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If a child is afraid of imaginary monsters finding refuge in his wardrobe, then this child must believe that it is possible that these monsters exist and that they can
actually get out of the closet and want to hurt him..
Your first impulse to the irrational fears of a child is probably to want to explain that there is no reason to be afraid. But this is rarely successful, says Ingo Spitczok von Brisinski, a German association representing child psychiatrists, psychotherapists and psychotherapists.
“Of course, it’s the quickest and quickest way to deal with the problem as an adult. But the child might feel that he is not being taken seriously, “he says. “Being afraid of monsters is irrational and irrational fears can not always be overcome with rational arguments.”
It is therefore best to engage in the child’s inner magical world and try to involve him in the fight against the monster. It means thinking with the child about the best way to defeat the monster, chase it away or turn it into a good monster.
In this way, the fear of monsters is placed in a playful context, which can be better controlled and less frightening. For example, you can build a cardboard sword or give the monster a name. When there is a fear of the dark, a simple night light often helps.
For Fabienne Becker-Stoll, director of the Bavarian State Institute for Early Childhood Research, the most reliable way for children to overcome their fears is to provide parents with physical proximity and affection.
It is especially difficult for children if they are ashamed or scared of fear. It is better to sit the child on your lap and, once calm down, ask him if he can tell you more about this monster: “What is it like and what are you afraid of? “
Becker-Stoll remembers a father who helped his son fight his fear of an old black wardrobe in the child’s room: “The boy was maybe eight years old. The father, with the boy, completely emptied the wardrobe, unscrewed it, dismounted it and then went back up with the boy. Then the fear of the “monster” in the closet disappeared. “
Hanna Christiansen, who heads the clinical psychology team for children and adolescents at Marburg University, notes that having a fear of monsters is quite normal for children at a certain age of development.
Children are initially afraid of strangers and unknown objects, loud noises and heights. At the age of four, animal fears, darkness and loneliness manifest themselves. At preschool age, children are afraid of imaginary creatures such as monsters and ghosts, as well as thunderstorms, separation and being alone at night.
Once they go to school, the prevailing fears are related to school, chess, tests, injuries, illnesses, deaths, medical interventions, disasters, kidnappings, environmental incidents and wars.
But sometimes it’s the parents’ behavior and their own fears and phobias that also lead children to develop anxiety disorders, according to Christiansen.
“On the playground, there are often parents standing under their child, arms outstretched, signaling to the child that they do not trust him, and that something is going to go wrong soon,” he says. she.
All experts agree, however, that fears are in principle justifiable. Intelligent children in particular are often more sensitive because they can recognize potential dangers very early.
