Thread: Scared!

My 4 year old son has always had night terrors. His doctor said they will go away with age. He has had them about 5 night a week since he was a newborn. Some night are worse than others. Ususally there are about 5 each night. Sometimes they are so bad, ear piercing, and he shakes uncontrollably.
Recently he told me that he keeps having a dream that I die and my eyes are removed. When I asked him how I die he says "they just slay your eyes out" I asked him who, and he says, "I dont know." I dont even know where he got the word "slay" from. What can I do to keep my baby from these terrible nightmares? What do they mean?

Welcome to Dreamviews - I wish it was under better circumstances.

One method I've read about for night terrors is figuring out when they usually happen (how many hours after falling asleep). If there's a pattern, you wake them up at that time, and let them fall asleep 5-10 minutes later.

In children, there isn't a lot medically that can be done. In severe cases they can prescribe anti-depressants that can help, but this isn't usually done for children because they go away when they get older.

As for the recurring dream, I'm not sure what it means. I personally don't think that dreams have any special meaning. Your son may be worrying about losing you, usually recurring dreams represent some kind of worry.

I wish I could help you further. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

i do not know...when i had night terrors when i was little they went away when i was around 6 or 7 i am very sorry i can not help more...my dreams were about me death as well (i was being murdered)....i think it is part of growing up, but mabye your son saw some movie or something that was scary (i do not know throwing out ideas) that causes his reactions... mabye if u are in the army or in a dangerous line of work it could cause his fear...try reasuring him that you can not get hurt becuase you are always in a safe area.....mabye try statistics that make it so hard for it to happen (you getting hurt)......(((you could make up numbers)))......if you are religious (mabye christianity) try reading the bible to him at night....passages on love and protection....this is all i can do

here try this website it had some good info on night terrors http://www.nightterrors.org/

well when i was 6 i had this problem my dad said if they show up fight them or tell them to get out it worked or explan that its his dream change it thats all i know

Hi.
I am glad you have located a lucid dreaming Forum. This may be the doorway to helping your son.

About the same age as your son I had had a reoccurring dream that my mother was taken hostage and was tortured. This went on for I think a little over a year and about two or three times a week.
As I went to bed always paranoid about this dream happening. (this I feel was a mnemonic type episode) just not on a conscious level.
as I new it was bound to happen any night it was as though my mind did what it had to do.
One night the dream had again occurred, this time I was conscious of the fact that it was happening. I took control of the mice (I know that sounds silly but I was four or five ) I took no physical action but I screamed at them to leave my mom alone. That was the end. My psyche had taken control of this horrible fear.
What I did out of necessity is what most lucid dreamers do to prep for lucid dreams on purpose. I just had no idea.
Then many years later I began to have reoccurring nightmares. I was 28 years old. These were not identical dreams like when I was younger but reoccurring nightmares none the less. I was tuned in to what was called lucid dreaming. I never new it had a name, that you could do so because you choose to!!! I took these efforts and made the same strides as I did when I was younger. I confronted the fears directly in my dreams.

Young children spend a lot of time in REM sleep and in dreams. They are also very vulnerable, and susceptible to fears that can snow ball out of control.
You can teach your son that he can be the "parent" in these dreams and that it is only a dream. He does not likely have all the mental hurdles that you and I have as we begin to question everything, label everything and eventually become conditioned to so many things.

So your doctor to say it will go away with age. Yaa.... So will his height.
It goes away because of the natural functioning of our brains and aging.
Your sons case seems very severe. So imo it may have a potential to not go away with age either.
There are some hidden issues here. As for me I was so severely attached to my mother that my fear of losing here manifested greatly. This may be the case with your son. I would talk to him. Tell him you are A OOK!! Ask him about his fears and get them out in the open.

I sure hope this helps.