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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 1963)
Can Hypnosis Help Your Child Learn? o Long a tool of medicine and psychology, il now is used in remedial education By STANLEY KRIPPNER, Ph. D. Dkodoiv CWM Stvtfy Cfltot Kowt Shorts Ufilwciitjff KMtt Ohio Is your child like Ann bright, healthy, yet not achieving what she should in school? At 15, Ann whiled away valuable hours after class chatting on the phone, listening to records, and reading movie magazines. Only in late evening did she get around to her ' homework, and by then she was too sleepy to accomplish much. She habitually handed in her work late, and her grades showed it Nothing her parents said could change her. That was the "old" Ann. Now thanks to a radical educational tool which has been used suc cessfully with a number of students she faith fully studies her biology and English before din ner, finishes her history lesson in early evening, completes all assignments on schedule, and only then diverts her attention to her pastimes. In stead of a disorganized procrastinator, Ann is now an academic leader who makes full use of her above-average mental capabilities. The key to her amazing change is a centuries old art hypnotism. I hypnotized Ann and discussed with her how she could improve her study habits. Before long, she developed an excellent approach to her les sons, and barring unforeseen problems, she is unlikely to slip back into her old ways. There are thousands of students perhaps your own child who could similarly benefit from hypnosis. These are the "under achievers" in telligent, emotionally stable youngsters who are falling below their full potential in the classroom. Often, the reasons are bad study habits, lack of motivation, and a poor approach to examinations. The value of hypnosis in removing these stumbling blocks lies in the "channel" it opens to the unconscious mind. While hypnotized, a student is able to concentrate intently on what the hypnotist says and is extremely receptive to suggestion. After he is awakened, he normally feels compelled to follow the suggestions that have been given him. By reinforcing these sug gestions in a series of counseling sessions, the hypnotist is often able to help the student change his study habits. - OF course, hypnosis cannot bring a "C" stu dent straight "A's" unless he is capable of "A" work to begin with. But many students are not performing up to their potential. In my ex periments with elementary, high-school, and col lege students, hypnosis has helped bring signifi cant improvement in three out of four cases. And as we become more skilled in this technique, pos sibly even more can benefit. One recent success was Steve. He was well motivated and enjoyed excellent Btudy habits. But, like many students, when he walked in to an examination, his heart pounded, and in general he became so nervous that he made errors and was unable to recall much of what he had learned. During hypnosis, I assured him again and again that in the future he would remain calm and collected whenever he faced a test I worked with Steve once a week for two months. By then he was able to face even the toughest quizzes coolly. His grade average jumped from "B" to "A," obviously more in line with his 145 IQ. A different problem concerned a student named Bob. He was intelligent and had good high-school grades but no motivation. This lack pulled down his college grades. Under hypnosis. Bob recalled a childhood interest in a chemistry set Gradu ally, he came to see chemistry as a possible voca tion. In subsequent sessions, I implanted sugges tions that he would become interested in studies and find career goals. Later Bob's unconscious mind helped him act on these suggestions, and he became a fine student Regardless of what problem a student faces, he Bhould never be hypnotized by someone not thoroughly trained in psychology and education, and even then not until he has been given per sonality and intelligence tests. Sometimes school problems reflect deep emotional disturbances, and these cannot be cured with a few sessions of hyp nosis. In fact hypnotizing some individuals can cause serious emotional damage. With safeguards, however, hypnosis for stud ents can be one of the greatest innovations remedial education has ever experienced. When the ability to use one's intelligence to the fullest is so vital, every possible technique should be used to help our children. And hypnosis will help. COVER: Denni Hallinan photographed this $kin diving duo in an unusual way. Whatt more, he taught hie ton the trick. See p. IS: "Underwater Photography IVe a Snap!" Family WbtsMciy Awf II. ISM IfONABB S. PAVWOW Pi miift mmd PaMUUr MltKK I. OrSOUSn Airtrtimnf Dfrattor BOSTON RANK Mracter FaMfeter BtlmUtmt Mtfcrtto tnmi of EdHm is n. MiAiKM v. aiiin i is. MOT V. MVM Btttmr4m4Ml SM CASTMAN Ecnti EdiUr sosan- huii i on nam dykstia Art Kncur MUAMI St PSOfT rd Editor Wnklr. i. Nr Tri B. N. T. ms, noeiMms and soon, ml, in n. meum a., a- I. is. as h
