Childrens Nightmares
It is a simple technique I call PRTC:
Pinpoint, Relay and Record, Title, Change.
PINPOINT the source of the anxiety causing the nightmare: How long has your child been having the nightmare? Is there an event or person in your child’s life that parallels the length of time he or she has been having the nightmare? Do the characters or actions in the nightmare resemble anyone or anything in his or her waking life, such as a movie or TV show, a bully at school, the loss of a loved one, etc. If the cause of the nightmare can be immediately remedied, no more evening news for example, then that alone can put a stop to the nightmare. But read on because a nightmare is sure to raise its ugly head again sometime in the future.
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RELAY and RECORD the nightmare in as much detail as possible: This is your child’s duty. Have your child tell you the nightmare including every little detail he or she can remember as well as any thoughts or feelings that come to mind. Do this when your child first comes to you with the nightmare and do this at bedtime. If your child is very young have him or her draw a picture or pictures of the nightmare for you. If your child is older have him or her record the nightmare in a journal. This not only allows you to get a good idea of the nightmare but it helps desensitize your child to the drama of it.
TITLE the nightmare: If your child’s nightmare was a movie what title would he or she give it? The title often sums up the gist of the nightmare in just a few words offering insight into what it might be about.
CHANGE the ending: This is the fun part! This is where your and your child’s creative juices get to flow! Have your child relay the entire dream to you again but change the ending to a happy one. Little Zachary can turn himself into a wizard and with his all powerful magic words he can change the monster into a teddy bear with a bag full of toys. Baby Jessica can change the giant Willy Wonka into a giant winged horse that has come to whisk her away to Candy Land. It’s the dream world – anything goes! Do this at bedtime every night. A new ending each night or the same one; it doesn’t matter. In addition, have your child draw out the new dream with the happy ending. Or if it is an older child, write out the new and improved dream underneath the original. This is programming your child’s subconscious mind, like programming a computer. With enough repetition the subconscious will begin to believe the new ending and make it so.
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