Children and adolescents who are motivated to become dry do very well with medical hypnosis.
It is also important to determine if there are physical conditions that could be contributing to the bed wetting. An evaluation by either a primary care clinician or a urology specialist can rule out any physical conditions that may inhibit success with this program. The number one cause of bed wetting is constipation. Obtaining a KUB (x-ray of the abdomen) can rule this out.
As it happens, it seems that at any age, the harder we push, the harder people push back. This is true whether you’re 5 years old or 95 years old!
If your child has any sports or hobbies he or she enjoys, you could gently suggest that, just like soccer, or piano, or dancing, the more you practice, the better you get at it. And the more you practice, the easier it gets. And the more you practice, the faster you get at it. Just like any other skill or sport, more practice means better results! This connection is often helpful for kids to see the visualization practice in a different way.
Again, the harder we push, the harder people push back. And there is a chance your child may not be ready to put in the time, yet. Motivation of the child is one of the most important factors for success with the program. This is a process and is different for every child.
It is really more about motivation than age.
In general, I have found that Keeping the Bed Dry® is appropriate for children as young as 8 years old as well as adolescents.
Kids under 8 years of age are often not bothered by not being dry, as they are typically not going to sleepovers or sleep away camps. Having said that, of course, there is the occasional child who is 6 or 7 years old who is eager to be dry at night, and older kids who are not yet ready.
For this type of approach to work, the patient, and not just the parent, has to be motivated.
The language is intentionally designed to be simple so that children, adolescents, and adults alike can easily grasp the concepts and be able to quickly implement them.
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Copyright © Keeping the Bed Dry® — Jeffrey E. Lazarus, MD, FAAP — Menlo Park, California 94025
