Increase Concentration and Recall, Overcome Test Anxiety

By Alan B. Densky, CH

Many bright children get school grades that just don't seem to reflect their intelligence. They do their homework, participate in class, but still get lousy test grades. Parents often mistake poor performance on tests for lack of study and preparation, but this frequently is not the case. Often, test anxiety is a primary source of poor grades.

Students who experience test anxiety may study at home until they can recite the answers to potential test questions backwards and forwards. But when they walk into the classroom and sit down to take the test, their minds freeze. They are unable to recall the information that, only a moment before, was clear in their minds. They experience performance anxiety, and can focus on nothing but the possibility of failure.

Hypnosis to improve memory and recall has been a successful method for helping parents assist their children to overcome test anxiety. Standard techniques, such as self-hypnosis memory improvement, may work well for older students who are not overly analytical or critical thinkers. These programs, which are able to help students improve memory and recall and decrease their test anxiety, are widely available.

Those children who are inquisitive and bright, however, may struggle with using traditional forms of hypnosis to improve memory and recall. This is because they question concepts and work to understand procedures such as self-hypnosis memory improvement. These students will usually benefit much more from advanced techniques such as Ericksonian hypnosis or even Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) for test anxiety.

NLP for test anxiety uses several simple behaviors to help the brain perform a complex task. One of the NLP methods taught to students is a technique called anchoring. With anchoring, clients are taught to remember a time when they felt a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem. As they mentally re-create those feelings, they are instructed to touch two fingers together while experiencing those feelings. This creates an anchor (or trigger) for the feelings.

Once the clients have successfully installed an anchor for self-esteem, they are instructed to visualize themselves taking a test. As they make this mental movie, they are instructed to trigger the self-esteem anchor by touching the two fingers together again. The unconscious then connects the emotions of self-esteem and achievement to the act of taking a test. The end result is that the client feels a lot more confident about their ability to take tests, and this gives them a positive expectation of success. It also makes them feel relaxed during the actual test, so they are able to easily recall information.

Through this process, NLP and memory recall techniques assist students to improve their concentration during difficult situations like testing. NLP for test anxiety helps the child to become calmer and focus on remembering the information they have learned. This allows them to recall the information that they studied so thoroughly.

Another approach to using Neuro-Linguistic Programming for test anxiety is to teach the "Flash" technique. Students are taught to use this method to relieve anxiety and stress. Through coaching, they learn to instruct their minds to automatically exchange stressful thoughts for relaxing thoughts. Soon, clients who use NLP for test anxiety realize that they find it very difficult to focus on stressful thoughts; as their minds automatically flash them away for relaxing thoughts instead!

A combination of NLP and memory recall strategies can be very useful in calming test anxiety, as well as improving memory recall. Using NLP for test anxiety, as well as memory recall, allows students to maximize their ability to remember and learn new information. This can be critically important in an age of "information overload."

As a society, our minds are bombarded daily with information from television, radio, the Internet, family, friends, newspapers and books. Sitting in a classroom throughout the day, students are even more susceptible to this problem. Strategies such as NLP for test anxiety can also be used to help them remain calm and sort through this deluge of information. NLP and memory improving methods help them to focus on critically important information, and to remember it rather than the overwhelming amount of trivial information that accompanies it.

Students who are successful in using NLP for test anxiety will also find these techniques to be useful for relieving stress and improving concentration in many areas of their lives. For example, NLP and memory techniques can help people remember names or important dates or events. Often, older students who use Neuro-Linguistic Programming for test anxiety report that these valuable techniques greatly improve the quality of their work and social lives as well.

Parents who are concerned about their children's difficulties with test grades and school performance should research the benefits of NLP for test anxiety. These techniques have been demonstrated to be very successful for the majority of bright young children who suffer from this problem. In addition, caring parents can use NLP and memory recall strategies to help their children become better prepared to begin new careers.

Summary: Neuro-Linguistic Programming for test anxiety helps children concentrate better and improve test scores. NLP and memory recall techniques are also beneficial in many other areas of life, including career and social settings. You can search for a local Certified NLP Practitioner who can help your child with Neuro-Linguistic Programming for test anxiety. But it can prove far less expensive and just as effective to purchase one of the high quality NLP and hypnosis programs that are available on CD.