Secondary Gain and Hypnotherapy

What is secondary gain?

Secondary gain is a term used in medicine and psychology to describe the subconscious motivators we may have from not overcoming a problem. It is something that can be difficult to establish and often needs a very sensitive approach. It can be the reasons why we may appear stuck and not making the expected progress.

It is important to establish if there may be a “hidden” benefit to holding on to a problem which can then create resistance.

Anyone can have a secondary gain to something, however, there are times, particularly with children and young people, when it does need looking at more closely and in wider context with what is going on within a family.

With children and teenagers it is very important to establish how they feel about the problem and how much they want to overcome it. This isn’t always as obvious as it sounds, as sometimes the secondary gain can get in the way of this.

A child or teenager with an irrational fear, for example, may get a lot of attention from a parent and concern or protection. We need to establish whether the fear can be used as a way of controlling situations or members of the family. Is it a way to avoid activities or things they dislike? Does it make them feel special and different? A child gets attention when it is sick, so a child craving attention will be sick more often.

It is very important to acknowledge that secondary gain is not about malingering and does not drive actions consciously. The young person will be experiencing actual symptoms which can be debilitating and frightening. It is a complex and challenging issue, but an important thing for parents to be aware of in order not to reinforce the secondary gain.

How can hypnotherapy help?

Hypnotherapy works with the subconscious mind so it becomes possible to make those positive shifts. Linking the mind and body has a profound and restorative effect on how we feel. For young people being listened to by a trained professional lessens their feelings of powerlessness and fear. For more information on how I can help, please do get in touch for an online appointment.