Running a training with minors

First of all Congratulations! That’s exciting news.
Now to your questions. I am not sure what other trainers have done, but I can share with you our experience.
Having had this happen many times in our trainings it is our experience that kids actually are easier to work with than adults. For them it is like an exciting game. They don’t have the expectations of “how it is” as adults already do. So you will have a far easier job as you don’t have to break through the hardened MOW of an adult.

Rule #1 is that the kid behaves like an adult in the training room. Not like a kid.
Rule #2 is that the parent and the child do not work together under any circumstance. You don’t want the parent to impose their MOW onto the child.
Rule #3 comes off rule #1 – they do all the exercises as directed by you to the best of their abilities.

Which means that you need to pay special attention in how you explain each technique so they understand it. Make a point of asking them if they get it, they understand what they need to do, and in the What If section you allow them and encourage them to ask questions. Be patient and allow them to express themselves all the while keeping to the rules of your training.
Show her how she can use this at school, with helping herself and other kids. So talk her language when you do metaphors or a answer her questions. Remember that even if she is required to behave like an adult, she is still a kid.

But all in all, this is wonderful.
This young daughter will learn all the things many others only wish they did at her age. Not to speak about the transformation with the mom.

Good luck, but I know you will do well.

Right time, right place. How do we know it is the appropriate time to bring our child to Practitioner? I would love to bring my older son Sebastian to the July Practitioner. He will be off school and starting his vacations. And it will be so helpful for him to learn this techniques and specially with his anxiety features. And at the same time, I acknowledge that I cannot impose anything to him, that I need to spark the interest to attend to come from him somehow. Getting him engaged and see the value of it for his life, having better relationships with his friends. Learning tools to perform better, etc. I would love to hear ideas of how to “sell it” better to him so he wants to do it. Thanks.

Oh that’s not complicated.
“Sell” them with what’s important to them!
Get mom and dad off your back. Have more time to play.
Study less and be better.
In other words, you can elicit their real values – not what you think it is important to them in your own values, but THEIR values and sell them talk about the Prac using those words.

Chris, Its a great question, and Adriana’s advice is perfect. I am working a lot at the moment with children. The youngest was 6 for TLT, and I just worked today with a ‘pupil referral unit’, which is basically a high security unit for children that are excluded from mainstream educational establishments for a wide variety of reasons. I work with schools and individuals, and find it thoroughly rewarding work.

One of the children I worked with recently was a great example of how fantastic children are at following instructions. He had type 4 cancer when he was 3, and was full of anxiety about it returning, which was crating additional symptomatology. We were working on his anxiety, and also on his need to use the toilet a lot more due to losing his kidney and one of his adrenal glands, amongst other things. His ability to invest in the process, follow instructions with me, and follow through on tasks, meant he has successfully let go of his issues, and has adapted his behaviour around toilet breaks (to long to go into here).

He volunteered to me that everything exists right now and the past and future were illusions of the mind. He said lots of things like this. Pretty advanced for a 12 year old in my opinion. I was so impressed I told him and his mother that I would have no hesitation in welcoming him onto one of my trainings. He is very interested in the mind and how it works, and his family environment encourages this and his personal development path. His mother is open to this and we are talking about him attending when ready and convenient.

The thing I am finding – and this was a surprise to me at first – is that there is so much less programming in a child than an adult, so it is relatively easy to get through to them. There’s less in the way, and they are extremely flexible in what they consider to be reality. I mean extremely flexible. To be honest I have learned a lot from them too, and I consider myself to be already extremely flexible anyway.

As long as there is communication and they are capable of processing instructions and giving feedback, then everything is remarkably simple. I framed at the beginning with each child/group that there may be times when they don’t understand what I say, and that they are free to ask away until they do understand. It’s not like school, they are never wrong, so feel free to learn and ask questions. So the What if section is important, as Adriana said. I have always said that if you really know something you should be able to explain it to a six year old, and it’s interesting that that has currently been the youngest client I have had!

There was only one thing he did not understand when we were doing TLT, and that was what he should be doing when at Position #2. He just came straight out and said so, and was clear in how specifically he did not know, so I took a minute and explained what I meant until he understood. Then he simply nodded, said something like “got it”, then closed his eyes and came out with a stream of beautiful, 100% positive statements about himself. It was incredible. The full story is in the forum here – https://adrianajames.com/forums/topic/success-removing-dog-phobia-with-6-year-old/

Children seem to have no problems in believing the concepts, creating anchors and positive states which they can recreate afterwards themselves, to do TLT or anything else. I can say that I have met with no barriers to success with children, and could only wish that adults shared their abilities to be so free with themselves. The work would be so much easier!

I thought the scripted parts of TLT would be hard for a young mind to understand, but that was my limiting belief, not his. I changed that before the work, and found it fun and easy, as did he. Speak to the infinite, magnificent being, and it’s straight back at you. How did I miss that before a couple of years ago? It doesn’t matter, I notice it now. Some of the children I worked with today are living extremely challenging lives. They could be 10 but walk with the swagger of an 18 year old, because they have to survive in that environment in the hardcore inner city world they are in. But talk to the 10 year old and its right there. Speak from the heart and be real and they will be too.

I hope this makes sense to you Chris – and everyone else. If anyone wants any input from me then message me and I’l do my best to assist. Good luck with everything.

Respects,
Marc

Thanks Chris & Alejandro for asking your questions, without them we would not have had these great answers from Adriana and Marc. Thanks guys.

I love this thread, so fascinating. Chris thank you for the update and I love how she asked about the eye patterns for K. So incredible to hear this story. Thanks again for sharing.

You’re welcome Chris.

Interestingly my journey to NLP began with self discovery of eye patterns. I still have the original piece of paper with it sketched out on, and at first I thought that left and right down was K r & c. I understand why I thought that way at first, so it’s interesting that she was thinking about it too.

I’ve been working with children for over 20 years. I see it as an opportunity for change. I think personal empowerment includes reclaiming your childhood inheritance, and that state of wonderment. I do my best to cultivate this every day. “Hibi Shoshin” – each day a fresh mind, a beginner’s mind.

“Adults are just outdated children.” — Dr. Seuss

“Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.” — John F. Kennedy

“Every child you encounter is a divine appointment.” — Wess Stafford

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” — Albert Einstein

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” – New Testament

Wow Marc – thank you for sharing those quotes. Truthfully, it brought tears to my eyes (good tears) that is how powerful they were for me to read. I am going to share them – thank you for the inspiration. By the way – I read them in your accent 🙂 Have a fantastic day.

Thanks everyone.

D’thas boss dat Debra 😉