CHILDHOOD ANXIETYThe Method to help free a child from stress,

anxiety, fear and worry

CHILDHOOD ANXIETY – The James Holmes Method to help free a child from stress, anxiety, fear and worry.

Hi my name is James, and today we’re going to go on an amazing journey. To start that journey I want you to close your eyes and begin to think about your breathing. Quite often, we don’t stop and think about something until someone points it out to us. And more often than not that is the case with our breathing. How many times today have you thought about or even noticed your breathing? But now I want you to think about it, to notice it, to notice the movement of your body as you breathe. To notice how relaxed you feel when you breathe. To begin to notice the different parts of your body as you continue to relax and breath. You feel lovely and sleepy, lovely and relaxed. Notice just how you’re beginning to relax more and more with each passing breath. Notice too, the different parts of your body, become aware of your fingers on your right hand, all the fingers on your left hand, and just think of them relaxing. Become aware of all the muscles on your face, your eyes, your nose, your ears, your mouth. Your cheeks, your jaw, and notice too that as you think of them how relaxed they become.Now just imagine a ball of light appearing above your head and as it moves slowly down your body you feel a wave of relaxation, you find yourself relaxing from the top of your head, all the way down to the very tips of your toes.Breathing slowly and deeply, calmly and quietly. Relaxed and calm. And all of the thoughts of the day put to the back of your mind. This is your time now just to let go………..relax and let go.

Now that you are ready it’s time to begin our journey……….and to start our journey I want you to imagine you’re at a picnic. Everyone you want to be there is there. The picnic is especially for you. You’ve chosen all of the food, and everyone is having a wonderful time. The sun’s shinning, everything feels just right, just as it should be, everyone is so relaxed and having a brilliant time. There’s a stream near by and your friends are enjoying playing games, and splashing around in the water. Everyone is so relaxed and having the time of their life’s, and they are all so pleased to see you.In the middle of the field there is a small carpet, it’s colour is bright, but strangely it doesn’t seem out of place. But this is no ordinary carpet, in fact it’s a magic carpet, and you know just by instinct that you can step onto this carpet and it will take you safely to anywhere in this wonderful world of ours, and today it’s going to take you on a wonderful journey to a far off land. But before you go you say goodbye to your friends for the time being, you tell them there is something important you need to do, but not to worry as you’ll be back shortly, and in the meantime they must all have fun, play games and enjoy eating all of the wonderful foods you’ve chosen for them at the picnic.As you sit on the carpet, it gently raises off the ground. You feel safe there and really enjoy the experience of flying. As the carpet gets higher in the sky you’re able to wave down to your friends at the picnic. As the carpet flies higher, you’re joined by some birds who are amazed to see you flying so high. You feel so safe there and you’re having such an amazing time, flying high up into the clouds.

You zoom down again and you fly by your school, and you gaze down at all the children in the playground and with a big smile on your face you see them all waving at you as you fly by, wishing you well on your journey. You fly high over the houses, passing by the houses of people you know, flying by your house and your friends’ houses. People are thrilled to see you and wave at you as you fly on by.The magic carpet picks up speed and begins to head towards a far off land, a magical place where it is said you can free yourself from things that have upset you or troubled you or made you worry.The magic carpet travels high above the clouds, and as it does so you notice the beautiful night sky above, there are millions upon millions of stars there and you gaze at them in wonder. Far off in the distance you see the tops of some mountains, their peaks capped with snow, and as the carpet moves closer you feel happy that this is such an incredible adventure you’re having. Finally, you gently land on top one of the peaks and you step onto the crisp white snow. It’s not cold there and you feel perfectly safe.You notice that there is a throne there, like a king’s or princess’s throne and you know just by instinct that you can sit down on the throne. Above you, the night sky is glistening with stars, and combined with the light of the moon it makes the snow all around you sparkle with all the colours of the rainbow, like holding a crystal up to the sunlight.

As you sit and relax on the comfortable throne you know that you can begin to let go and release things that have upset you, things that have troubled you, that perhaps have made you worry, things perhaps that have not made you as happy as you deserve to be.UPSETTo start that, just begin to let your mind drift back in time, drift away from here back into the past, I want your mind to stop thinking about here and now and start drifting back into the past. For a moment or two I want you to stop thinking about now, I want you to let your mind just drift back into the past, I want you to let your thoughts just drift away from here, wander away from now. I want you to go back through your life, and first of all, I want you to think of something that at one time was very upsetting; something that at one time really upset you, something that really really upset you. I want you to think of one time, something that really upset you, maybe something that happened, maybe something somebody said or something somebody did. Maybe it was something you heard that you wished you hadn’t; maybe it was something you did that you wished you hadn’t. If you can think of a time like this that’s great, but if you can’t then that’s fine too, just think of a time when you felt a lot of emotion, perhaps Anger, jealousy or envy, perhaps a time you felt frustration, or a time you felt really nervous and worried, or perhaps a time when you felt something was really unfair.

When you’ve thought of something I want you to imagine looking to the right hand side of the throne where you’re sat and imagine seeing a table full of different coloured balloons. And I want you to chose a balloon, to choose a colour that perhaps fits the thing you have thought of, and when you’ve chosen that coloured balloon I want you to imagine placing the balloon up to your lips and blowing all of the emotion that you felt, all of that upset into that balloon. I want you to imagine blowing all of that feeling, all of that upsetting feeling into that balloon, now it’s perfectly safe to do so. Now you can blow the balloon up in your thoughts if you like or you can actually blow that balloon up now as it it’s there in front of you, taking a big deep breath and begin blowing out all of that upset right now.

And when you’ve done that I want you to tie a knot in the end of the balloon, make sure it’s a tight knot so none of that emotion can come out, and I want you to place it in the beak of one of the magical birds that have been sitting waiting nearby. These birds have long beaks and wide wings that enable them to fly high up into the sky and far, far away. You’ve never seen birds like this before, but you know that they are kind animals and that they’re to help you. As you pass the balloon to the bird you watch it fly off high into the night sky, high up into the starlit night and you watch in amazement as its silhouette passes the full moon as it continues on its journey.

EMBARRASSEDStill thinking back in the past, this time I want you to think of one time when you were really embarrassed, a time when you really showed yourself up, showed yourself up so much you just wanted the ground to open up and swallow you, so terribly embarrassed, think of one time when you were dreadfully embarrassed, I want your thoughts to go to something that you know about, to something that actually happened, to one time you were so dreadfully embarrassed, maybe something you did, something you said, just one time when you were so horribly embarrassed you’d actually rather not think about it again. If you can think of a time that’s great, but if you can’t then that’s fine too, just think of a time when you felt a lot of emotion.

And when you’ve thought of something I want you to look down to your left and chose another different colored balloon.When you’ve chosen that balloon I want you to imagine placing the balloon up to your lips and blowing out all of the emotion that you felt, all of that embarrassed feeling into that balloon. I want you to imagine blowing all of that feeling all of that embarrassed feeling into that balloon, now it’s perfectly safe to do so. Now once again you can blow the balloon up in your thoughts if you like or you can actually blow that balloon up now as it it’s there in front of you, taking a big deep breath and blowing out all of that upset right now.

And when you’ve done that I want you to tie a knot in the end of the balloon, make sure it’s a tight knot so none of that emotion can come out, and I want you to place it in the beak of one of the magical birds that have been sitting waiting nearby, and watch the bird as it flies high high up into the night sky taking all of that emotion with it. It’s gone now and it can’t trouble you ever again.

LONELYStill thinking about events from the past, still letting your mind drift along, now thinking of a time when you felt lonely, one time when you felt really alone, as if you were the last person left in the whole world, a feeling of being left alone, abandoned, just thinking now of a time when you felt alone, as if you had been abandoned, neglected, deserted, alone Let your thoughts drift to that and just take that feeling. If you can think of a time that’s great, but if you can’t then that’s fine too, just think of a time when you felt a lot of emotion. Now as soon as you’ve thought of it then just look to your right side, chose another colored balloon that reflects that feeling.

FRIGHTENEDNow as you’re sat on your throne the next thing I want you to think of is one time when you were frightened, and I mean really frightened, terribly frightened, just a feeling of being totally afraid of something. Just think of one time when you were terribly frightened, let your thoughts drift to something that actually happened, an incident that so frightened you that it generated that feeling of wanting to run or hide or maybe you just froze right where you were, that feeling inside twisting your stomach muscles and your heart pounding, and as soon as you’ve thought of it then just look to your right side, chose another colored balloon that reflects that feeling. If you can think of a time that’s great, but if you can’t then that’s fine too, just think of a time when you felt a lot of emotion.

Once again I want you to imagine blowing out all of that feeling, all of that frightened feeling into that balloon, now it’s perfectly safe to do so. Now once again you can blow the balloon up in your thoughts if you like or you can actually blow that balloon up now as if it’s there in front of you, taking a big deep breath and blowing out all of that frightened feeling right now.And when you’ve done that I want you to tie a knot in the end of the balloon, make sure it’s a tight knot so none of that emotion can come out, and I want you to place it in the beak of one of the magical birds that have been sitting waiting nearby, and watch the bird as it flies high high up into the night sky taking all of that emotion with it. It’s gone now and it can’t trouble you ever again.

Once again I want you to imagine blowing all of that feeling all of that alone and deserted feeling into that balloon, now it perfectly safe to do so. Now once again you can blow the balloon up in your thoughts if you like or you can actually blow that balloon up now as if it’s there in front of you, taking a big deep breath and blowing out all of that alone and deserted feeling right now.And when you’ve done that I want you to tie a knot in the end of the balloon, make sure it’s a tight knot so none of that emotion can come out, and I want you to place it in the beak of one of the magical birds that have been sitting waiting nearby, and watch the bird as it flies high high up into the night sky taking all of that emotion with it. It’s gone now and it can’t trouble you ever again.GUILTYOnce again sat there on your throne just letting your mind drift around to various things, people, places, events, this time I want you to think of a time when you felt guilty, really guilty, as if you had a really guilty secret, something that you would far rather no one knew about, something you’d rather not even remember yourself, I want you to think of a time when you were bad and did something that still makes you feel guilty, something you find difficult to forgive yourself for and you still have those guilty feelings inside, churning away inside you. Something dreadfully embarrassing, or something hurtful to someone, or something that you stole or destroyed or took. If you can think of a time you felt that that’s great, but if you can’t then that’s fine too, just think of a time when you felt a lot of emotion. And as soon as you’ve thought of it then just look to your right side, chose another colored balloon that reflects that feeling.

Once again I want you to imagine blowing all of that guilty and ashamed feeling into that balloon, now it perfectly safe to do so. Now once again you can blow the balloon up in your thoughts if you like or you can actually blow that balloon up now as it it’s there in front of you, taking a big deep breath and blowing out all of that guilty and ashamed feeling right now.And when you’ve done that I want you to tie a knot in the end of the balloon, make sure it’s a tight knot so none of that emotion can come out, and I want you to place it in the beak of one of the magical birds that have been sitting waiting nearby, and watch the bird as it flies high high up into the night sky taking all of that emotion with it. It’s gone now and it can’t trouble you ever again.Finally, you’re looking up into that night sky and you can just see the final glimpses of the birds as they fly far far away into the night sky, taking with them all of those emotions, all of those things that have upset you, that have troubled you ……leaving you free and totally relaxed and happy.As you return to the magic carpet, it once again gently lifts off the ground, you turn around and wave goodbye to the magic birds as you continue on your adventure. The magic carpet flies below the clouds gathering speed as it does so, and you find yourself enjoying the experience ever so much more. Feeling ever so happy, contented and relaxed.

Now as your sat there on this magic carpet, drifting high high up in the sky, above the clouds, I want you to you to let your mind drift away to something, as if your day dreaming. And as you continue on your journey I want you to imagine one of your dreams become a reality, one of those things perhaps you daydream about. Maybe it’s a time when you score the winning goal at the FA cup final, or a time when a book you’ve written was finally published and become an over night success, or perhaps a song you’ve recorded was released has topped the charts, or perhaps your performing on a stage with thousand of people applauding you. Perhaps it’s a time when a gallery is opened with all your paints on display, or maybe it’s a movie you’ve starred in and the film is receiving it’s world premiere, and you’re there waving at all the crowds. Perhaps it’s the launch of your new fashion range and all of the photographers are there jostling to take photos of you and your designs. Perhaps you’ve broken a new record in the Olympics or saved an animals life. Perhaps you’ve just created a new invention, or broken a new personal record. Perhaps it’s just something that you done that has made the world a better place. Perhaps you’ve done something that’s made sombody elses day a little bit better……Whatever your dream is I just want you to allow it to be there in your thoughts right now. And feel that feeling of success, of happiness, I want you to feel that in every muscle in your body, every nerve every single part of your body. Allowing that feeling of success, of happiness to grow stronger and stronger each and every day now. Taking time each and every day now to imagine the things you would like to achieve in your life.

As the magic carpet journeys to the picnic by the river y ou find yourself waving at the people in the street, at the people outside their houses. You feel simply fantastic. Journeying over the land, finally the magic carpet returns to the picnic. The picnic where all of the people you wish to be there are gathered. They’re enjoying playing games by the river and eating the lovely food that you have chosen for them. Everyone is having an amazing time, and it’s an absolutely perfect summer’s day. They see you arriving on the magic carpet and they all gather round cheering you and calling out your name. They’re so excited to see you back and you begin to tell them of your adventures. They’ve heard all the news about how successful you’ve been and you feel on top of the world.ENDINGYou’re going to find that something that used to be a problem, has stopped being a problem, something that used to bother you and upset you is no longer a problem for you……feeling so strong, so confident. You are in charge; you are able to cope with any situation that used to worry you. You feel very relaxed, very happy knowing that all those bad thoughts and worries have gone and can’t come back ever.

Feeling stronger and more positive now…feeling confident and strong. You feel a huge sense of pride and pleasure at being so calm and relaxed and confident.And you find yourself feeling really really proud. You will now find that situations that used to make you feel cross or angry will now make you fell calm and relaxed. The more things used to upset you the more they will now simply calm and relax you, and you will find yourself feeling really really pleased with yourself and really grown up now that you can control the things that upset you and make you angry…..and that feeling you felt when you imagined your success a moment or two ago will stay with you and grow stronger and stronger each and every day now.Saying to yourself “Everyday in everyway I'm getting better and better, every day in every single possible way I'm getting better and better”.Drifting off now if you’re in bed to a lovely deep relaxing sleep, knowing you will awake totally refreshed and totally alert, looking forward to the day ahead, and looking forward to all the adventures in your life.

Now I would like to see yourself, clearly in your mind, getting up and seeing your mum/dad being so pleased and proud of you, now you have a completely dry bed.

And you will find yourself feeling ever so much more happy and smiling inside now you are free from some of those things that used to worry you and upset you so much.

And see yourself at school walking tall and feeling so proud and so confident, so proud and happy and confident.

Because you want to wake up comfortable and dry, you find you no longer wet your bed…. Your subconscious mind take care of your bladder movements when you are asleep…you no longer have the habit of wetting the bed…from now on, your inner mind works while you are asleep by waking you enough to get out of bed and go to the toilet…you return to your bed and immediately fal into a wonderful sleep.

That’s fine, that’s great, now stay relaxed, bring your thoughts back up to date, stop thinking of the past, the past is something now behind you, all forgiven, all forgotten. Just bring your thoughts up to date, think of today, think of tomorrow, think of all those good days still waiting round the corner. Just come up to date, think of today, because you’re going to find that after today, a major change has taken place. You’re going to find that something that used to be a problem, has ceased to be a problem, something that used to bother you is no longer a problem for you……## feeling so strong, so confident. You are in charge, you are able to cope with any situation that used to worry you. You feel very relaxed, very peaceful.

In a moment I will count up from one to ten, and as I do so you will start to come back. You will feel rested and refreshed, as though you have had a long restful sleep. Begin now…. One …two… three… coming back… four… five… six… seven…eight… nine stretch, and take a deep breath… and ten, open your eyes feeling awake and refreshed.