My inspiration for this publication came from my own childhood, and from experiences that other children in my family continue to experience generation after generation. Around the ages of 9-12, I vividly recall having endless sleepless nights; waking up in fear of what was in my mind or under my bed. I would wake from a deep sleep sometimes not remembering what I had dreamt and run to my parent’s room. These night terrors would become frequent and cause my parents to experience sleepless nights as well.
My parents worried and did not understand these experiences and thought they might be caused by something I watched on television or a scary story I read somewhere. After some time, my father helped me realize that my fears originated from inside my mind and that the movies I watched on television were nothing to be feared since they were not real and could not hurt me.
Keeping this advice in mind, I continued watching movies and shows of all genres and learned to understand that my fears were within my control. In hopes of educating parents and children who suffer from similar night terrors, I have combined my research into creating this educational publication focusing on what causes child night terrors, anxiety, and whether horror movies are connected. This will unveil the stigma most parents seem to have against their children viewing such films and open the door for a necessary conversation between parent and child.
My parents worried and did not understand these experiences and thought they might be caused by something I watched on television or a scary story I read somewhere. After some time, my father helped me realize that my fears originated from inside my mind and that the movies I watched on television were nothing to be feared since they were not real and could not hurt me.
Keeping this advice in mind, I continued watching movies and shows of all genres and learned to understand that my fears were within my control. In hopes of educating parents and children who suffer from similar night terrors, I have combined my research into creating this educational publication focusing on what causes child night terrors, anxiety, and whether horror movies are connected. This will unveil the stigma most parents seem to have against their children viewing such films and open the door for a necessary conversation between parent and child.
