerge in the context of physical and psychological stress. In this chapter, we introduce the reader to the use of hypnosis and hypnosis-informed practice – drawing on both traditional and contemporary approaches – in the assessment and treatment of functional somatic symptoms in children and adolescents. Complemented by clinical vignettes, we discuss how health promoting suggestions, imagination, creativity, and metaphor can be integrated into the natural conversation with the child and family in all clinical encounters. We touch upon the therapeutic power embedded in the ritual of the treatment intervention, and the implicit suggestion that the treatment intervention provides the child with a path to health and well-being. We explore the importance of changing focus-of-attention away from the functional somatic symptoms, of calming the body through the practice of hypnosis and other mind-body regulation strategies, and of promoting feelings of agency, control, and mastery. We also discuss the use of self-hypnosis, as well as formal hypnosis as part of child or adolescents’ individual psychotherapy intervention or as an adjunct to physiotherapy.
