Bedwetting Hypnosis

---

Frustration with bedwetting may lead you to consider bedwetting hypnosis as a treatment.

It is important, however, to have a clear understanding of the various causes of bedwetting and to eliminate any that need treating first. Bedwetting (known as nocturnal enuresis) can be primary - where children have never been dry overnight and the problem is unrelated to other conditions - or secondary, where bedwetting returns after a long period of dry nights due to underlying causes such as infection.

Primary bedwetting is usually a developmental issue, where the body's hormonal cycle has not yet developed sufficiently to reduce the amount of urine produced at night, and where a child has not yet learned to sense when their bladder needs emptying. See stop bedwetting page for more information.

Hypnosis may be helpful for bedwetting, however, there is not a lot of verifiable evidence around. In one study, 50 bedwetting children were given either a medication or hypnotherapy for three months. The results showed considerable and roughly equal improvements in the two groups. Subsequently, children in the hypnosis group practiced self-hypnosis for a further six months, while those in the medication group did not make use of any special treatment. At the end of the six months, children practicing self-hypnosis had maintained their improvement to a much greater extent than those in the medication group.

Other studies found benefits with hypnosis as well; however, all had major design limitations such as small test groups. Overall, the evidence supporting hypnosis for nocturnal enuresis is not strong.