I was fortunate to be a multi-sport athlete with a
great set of friends. In fact, I still
meet-up every few months with a group
of guys who I have been close with for more than 30 years.
Pressures were few and stress was relatively low.
Oh my, how the world for teenagers has changed. A recent article in the Washington Post
entitled “Stressed
out teens, with school a main cause” cites a recent survey from the
American Psychological Association that found many teens feeling overwhelmed or
depressed because of high stress levels.
Forty percent of teens surveyed said they have felt
irritable or angry during the previous month and more than one in three
reported having trouble sleeping because of stress.
This study was top of mind as I arrived at Whitman
High School this week to lead a series of discussions about hypnosis as a tool
for healthy living. My children will one
day enroll at Whitman, so I’ve had a keen interest in being part of the
community. I attend a variety of sports
events each year and have made it a priority to meet faculty members.
Whitman is not your typical public school
environment. The student population is
loaded with high achievers in academics, athletics, music and the arts. The pressure to succeed is extreme, as is the
challenge to be accepted at an upper echelon college.
It’s for these reasons and the stress it produces
that the school’s principal has made mindfulness a priority. I recently wrote about Whitman’s
mindfulness initiative in this blog post.
So…how did it go?
Here are a couple of observations after five presentations over two days
to more than 120 students:
--Similar to my
experience in December at Walter Johnson High School, I came away
incredibly impressed by the maturity and intellect of the kids. Every class was engaged in the presentation
about hypnosis and I had a wonderful set of volunteers.
--In a classroom environment with a limited amount
of time, I have to move quickly through a basic hypnotic induction. This limits the experience and doesn’t afford
me the time to incorporate simple suggestions or convincers (i.e. heavy
eyelids). I considered using a rapid or
shock induction to save time, yet ultimately decided to stick with an approach
similar to guided meditation. It ensures
a more positive experience, even if a volunteer doesn’t reach a state of
hypnosis.
--After my pre-talk and a basic hypnotic induction,
there wasn’t a lot of time for volunteer or audience questions. This is personally disappointing because I
always enjoy this interaction. The
exception was the demonstration for the last class of the day, as I had a
couple of students stick around for a few minutes to chat. Our discussion about focus in the classroom and
after school activities was fascinating.
--Ultimately, my message to the kids is relatively
simple – success and happiness in life is about confidence and
empowerment. Hypnosis is merely a tool
that can help a person achieve that understanding.
I’d like to personally thank Nikki Marafatsos, the
teacher who hosted me during the past two days.
Similar to the other educators who I’ve met, she is invested in the health,
well being and success of her students.
That’s inspiring!
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| This week I led a discussion about hypnosis for health for more than 120 students at Whitman High School. (Photo Source: Bethesda Magazine) |
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