Aa
terrified of ghosts
my now 8 year old son has claimed for about 3 years now there are ghost in our house and it is now starting to get way out of control. He can be nowhere in the house alone someone must be by his side AT ALL TIMES!!It's so severe its starting to cause alot of dysfunction in our family. He will miss out on doing something if the only"escort" is unavailable and goes as far as standig in the bathroom during showers and such if there isn't anyone else in the house.Do you know how many times I hear mooom! in a day? I cant leave a room without 1st announcing it! Soo, I'm starting to almost resent and dislike my little boy!! Now thats bad!
hi
if there are spirits it could be from the ground that you have built on. anybody could have lost their lives on that land many many years ago.
My mother cleansess house if there is any spiritual activity. maybe getting someone like that and having your some watch them cleans the house will put him at ease. maybe having an outsider do the cleansing will make him belive that it acutally works, and it is not mom trying to convince him other wise by doing it herself.
if there are spirits it could be from the ground that you have built on. anybody could have lost their lives on that land many many years ago.
My mother cleansess house if there is any spiritual activity. maybe getting someone like that and having your some watch them cleans the house will put him at ease. maybe having an outsider do the cleansing will make him belive that it acutally works, and it is not mom trying to convince him other wise by doing it herself.
Thank you all for your ideas! Yes, he is a little old for the spray(we used GHOST BE GONE spray for wy older son when he was younger. He had a small phase with ghosts but that has passed. I've even used a scaled down version of smudging around the house. It worked a little but the novelty of that has worn off. I agree he has anxiety about something and he may be using the ghost to deal with it. I do believe there are ghosts and spirits myself and i even used that angle with him and telling him they will not hurt him and more than likely they are guardian angels watching over him. But that didnt work either, it seemrd to inflame the problem. I've tried to reason with himalso, that he is safe in our house and his dad and I would never let him be anywhere that he would be in any danger. But ,my son is very strong minded and he forms his own opinions and he has never been easily persuaded! So thats why it is so frustrating for us!! We tried a few therapy sessions but I felt she spent the time fueling the fear. Maybe I'm wrong but I felt she wasn't a good fit for him. So now I'm thinking of finding another therapist. I just don't know where to go.I feel there is no end in sight for this problem and now my older son is being pulled in because my son makes him stay with him everywhere if my husband and I not available. I'm really getting frustrated and I feel like I'm always in a bad mood because I feel so suffacated by this! I know this sounds so mean and I don't mean to be its just getting so old. I'm even starting to believe him even though are house is fairly new and we are the only ones who have ever livved here. So, if there are spirits where did they come from?!
I agree with Annie that that's worth a shot, but "monster spray" games tend to work better for 3 year olds. At 8, I really don't think it will have any affect on him he's developed an anxiety that has not "metasticized" to other things and it will get worse and worse and he will be able to function less and less as time goes by without therapy.
He needs desensitization therapy. Until he faces down these fears - and that's HARD and will take bravery - this will get worse. His level of physical arousal will get stronger and more unbearable the more strategies he uses to hide from the ghosts. With a caring therapist, he will have to stand them down and face them, and then they will cause less fear reaction in him until he will finally be able to function normally again.
For a good start to this, get "Harry and the Terrible Whatsit". It's a whimsical book about a boy who was afraid of the monster in the basement until he faced it head on, and then it wasn't so scary anymore. It's a cute book, but it would be a good way to introduce this topic to him that we are going to get therapy and face down this anxiety reaction that is growing in you, and in a couple months you'll be free of it.
Best wishes.
He needs desensitization therapy. Until he faces down these fears - and that's HARD and will take bravery - this will get worse. His level of physical arousal will get stronger and more unbearable the more strategies he uses to hide from the ghosts. With a caring therapist, he will have to stand them down and face them, and then they will cause less fear reaction in him until he will finally be able to function normally again.
For a good start to this, get "Harry and the Terrible Whatsit". It's a whimsical book about a boy who was afraid of the monster in the basement until he faced it head on, and then it wasn't so scary anymore. It's a cute book, but it would be a good way to introduce this topic to him that we are going to get therapy and face down this anxiety reaction that is growing in you, and in a couple months you'll be free of it.
Best wishes.
I am a firm believer that children can see far more than we can. My family and i are very spiritual and believe that sometime spirits need help to move over.
Kids are brought up thinking that ghosts are evil and dangerous, were as majority of them are just confused and looking for guidance. I agree with Annie, do a little ritual, show him that you are taking him seriously; that you believe him and want to help him. Remember that if you child thinks you are not taking him seriously about something, they might then decided not to tell you everything about themselves and their lives because "Mommy; is just going to think im crazy, or not believe me"
My son went through a monster at his window stage. We bought him a little angel figurine and placed it next to his bed, so that it could keep him safe at night because monsters are frightened of angels. We also make him his own Dream catcher, so that it could catch any monsters in his room and take them to another planet. Make it interesting and fun; kids love this kind of thing, try and turn it into a positive experience. Now my son just says, "Mommy the monsters are scared of us and the angels will keep us safe, there are no more monsters in our house"
We moved house approx 8 months ago, and i was very worried about him and the adjustment, but he slept in his own bed from the very first night and he said that his angels had moved with im and have told him all is fine.
Use their imaginations to your advantage…. It really works.
Kids are brought up thinking that ghosts are evil and dangerous, were as majority of them are just confused and looking for guidance. I agree with Annie, do a little ritual, show him that you are taking him seriously; that you believe him and want to help him. Remember that if you child thinks you are not taking him seriously about something, they might then decided not to tell you everything about themselves and their lives because "Mommy; is just going to think im crazy, or not believe me"
My son went through a monster at his window stage. We bought him a little angel figurine and placed it next to his bed, so that it could keep him safe at night because monsters are frightened of angels. We also make him his own Dream catcher, so that it could catch any monsters in his room and take them to another planet. Make it interesting and fun; kids love this kind of thing, try and turn it into a positive experience. Now my son just says, "Mommy the monsters are scared of us and the angels will keep us safe, there are no more monsters in our house"
We moved house approx 8 months ago, and i was very worried about him and the adjustment, but he slept in his own bed from the very first night and he said that his angels had moved with im and have told him all is fine.
Use their imaginations to your advantage…. It really works.
Tell him, in all seriousness, that there is a way to rid a house of ghosts. Then do it. Walk around in every room with him and each of you carry a lit candle. Shine it around, and sing as you go. Any song will do. In your other hand, carry a spray bottle with water. Spray the water in each room as you go. Open the closets and sing and spray and let the candlelight fall in every dark corner. (This is an actual folk remedy for houses with ghosts, and I know people who do it every time they move to a new place.) Do it with him without smirking or rolling your eyes, if he sees you taking it 'seriously' then he will, too. What the heck, maybe there really are ghosts and this will send them along. He will appreciate your taking him seriously in any case.
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