Hypnotherapy and its Role on Boys with Nocturnal Enuresis

Sunday, November 30, 2008 by: Steve G. Jones, Ed.S.
Tags: hypnosis, health news, Natural News

(NewsTarget) A study published in The Journal of Norwegian Medical Association found that hypnotherapy has a positive affect on children who experience problems with Nocturnal Enuresis. Nocturnal Enuresis is another name for bedwetting, which most frequently occurs in children. Hypnotherapy has been tested on subjects to show that, with the help of hypnotherapy, they were able to almost completely stop wetting their beds.

Primary Nocturnal Enuresis is diagnosed when bedwetting occurs on a regular basis past the age when control is expected. Most children have the ability to stay dry by the age of 6 or 7. The cause of enuresis in children is often due to a developmental delay. Also, many children with bedwetting problems have a reported family history of enuresis. A very small percentage of enuresis is caused by a medical condition.

Common treatments for bedwetting include therapy such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and hypnotherapy. Many patients diagnosed with nocturnal enuresis use a bedwetting alarm that sounds when they urinate. This method is supposed to teach the child to be aware of when they have a full bladder and to use get to a bathroom before they start urinating. Medications such as Desmopressin and Imipramin are also a form of treatment.

In 2004, a study appeared in The Journal of Norwegian Medical Association about using hypnotherapy to treat patients with chronic nocturnal enuresis. The study consisted of 12 boys ranging in age from 8 to 16. All of the boys had been diagnosed with primary nocturnal enuresis and four were also diagnosed with diurnal enuresis (daytime accidental urination). All 12 reported an average of 0 dry nights per week. The 12 participants also had a family history of bedwetting. The participants also had tried other forms of treatments such as the bedwetting alarm and medication.

The 12 patients underwent a medical exam prior to participating in the research study. The boys had between 2 and 8 hypnotherapy sessions as part of the study. They also practiced self-hypnosis on their own for about one month after their hypnosis sessions.

Two follow-ups were performed at 3 months and one year intervals after the hypnotherapy sessions. During both follow-ups, 9 out of the 12 participants reported 7 out of 7 dry nights per week. The researchers referred the 3 patients who continued to experience bedwetting to seek additional medical or behavioral treatment.

The researchers concluded that hypnotherapy is an effective treatment for boys experiencing chronic bedwetting. They also recommend that hypnotherapy be part of the treatment for boys diagnosed with nocturnal enuresis.

Source:

Diseth, T. H. & Vandick, I.H. (2004). Hypnotherapy in the Treatment of Refractory Nocturnal Enuresis. The Journal of Norwegian Medical Association, 124(4). 488-91.

About the author

Steve G. Jones, Ed.S. has been practicing hypnotherapy since the 1980s. He is the author of 22 books on Hypnotherapy. Steve is a member of the National Guild of Hypnotists, American Board of Hypnotherapy, president of the American Alliance of Hypnotists, on the board of directors of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Lung Association, and director of the Steve G. Jones School of Clinical Hypnotherapy.
Steve G. Jones, Ed.S. is a board certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. He has a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Florida (1994), a master's degree in education from Armstrong Atlantic State University (2007), and is currently working on a doctorate in education, Ed.D., at Georgia Southern University. Learn more at:
http://www.betterlivingwithhypnosis.com/