Easing Out Darkness Phobia in Small Children

Darkness, which appears while you rest, takes on the appearance of a trap. Fearing of "evil" lurking in the shade or simply irrational fear, the child who once fell asleep so easily in the dark now refuses to switch off his side light.

Few children escape the fear of the darkness. Frequently between the ages of 2 and 5 years, this anxiety includes several parameters. In darkness the child is unable to control his environment, to verify that no monster lurks, to return to her blanket and the direction from the bed to the toilets. Darkness for a child is far from being a source of serenity but is a large trap in the heart of which, when disoriented, he feels totally helpless and makes him hardly sleeps all night, wakes up at night, crying and calling you.

Disorientate darkness

At this point, the best to do is to get up, turn on a light in his room, and if you talk about witches watching behind the scenes, check with him that he is in total safety. Reassured, the child will sleep again.

On a daily basis, do not hesitate to install a small night light in his room or to take the habit of letting a low light lit in the corridor. Between darkness and twilight, the difference is important: the first means anxiety and the latter reassurance.

Taming fear

The real issue is, however, is to help tame and overcome his fear through dialogue, Identify the stress, take it seriously without dramatizing it and more importantly, encourage your child to answer.

Invite him to describe his fear in order to identify all aspects. Show him you understand his anxiety without the need to involve yourself by telling him of your fears when you were young. By doing so, you will be increasing his fear. Mention however, that he is not the only child that has these concerns. This will make him feel stronger!

Help him to evoke a fear he had overcome by letting sleep in another house and giving him time to remember his victory over fear. In the evening, at bedtime, sing a nursery rhyme having lyrics encouraging his triumph and measure it with confidence.

Finally help them to identify the resources if necessary: for example switching off the night light and telling the child to switch it back on if needed.

The child will not overcome his fear overnight but it will happen gradually until he will triumph over his fears and makes a serene progress towards his adult life.

Source:

http://phobiasanxiety.suite101.com/article.cfm/afraid_of_the_dark