Strategies for treating fear of the darkness in children
Do you know about treatments for children’s fear of the dark? Fear of the dark in children is one of the most common types of phobias among children, which occurs to a small extent during a period of development and is transient. Of course, sometimes this fear is exaggerated and causes a lot of trouble for the family.
In fact, this fear causes anxiety and stress disorders in children and causes children to develop another phobia. Parents should learn ways to help treat this fear in order to help their child with this. The problem is easily handled. Families never need this trivial and the leg had not considered.
To be in this Learn to read the paper to pay, parents can also treat the problem to consult the children referred to a consultant in therapy to help them, solutions that impact on the treatment of fear of the dark in children has it.
Fear of the darkness in children
Some children are afraid of being alone in the dark during a period of development and experience fear and anxiety when sleeping in dark environments, and usually show a lot of resistance to staying in this position.
If the fear of the dark is too great, it is called dark phobia , which usually occurs between the ages of 2 and 6, after which age gradually decreases and disappears.
Consultant’s suggestion: the cause of fear of the dark or fear of the night
Treating fear of the darkness in children, identifying the causes of fear
Fear of the dark occurs in children for various reasons, and it is better to identify these reasons so that the necessary measures can be taken to improve the fear of the dark in children.
- The type of child thinking
- The emotional atmosphere of the family
- How parents behave and interact with their children
Fear of the darkness due to high imagination in children
Children’s minds, especially in elementary school, have a high imagination, because their minds do not have a logical and objective framework and are not fully formed. At this age, children create ideas for themselves that are not necessarily realistic, such as ideas. They have monsters and giants, which are mostly due to watching movies, cartoons and hearing stories that affect the child’s mind and cause these perceptions.
They have more time to think about these images at night, so night and darkness are likely to cause them a lot of fear , and these fears cause them to have nightmares frequently during the night.
The relationship between family tension and children’s fear of the dark
Children have a lower capacity for pressure and stress, and if they are stressed too much, they will be vulnerable to physical illnesses, and they will also be more likely to have mental disorders, especially anxiety disorders , which is why there are tensions in the family. Such as parental quarrels or child abuse can lead to the formation of extreme fears, of which the fear of the dark is a common example.
High dependence on parents
Children who are very dependent on their parents at an early age Separation from their parents can be a big change for them. A child who is overly cared for and supported by parents alone feels stressed, anxious and helpless . Parents can reduce their child’s dependence by appropriate methods and creating secure attachment.
Strategies for treating children’s fear of the dark
Here are some tips that parents can use to treat their child’s dark phobia .
Talking about children’s fear of the dark
Parents should talk to their child about their child’s fears and ask him or her to explain to them what frightens him or her and what exactly he or she is afraid of in his or her mind. It calms down and makes him know the cause of his fear and take measures to cure that problem.
If the child does not express his reason for fear, it is better to use child counseling or play therapy . Parents should not put pressure on their child under any circumstances.
Empathy with the feeling of fear of children’s darkness
It is better for parents to understand and accept their child’s feelings of fear, as well as to talk to the child about his or her feelings and to show that they understand his or her feelings well and are by his or her side.
Parents should not blame the child or deem his feelings worthless and should refrain from saying things like “No fear”, “You should not be afraid when you grow up” because these words not only do not have a positive effect but also make the child have trouble managing stress and feelings. Does more.
If you understand the child is more likely to communicate with you, you can ask him or her what reduces his or her fears.
Get rid of the fear of the dark by reassuring children
The parent can be with the child for a while and calm him down and reassure him that whenever he needs his mother he is by his side and supports him, also the parents can turn on the light for a while Light up and show their child the different parts of the room, reassuring him or her that there is no reason to be afraid, and also explaining to the child that light does not affect the presence of objects.
Fear of children’s darkness and use of a safety device
To treat the fear of the dark, a device can be used to calm the child, for example, devices that are soothing to the child and he has a special interest in them, such as special blankets, special dolls, etc. can be used and Relax and feel more secure while sleeping with them.
The child may want to sleep in front of you, but you should not let the rules of the house be broken and the child should sleep in his place. But you can stay in her room for a while to feel more relaxed.
Deal to avoid the child from the dark
Usually, any fear that arises, the person tries to avoid the scary situation. This avoidance at the same time reduces anxiety , but in the long run, it strengthens the fear, so the child should be helped. To gradually confront his fears.
After calming the child and reassuring him, the parents ask the child to stay in his room to gradually reduce his fear. The child may come out of his room every night and tend to want to be with his mother and insist that he be in his room. However , if the parents allow him to sleep in front of them, the child’s fear will increase and continue.
Therefore, after calming and reassuring him, you should ask the child to be in his room and face the situation. This should be done with kindness, calmness and gentleness so that the child is not harmed.
Fear of children’s darkness, consult a specialist
The child’s fear of the dark is normal and occurs at a certain age and is transient and can be easily dealt with with simple solutions, but sometimes the fear of the dark is too much and causes problems for the child and the family. creates better at this time of specialists in this field, such as the clinical therapist advice he proceeded to do for professional treatment.
The role of horror movies in fear of the dark
Research on the fear of the dark and the fear of sleep has shown that the fear of the dark is directly related to watching horror movies or hearing horror stories .
Many older siblings may indirectly cause this fear in the child. Therefore, parents are advised to pay close attention to this and try to create a safe and healthy environment at home.
Even news that is not scary for adults can affect the mental health of children.
A variety of therapies in the treatment of children’s fear of the dark
To treat children’s fear of the dark, psychological therapies can be used that focus mainly on behavioral interventions and in addition require other interventions such as cognitive, psychoanalytic, and play therapy interventions that are used for treatment.
In the continuation of the article, we will explain more about these methods. Also, parents can take the necessary measures to treat the child by receiving advice from counseling centers and use different treatment methods according to the child’s condition.
Behavioral therapy
Usually, when children are afraid of the dark, they use behavioral therapy to treat the fear. In this method, the child is given behavioral exercises so that he can gradually face his fear and the behaviors that cause Let fear remain in him and be strengthened to stay away.
Treatment of children’s fear of darkness, cognitive-behavioral therapy
Behavioral methodology, in addition to teaching behavioral exercises to the child, works on the thoughts and feelings that are causing the problem, and the psychologist tries to replace the thoughts with anxious ones so that the person can cope with his fears. .
Analytical psychotherapy
In the psychoanalytic method, the mother and the child usually participate in the meeting together, and the roots that caused the child’s fear subconsciously affect the problem and are examined in more depth , and issues Like the child’s initial relationship with the mother and the child’s conflicts during development are gradually examined and resolved.
Treat children’s fear of the dark, play therapy
Since children are young and have not yet developed enough to logically and verbally express issues and problems, play is a good way to communicate and express and resolve problems, so play therapy plays a very important role in child interventions. has it.
Consultant’s suggestion: play therapy techniques
In these interventions, the therapist helps the child to express his / her anxiety and fear by using methods such as games, drawing and other methods, and in this way, the therapist teaches the child how to deal with his / her fear and overcome it. To manage.
What are the ways to eliminate the fear of darkness in children?
Try to talk about this with your child and empathize with him, be by his side when he sleeps and reassure him that you are by his side, sometimes children are dependent on devices that can calm them down. Give her her favorite doll or toy to feel comfortable and safe with, and let the child enjoy it.
In addition, parents can refer to the counselor if needed and take the necessary measures to treat the child using the general strategies and principles that the counselor provides to the parents.
If you need guidance and companionship in the field of raising your child , you can get specialized guidance and advice from the experienced and specialized counselors of Star Counseling Center at 02122354282, 02122247100,
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