Anyone Have Any Ideas How To Getting A 6 Year Old With Ptsd To Sleep?

[Deleted member 1860]

I have bag of poly pellets so I'm thinking of just getting a regular stuffed animal and filling it with them! I'm sure it would be a heck of a lot cheaper!

 

[MomOfTwo]

You could phone a therapist for the weight he would need. I know with my son then did not want it to be over a certain weight. good luck.

 

[BlueOrange]

Direct pressure to the belly button with the palm of the hand (not quite enough to be uncomfortable, but almost) sometimes has a remarkable calming effect, particularly on small children.

Borrowing from Tibetan grieving practices, actively commemorating the uncle's death at 7:15pm and doing something calming to help his spirit move on can make the reliving of the experience (which is going to happen anyway) into something deliberate, which can evolve into something voluntary, which can evolve into something optional. The Tibetan standard prescription is every day for a week, then every week for a month, then every month for a year, and then every year (on the anniversary) until convinced that the spirit has moved on. A persistently trapped spirit like the uncle's might need more help than he has had so far before he stops haunting people.

Having the right attitude to nightmares is also important. I believe firmly (and will post separately in detail about this) that nightmares are an attempt by the brain to forget. It's actually good that he's having the nightmares, because he needs them in order to forget; the challenge is to make the nightmares bearable enough that he is able to fall back asleep as quickly as possible once woken by a nightmare. Comforting weights are definitely a good way to do this; in my view the most comforting weight possible is a parent's arm.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

I used something I made up and called it monster spray. A spray bottle and some water and some perfume. We would spray under the bed and in the closet and in the room. It calmed them down and comforted them and they were able to go to sleep.

Also another helpful thing is to have a ceiling fan over the bed and lay with the child and watch the blades go round and round. Food for thought, although there have been better suggestions made by others. Good luck.

 

[Eleanor]

Thanks for those, gizmo - we have ceiling fans in all our bedrooms - I never thought to have L watch them - kind of hypnotic... I'm thinking about maybe "spiking" the monster spray with some essential oils too....

@ BlueOrange, did you post more on nightmares?

 

[stephanie44]

I just purchased a weighted blanket for myself yesterday(they have other things as well): Dream Catchers Weighted Blankets is the name of the company. I am hoping it will help me.

 

[senji]

I used to put a colored sleep lamp when I was 8 years old, I suffer from age 8.
Sleeping with light on always made it easier to fall asleep.

There is aslo a green tea which has effect on the body, relaxing it and specially good for sleeping. I'm using it when I can't sleep. So you might check it, it would help in your child's case.

About the nightmares I don't realy have a good advice, until today - 18 years old - I suffer from nightmares, but less than age 8.

I realy hope you'll find an asnwer for your child's sleeping problems. Good luck