Dr. Dan helped Handel the Tapir reduce his pain from a leg injury. Wark the Cockatoo used hypnosis to overcome his nervousness so that he could sing beautifully for zoo visitors. All the zoo animals enjoy hypnosis!

Furthermore, you will enjoy this innovative and entertaining book by Dr. Linda Thomson. Harry the Hypno-potamus is both serious and whimsical, written for children and for child-health professionals who appreciate hypnotic and metaphoric approaches to working with children. The book addresses childhood emotional, behavioral, and health-related problems such as fear, anger, habit disorders, pain, diabetes, asthma, enuresis, and leukemia.

Content

The book opens with a clinical section for pediatric professionals and mental health practitioners on the utility of therapeutic metaphors for children. There is also a handout section that can be copied and given to parents, providing information about the value of hypnosis as part of a treatment plan for a sick or troubled child.

The remainder of the book is the fun part---metaphors about the zoo animals who solve their problems with hypnosis---under the guidance of Dr. Dan and his veterinarian team. The stories introduce children to hypnosis and the power of the imagination to transcend limitations and think in new ways.

The animal characters are named after for people who taught or inspired the author in the use of hypnosis with children. The book is her tribute to her mentors. The stories are engaging and entertaining. The illustrations by Kids Book Design are charming and colorful.

Clinicians are advised to read the stories to children, using the stories as hypnotic scripts, and adapting each story to the needs and developmental level of the child. Each tale contains embedded therapeutic communication about relaxation and happy thoughts. The stories engage a child's talent for playful fantasy and pretending.

Thomson writes that "When the child is fully immersed in the story, his personal internal negative dialog may be suppressed and new possibilities flourish." She reminds her readers that metaphors engage the right hemisphere of the brain-the creative brain-fostering a communication between the conscious mind and the unconscious mind; linking emotion, symbols, and life experience, expanding consciousness and exposing new possibilities and perspectives. Moreover, metaphors are non-threatening and can reframe a child's problem and encourage the child to develop novel ways to overcome a limitation.

The Author

Linda Thomson is a nurse-practitioner who has 30 years of experience in family and pediatric practice. She received her training in hypnosis via the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, the American Society for Clinical Hypnosis, the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis and the International Society of Hypnosis. She is an Approved Consultant in Clinical Hypnosis and has used hypnotic metaphors in her practice for many years. A major focus of her life's work is to change the attitudes of health care professionals regarding clinical hypnosis and promote wider acceptance of hypnotherapy interventions.

Conclusion

Harry the Hypno-potamus is obviously a labor of love. It is a must-have for the library of any therapist or health care professional who seeks innovative ways to work with small children. It is a delightful frolic in the hypnotic effects of fantasy and imagination.

Harry the Hypno-potamus: Metaphorical Tales for the Treatment of Children

Judith E. Pearson, Ph.D., is a Licensed Professional Counselor, free-lance writer, hypnotherapist, and NLP Trainer/Practitioner with a private practice in Springfield, Virginia. She is an adjunct faculty member with Webster University and Executive Director for the National Board of Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists. Her web site is www.engagethepower.com.