Nightmares or night terrors in children can be distressing for both the child and the parents, and the subsequent loss of sleep often impacts negatively on the whole family.
Eight-year-old Ellie started suffering from recurring night terrors soon after her three older siblings left home to go to boarding school in the city. Over the course of a few months, Ellie went from being an independent and confident little girl, who happily went to bed with a kiss and a story, to an anxious and frightened child who woke frequently throughout the night from disturbing and terrifying nightmares. Bedtime became an issue, with Ellie frequently clinging to her mum and finding excuses for her to stay in the room until Ellie fell asleep. Because she was now the only child at home, her parents allowed more than they normally would have, and an exhausting pattern of late nights and interrupted sleep emerged, leaving everyone short-tempered and oversensitive.
During her homeopathic consultation, Ellie confided that she often delayed bedtime by asking to watch the news with her parents. Her parents confirmed this and joked that Ellie knew more about what was going on in the world than they did. Further discussion revealed that, although Ellie wasn’t easily frightened, she was a sensitive little girl who reacted strongly to sad stories and had a deep fear of any harm coming to her family. It became increasingly clear in the consultation that Ellie’s nightmares were based on her fear of being left alone and of her family coming to harm. These fears were being fuelled daily by the TV news coverage of deaths and tragedies.
Ellie was prescribed a well-known homeopathic medicine, which helped her to settle at bedtime with less difficulty. In time, she was able to talk more openly about her fears. Over the course of several weeks, the frequency of the nightmares lessened and the quality of her sleep improved. In addition to giving her the medicine, Ellie’s parents stopped allowing her to watch the TV news and spent more time reading stories with her, all of which helped to overcome a very difficult time for a sensitive little girl.
MARYANNE LOGAN professional homeopath, NSW