Childhood Fear: “Nightmares — like most dreams — occur during the stage of sleep when the brain is very active and sorting through experiences and new information for learning and memory. The vivid images the brain is processing can seem as real as the emotions they might trigger.
This part of sleep is known as the rapid eye movement or REM stage because the eyes are rapidly moving beneath closed eyelids. Nightmares tend to happen during the second half of a night’s sleep, when REM intervals are longer.
When kids awaken from a nightmare, its images are still fresh and can seem real. So, it’s natural for them to feel afraid and upset and to call out to a parent for comfort.
By about preschool age, kids begin to understand that a nightmare is only a dream — and that what’s happening isn’t real and can’t hurt them. But knowing that doesn’t prevent them from feeling scared. Even older kids feel frightened when they awaken from a nightmare and may need your reassurance and comfort.”
This is where the Power of Imagination comes into play! Overcoming childhood fear of the dark!
Imagination makes it possible to experience a whole world inside the mind. It gives the ability to look at any situation from a different point of view, and to mentally explore the past and the future and it gives people a tool to combat fears.
This ability manifests in various forms, one of which is daydreaming or night-dreams or simply pure imagination, which occurs between laying down for bed and actually falling asleep. Though too much idle dreaming may make one impractical, a certain degree dreaming, while not being engaged in something that requires attention, provides temporary happiness, calmness and relief from stress. To dream of a hero that has already overcome your fears before bed has helped Jason’s Children relax and deal with the stress of night fears associated with bedtime.
In one’s imagination, you can travel anywhere in the speed of light, without any obstacles. It can make you feel free, though temporarily, and only in the mind, from tasks, difficulties and unpleasant circumstances.
Imagination is not limited only to seeing pictures in the mind. It includes all the five senses and the feelings. With an imaginative book, one can visualize a sound, taste, smell, a physical sensation or a feeling or emotion and relate it to their own perception.
Helping kids conquer nightmares and common childhood fear will equip them with the tools to overcome other scary things that might arise down the road. It is Jason Borrego’s hope this series (Stuffed Courage) will give your children a friend to stay with them in their mind during the darkest of nights.
Overcoming childhood fear of the dark!
