Should My 13 Year Old Daughter be Hypnotized?
Clinical psychologist Dr Joseph M Carver, PhD, offers replies to reader questions submitted anonymously to Ask the Psychologist.
Reader’s Question
If I feel my 13 year old daughter may have been sexually abused by her father, can I have her hyptnotised to prove it, and does he need to agree to it since he is legally supposed to agree to all medical decisions concerning her?
Our Consulting Clinical Psychologist’s Reply
A 13-year-old girl can identify and report sexual abuse without the use of hypnosis. However, if this situation involves a divorce, suspicion of child abuse as an infant by the father, or the child has no recollection/memory of such an event, and you want to have her hypnotized to find evidence…you’re treading in a very dangerous area. Naturally, if you suspect child abuse you must report it to the local child protection agency in your community. Is the child showing any symptoms, or do you simply suspect a history of child abuse? If she is exhibiting suspicious behaviors, are they the result of child abuse or the result of her age and the onset of puberty?
I would recommend talking to a mental health professional in your community. I would not recommend subjecting a 13 year-old to hypnosis without some guidance from both mental health and legal professionals in your community.
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