The Dutch Foundation for Hypnosis in Children

The home-based treatment for children with chronic abdominal pain and this website are managed by the Dutch Foundation for Hypnosis in Children. All revenues generated by selling the hypnosis home-based treatment go to the foundation.

The aim of the Dutch Foundation for Hypnosis in Children is to:

  • Initiating and conducting research on medical hypnosis in children
  • Developing and distributing hypnosis exercises for children
  • Promoting education in the field of hypnosis for children
  • Stimulating the use of medical hypnosis in children

The Board of the Dutch Foundation for Hypnosis in Children consists of the following members:

Prof. Marc Benninga, a professor in pediatric gastroenterology at the Amsterdam University Medical Center, the Netherlands.

Prof. Benninga started in 2003  the first study in the world on the effects of medical hypnosis in children with chronic abdominal pain. The results were so convincing that he, together with Mrs Frankenhuis and Dr Vlieger, has set up several new scientific studies investigating the value of hypnosis in gastrointestinal complaints..

Prof. Dr Eric Vermetten, psychiatrist and professor of psychotraumatology at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands and Arq Psychotrauma Expert Group in Diemen, the Netherlands and New York UMC.

Prof. Dr Eric Vermetten has many years of experience in working with medical hypnosis. He has been chairman of the Dutch Society for Hypnosis and of the International Society for Hypnosis.

Mrs C. Frankenhuis, hypnotherapist/coach/ (psychosocial) nurse, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Mrs Frankenhuis came into contact with medical hypnosis in the United States in the nineties and has her own practice in medical hypnosis since then in Amsterdam. She has been involved in various scientific studies and together with mrs. Vlieger she teaches in pediatric hypnosis, both in the Netherlands and abroad.

Dr. A. M. Vlieger, pediatrician, St. Antonius Hospital Nieuwegein, the Netherlands.

Dr. Vlieger was trained in the field of pediatric hypnosis in the United States. In 2009 she obtained her PhD in the use of hypnosis in children with chronic abdominal pain. Since then, together with Prof. Benninga, she has led some new studies into hypnosis in gastro-intestinal problems.

We thank the following people for their collaboration:

Lisa Araujo-Salas for her help with the hypnosis recordings. She is a psychologist in Montréal, Canada ad works with children and families using hypnosis and play therapy.

Linda Thomson for her help with the hypnosis recordigs. She is a pediatric nurse practitioner, past president of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, and a Diplomate of both the American Board of Medical Hypnosis and the American Board of Hypnosis in Nursing.

Peter Lu for his help with the video’s. He is a pediatric gastro-enterologist in Columbus, Ohio, USA.

Nikhil Thapar for his help with the video’s. Professor Nikhil Thapar is Director of the Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Liver Transplant service at Queensland Children’s Hospital (Brisbane, Australia)