
08/25/2025
Over the last decade, mindfulness has become a cornerstone of emotional well-being programs for children and adults alike. Today, our schools, workplaces, and healthcare settings embrace mindfulness as a proven tool for stress management and self-regulation. But as NPHTI Board of Directors President Dr. Lisa Lombard, PhD points out in her 2024 publication, the practices people attribute to “mindfulness” often overlap with another evidence-based tool: clinical hypnosis. In fact, you could say they’re the same skillset- just framed through different lenses.
Both hypnosis and mindfulness ask us to focus our attention intentionally. Both encourage imagination, emotional regulation, and the ability to observe one’s inner world with curiosity. Dr. Lombard’s paper highlights how pediatric hypnosis builds the same self-regulation skills found in mindfulness programs but takes it one step further, teaching children to use guided imagery, storytelling, and positive suggestions to actively change how they feel.
So why does this distinction matter? Because while mindfulness programs are thriving- appearing in many schools in the U.S.- hypnotic practices remain underutilized, often misunderstood due to outdated myths. Yet clinical hypnosis can fit seamlessly into the same spaces where mindfulness has flourished, offering children and adolescents another layer of support for anxiety, pain, and emotional challenges.
At NPHTI, we are passionate about changing the conversation. We train clinicians to use hypnosis in developmentally appropriate ways that meet children where they are- building confidence, resilience, and a sense of control. Want to learn how hypnosis can complement the mindfulness practices you may already use in your work? Visit www.nphti.org to explore our annual workshops and webinar series and join the growing community of clinicians integrating hypnosis into their practice. Interested in reading Dr. Lisa Lombard’s full article? Visit https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00029157.2024.2317790 to learn more.