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I have a problem with my son who is 9 years old and he is afraid to sleep alone in his room. He said that he was afraid of UFOs, then that his scared brother showed him bloody Mery and so on horrible things. Every day she sleeps either with me or with my husband. This is an unacceptable situation for us. I thought that if he went to summer camps this year, he would learn to sleep on his own, but he called his grandmother every evening to talk to him for hours until he fell asleep. When he goes to bed, he covers his entire head with a duvet. My son watches a lot on the Internet and plays computer games. I don't know if this could be related to the fear of sleeping alone.
There are many reasons why your son does not sleep alone. It may be that the son is playing violent games, it may be that he has watched an older and bloody movie, or it may be that someone scared him. It may also be that the son has separation anxiety, if this is the case, I suggest that you contact a child psychologist as soon as possible in order to establish further therapy.
At the beginning, I suggest sleeping with the lamp lit. It is good for you to be with him until he falls asleep. But please do not lie in bed with him, just sit outside the bed, turn your back to him so that there is no eye contact and read him a nice and quiet book for the night. Repeat this action every day, even if your son has an attack of hysteria, not to be provoked or manipulated, and it will probably happen. At the same time, every night I ask you to move away from the child's bed a few centimeters, not much, but with small steps, increase the distance. If this does not help, I suggest a psychological consultation. Keep going and try it.
Remember that our expert's answer is informative and will not replace a visit to the doctor.
Ewa GuzowskaEwa Guzowska - educator, addiction therapist, lecturer at GWSH in Gdańsk. A graduate of the Pedagogical Academy in Krakow (social and care pedagogy) and postgraduate studies in therapy and diagnosis of children and adolescents with developmental disorders. She worked as a school educator and addiction therapist in a drug addiction center. He conducts numerous trainings in the field of interpersonal communication.
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