13 year old son night terrors OR are they something else

[mrsg1980]

hi this is my first post in this forum and im looking for some advice, my son is 13 has adhd and since he was 4 years old has had terrifying night terrors, they stopped when he was 11 ish but in the past month he has started to have them again, they are very upsetting for us all but when he comes out of them he has no memory of anything what so ever not even getting out of bed, its very hard to explain what they look like but he gets extremely scared and upset, he looks wide awake but his eyes look empty, he runs about screaming and shouting and theres always something war related he gets upset about, he's woken the house up screaming that his leg had been blown off and he couldnt find his friend. to me i think he's reliving a past life but i dont know who to turn to or what to do. he runs through the whole house in a frantic panic and i'm scared he's going to hurt himself. we did manage to video his last episode

any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[Mere Dreamer]

You aren't alone. This definitely sounds like it could be past life related. You've come to the right place to find encouragement and people who will believe and help you.


Here is a thread by someone who is helping their young child through such dreams: 3 year old with a vivid past


You can also try blue light to help calm him, as suggested in the linked post. Let us know if it helps!

 

[mrsg1980]

thank you, i'll try the blue light, he is always so drained the day after he has them because when he does come out of them he goes straight back in when he tries to sleep again x

 

[argonne1918]

Start keeping a journal and write everything down. You can ask him open ended questions. Maybe ask his name, friends name, location, year or date, etc. Have you read any books on reincarnation? Carol has written two books about children's past life memories and night terrors. Try gently telling him that was another time and that he is safe now.

 

[ChrisR]

Hi mrsg, welcome to the forum.


I'm sorry to hear that your son is having a bad time with the night terrors, and it certainly sounds like he could be remembering a traumatic event from the past. When he's having one of these episodes, are you able to approach him and speak to him at all? You say he looks wide awake, and that his eyes look empty, he is in an altered state of consciousness, but if you can get near him and offer some words of comfort and support, they will still get through to him, even if it seems as though he can't hear you, or even aware that you are there. Try to reassure him that what he is experiencing is in the past, and that he's safe now with a family who love him, and who are not going to allow any harm to come to him. It might take several attempts, but just the fact that you are open minded enough to recognize that he could be experiencing a past life memory is a good first step towards helping him.


Like argonne said, try and read Carol's books if you can, especially Children's Past Lives, and you can always contact her directly through the forum if you want to, she's an expert on all of this.


Please keep us updated, and I'm glad you found us.

 

[Blueheart]

My middle child, Emily, has night terrors. It is, indeed, far more upsetting for the family who has to witness it, than to the sleeper, who does not remember any of it.


To answer your first question, is this from a past life, all I can say is, who knows? Maybe. Some elements of it could be. But, from what I have witnessed, Terrors are first and foremost a dream, a nightmare from a very deep, intense, dream state. The past life might not have played out exactly the way the Terror seems to show it to have been, so take some comfort in that.


Now, on to your next question, what to do?


If this is a past life being replayed in your sons head, then the best thing you can do, is let it play out to its conclusion. Keep your son safe, of course, but let him dream it out of his system.


Sorry. I know that is not what any parent wants to hear. We have tried other things, as well.


We have tried the blue light. It may have helped a little bit.


Honestly, though, what helped the most was removing blankets and making sure that Emily was not too hot as she slept. She would go to sleep cold, but warm up fast while she slept. The heat, I think, was the trigger for her mind to re-create it in her dream as panic.


We also tried talking to her in a calm voice, reminding her she was safe, while she was still awake / while asleep (I think you know what I mean by that. Anyone who has seen it, knows.) and reminding her of something happy. I like to think these moments helped train Emily how to direct her own dreams so the Terrors and nightmares happen less frequently now.


We also talk about it in the morning. She still can not do it, but I am helping Emily to learn how to control her dreams while they are occurring - lucid dreaming.


Lastly, and I am sure you have done this, but it bears repeating for anyone else who might be having similar problems but is too shy to ask...


Look for the physical triggers and try to remove them, especially before bedtime. Sugar, caffeine, energy drinks, medications, exercise, even video games can make the mind and body over-active and cause troubled sleep.


Hope this helps.

 

[deborah]

Welcome mrsg1980,


Please feel free to contact Carol Bowman directly. Especially since his night terrors seem extreme. You can call Carol at 610-566-3870 between the hours of 9:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. EST.